Impulse buy: Peugeot 205 GTi 16v
Discussion
Oil temp sensor is now wired back in to the main harness, so that's 2 jobs ticked off the list so far.
Another little job I had to do was to sort out the rear quarter badges. A few months ago one fell off, and it was clear to see why:
2019-11-16_03-14-29 by CarlosV8, on Flickr
I pulled the other 3 off and they were all held on with tape, not very securely. I decided to go for a set of reproduction black badges and seperately bought a set of updated vinyl stickers. I also acquired a set of new rubbber gommets for the new badges to fit into. Quite please with the results:
20190831_101202 by CarlosV8, on Flickr
And on the (filthy) car:
20191116_135931 by CarlosV8, on Flickr
Another little job I had to do was to sort out the rear quarter badges. A few months ago one fell off, and it was clear to see why:
2019-11-16_03-14-29 by CarlosV8, on FlickrI pulled the other 3 off and they were all held on with tape, not very securely. I decided to go for a set of reproduction black badges and seperately bought a set of updated vinyl stickers. I also acquired a set of new rubbber gommets for the new badges to fit into. Quite please with the results:
20190831_101202 by CarlosV8, on FlickrAnd on the (filthy) car:
20191116_135931 by CarlosV8, on FlickrThe space saver is now cleaned up and fitted to the underside of the car. Takes up much less space than the original alloy (obviously), but also gives a handy 5kg weight saving.
Nipping up the cam cover bolts seems to have temporarily solved the oil leak, however I have a complete set of seals and gaskets to fit at some point in the near future just to make sure.
I had the car up on axle stands to start pulling the suspension apart, but decided to divert my focus elsewhere. There's been an annoying rattle from the exhaust since I bought it and it's been getting worse so it was time to finally investigate the issue. First of all I found a couple of missing bolts on the centre heat shield, which were easy enough to fix. Unfortunately it wasn't going to be quite so easy to get rid of the rattle as it was coming from the exhaust itself. With time being in abundance due to the lockdown I thought I might as well take it off and get a better look. So, after a bit of swearing:
20200429_161143 by CarlosV8, on Flickr
The rattle is clearly coming from the centre box - the inside seems loose. Closer inspection shows some signs of stress on the outside too:
20200429_162945 by CarlosV8, on Flickr
At the very least a new centre box is needed. However, the exhaust is not standard - a standard downpipe has been welded onto a Magnex centre and rear pipe. So I'd also need another downpipe, and then I would need someone to weld them together. This seems like a expensive bodge, so the new plan is to get a custom made exhaust made up. My trusted local garage is also a Longlife franchise, so I'll be paying them a visit once this lockdown is over. This means I can tone down the noise slightly so I can finally try a track day, but I can also add a lambda sensor hole for a future upgrades. Not a cheap fix, but hopefully a worthwhile one!
With some more swearing the exhaust was re-fitted and the car brought outside for a well needed wash and polish. The paintwork is far from perfect, but it makes for a good photo:
20200503_134816 by CarlosV8, on Flickr
The real reason for the polishing was this:
20200503_134941 by CarlosV8, on Flickr
A stay-at-home charity car show... hopefully a few other PHers got involved?! The idea was that your pride and joy was displayed on your driveway for the day to hopefully raise a smile for any passersby, but with photos also shared on social media for all to see. Proceeds from the plaques and any other donations go to the NHS - with over £10k raised in total.
The daily drivers got involved too:
20200503_140053 by CarlosV8, on Flickr
Not the most exciting lineup, but 3, 4 and 5 cylinders proudly on display
Nipping up the cam cover bolts seems to have temporarily solved the oil leak, however I have a complete set of seals and gaskets to fit at some point in the near future just to make sure.
I had the car up on axle stands to start pulling the suspension apart, but decided to divert my focus elsewhere. There's been an annoying rattle from the exhaust since I bought it and it's been getting worse so it was time to finally investigate the issue. First of all I found a couple of missing bolts on the centre heat shield, which were easy enough to fix. Unfortunately it wasn't going to be quite so easy to get rid of the rattle as it was coming from the exhaust itself. With time being in abundance due to the lockdown I thought I might as well take it off and get a better look. So, after a bit of swearing:
20200429_161143 by CarlosV8, on FlickrThe rattle is clearly coming from the centre box - the inside seems loose. Closer inspection shows some signs of stress on the outside too:
20200429_162945 by CarlosV8, on FlickrAt the very least a new centre box is needed. However, the exhaust is not standard - a standard downpipe has been welded onto a Magnex centre and rear pipe. So I'd also need another downpipe, and then I would need someone to weld them together. This seems like a expensive bodge, so the new plan is to get a custom made exhaust made up. My trusted local garage is also a Longlife franchise, so I'll be paying them a visit once this lockdown is over. This means I can tone down the noise slightly so I can finally try a track day, but I can also add a lambda sensor hole for a future upgrades. Not a cheap fix, but hopefully a worthwhile one!
With some more swearing the exhaust was re-fitted and the car brought outside for a well needed wash and polish. The paintwork is far from perfect, but it makes for a good photo:
20200503_134816 by CarlosV8, on FlickrThe real reason for the polishing was this:
20200503_134941 by CarlosV8, on FlickrA stay-at-home charity car show... hopefully a few other PHers got involved?! The idea was that your pride and joy was displayed on your driveway for the day to hopefully raise a smile for any passersby, but with photos also shared on social media for all to see. Proceeds from the plaques and any other donations go to the NHS - with over £10k raised in total.
The daily drivers got involved too:
20200503_140053 by CarlosV8, on FlickrNot the most exciting lineup, but 3, 4 and 5 cylinders proudly on display
M22s said:
Great little read and a lovely car, Carlos!
Tmrtom said:
Great car!
Thanks both!Another little job was to look at the driving lights. They haven't worked for a while - not the end of the world as the car rarely gets driven at night and even then the lights don't do a great deal. However, it was a minor annoyance that I couldn't keep overlooking. Turns out it was a very easy fix - in true French-electric fashion this yellow multiplug needed a wiggle:
2020-05-12_08-29-55 by CarlosV8, on FlickrIn fact, a wiggle followed by cleaning up the connections. With the bulbs now working my attention turned to the lights themselves, which were looking a bit worse for wear with rusted surrounds and manky looking lenses. For less than £25 I've acquired a pair of new surrounds and new pattern lights. It's clear the lights are cheap copies, and they needed some minor wiring modification to fit, but for now they look much better than the old ones:
20200505_211156 by CarlosV8, on FlickrIn time I will clean up the original Siem lights and refit (or more likely leave them on a shelf in the garage for a few years!).
Hopefully some more progress to be made this weekend...
After a few months of lockdown-SORN I decided it was time to get the 205 taxed and on the road again. To celebrate this I took the car to have a socially distanced chat with a friendly exhaust fabricator. Plans have been put in place, and we're booked in for 17th June to have a full system made up. Driving the car around this weekend with the windows down has reminded how much the current rattling exhaust annoys me, so I'm very much looking forward to getting this done!
And of course, I couldn't have the car out in the sun without taking a few pictures:
2020-06-06_01-30-00 by CarlosV8, on Flickr
2020-06-06_03-59-54 by CarlosV8, on Flickr
And of course, I couldn't have the car out in the sun without taking a few pictures:
2020-06-06_01-30-00 by CarlosV8, on Flickr2020-06-06_03-59-54 by CarlosV8, on Flickr
New exhaust is fitted and finally the car doesn't sound like a rattly bag of spanners! I've gone for a 2.25" system (previously 2") with a 3" rolled tip. I've also had a lambda sensor boss fitted so eventually I can fit one and get the car remapped to suit. Shiny new pipe:
20200617_185033 by CarlosV8, on Flickr
And the new tip:
20200617_185115 by CarlosV8, on Flickr
I had a slightly larger centre box fitted to try and bring the noise down a bit, not sure it was entirely successful but it does sound pretty good. Only slight downside is I'm getting a bit of resonance in the cabin when pootling round town. I'll see how this goes as the system beds in, but it may necessitate a bit of sound-deadening in the boot. On the plus side it feels bloody quick, I'm guessing that's because I haven't driven it anger for so long, but maybe the exhaust has helped release a few ponies?!
I also finally got off my arse and finished refurbing a spare cam cover. It's not come out quite how I wanted it, but for a first go it'll do for now. Also to be fitted is a new filter as the old one was a bit battered:
2020-06-17_11-34-33 by CarlosV8, on Flickr
For the filter I've gone for a size down to give me a bit more clearance against the slam panel - I'm only using 40mm trumpets on the ITBs, so this still gives a 60mm gap between trumpet and air filter.
A topless Mi16 engine:
20200618_211444 by CarlosV8, on Flickr
And all buttoned back up:
20200618_215940 by CarlosV8, on Flickr
In true Peugeot fashion, just as I've got a load of things sorted, a completely unrelated problem has reared its head. The rear end has developed a nasty squeak, which means it's time for a rear beam rebuild. This has been on the cards anyway as I wanted a slight increase in ride-height, so it's just brought plans forward a bit. It's a job that's beyond my skillset, so it's getting booked in to a specialist shortly.
20200617_185033 by CarlosV8, on FlickrAnd the new tip:
20200617_185115 by CarlosV8, on FlickrI had a slightly larger centre box fitted to try and bring the noise down a bit, not sure it was entirely successful but it does sound pretty good. Only slight downside is I'm getting a bit of resonance in the cabin when pootling round town. I'll see how this goes as the system beds in, but it may necessitate a bit of sound-deadening in the boot. On the plus side it feels bloody quick, I'm guessing that's because I haven't driven it anger for so long, but maybe the exhaust has helped release a few ponies?!
I also finally got off my arse and finished refurbing a spare cam cover. It's not come out quite how I wanted it, but for a first go it'll do for now. Also to be fitted is a new filter as the old one was a bit battered:
2020-06-17_11-34-33 by CarlosV8, on FlickrFor the filter I've gone for a size down to give me a bit more clearance against the slam panel - I'm only using 40mm trumpets on the ITBs, so this still gives a 60mm gap between trumpet and air filter.
A topless Mi16 engine:
20200618_211444 by CarlosV8, on FlickrAnd all buttoned back up:
20200618_215940 by CarlosV8, on FlickrIn true Peugeot fashion, just as I've got a load of things sorted, a completely unrelated problem has reared its head. The rear end has developed a nasty squeak, which means it's time for a rear beam rebuild. This has been on the cards anyway as I wanted a slight increase in ride-height, so it's just brought plans forward a bit. It's a job that's beyond my skillset, so it's getting booked in to a specialist shortly.
Lovely car, I had an Mi16 engined one for over 15 years, it was great fun.
Not sure if you ever got to figure out if the fans were working correctly but there is a plug you can use for diagnostics. This one
Bridge the connections out, middle pin to one side should turn the fans on at one speed, middle pin to the other side should be the other speed.
If it doesn't work its possibly the resistor
You should have 2 of these in the engine bay, one for the headlights and one for the fan.
Not sure if you ever got to figure out if the fans were working correctly but there is a plug you can use for diagnostics. This one
Bridge the connections out, middle pin to one side should turn the fans on at one speed, middle pin to the other side should be the other speed.
If it doesn't work its possibly the resistor
You should have 2 of these in the engine bay, one for the headlights and one for the fan.
ReverendCounter said:
CarlosV8 said:
Yes, I do have a 1.6 gearbox (the car was originally a 1.6). Although it does have an LSD now too.
Must be pretty relentless acceleration up to a certain speed!I’m using an mi16 box for almost 20 years! similar engine build Jenveys etc.
RenPug said:
Lovely car, I had an Mi16 engined one for over 15 years, it was great fun.
Not sure if you ever got to figure out if the fans were working correctly but there is a plug you can use for diagnostics.
Not sure if you ever got to figure out if the fans were working correctly but there is a plug you can use for diagnostics.
Simes205 said:
And also check the sensor in the rad if the above all works.
A "temporary" bodge by wiring a 2nd fan to a manual switch means I can keep temperatures under control (you can see this less-than-pretty wiring in the photo above). I have also changed the fan switch in the rad for a new one, but I haven't since driven it in any slow moving traffic to see if it's made a difference.I never realised there was diagnostic plug for the fans, but presumably it's no different to bridging the fan switch plug? I will test that at some point though as I've not checked the resistor. Could be a good shout.
I do have the proper wiring for twin fans, which would also enable me to ditch the resistor. The other option is to go for an after market fan and ditch the fan panel in order to improve airflow to the throttle bodies. Still undecided at the moment!
ReverendCounter said:
Must be pretty relentless acceleration up to a certain speed!
Certainly is! It's very eager to rev and will happily take you up to licence losing speeds without much bother. Of course, a modern diesel hatchback would give me a run for my money, but you can be certain the 205 will feel a lot faster and I will have a much bigger smile on my face!Simes205 said:
What is like with the lsd? I’ve toyed with one but as I hardly drive this car I’ve not bothered.
I’m using an mi16 box for almost 20 years! similar engine build Jenveys etc.
It completely changes the feel of the car as it really pulls you round a corner when you're pushing hard. In fact if you're not paying attention you can find yourself heading for the inside curb. It's certainly not essential for a road based car but for me it just makes it a little more exciting.I’m using an mi16 box for almost 20 years! similar engine build Jenveys etc.
PixelpeepS3 said:
that makes my heart ache, such a pretty car - thank you for sharing OP
Thanks, very kind of you to say. I had my first 205 almost 20 years ago, although I had 2 309s before that. That 205 was a white Dturbo that looked just like yours and I loved it, but unfortunately that came to a messy end involving a tree. GTis were dirt cheap at the time, but I couldn't get insured on one, so the Dturbo was replaced by an XS. After a wide array of different cars I eventually got a GTi (albeit a 309) 8 years ago and haven't been without one since.CarlosV8 said:
Thanks, very kind of you to say. I had my first 205 almost 20 years ago, although I had 2 309s before that. That 205 was a white Dturbo that looked just like yours and I loved it, but unfortunately that came to a messy end involving a tree. GTis were dirt cheap at the time, but I couldn't get insured on one, so the Dturbo was replaced by an XS. After a wide array of different cars I eventually got a GTi (albeit a 309) 8 years ago and haven't been without one since.
was thinking back and remembered something funny...my airflow meter was screwed - i think a new one was £200 at the time. AA guy told me to break the casing open and give it a squirt of WD40 every few days.
worked a treat lol
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