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THE DFS WORLD OF CHOD - Running repairs required. 11/10.


dougiefourspeed

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What I've always found interesting is how much less intrusive the 1124cc petrol engine is at "metric" motorway speeds rather than UK motorway speeds, i.e. 70, where intake noise seems quite boomy, but at 120km/h - Irish limits - it doesn't boom as much.  It's as if the French engineers designed it that way...

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I've been blezzing around the lanes in the little Pug a fair bit this week, and having a lot of fun. But one thing that it has highlighted is that the front discs and pads could do with replacing fairly soon which got me wondering about the stoppers on this little thing. 

 

As has been said previously, converting to 4-stud sounds a bit of a ball-ache but it'd be nice to have a little more stopping power if possible, the current set up uses 238mm solid discs. Does anyone know if there are any larger discs that were used with the 3 stud setup? AX GT perhaps? Just a thought and if not I'll bang on some new OE standard bits but I thought it worth an ask.

 

 

https://brakeparts.co.uk/shop/CITROEN/AX/87-98/AX%20AX14%20PETROL%20inc%20GT%20GTI%20&%20SPORT/Front%20-%20Brake%20Discs%20and%20Drums

 

Lists 3 stud AXGT as 238mm and 247mm. Looks like they went up to 258mm on four stud later in life (looking at pictures, early ones were on three stud steels and late ones, four stud alloys)

 

Not sure how much extra bite 9mm of diameter will give you, but they're out there.

 

Fit Halfords pads, if you can get them.  I've never experienced fade with them even when GLF but they have instant bite.  In my experience GSF O/E type pads always - ALWAYS - needed a bit heat in the disc for them to have bite.  This is fine on backroads where the discs are always warmish but has lead to a few squeaky-bum moments at motorway junctions - M62/M6 springs to mind - where I've suddenly had to emergency brake because someone else needs to be in the other traffic stream, and I've not used the brakes in the last 40 miles...it's a good 50-60 metres before they suddenly "come in" and then you're either in the back of whatever you're trying to avoid of are ploughing straight on with wheels locked.

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Welcome. I do like a nice prefacelift 106.

 

Regarding the 1124cc TU, they are superb engines. I've got injection and carb fed AXs with them and they are both quick, although the injection one has a lot more go past 60.

 

Cheers Bramz, I do have a soft spot for these TU cars. This is the third one I've owned (AX 954cc injection, Saxo VTS and this 106) and I've driven loads over the years, I've never known one to grenade itself in such a way that it was beyond repair. 

 

What I've always found interesting is how much less intrusive the 1124cc petrol engine is at "metric" motorway speeds rather than UK motorway speeds, i.e. 70, where intake noise seems quite boomy, but at 120km/h - Irish limits - it doesn't boom as much.  It's as if the French engineers designed it that way...

 

Now that you say that, it does ring true. The 106 is actually pretty smooth up to 70ish, it gets a bit raucous but still pulls cleanly up to around 85 which is about as quick as I've driven it. There's a bit more to come after that I'm sure but it is 22 years old now, you wouldn't ask your Gran to do the 1500 meters at the Olympics now would you?

 

In other news check out the WORLD OF HELLMANS going on in my expansion tank. Not sure what the cause is here, but its not leaking ANY fluids. Never gets hot even in 20 min plus traffic queues on warm days and there is no exhaust-based smokery. Fan working exactly as it should. So I think HG is fine. I topped it up two weeks ago and in that time the level has dropped less than approx 10ml, so nothing I would consider unusual on an older car - done approx 400-500 miles in that time. Any ideas?

 

fWK6Gwi.jpg

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Photo from a few minutes ago: it's fine as it is, only lift the head when it becomes a problem.  It's a doddle to do apparently (Yankee on the old Car Mechanics forum - admittedly, he was staff at a Peugeot main dealer - could do a heid gasket on his lunchbreak).

 

It looks fine, just keep driving it (hard)!

post-3066-0-49096000-1503866238_thumb.jpg

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Some pornography arrived in the post the other day.

 

94d05bcc6b74723a388773f0ae7f3b42.jpg

 

Call me sad but I always try and get a brochure for each car I buy from the year it was made. This one is dated June 1995 and my car was registered in the August.

 

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I didn't even know there was an Aztec Si! It looks like my ideal spec actually. S1 body with the 1360 engine, steels and front fogs. I'd quite like mine to end up like this one day so maybe a bit of OEM+ upgrading is in order?

 

Check out the STATZ. I'm not sure I'd like to go far in the 1.0. Although I'm sure my AX was never that slow, it must have had a weight advantage over the granite-solid* Pug.

 

f11f858531893b124dd99ac3d777a224.jpg

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  • 2 weeks later...

I am quickly getting sick of being rained on when I'm in this car.

I attempted to re-seal the sunroof the other day. I cut out all of the previous sealant which had clearly been there a while and re-did the job again

It was fairly torrential on the way into the office this morning so I was hoping that I would arrive in a dry and presentable state...

f8f835fa1c00d657c608426d9abf9c33.jpg

Fuck.

 

Being cold and wet really is one of my pet hates, so much so I've spent the morning browsing non-sunroof chod on eBay.

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I am quickly getting sick of being rained on when I'm in this car.

 

I attempted to re-seal the sunroof the other day. I cut out all of the previous sealant which had clearly been there a while and re-did the job again

 

It was fairly torrential on the way into the office this morning so I was hoping that I would arrive in a dry and presentable state...

 

f8f835fa1c00d657c608426d9abf9c33.jpg

 

Fuck.

 

Being cold and wet really is one of my pet hates, so much so I've spent the morning browsing non-sunroof chod on eBay.

https://media.giphy.com/media/26tn8CFJvoFDlCXn2/giphy.gif

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  • 2 weeks later...

FUCKING BOLLOCKS FUCK BASTARD POO. 

 

I just wrote an entire post and managed to delete it by accident. What a fucking helmet. 

 

Anyway, I'm now nearly 2500 miles into 106 ownership and I have to say I've become really attached to this little Pug. My original plan was to buy a cheap car, biff about in it until the ticket ran out and then bin it and buy another car. Well suffice to say that I'm really taken with it and having had the chance to have a good poke around underneath to confirm the shell is pretty much rot-free I've decided that after 22 years of stubborn resilience and general French intransigence in the face of seemingly very little in the way of TLC from previous owners, the Puglet deserves better. 

 

In light of this its going to come off the road over the winter. The body damage will be repaired - a new front bumper is en route and I'm on the look out for a new NSF wing if anyone knows where I can obtain one (S1's are different to S2 wings which are much easier to find). I'd like a bit more poke if I'm honest so the 1.1 lump will be removed and a suitable 1360 or 1587 TU 8-valve MOTEUR will be inserted into the resulting cavity. This isn't so much a MAX POWER tuning masterclass engine swap as just one to improve the usability and general driving enjoyment of the car. I'll be moving to four stud hubs etc at the same time simply so I can fit vented discs to improve stopping power as the standard brakes could do with a bit more bite. I know that it would be much easier to just buy a faster car or something. But I really quite like these 106's, I know that this is an inherently good car and that makes it easier to justify spending money on it. I'd love an S1 XSi but I would need £1k+ just to get into an average one these days and obviously GTi's and Rallyes are mega money. 

 

That being said, if the Puglet is off the road for a bit, I will be requiring some alternative shite for commuting duties. So on Friday night after the requisite amount of drink had been taken I started making enquiries of my usual sources to track down any suitable candidates. My list of requirements was thus;

 

  • Cheap
  • Not full of wasps (you may laugh but I've been to see a car before which turned out to have a wasps nest in it. We all laughed about it after we got out of hospital.)
  • Cheap
  • Capable of 40 OMGMPG

After a bit of scratching about my mechanic pal Scott who I've mentioned before in this thread came up trumps with a BMW 316i Compact in his custody currently residing in the legendary south eastern Mecca of shite that is Bexhill-on-sea. I like an E36 and feel that the unloved Compact has an appropriate level of shite-value. As I was in the area yesterday I met up with Scott for a gander. 

 

As we all know, all the best cars are to be found parked halfway inside a hedge in an unmade pub car park. Here's the money shot.

 

Wm3LC7v.jpg

 

As you can see with your eyes. It's a 1996 E36 316i Compact. This one seems to be the base model with the black bumpers and no A/C. There's a bit of a sad story behind it, the car has had two previous owners, the last one had it for years and used to bring it to Scott for servicing. About a year ago the bloke was diagnosed with cancer and after a month he sadly passed away. He left the car to Scott in his will as his wife does not drive. She told Scott the car could stay in her garage as he had no available storage for it at the time but didn't want to see it scrapped, but about a month ago she downsized to a new house so the car had to be moved which is how it ended up in the pub car park as there was nowhere else for it to go. 

 

The battery was fucked as per, and neither of us had jump leads on us yesterday. So this morning I minced back over there solo armed with my 600000 mega amp HEAVY DUTY jump leads, half a can of six month old unleaded and the 106 to have a proper review of the situation. 

 

I've owned an E36 Compact (a 318ti twin cam) before about seven years ago and worked on a few in my time so I was fully prepared to discover EWS issues or a shagged ignition lock or some such war. I splashed some pez in the tank, connected up the jump leads and tentatively turned the key.

 

cinqv1r.jpg

 

GEWINNEN!

 

The engine fired first try and settled to a fairly smooth idle. I have to say it did sound ever so slightly lumpy but its been off the road for about twelve months so I'd imagine it to be down to lack of use. I pulled the car out from the shrubbery and left it to warm up whilst I took a look around. 

 

lsONmsa.jpg

 

The paint has certainly seen better days. But I'd have thought even a half-arsed session with some T Cut will see it looking 100% better. The colour is the attractively-named VIOLETTROT 2. Or Violet Red if you don't sprich die Vaterzunge. I think its an optional colour and it should look like this..

 

IMAG0571.sized.jpg

 

 

 

It's pretty flat everywhere on the car aside from the boot lid for some reason. Hopefully you can see the difference between the rear wing and the tailgate in this photo.

 

mtNvOxJ.jpg

 

Not great, but fairly easily salvageable with a few hours elbow grease.

 

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The local ESCARGOT had taken a liking to the BMW during its time in the hedge, I popped them into the filler neck of the 106 as it was a bit low on fuel.

 

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The MOT history seems to warrant the 95k miles, backed up with the general straightness of the car. Scott had said the ABS light was on when he moved it last, but it extinguished when I started the engine. It did very briefly flicker on and off when I turned on the headlamps though, so not quite sure whats going on there. 

 

j81VrKf.jpg

 

Not much in the way of toys on these base models. But the radio does work, which is more than can be said for the 106. Fan works on all speeds except number 1. Presumably the resistor?

 

TCyVr2a.jpg

 

The paint is better at the rear like I said. Original dealer plates still in situ. First Front BMW in Wimbledon if anyone knows owt about them?

 

Now, obviously this car is not perfect. The MOT expired at the end of last month so it'll need a test. It is also quite difficult to engage 1st gear. Something in the back of my mind tells me that it was fairly common on E36s. It'll go into gear with a shove, and if you select 2nd and then 1st it goes in a bit more easily. Once you have got 1st all gears can be selected without issue. The car pulls away cleanly in forward and reverse gears with no judder but obviously I could only move it about 6 foot in either direction due to the lack of MOT. I did hold the gear lever at the 'resistance point' of 1st when I switched the engine off and it then fell into gear as the engine stopped. Which would suggest that the slave may need bleeding/replacing perhaps? Any advice on this would be welcome. 

 

I haven't agreed to buy this Compact yet, mainly because I don't want to have to put a clutch in it. It's not rotten and it runs well. It's also £150 and I can get it home gratis. What do we reckon Autoshiters? Worth a punt or am I looking at a clutch-related tale of woe? I'm tempted but I'd want to get this on the road and into daily service as quickly and cheaply as possible so I can get on with my Pug project, not end up with another project!

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I would say it's worth a go, I think e36's are good cars, the sawn off compact shape doesn't do it for me but that's irrelevant.

I've worked on loads of these but never come across this gear change issue. If the clutch does need bleeding then it's best to do it with the master cylinder unbolted and something holding the rod all the way in.

If you have access to a ramp, or even don't mind grovelling around under the car on high axle stands, then pulling the gearbox out isn't difficult.

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Well it looks OK.

 

Aren't four cylinder Compacts HGF happy though? Could be worth considering if it's been laid up.

 

Paint aside, its a straight old thing. Good panels, thumb sized patch of rust on one of the rear arches. I couldn't get underneath but its not had anything rot-related on the MOT history.

 

The M43 engines can eat head gaskets but its usually caused by another problem with the cooling system first. The only reason I sold my previous E36 Compact was because the viscous fan coupling failed and the engine cooked itself one night, that was at 197k. The guy who bought it pulled the lump out and dropped in a 2.8 which must've made for a proper weapon.

 

I would say it's worth a go, I think e36's are good cars, the sawn off compact shape doesn't do it for me but that's irrelevant.

I've worked on loads of these but never come across this gear change issue. If the clutch does need bleeding then it's best to do it with the master cylinder unbolted and something holding the rod all the way in.

If you have access to a ramp, or even don't mind grovelling around under the car on high axle stands, then pulling the gearbox out isn't difficult.

 

I can get it on a ramp no problem, its just a case of having a lack of time to do the work. I'd like to get it MOT'd and on the road ASAP if possible so I can crack on with the 106. I'd sooner have a 328 coupe than a 316 Compact obviously, but beggars can't be choosers!

 

Looks an honest enough tub for the money

 

It does, I haz the temptationz. 

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Me and 17-Coffees of this parish co-own an E36 316i four door.

 

It's also an utter pig to get into first unless it's moving. Apparently it's just a case of "they all do that, sir." Something to do with it having the early Getrag box. Ours is a 1995, so maybe yours has the same 'box.

 

It's not gotten any worse or better in the time we've owned it (a year). Our technique is the same as yours, shove it into second then first. If pulling up to lights, just select first while still at walking pace, just before completely stopping. It slides right in if you do that.

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Much in the same vein I've had a few 90s Citroens which just don't want to go in reverse, usually sorted by going into 5th and straight back into reverse. Obviously whilst stationary.

 

I see I'm not the only one to take pity on a car I'm meant to not care about.

 

Also nice E36. Feel like it'd be the BMW I'd most likely buy.

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Me and 17-Coffees of this parish co-own an E36 316i four door.

 

It's also an utter pig to get into first unless it's moving. Apparently it's just a case of "they all do that, sir." Something to do with it having the early Getrag box. Ours is a 1995, so maybe yours has the same 'box.

 

It's not gotten any worse or better in the time we've owned it (a year). Our technique is the same as yours, shove it into second then first. If pulling up to lights, just select first while still at walking pace, just before completely stopping. It slides right in if you do that.

 

Thanks for the info Mr Supernaut. I would imagine they share the same gearbox, if its something that can be driven around without getting any worse then I'm happy to live with it. I just don't want to waste time and groat getting it tested only to find that it needs a new clutch two weeks later or something. I know its the gamble you take with cheap old shite but due diligence and all that. I've just read your E36 thread for the first time as well, top work that looks like a really nice one.

 

Much in the same vein I've had a few 90s Citroens which just don't want to go in reverse, usually sorted by going into 5th and straight back into reverse. Obviously whilst stationary.

 

I see I'm not the only one to take pity on a car I'm meant to not care about.

 

Also nice E36. Feel like it'd be the BMW I'd most likely buy.

 

I'm pretty sure most people would just sack the Pug off and buy a 'better' car. But I don't really like throwing things away and in its current state I'd be hard pressed to find a buyer who would keep it on the road. I just feel that its survived this long, it deserves a bit of love and attention. I'm sort of thinking of a bit of a homebrew XSi direction with it.

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Smoll question on the new arrival before full-on big daddy update tomorrow..

 

This BMW has an alarm and a Sigma remote fob. EXHIBIT A.

 

f4fb40419fa24300f560259b217995c0.jpg

 

When you press the button the little red LED by the gear lever lights up, the indicators flash and it emits a tremendous '90s beep but it doesn't seem to lock or unlock the doors. Does anyone know if it's supposed to or is it just a fob for arming/disarming the alarm system? My last E36 didn't have a fob at all so I've not experienced heightened security such as this.

 

Such thanks many cheers.

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The gearbox thing I find is the same on all of the manual E36 range.

On the last two I’ve owned I’ve even changed the gearbox oil and it doesn’t make the slightest difference.

Before I pull away from traffic lights junctions etc while the car is stationary I normally put it in 2nd gear first then into 1st.

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