Puggsly Teh Puglet!Now Rebs - TBC

[320touring]

For a month and 2 days since the 316 e30 departed, I had managed to avoid buying another vehicle, and lavished some long overdue attention on the CX, Vectra and 320i. However, despite such cold turkey successes, the dark spectre of bargainatious cars loomed ever present..

Firstly, whilst clearing out our small unit, I had to move 60 odd litres of filtered WVO about the place, and started to lament the lack of an oldschool Diesel to run on it. I'd previously had success with the Lucas pumped VW Polo, running up to 75% veg in warm weather.

Secondly, I'd previously had a good long drive in a Peugeot 205 1.8d I delivered to Aberdeen, and been mightily impressed.

Thirdly, the Burd and I were due to pop to Nottingham to visit some friends.

Lastly, a compus mentis vendor had a Pug 205 1.8d for sale on Retro Rides, not 60 miles from Nottingham.

Fait accompli as they say en France..

We went to Nottingham on Friday afternoon and spent a most pleasant day and a half with friends - its always good to catch up, plus I find that spending out on some decent hotels and meals softens the blows from the Burd when I float the idea of ANOTHER car..

We start the trip at Woolley Edge services on the M1



This was a brief stop to let the vendor know we were but 20 mins away, allowing him to abandon his house move, and head to meet us. I was grateful for him taking the time out to allow me to collect Pugsley (so the vendor suggested) - made the whole process much easier.



Initial inspection showed what looked to be a solid, honest little car - 107k miles, 3 owners from new and MOT til November. All the useful things worked- meaning I'd have a full compliment of lights/horn and wipers for the long schlep North.

Without even a test drive, I paid my money and set off for home. First stop was the Petrol station, where both the Vectra and the 205 received a tankful.



Astonishingly, two full tanks was about £93, and the Vectra returned an almost unreal 42.45mpg. All this fuel sipping was done at 70mph, with scant regard for fuel saving- the 2.2 lump really does well on long cruises.

From there on, we had a quiet cruise almost all the way home. The last 10 miles saw 3 idiots attempt ridiculous maneuvers including undertaking, attempting to cut across 3 lanes and an inability to enure that vehicles had been passed before heading back over to the left hand lane.

We survived unscathed but tired. Time to park her up and get some sleep on.



So what have I bought?

Its a 1994 205 with the 1.8 na XUD indirect injection diesel in it with 59 Hp and 110 lb?ft of torque.



Its a 3dr shell, and is the Mardi Gras level of trim. This gets you such delights as

Keep Fit windows,

"Stretch to Adjust" wing mirrors and

Central locking because you can reach both doors from the Driver's seat.

It weighs in at 880kg, so if a nimble little thing, despite the pig iron lump up front. It's also a 3 dr shell (or 2dr plus Hatch, depending on who you believe) so is not as awkwardly proportioned as the 5dr.

Additionally, it has a Power Steering reservoir at the front of the engine bay, suggesting that it has finger light shuftying capability - despite this, the steering still has decent feel and weight.

Bodily, it is in remarkably good shape, as you can see.





There are a couple of rust blebs on the Tailgate, but all in all it looks to be in great external condition



The interior is in great shape, with only an exploded gearknob letting the side down -it even responded well to a quick but thorough clean





The current plan is to press it into daily service, sharing commuting duties with the 320i. Additionally it'll make an ideal fuel supper for the long runs to the unit where the CX is billeted

[320touring]

pugglet turned in a 527 mile first tank, 55mp and 32 quid to fill it (20l veg, 23l derv)

fuel filter changed-rude not to at £2.64

my driving style could be best described as enthusiastic

[320touring]

fter spending some time tinkering on the CX, it was back to convention for this one - pleasingly boring in comparison to the CX. We have coil springs and dampers. We have normal brake fluid and we have a manual gearbox. Simple, unsophisticated and light. Well, light if you discount the lump of Pig Iron that is the NA XUD that powers this beast..

Having bought it 6 days previous, its baptism and introduction to the fleet has been swift and brutal.



I have pressed it into daily driver service, covering over 700 miles already with no issue. It is now on its 2nd tank of fuel, and running a 40% WVO mix. Prior to the WVO going in, I saw fit to treat her to a new fuel filter.





Swapping these on an XUD is very simple, with the filter being exposed once 4 small allen bolts are removed. The filter then just pops out, and the new one can be swapped in. Once the top is refitted, it is just a case of squeezing the priming bulb to fill the filter housing with fuel, and away you go.

My mate Brian gave me an oil filter for the Pug gratis free. Today I took the opportunity to capitalise on his generosity by also splashing out a whole £10 on oil from Tesco, and treating the 205 to an overdue change.

Total spend so far £12.64.

We took the opportunity to approach the 205 review in a similar manner to that used on the CX.

Passenger front - took the wheel off to reveal a fairly heavily worn outer pad, an inner pad that had done little work, and a warped brake disc. Looks like we are on for new front discs and pads for both sides.



In the interim, we cleaned up the sliders and gravity bled the caliper to improve pedal feel.

The front dampers on both sides looked past their best, so I'll decided whether the car is a keeper, and if so, I will get new dampers.

The driver's side front had much better pad wear, and no obvious disc/braking force issues. However, it did have a broken bleed nipple. It is snapped off flush with the caliper, so I think a new caliper may be the most prudent repair method



Next up, the rear of the car was investigated - this seems in reasonable condition with little cause for concern - again, the preference would be to refresh the suspension, but it appears serviceable for now.

http://|http://thumbsnap.com/3uYMjtuq

All 4 arches seem in great condition, and the sills look to be in solid shape - I'm really pleased with the condition of the bodywork and interior, and most of the stuff that needs replaced could be considered service items due to the mileage of the car.

It has also had copper brakelines fitted, so no need to be concerned about failing the MOT with any rust on them.

astly, we saw fit to wire brush and rust treat the wheels before spraying them black with pound shop paint (a cost of £2 for 2 cans). despite this not being the most thorough of jobs, and the prep being less than perfect - they turned out well, and the car is turning into quite a little looker!

http://|http://thumbsnap.com/Zn3ZPVnh

Not bad for £14.64 spent!

[Squire_Dawson]

Looks good, I can see why these are a popular and long-lived car.

[320touring]

Well, where to start?

The good:

It did 386 miles on 32L of fuel- a handy 54mpg. I even took it and topped it up prior to today's planned expedition.

The Bad:

at 7.30am this morning, it just wouldn't bloody idle! start, rev, die. Repeat until the battery was flat
I put the keys back in the house and took the 320i instead- had a ball blatting about the borders.

The Ugly:

I consulted my Oracles (tame mechanic mate, and my own limited experience). Time to start with the basics.

I was running it on approx a 60% derv, 40% WVO mix - and had swapped out the filter about 400 miles ago. It was highly unlikely that it was blocked, but for the sake of 4 hex screws, it was worth a punt..

It was fine.

Time to start at the other end then - my Octavia had a gummed up sender unit int the fuel tank - which caused similar issues.

Lifting the back seat  (2x 10mm nuts at the front then pull the back of the base) revealed 2 things

firstly, the access hatch was present and correct



secondly, the back seat is fairly minging, but appears to be unzippable from the foam - I feel it may get a shot in the washing machine when the Burd is oot..




anyway, time to look at the pipes and pickup - I papped 1 pipe off and was treated to a deluge of fuel.

Importantly it was clear and lacking in any gloop to suggest a blockage.



Up to the front then. And an obvious potential cuplrit.



The tape was covering a chafe in the pipe, so I patched it up with new tape until I can get new hose





She started with some pedal after being manually primed and idled roughly, with a fairly strong "tapping" sound from the fuel pump.

It wasn't keen to rev and appeared almost as grumpy as I was.

I figured out that the tapping sound was the fuel pump cavitating. A quick application of an 8mm socket to the bleed screw on the pump saw it die.

I tightened it back up, and restarted the car. Idle was nice and smooth, with mo tapping sound. All good it seems!

I think it's going drag racing this weekend..

[RayMK]

205s are really durable little cars yet they are fun to drive, unlike many similar cars from the same era.  Yours looks to be a very sound purchase, and it's getting progressively prettier. My son and I have had several diesels, a couple of petrols and I currently own an automatic which I love (so much so that I forked out £100s on getting its head gasket replaced a few months ago).  Like you mentioned, the power steering does still leave a meaty feel. The non-powered steering is only slightly heavier, and then only when parking.  Ours (or rather, my son's) did get through a few driveshafts and lower suspension arms, due probably to his 'younger' driving style but they were cheap to replace. Most 205s are reasonably priced, but I've noticed an increasing number of grossly overpriced examples (ignoring the GTis) which do not seem to sell. I wonder why  ?

[320touring]

The drag racing never happened as it was recalcitrant in extremis when I attempted to start it on the Sunday morning.

 

I took the 320 drag racing instead- it appears to be as fast as the Vectra SRi also on fleet.

 

Anyway, I digress.

 

£6 saw me with 1m of fuel hose and 4 new jubilee clips- time to get to work!

 

First up I removed the stop solenoid wire (8mm nut) so I could access the connection on the pump.

 

 

 

then shuftied the pipe along after loosening it off

 

 

Then I turned my attention to the fuel filter end- being extra careful noot to be ham fisted due to the plastic nature of the fitting

 

 

with the new pipe fitted and clips tightened, and a small prime, she started right up - or at least she would have if I'd reconnected the stop solenoid wiring...

 

Eventually we had an even idle and a willingness to rev. A 10 mile test drive told me it was working a bit better but still not 100%

 

Having driven it to work I think that either

 

a. Air is still trapped in the Lucas pump

 

b. Its still drawing air from somewhere due to the thicker veg needing more draw from the pump.

 

Anyone got any ideas/suggestions re bleeding the pump?

[The Moog]

Is there an intank strainer on these? I had gunk in the xantia which I had to take out and clean.

[320touring]

Is there an intank strainer on these? I had gunk in the xantia which I had to take out and clean.

I don't know- will need to pop the back seat and see. I didnt have time to strip it out before now- can have a look when I get hame tonight though

[The Moog]

I had this issue before. You need to unscrew the fuel pump. At the bottom there is a gauze filter that can get blocked especially with veg bits. I had to clean it a few times in Xantia.

 

Top tip is to do it when you havent just filled up the car! Oh and plenty of rags as it will be icky.

[Anthony]

There is an in-tank strainer and that can get clogged, particularly after first switching to veg (as it tends to dislodge all manner of gunge, so check the filter itself after a few miles as well) but I would personally suspect that it's still got an air-leak somewhere - the thicker veg oil really highlights even the tiniest air leak and will make it run like a bag of spanners.

 

The filter housing, the bleeding "grenade" and perished rubber hoses are the usual candidates for air ingress, but don't overlook potential leaks on the pump itself. A bit of clear fuel line is handy for seeing any air bubbles.

 

Also, worth keeping in mind that the Lucas pumps don't like veg oil - 40% should be OK in summer temperatures but don't go any stronger than that.

[320touring]

There is an in-tank strainer and that can get clogged, particularly after first switching to veg (as it tends to dislodge all manner of gunge, so check the filter itself after a few miles as well) but I would personally suspect that it's still got an air-leak somewhere - the thicker veg oil really highlights even the tiniest air leak and will make it run like a bag of spanners.

 

The filter housing, the bleeding "grenade" and perished rubber hoses are the usual candidates for air ingress, but don't overlook potential leaks on the pump itself. A bit of clear fuel line is handy for seeing any air bubbles.

 

Also, worth keeping in mind that the Lucas pumps don't like veg oil - 40% should be OK in summer temperatures but don't go any stronger than that.

thanks!

 

I'd previously ran a Polo 1.9d on veg with a lucas pump at about 50-60% veg, but had only started the 205 off on 40% like you say.

 

I'll have a look at getting the tank strainer out, and also possibly replacing the hose fron the priming bulb to the hard line.

[320touring]

Anyone got any info on bleeding the Lucas pump?

[twosmoke300]

Another Veg car running like shit then!

[320touring]

Another Veg car running like shit then!

I did what I could with pre emptive filter changes and a spare in the boot..

 

would be useful is if you could maybe give me some pointers as to likely culprits for air leaks.

 

so far I have:

 

in tank strainer

Front to rear lines

priming bulb

hose to hard line

hard line

filter housing

filter (changed 400 miles ago)

filter to pump hose (changed for new fuel pipe with new clips)

pump

leak off pipes

 

in your experience where am I best to start with those?

 

Thanks

[Inspector Morose]

If it's air, my money is on the lid of the filter housing. Either the "o" ring is shot or got dirt under it and wont seal properly or the lid is warped. If not, the primer bulb can be a pain in the arse too. Be rid of those and all will be well again*

 

Bosch pumps have strainer filter in them but I'm not sure the Lucas does. 

 

Plumb a bit of clear pipe in the feed to the pump and see what happens. If it's doing an impression of a 1960's Wurlitzer jukebox (but without the fancy colours) then start with the filter housing and bulb.

[320touring]

If it's air, my money is on the lid of the filter housing. Either the "o" ring is shot or got dirt under it and wont seal properly or the lid is warped. If not, the primer bulb can be a pain in the arse too. Be rid of those and all will be well again*

 

Bosch pumps have strainer filter in them but I'm not sure the Lucas does.

 

Plumb a bit of clear pipe in the feed to the pump and see what happens. If it's doing an impression of a 1960's Wurlitzer jukebox (but without the fancy colours) then start with the filter housing and bulb.

thanks Andrew:) I need it fighting fit so I can get the brake line fitted to the CX;)

[Supernaut]

To bleed the pump, undo the bleed nipple and pump the hand primer until nothing but diesel comes out of the bleed nipple, AFAIK.

 

Also, replace all the leak-off pipes on the injectors while you're at it. I once had a horrible air lock issue in my 1st 306 that was cured by replacing them. Just use standard rubber fuel hose of a small enough diameter, cut to length.

[beko1987]

Brim her with Derv and fix the CX man! Worry about the veg after winter...

[Inspector Morose]

I'm not saying for definite that's what it'll be but in my experience, these two items seem to be a reoccurring problem, especially after/during running on veg mix.

[Inspector Morose]

Lucas pumps are a thing of pure evil. Built down to a price and it bloody well shows. Not as bad as CAV in line pumps though. You could hear those running over the engine (and we're talking big diesel engine here). Boy, those were shit. And ran backwards.

[320touring]

To bleed the pump, undo the bleed nipple and pump the hand primer until nothing but diesel comes out of the bleed nipple, AFAIK.

 

Also, replace all the leak-off pipes on the injectors while you're at it. I once had a horrible air lock issue in my 1st 306 that was cured by replacing them. Just use standard rubber fuel hose of a small enough diameter, cut to length.

Excellent cheers chap- can gie that a bash in the carpark!

 

I think I have a leakoff pipe kit somewhere..worst case it'll be buttons for some pipe as you say

[Supernaut]

Aye, the leak-off pipes aren't clipped on or anything, I just got small fuel hose and cut it to length with a stanley knife, it just slips onto the injectors.

[Lacquer Peel]

Another Veg car running like shit then!

 

 Mine runs great. 18k so far.

 

I think it's the veg mix exposing problems like ancient, porous rubber fuel lines and a clogged in tank filter that wouldn't be so obvious on thinner diesel.

Don't think you can bleed the pump as such, but priming with the bulb should help.

[320touring]

Mine runs great. 18k so far.

 

I think it's the veg mix exposing problems like ancient, porous rubber fuel lines and a clogged in tank filter that wouldn't be so obvious on thinner diesel.

Don't think you can bleed the pump as such, but priming with the bulb should help.

It has a bleed nipple on it (8mm)so doing as supernaut suggested seemed to get some air then fuel out.

 

we shall see.

 

Worst case there as some other things that need some fettling:)

[Lacquer Peel]

I'm not too familiar with Lucas pumps, not daft enough to run veg through them. 

[320touring]

I'm not too familiar with Lucas pumps, not daft enough to run veg through them.

Life is nae fun if you're sensible;)

[Rocket88]

After factoring in the extra cost of more fuel filters, fuel pump issues, and other traumas, and with the price of fuel as it is, is running veg still a cheaper option?

[KruJoe]

Bollocks to running big percentages of derv with your veg in an old shitter. Try thinning down the veg with a gallon or three of unleaded per tank. Mine is fine on 5l pez per 50l veg (1:10) at this time of year. Using pez over dino for thinning gives more effect per pound, and allows bigger veg percentages.

[320touring]

After factoring in the extra cost of more fuel filters, fuel pump issues, and other traumas, and with the price of fuel as it is, is running veg still a cheaper option?

yep- I mainly do it for the lols and th smell of the chippy:)