205 GTi - repairs underway

[Joey spud]

I used to work for a Peugeot Talbot dealer in Rochester in the late eighties and would carry out pre delivery inspections on these honey's which would include a spirited road test up City way and Horsted road then onto the M2 roundabout at junction 3 and back again and honestly not wishing to rock the boat here but I always thought the 309Gti was a far nicer car to actually live with as a daily sorry...

[tommotech]

As well as my Midget I also have a 205 GTi that I purchased 22 years ago for £450, mine also has genuine power steering which makes a great difference at parking speeds. 
Well bought, enjoy. 
 

[Puglet]

23 hours ago, Joey spud said:

I used to work for a Peugeot Talbot dealer in Rochester in the late eighties and would carry out pre delivery inspections on these honey's which would include a spirited road test up City way and Horsted road then onto the M2 roundabout at junction 3 and back again and honestly not wishing to rock the boat here but I always thought the 309Gti was a far nicer car to actually live with as a daily sorry...

My uncle used to live on City Way, small world. I've never driven a 309, I just prefer the look of the 205.

[Puglet]

2 hours ago, tommotech said:

As well as my Midget I also have a 205 GTi that I purchased 22 years ago for £450, mine also has genuine power steering which makes a great difference at parking speeds. 
Well bought, enjoy. 
 

They look in great nick! Cute wheels on the 205

[mat_the_cat]

I've just gone through some old photos of all the 205s @Puglet has had...

First one (and newest!) was this XE, photo from 1998 I reckon, on holiday in Kent.

Next was the XS, here seen on holiday I think near Avebury with a youthful looking me in around 2000. Note the new tent, which Shitefest visitors may recognise!

A photo proving that it's not just me who does the spannering!

Next was an XLD owned briefly, but I can't find any of this. The XS was sold in 2003, but soon a 1.6 GTi joined the fleet a year or so later. This was sometimes used for production car trials, which was a lot of fun.

We fitted the Mi16 engine to it in 2005, but unfortunately only have this one photo of the installation, with which I was quite pleased how it looked (and performed!)

[Burnside]

Congrats on the purchase. Two of my Uncle's had 205's back in the 90's. One had a Black H reg 1.9 GTI and the other had a Silver F reg 1.6 CTI. My Uncle's 1.9 seamed to go rather well, when he took us out as a 10 year old. Although I didn't let onto my Mum at the time!

If I could afford one myself, I'd have a Miami Blue or Laser Green 1.9 GTI maybe with a set of TSW Hockenheim alloys.

[mat_the_cat]

There's a few issues to address, such as a binding handbrake cable, worn front ball joint and track rod end - so naturally today's job was to make a start on sorting out the air filter housing.

Looks like the filter is just about due for a change also.

There's a bracket which screws to the exhaust manifold, and in turn is bolted to the air filter housing.

Someone has committed the cardinal sin of using two unmatched nuts, so I replaced them with a pair of rivnuts (which will make it less fiddly to remove in the future). More importantly though, the bracket was just resting in place on the manifold, with a single M6 screw sitting loosely in the M7 hole. 

The threads were a little rusty so I cleaned them up with a tap.

Then after a fair old rummage managed to find two suitable screws.

I've wire brushed the housing and left it to soak in Deox C. There's not quite enough to completely immerse it as I also have a Land Rover wheel in there, but it's interesting to see the removal process in action.

I reckon by morning that'll be shiny, including in the seams, so I'll flip it over in due course.

[stuboy]

8 minutes ago, mat_the_cat said:

ready too spray everywhere

[mat_the_cat]

14 minutes ago, stuboy said:

ready too spray everywhere

Already replaced, but I didn't intend to post up the 'before' picture seeing as I'd forgotten to take one afterwards!

[mat_the_cat]

The solution has done its job, time to flip over.

[mat_the_cat]

Trying to check for further water leaks proved the boot lid isn't the only one! It's definitely coming through the rear quarter window seals, although between the metal and glass rather than between glass and seal. I thought best to check for rust where the panel meets the sill, as it's common for the sealant to crack and rust to get a hold.

Looks pretty good to me!

Checking the other side was not quite as good news, as it's obviously had the panel replaced.

But it's actually a sign the car has been looked after I reckon. It's obviously not a recent repair given all the dust on it, and looking at the panel date, it must have been fitted in the early 2000s. The sill below it is original and undistorted, so for someone to have replaced the entire panel with a genuine OE one, when the car is near the bottom of its depreciation curve, shows it wasn't viewed as a banger. I think most cars of that age would have been filled with wob, if they were repaired at all for what must have been a fairly minor dent.

They look to have done a proper job too, with cavity wax sprayed in the seams. I wiped off the grime and all looks good underneath.

Thought it best to spray some more wax in on both sides to keep it looking good. 

[Volksy]

Having had a bit of a rummage around for some tools, I found this...

I bought it for my old CTi, as the key used to jam in the ignition, but never got round to fitting it. 

If it's of any use to you you're more than welcome to it. 

[Rusty Pelican]

Top purchase right there , my old boss had a Diesel one as a town runabout , this leaked everywhere and often filled up with rainwater . I remember one freezing cold January morning he sent me out in it to pick sommat up . Couldntnt drive it though as there was 2 inches of solid ice all over the floor 

[mat_the_cat]

On 29/12/2023 at 16:02, Volksy said:

If it's of any use to you you're more than welcome to it. 

Thanks, that's very kind of you.

The air filter housing finished its bath, but was in rather worse condition than first thought - some of it there was no good steel to dissolve back to!

My welder is out of action, so I taped up the inside and used epoxy (3M 2216) to build up a layer.

Then a coat of paint and new filter.

Job done, and looking a lot better! New coolant level sensor also fitted.

Next was the lights - a headlight was misty, an indicator cracked, and both had been changed for the facelifted clear type fitted to the later models.

I took the lights off, and again was really pleased how good condition the metalwork was behind.

I took the opportunity to spray some cavity was around, including injecting it into the chassis legs.

It also seemed a good idea to clean up all the electrical connections and coat with silicone grease. Both headlights were dried and sealed up, before refitting with the correct amber indicators. 

[juular]

49 minutes ago, mat_the_cat said:

 

See how smug and happy that looks to have found the perfect home!

[mat_the_cat]

The driver's door pocket for this was missing, so had a look on eBay for a replacement. Unbroken ones were around the £40 mark, but settled for one with minor damage around the screw hole for £30 posted.

Before fitting it I took the door card off to check for condition inside and to fill the seams with cavity wax. 

I'd warmed the metal (and the wax) so it penetrated right into the joint.

Back on with the (slightly distorted) door card, and the pocket. I carefully repaired the cracked screw hole with some epoxy, and redrilled to match the others.

Only to find I'd bought another passenger side one

It was listed as such too, so I don't have any excuse apart from maybe too many Christmas festivities!

[mat_the_cat]

Another door pocket was duly purchased and fitted, although I forgot to photo it.  Puzzlingly, it came with two extra gear knobs - one new reproduction type of the incorrect BE1 shift pattern...

...and what I assume to be the original, cracked one seeing as there was a correct reproduction knob actually fitted.

The originals in good condition are rather rare, so the obvious thing to do was to make one good knob from the two.

Onto the mechanical side, and I took a look at the alternator which was only outputting around 12.7 volts. The brushes looked well used, so for £20 was worth a try for a brush and regulator pack. Comparing the two side by side:

And easily fitted with the alternator in-situ.

Unfortunately, absolutely no change in the output, so back to the drawing board 😞

Also on the list to do was the brake servo, fuel filter, and the remaining fuel hoses. I made a start by removing the old parts, and noticed something strange with the wiring. Three wires from the main loom came to a point and just appeared to have been cut.

I'd already removed the sleeving, as it was in pretty ropey condition!

From the 3 wires, there's one heavy current wire (blue), a smaller wire (orange) and an earth (green & yellow). The only possible clue is that there's something in the history about a fuel pump wiring mod, so wonder if this was something no longer deemed required. Certainly everything seems to function, so have just taped them up for now and replaced the sleeving.

I've got the new servo ready to fit, but seeing as the cambelt also needs changing I think I'll hold back for now to give a bit more access, not that I remember it being all that difficult  although it has been 20 years since I last did one! (Certainly more space than on the 16v engine...)

[Sunny Jim]

Shame about the alternator but well done, you're chipping away and making progress.

[mat_the_cat]

Looking on the bright side, a shiny new alternator will match the shiny rebuilt engine better, and removing it gives even more access for the cambelt change! And while I've got it jacked up to do the belt, there's the track rod end, wishbone and CV joint to change on that side.

Old wishbone off, and there appears to be a slight cosmetic difference. Looks like an error in the Autodoc listing, so hopefully should be able to get a refund. 

TRE was fairly easily removed - it's such a nice change working on things which aren't heavily rusted. This at least matches the new one!

The driveshaft inner joint definitely has some play, and the boot has evidently split, so that will be changed.

And the cambelt is ready for swapping...it's all coming back to me once the covers came off.

I've adjusted the pushrod in the new brake servo ready for fitting...surprisingly the spec is 0.2mm wide so tighter than I'd have thought! Hopefully soon we'll be able to actually fit parts rather than dismantling.

[mat_the_cat]

So, despite the listing clearly saying it's suitable based on the reg no., Autodoc are wanting me to return the incorrect arm to Germany at our cost. Wish I'd double checked, but assumed it was a generic picture. Correct one (hopefully!) on the way at least. 

In the meantime I've made some progress although few photos. The filter behind the servo had totally disintegrated, so I made a new one from a piece of foam.

Once the cambelt was done I put the new servo in place, and came across a problem. We'd managed to source on in France, but it turns out that due to space restrictions, RHD 205s had a slightly smaller servo! This one fouled the bulkhead before seating in place.

Fortunately it was only a few mm, and was relieved with a hammer before a coat of paint. It's a little tighter around the fuel filter now, but at least it all fits.

I've had to put the vacuum inlet on the opposite side of the servo to avoid a clash, so still need to shorten the hose.

But the alternator is now in place, with a well overdue new belt. Inner CV joint and brake fluid next I think. Fortunately this caliper at least is sliding freely although I'll grease it as preventative maintenance. 

[mat_the_cat]

I've never done an inner CV joint, and it turns out they are non-replacable on this. Although a new shaft not too bad at £60 for an Apec branded one. I think they are an OK choice?

Whilst I was doing that I noticed the brake hose was past its best.

Easy to change though, and cheap from my new local factors who were most interested in both this and my BX.

All back together now...

...before a good coat of some lanolin based anti-rust fluid.

It's missing the splash guard I think; I'm sure I remember they used to have one. Also missing were 3 out of 4 of the plastic clips holding the upper and lower parts of the front bumper together.

Ahhh, that's better!

@Pugletbraved the cold weather to help, and fitted the new rear window seals, which were the cause of at least one of the water leaks.

Next up is checking out the other side - I've already spotted a split ball joint boot although no play.

[Crackers]

Cracking on nicely, hope to see it at FOD/elsewhere some time!

[Puglet]

On 20/01/2024 at 21:39, mat_the_cat said:

I've never done an inner CV joint, and it turns out they are non-replacable on this. Although a new shaft not too bad at £60 for an Apec branded one. I think they are an OK choice?

Whilst I was doing that I noticed the brake hose was past its best.

Easy to change though, and cheap from my new local factors who were most interested in both this and my BX.

All back together now...

...before a good coat of some lanolin based anti-rust fluid.

It's missing the splash guard I think; I'm sure I remember they used to have one. Also missing were 3 out of 4 of the plastic clips holding the upper and lower parts of the front bumper together.

Ahhh, that's better!

@Pugletbraved the cold weather to help, and fitted the new rear window seals, which were the cause of at least one of the water leaks.

Next up is checking out the other side - I've already spotted a split ball joint boot although no play.

My one job and I've bolloxed it up by losing a screw from the window so its definitely going to leak now

[mat_the_cat]

Back in 2000, I bought @Puglet a Pioneer radio as a birthday present, which she fitted to her 205 XS, This was bought partly for the sound quality, but also because the display showed swimming dolphins  It was transferred to the next car, a Renault Megane Coupe, and the MINI after that.

Unfortunately, an iPod adapter interface was bought which came with a reversed polarity lead, and this fed +12 V through the ground connection on the expansion socket, taking out the button illumination

This has sat for the last 10 years, so with the need for a radio again I downloaded the wiring diagram and did some probing. There was no illumination supply to the front panel so not just a case of a new front. The transistor which switched the supply was open circuit, so that was the first replacement but no joy.

Time to delve further in the circuit, and I found a couple of zener diodes which didn’t measure right.

(Circled, with the new transistor already in place)

These were a low noise type of quite a tight tolerance, which I couldn’t find exact replacements for. Eventually I managed to find some low noise types with a slightly different voltage, but with wider tolerance bands (5.2 to 6 V and 9.4 to 10.6 V). I needed 5.5 to 5.8 V and 9.5 to 9.9 V, so I just bought 10 of each and measured them until I found ones which were close to the middle of the original spec.

I soldered them in, and then re-applied lacquer to the PCB as was originally done.

Then a bit of fiddly reassembly.

And the end result?

Yay, the dolphins are back! (I confess I had tested it before reassembly and fitting though!)

[LightBulbFun]

1 hour ago, mat_the_cat said:

Yay, the dolphins are back! (I confess I had tested it before reassembly and fitting though!)

all fun and games until suddenly the Dolphins vanish again but this time the radio displays in a scrolling message

"So long and thanks for all the fish" 

[mat_the_cat]

The next job was checking over the other side. Nothing in the way of photos, but similar work done - play in the ball joint so a new wishbone was fitted, and a  new flexi hose to the caliper. That's all back together now, and I've briefly been distracted from the mechanical work by trying to fix a couple of dead segments in the LCD clock. Which requires the removal of half the dashboard to get at!

Next job is the handbrake cables and checking over the rear end, including the fuel hoses. I ran it up to temperature to turn it around, and took a short video showing just how snappy the throttle response is:

Something weird going on with the headlights too, as the driving lights stay on with dipped beam and the main beam warning light is now dimly illuminated.

[Ghosty]

Apec stuff is fine.

Gearknobs - the new repro ones are naff, they warp really easily especially when it's hot.

The Peugeot museum sells the original gearknobs brand new without the top cap. They're about £25 iirc.

[Scruffy Bodger]

13 hours ago, Ghosty said:

Apec stuff is fine.

Gearknobs - the new repro ones are naff, they warp really easily especially when it's hot.

The Peugeot museum sells the original gearknobs brand new without the top cap. They're about £25 iirc.

Have you got a link please? My 405 has got proper knob rot and it's completely disintegrated.

[loserone]

25 minutes ago, Scruffy Bodger said:

Have you got a link please? My 405 has got proper knob rot and it's completely disintegrated.

My 405 came with a beautiful hand turned knob.  It and the parcel shelf are all I have left of it 

[twosmoke300]

It’s no 305 KNOB VAN !