106 1.5 Diesel Radiator leaking (again)

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kernow
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106 1.5 Diesel Radiator leaking (again)

Post by kernow »

When I bought my 106 I had to replace the radiator after a couple months (luckily under warranty) because it sprung a leak, just to the right of centre. Just under 3 years later and guess what, it has just started leaking, and again in pretty much the same place. I am planning on replacing the rad but would like other people's experiences/comments on replacing it themselves before I even consider trying.
A brand new rad from GSF is £70.
I have been quoted between £135 and £160. The first quote was actually a second hand rad which he didnt mention and I guess wasnt going to either (he only told me after I asked who the manufacture was).
Thanks in advance for any comments you can provide.
martyhopkirk

Post by martyhopkirk »

Having pulled the rad on the 1.5 AX (same engine) its a reasonably straightforward job - I can list all the bits you need to do if you want, but its quicker (for me) if you just plump for the Haynes Book of Lies and follow the instuctions in that.
Space is a little tight under the AX bonnet, and I immagine that the 106 is not much different. I pulled off te front bumper on the AX - probably not necessary but did give me more access. The real pain is refilling the coolong system and finding all the bleed points - and making sure it is bled! Follow this procedure:
Flush the rad by disconnecting top & bottom hoses (with much swearing and bruising of knuckles)IN YOUR CASE EVEN WITH A NEW RAD I WOULD BE TEMPTED TO FLUSH BEFORE FITTING - then use garden hose and tap with reasonable pressure to back flush (bottom to top). You can flush top to bottom (oh remove the expansion hose too) but i always find more crud comes out by back flushing. (sometims much easier if you remove the rad to do this).
Flush block through by removing thermostat - insert garden hose into top pipe from radiator and then let her rip. Again till nice clean water comes out.
Re fit thermostat.
Reattach hoses.
Open all bleed screws
Fill from expansion tank using a headder tank to avoid air locks. ( I use half of a 10L cleansing fluid container, but you could fashion something similar out of a large bleach bottle with the bottom cut out - it has to be higher than the top hoses of the Rad).
As water/antifreeze mix starts to flow out of the bleed screws close them off (once bubble free coolant is escaping) bottom most first. Thne so on upwards. The final three are:
Radiator, Thermostat, heater hose.
(header tank still in place with a good 400ml of fluid in it)
Start engine - let it idle till fan kicks in.
Remove headder tank ***HOT FLUID*** dont burn yourself
Refit headder cap.
Easy!
Fit new clips when reattaching the hoses. Good luck!
Handy hint - do this on a neighbours drive as the orange stain resulting will not shift off concrete.
rotodiesel
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Post by rotodiesel »

I have done this job - it's quite straightforward. Drain coolant, remove fan assy and disconnect hoses and fan thermoswitch. After freeing the plastic mounting brackets, the radiator comes out easily under the vehicle if you jack it up. The TUD5 is far easier to bleed than the earlier XUD installations, as there are degas pipes from both the cylinder head and the radiator to the header tank, so the system is practically self-venting (PSA finally learnt why their engines were getting a bad reputation for blowing head gaskets). The only vent is next to the RH engine mount in the make-up pipe. This needs bleeding as you fill the system, and then checking after a run.
The OE (original equipment) radiators supplied by Ordonnez are rubbish. GSF sold me a Behr (German manufacturer) replacement which is an exact fit and heavier than the original, so might be better. You are wise to fix this problem before engine fatality sets in.
659.
kernow
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Post by kernow »

Hi,
Thanks for the posts. A question for rotodiesel:
Is it possible to withdraw the radiator from under the vehicle without jacking it up?
Is a Nissens radiator any good?
Thanks
Pug106Dave
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Post by Pug106Dave »

Yup I did it last summer, no real need to jack it up, just a bit fiddly, also I did it in the middle of a terrential downpour! Hardest bit was getting the bottom hoses off the rad as they were pretty tight and hard to get at (with my chubby hands!)
I got my replacement from Partco as it was cheapest at about £50 i think
woodhead722
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Post by woodhead722 »

Rotodiesel..........
Is it not the 1.4 D that has the deserved reputation for blowing head gaskets, whereas the 1.5 D is OK?
rotodiesel
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Post by rotodiesel »

Absolutely right. The 1.4 litre TUD was a disaster (Aluminium block) and was withdrawn after a very short time and replaced with the 1.5 litre TUD5 which has an iron block.
The TUD5 is a reliable unit, but needs good maintenance to get the best out of it. As with most PSA diesels, neglect of the cooling system spells disaster. As mentioned, the installation in the 106/Saxo is good, and is almost self-venting. Don't forget coolant changes.
rotodiesel.
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Post by madasafish »

my wife's 1.4 Diesel at 14 years has (touch wood) its original hg/radiator and heater matrix. Regular use of OAT antifreeze (chaneg after 5 years) at 55% concentration and changing of hoses when they become dodgy is my solution so far...
rotodiesel
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Post by rotodiesel »

This shows the value of good maintenance. I'm afraid that in the hands of the general public and the PSA dealers, the 1.4 litre aluminium engine didn't stand a chance. The problem with aluminium engines generally is that if there is a problem with the cooling system, even fairly slight, you just don't get a second chance. The engines with iron blocks are more robust in this respect and don't have the dreadful lower liner seals.
I wonder how reliable the new generation HDi engines will be - these also have aluminium blocks.
rotodiesel.
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fastandfurryous
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Post by fastandfurryous »

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by rotodiesel</i>

I wonder how reliable the new generation HDi engines will be - these also have aluminium blocks.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
Are you sure about that? the HDI 90 engine in a 306 is an iron block for sure.
rotodiesel
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Post by rotodiesel »

Yes. The 306 is not a current model.
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fastandfurryous
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Post by fastandfurryous »

Sorry, I see what you mean: New generation, as in new now.
I still think of anything from about 1995 onwards as "new" [:D]
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