Sloppy gears and high bite in 205

[metamorpho]

Hi Frenchcarforum!

I'm new here. Just bought a little 1.1 ''95 205 for £200. Near mint inside and out. No MOT and SORN but sold because the old lady owner of 15 years wasn't fit to drive any more. Definitely not thrashed.

This is my first older car, well my first car ever, so it's very different to what I'm used to. I learnt in a 2011 Merc A Class.

The bite on the clutch seems super high, and I was wondering if this is because the plates are all worn, or if it's just how these cars are. Also, 1st and 2nd seem pretty flappy, I almost don't trust them to stay in gear! 3rd to 4th is nice though. Again, wondering if this is a characteristic feature of 205s or if something's up. I'm not super mechanical and wouldn't be able to fix anything myself, but I kinda know a bit about how cars work.

Also, the brakes are shocking, but I don't need any clarification that they need a seeing to!

I'm willing to spend a bit to fix her up as she's a tidy little motor so any advice would be welcome (:

Thanks all!

[Hell Razor5543]

Hi, and welcome to the madhouse that we inmates call the French Car Forum (don't worry, we aren't all mad).

It would be useful if you could post up the mileage, as that could help re the clutch. If you decide to change the gearbox oil it is very likely that the only oil suitable is Total BV 75W80, probably about 1.8l, and you can get this from GSF at around £8 per litre. I will be getting some myself for my C5.

You will always find that members will offer advise. I would suggest that you also get a Haynes manual (if you haven't already), but be prepared to take it with a pinch of salt, as sometimes it can be inaccurate. They can explain some things very well, and others less so (so has earned the nickname Haynes Book of Lies (BoL)).

[elma]

Hello, you're sloppy gears is hopefuly a worn gear linkage which isn't terribly hard to sort out. Cars that have been sat for a while generally need a service, a brakes overhaul and a good few little jobs to get them back on track. You're clutch may have a manual adjuster so you can put it in the correct position as long as it isn't slipping.
Welcome anyway, enjoy the 205.

[daviemck2006]

The same age and engine as my 205. I got mine for 100! And it had a bit of mot! It needed a few hundred spent getting passed it's mot a few weeks ago, mostly new brake parts, and a very small patch of welding on the boot floor. My one has o ly done 63000 miles, and drives beautifully. Even with the brakes all renewed at the front the brakes are much heavier than my more modern renault, and the clutch is nearer the top of its travel rather than the bottom. The gear change also isn't the sharpest, but I have no worries about it popping out of gear. It's not as poor as stirring soup. The guys on here are usually pretty knowledgeable but there's not really a lot of 205s on here. Where you will find lots of 205 knowledge is on the 205 owners club on Facebook. They are lovely little cars, great handling and much fun. My son has a gti version, and there's not so much difference as you would think between a 1.1 5 door and a 1.6 gti 3 door. I can have just as much fun in mine than his.

[Stickyfinger]

that's one hell of a shadow

[daviemck2006]

that's one hell of a shadow

Low son ain't good for photos [emoji13]

[CitroJim]

That's a very late 205

[daviemck2006]

That's a very late 205

The ferry from France to Macduff broken and was drifting in the North Sea for ages [emoji12] [emoji13] [emoji23] [emoji23]

Sent from my SM-G361F using Tapatalk

[CitroJim]

That's a very late 205

The ferry from France to Macduff broken and was drifting in the North Sea for ages [emoji12] [emoji13] [emoji23] [emoji23]

[Pug_XUD_KeenAmateur]

do think about learning to do some maintenance for yourself, as you'll save loadsa money. You wouldn't want to take on a replacement clutch, and hopefully it'll last a good while yet anyway; but perhaps bleeding the brakes.

There's a lot to be said for running an older car with its much simpler mechanicals and none of the complicated electrical systems found on later stuff.

Good luck with it!

[flying clutchman]

the clutch should be manual adjuster, just under the battery. Slacken off a few turns and see how it is. The geachange is operated by a series of rods, so load of places to wear. Pretty easy to work out where is moving about too much. The 205 was quite a modern car in it's day (106 is not much different)