Tales from beyond the grave AKA Dan & Emma's Black Xantia, pug 206HDi, Daniel's 206 Verve 1.4i, GTi180 plus XUD9TE 206!!

[ekjdm14]

Started a case with the ebay gasket set, seller seems to be (perhaps understandably) a bit suss as to whether I fitted it right but their attitude isn't the greatest either so we shall see what happens.

Just ordered a proper Elring item like I should have done in the first place, live & learn lol at least it shouldn't take as long to whip the head off next time round.
On the turbo front, I don't yet know how the new core will perform since there's damage to the housings I hadn't noticed until it was off the car so for the moment White is running as an NA with the oil pipes capped and the original worn out core "gutted" and the hole filled with a bolt. At least the smoking and oil consumption has gone along with the danger of runaway It's a horrendous bodge, but we need good ol' White until the 206 is re-mended!

Who said modern cars are more reliable? Both have major mechanical defects but only one is still drivable lol

[Pug_XUD_KeenAmateur]

was there any sort of brand name (to perhaps avoid) with the first of the HG's?

[ekjdm14]

Wow time's flown, sorry I didn't get back sooner. There was no brand name but the seller was "shirley9293"... I actually thought I'd bought from them before with success, but that was "gasketsforclassics" wish I'd checked...

Anyhow, some changes in circumstances over the last month. White is still using oil despite running NA so I've made an executive decision that she will go back to her previous status as parts-car for black. Also we sold our Escort cabriolet within hours of advertising it, and the money from that helped toward the purchase of a 2006 Volvo S80 D5 with 190k on the clock.

The 5 pot Swedes have been on my radar for a while, although in V70 form, but this car showed up locally with long MoT and good spec for a daft price so the decision was made to acquire it & run that while I do some minor repairs/servicing and then either sell on to fund a V70 or keep it. (only thing I don't love is the colour, metallic Gold.)

The 206 will also be wending it's merry way once the engine is reassembled and it has a fresh MoT plus a couple of hundred miles put on to confirm it's sorted this time. Black will most definitely be staying though, I've bonded with that car much more than White, I very much enjoy the sedate pace of life behind her 'wheel & I think the spec is unusual enough to make her a worthy keeper.

[ekjdm14]

My gosh I have less free time than I dared imagine! over a year since I've got online here. Anyway fleet update, Black still present and correct albeit awaiting door jamb work. Fired her up a few days ago for the first time in about a year and she went first turn as I expected, faithful old girl Storage with handbrake off means she even moves, turns and stops as required too.

As per my last post, White is no more although a great many of her parts have been retained for Black's future wellbeing including the all-important door jamb section that was the only bit of corrosion on Black's shell. The 206 HDi has appealed to us to be allowed to stay & won us over again, it's a reliable car now I've rebuilt about every system except the electrics and gearbox! And I know it inside out to be a good machine. the 206cc has been repaired, driven a while and sold on as it was nice but too small. Also I STILL have one eye on the abandoned 405 Mi16 that's sat in a field locally (with a window off the runners) for the last 15 years, I got cheeky and pulled the plugs a while back and there's no evidence of moisture damage internally. Cannot get to the crank pulley to ascertain if it's seized and the starter does not engage either. Time will tell if I can rescue the poor thing, at least there doesn't appear to be bad rust from what can be seen of it!

And the cheapie Volvo S80? Boringly reliable like any good Swede really, I've had to replace a clutch master & steering rack but this was known about when I bought the car. Besides that all it's had is regular service and tyres plus a towbar added for our caravan. 199k and climbing, I fully intend to see this car past the half-mil'... if I live that long!

Anyway I'll try to get more time to get online since being gluttons for punishment we're also on the lookout for a ZX on behalf of our oldest lad, who appears to have been bitten by the bug also!

[ekjdm14]

Further to my last post, the V5 for the Mi16 is being processed and will know more mid-month. The lad's ZX hunt turned into a 206 courtesy of Nana & Granddad, which has subsequently landed on our driveway & I've given it a once-over.

My "used car forensics" so far are telling me that the trader they bought it off wanted shot quick as he thought the head gasket was U/S. (oily gunk in header tank, low coolant on arrival, leak seemingly from the corner of head on topping up etc, and he accepted their first offer of well below his asking price) However on looking further I noticed the thermostat housing and CTS looked rather new, and there was grey RTV oozing. Rubbing my finger over this resulted in a stream of coolant... And I felt a lot happier. We whipped the housing off & knocked up a pair of gaskets, reassembled and no more leaky leaky oil mixing palaver

Just need to flush the system and add proper coolant now it's watertight, seems mister dealer man missed a trick and sold a good car at a great price. Everybody's happy, he feels he got rid of a grotter & we feel we got a deal! Spurred on by that victory I attended to the tappety sound which was nothing more than the valve clearances being about double. Much nicer than being tight though! Took the opportunity to refresh the rocker cover with a coat of shiny new black paint while it was off too. Will have to be careful not to get carried away and leave the lad out of the process, I go out intending to check something and end up getting into the whole job! For now I'm going to compile a shopping list of parts for him to include plugs/filters/oil/cambelt kit etc as well as some interior upgrade bits like leather steering wheel, CC door pulls, vents and the like. Oh and a couple of front tyres.

Did I mention it's a gorgeous deep metallic blue colour I've not seen on a 206 before? Pics when I can, but it's the one normally seen on bigger pugs like 406s. Looks really well on the little 206 IMO.

[ekjdm14]

Small update, nothing really to report except for a few interior upgrades on the blue 206 & I've had some correspondence from DVLA regarding the Mi16. It's been abandoned so long I need to provide some evidence that it still exists, photos of the VIN & the car as a whole but it's looking more hopeful for the rescue... Also have confirmed that the engine is not seized solid, although the starter certainly isn't healthy. Will update further on this as and when I know any more, fingers crossed it's not all made of frilly lace underneath after all this!

[van ordinaire]

Of course when there were local offices you could have dragged it round there & asked if they were satisfied. No, wait a minute, they would've probably sent some to examine it.

[Gibbo2286]

Of course when there were local offices you could have dragged it round there & asked if they were satisfied. No, wait a minute, they would've probably sent some to examine it.

Our nearest 'local' office was 24 miles away at Elmbridge Court and they always insisted cars were brought to them, they never sent a man, they closed that and moved the service (cough) to Bristol.

I haven't had need of them for a long time so I'm not sure if even the Bristol lot is still there.

[Pug_XUD_KeenAmateur]

Nice to catch up with your news ekjdm, just read the posts going back as far as July last year.

Thanks for the info about ‘Gaskets for Classics’, which it was very recently looking like I’d be actually needing (suspect HG) but thankfully appears that my rad repeatedly only getting hot on the bottom half was nothing more than inadequate bleeding…. which I thought I was doing really well, actually

…. front end a good foot up in the air on axle stands
…big header tank (see pic)
…initially bleeding it off the old Bypass Hose (cable tied 4ft up to the open bonnet, not connected to rad – only replaced coz the bleed was seized – of course)
…then re-fitting the new ‘proper’ Bypass Hose at the stat end as it should be, with the Bleed open and bleeding through there
…then once all that was satisfied, opening the bleed on the top of the rad
…checking everything’s getting hot as it should, including the Heater
and being happy
…but seems, no, not enough. Any hints?

Not experienced the Volvo’s, but proper like the styling of the old ‘proper Volvos’. Nice long wheelbase and presumably nice large seats = scores highly on comfort. Know the V70 looks a lot different, but maybe its just as good.

Always nice to hear another someone liking an NA Diesel too, even in Auto form…and getting a good deal from a Trader. Shame the intended ZX for the lad ‘became’ a 206, but easy to understand why.

The Mi-16: a look at the trailing edges of the sills (pic, if they look like this you've really got a problem - this pic is from a rot-box I saw advertised for sale) and (if you’re able) the bottom edges of the front inner wings, close to where they meet the front cross-member will give you some indication of the state of crustiness of its underside. From what I’ve seen, if there’s Bubbles and/or Holes poke-able in either of these locations it suggests the over-all will be poor. They also rust on the inner wing tops, visible from the engine bay (think ZX’s tend to be better know for this, but also afflicts the 405), but less readily than the previous stated locations. Even if it’s a hopeless case though, its probably still worth pulling out of the field as a spares or track car and while none of them are worth peanuts now, note that if you're lucky enough to have found a Le Mans or a 4WD Mi , its worth even more

[van ordinaire]

Our nearest 'local' office was 24 miles away at Elmbridge Court and they always insisted cars were brought to them, they never sent a man, they closed that and moved the service (cough) to Bristol.

I haven't had need of them for a long time so I'm not sure if even the Bristol lot is still there.

No, you're right, you always had to go to them, never mind the time, cost & inconvenience - imagine the performance if it was, e.g. a double decker, a Scammell Explorer or traction engine.

So far as I know all local offices have been closed &, at the time, I did wonder about vehicle examinations - seems it's all done by photographs now.

[ekjdm14]

I shall not miss local offices for the very reasons stated, i.e. having to move vehicles to be identified. Does leave the door somewhat open for dodgy business but then again I'm sure their officers are well versed in checking digital photo's properties for any tampering/date stamps etc.

The poor car is sunk down so low & has sideskirts so can't ascertain if it's rotten or not, although the floorpan does hold water (not normally a good thing, but in this case, proves the floor is at least there or thereabouts!) and under the bonnet doesn't look Godawful save for surface corrosion on pulleys etc & lots of spider webs.

[van ordinaire]

On the rare occasions I needed their services/help/intervention I always found LVLO's very useful BUT I've never had have a vehicle examined.

"The poor car is sunk down so low & has sideskirts so" the the sills are almost certainly suspect - & not just at the back!

The red Cherokee has surface rust on the faces of the pulleys a couple of 1,000 miles after being parked in the street for 9 months - & if the persistence of the spiders that inhabit its door mirrors (& those of the Eldorado) are anything to go by, you'll just have to learn to live with them, whatever your plans for the car.

[ekjdm14]

A bad day for the 206s today

About half 6 they were ploughed into by an Audi (We have the details!) which then continued on and hit at least one other car, and it later transpired had already hit/run another car round the corner too. The driver then abandoned the vehicle and stole a bike!

Anyway, Daniel's blue car is no doubt a write off. The rear axle has been sheared clean off and the rear corner is properly mangled, also frontal damage where it was forced into the kerb & where it hit our other 206. Fortunately the grey 206 isn't as bad with just a smashed bumper & foglamp, boot floor appears OK. Will post photos in the light tomorrow but here's what we saw on our CCTV, the "Action" starts about 1:42 in...

[myglaren]

[van ordinaire]

Perhaps it was never meant to be - best start looking for a ZX again. Oh, & the irony of it being an Audi hadn't escaped me but do hope it works out OK in the end - & don't let the insurance companies rip you off!