Piwoslaw's Peugeot 106 thread

[Joggernot]

Originally Posted by Piwoslaw

This is foam you can find in car-audio shops - the exact make/model is GMS-011a 10mm. It has aluminum coating on one side and self-adhesive on the other. The hard part was cleaning the underside of the hood

LOL! On a 15 year old Accord I'll earn some elbow time, too.

[320touring]

Where did you get the aluminium foil from?
Looks like it'd work a treat on the polo..

[Piwoslaw]

Originally Posted by Sjoegerd

I don't monitor the temperature. There is no temperature gauge in my 106. I have one of the most basic types. I am still thinking of and cheap way to monitor the temperature.

Mine is also the most basic version, I think only the P106 with 1.6 liter engine had a real engine temp gauge.

I am using the ScanGauge, but any OBD tool would have one. I see that you have a much older P106, so it may not be compatible with OBD, in which case:

• If your engine has a coolant temperature gauge, then you can try to hack into the signal,
• If it doesn't, you will have to add one yourself.

[Piwoslaw]

So it was a bad thermostat. My mechanic replaced it over the weekend, now the engine gets so warm that I don't need the upper grille block when it is above freezing.

I also found out that Theodor should have a smaller radiator. I know from the previous owner that he replaced the radiator, so maybe he took what was available, instead of waiting for the correct part to be shipped. The rad he installed is for P106s with larger engines and/or air conditioning. If I remember correctly, my mechanic told me that the correct rad for this version should be 38cm wide, while the one installed is 55cm. I'll have to remember that this is a way of saving some weight if the car outlives the existing radiator

He also told me that there appears to be some oil in the coolant, which may mean that a seal is not holding properly. Plus the whole exhaust should be replaced, but it'll hold at least until summer, and then it won't worth replacing until after the next winter... I told him no new exhaust until he finds out what is wrong with cat converter.

[AndrzejM]

It seems that it's a long way ahead of you to get proper FE for Theodor ;-) But I'm sure that you'll get there.

Regarding the engine heater. I'm fabricating one riight now for my Polo. Soon I'll post some description and pictures.

[Piwoslaw]

Originally Posted by AndrzejM

Regarding the engine heater. I'm fabricating one riight now for my Polo. Soon I'll post some description and pictures.

I can't wait

We'll have to see how long we plan to keep Theodor (if Mrs P finds a job closer to home, and P Jr won't be driven to preschool everyday, then we have no need for 2 cars), so we're not yet investing in pimping it up like Svietlana, but any low hanging fruit is temping.

[AndrzejM]

It's almost done. All i need now is to put everything under the hood. For now total cost is ~80 PLN and I doubt that it will be increased further. I used salvage parts mostly that I had in my junk.

It'll be 750W 230V heater with electric pump for circulating the coolant. Build from a heat exchanger coolant-engine oil from BMW (old Berta's engine), old electric heater and electric (12V) coolant pump from Mercedes. Pump will be used to run coolant during hot weather and EOCing.

So parts that I've used so far are:
1. Oil cooler from BMW


2. Electric heater 750W 230V

3. Electric pump 12V from MB


Pictures aren't mine - sorry.

I needed to cut out the oil cooler core and close with epoxy the oil-in and oil-out ports. Then I cut all the plastic from the electric heater, so it could fit the biggest coolant port of the coolant-oil heat exchanger. I used epoxy to glue it in again. Now i need to put it under the hood and connect electric cables and it should work. Hopefully

I'll do my best to take some pics during the installation process.

[Piwoslaw]

So 2 months ago I noticed that the coolant level in the radiator was getting low, a month later it was even lower. My mechanic said that it's very likely that the head gasket is bad, which would explain both the disappearing coolant and the oil in what's left of the coolant. We added coolant to watch how fast it leaks out, but since the car needs to pass inspection in early June, then within the next month the gasket needs to be replaced. The mechanic is very reluctant to remove the head, stating that it is a lot of work (he should be happy, since work = money), that the screws are definitely corroded, so they will be hard to remove and will need replacing, etc., that buying a whole used engine may be less expensive. So maybe I should leave it until it blows. He couldn't guarantee that the replacement engine would not require additional work, nor that when it blows my wife will not be stranded in a traffic jam far from home.

Anyhow, I told him that I want the head gasket replaced in May, and that this would be a great chance to see what is wrong with the catalytic converter. Also, he said that he would take the head to a friend of his to clean and polish.

Since the coolant will be drained I'll install an electric prewarmer, and we'll try to clean the radiator and coolant plumbing from the oil.

Is there anything else I could do to improve engine efficiency while the it is in pieces?

[Arragonis]

Originally Posted by 320touring

Where did you get the aluminium foil from?
Looks like it'd work a treat on the polo..

Google "Dynamat cheaper" and eventually you will find the joy that is "flashing tape", much cheaper. I used it to add soundproofing to my Aygo and it worked well but did smell of tar for a few days.

Originally Posted by Piwoslaw

...Is there anything else I could do to improve engine efficiency while the it is in pieces?

It seems the head etc. will be cleaned so what about the bits that feed it - the intake system, throttle body etc. - maybe give them a full clean and check ?

[Piwoslaw]

Originally Posted by Arragonis

It seems the head etc. will be cleaned so what about the bits that feed it - the intake system, throttle body etc. - maybe give them a full clean and check ?

I believe that the throttle was looked at just after I bought the car in June 2014. But another inspection wouldn't hurt...