A few questions....

[Mattinthehat]

Hi guys, been a while since i posted anything here, hope all are well

Have a few questions im hoping i can get answered....

So far my HDI has done 163400 ish miles and has had the following replaced in the last 18 months;

2xCrank pulleys
Brown relay
Washer pump
HP Pump
Turbo
Alternator
Rear axle
Rear shocks
Top mounts
nearside front ball joint
Injectors
lift pump
Aux belt
Timing belt
disks and pads
oil filter
fuel filter
nearside abs sensor
nearside fog light
handbrake cables
clutch cable
heater control panel
2x potentiometers.... which brings me to question #1

I still need to replace engine mounts (question#4) rear axle bushes, offside rear brake caliper and wiring loom

seriously, is it normal to go through this many parts!!?!?! Im sure i missed some out too!!

Question #1;

So far ive been through 2 Potentiometers and am in need of a 3rd - could there be an underlying problem or is this a common fault with the unit?

Question #2;

So i de-cated my exhaust and bought an aftermarket straight through and fitted myself with no dramas and no issues (Sounds great!) then i let the garage replace my alternator and they must have disturbed the pipe cos now it rattles off the sub frame badly in idle and under hard acceleration. Now i know my engine mounts are worn and need replacing (Question #4) but would they be worn enough to cause the vibration?

- also.... (leading into Question #3)

Question #3;

...my exhaust whistles between 23 - 26k revs and was told it was the turbo on its way out then had it replaced after it blew but the whistle is still there and was whistling before i decated it, sometimes runs sweet and isnt a sound there at all but most of the time it whistles and sometimes screams like mad (when i say whistles and screams i mean its very audible!) i have been advised that it could be the back box or the turbo but there is no loss of power, no smoke and its perky, the turbo seems fine and the turbo has more of a hiss sound than a whistle so i doubt its that, there is a distinct whistle note in the rev range, the whistle seems to resonate through the whole exhaust so i cant really pinpoint where its coming from although does sound slightly more noisy toward the engine - could the whistle issue be caused by worn engine mounts causing excessive movement of the exhaust/engine union?? Or is it more likely the back box?

Question #4

I have looked on the internet, in the Haynes manual and done a physical check myself but still cant seem to find how many engine mounts there are on a 306 HDI 90 - 2000 RHY- i have identified 3 so far - are there 3? or more? also my rear axle bushes need replacing so... i want to go poly bush can anyone recommend a half decent set, again, i looked for a set but cant seem to find one anywhere so need to know what they are individually, would it be worth going poly for the rear axle or does it not matter?

Question 5#

Last one for now!

So i need to do an oil change and my pug has done 163K + last oil change was straight drain and replace, this time im going to have a clean out with cheap oil first before putting in the good stuff, i also bought some engine flush - to my knowledge the car has never been thoroughly cleaned prior to new oil being added - now my mate advised against this as it stands a chance of lowering the oil pressure due to residue build up in key areas of the motor - is this right? or can i go ahead and use the engine flush?? also any recommendations on oil would be great - im looking at fully synthetic but is there much difference in brand etc?

Really appreciate some answers and I know you guys will deliver so muchos appreciation in advance!!

Cheers lads    

[Poodle]

It's not normal to go through that many parts, either you bought a lemon or your mechanic is mugging you. Or you're buying second-hand or poor quality pattern parts to fit.

1) how have you diagnosed the potentiometer as the fault? What caused the problem with the last two?

2) If they're that worn AND the exhaust is poorly fitted/made then it could cause that, yes.

3) sounds like a boost leak at the inlet elbow or egr, common fault easily fixed with a new gasket.

4) 3 mounts total, engine lower mount (aka roll restrictor) top engine mount and gearbox mount.

5) varying reports on this, i've yet to see any evidence besides anecdotes from the bloke down the pub though. It could cause some minor leaks if the engine has had a hard life, but i'd be surprised to see it cause a serious issue. Fully synth is fine, you're not racing the motor so it doesn't need anything special.

[Toms306]

Christ...I've bought some right shitter 306s and even I haven't changed that many parts on them! Though I'd have got rid for something else after the first few parts...that can't have been economically viable!

[welshpug]

15 year old car, yeah quite normal, if you replace with good quality parts and dont pile the miles on it'll last a good few years.

[Poodle]

Do you seriously buy an old car expecting to replace that much in 18 months welshpug? If so, can i suggest buying a new car on my special loan shark finance, i think you'll be pleasantly surprised at the low yearly cost.

[highwayman306]

Mate, you have just described my cars problems...and probably most of everyone else's

[welshpug]

Do you seriously buy an old car expecting to replace that much in 18 months welshpug? If so, can i suggest buying a new car on my special loan shark finance, i think you'll be pleasantly surprised at the low yearly cost.

a neglected 15 year old 306? of course its expected to be rather tired.

would I buy a new car? f*ck no, especially on finance.

I bought a £650 21 year old BMW 2 years ago, £30 to get it MOT'd, spent £100 on repairs on it it since.

[Toms306]

£100 on repairs in 2 years!? How is that even possible? Or are you discounting any wear and tear stuff?

[welshpug]

that is wear and tear, its had one service and is due another.

one big difference, it had 74k miles on the clock when I bought it, and its a big german barge with not a lot to go wrong really.

a 15 year old commonrail 306 with high miles that's not been looked after is a different matter.

[Mattinthehat]

Cheers Poodle

I do most of the work myself but im limited so the stuff i cant do goes to the garage.

The potentiometer issue - the revs are a little high in idle and on diagnostics the fault is throttle position sensor, same as before - i guess i bought a duff one last time

Just done the oil change and used half the engine flush to be on the safe side - seems to be ok

Checked out the exhaust and there seems to be plenty of clearance between the elbow and the subframe and the engine does kick back quite a bit so will change the engine mounts and see if that makes a difference to the rattle...

Yeah this thing only cost me £250 to begin with and its my project so i dont think twice about spending a hundred quid every few months, I love my pug what can i say! I think the guys that had it before me ragged it and didnt maintain it then it was sat for 6 months before i got hold of it and im in the process of making into a decent car! albeit a slow and costly one lol

Oh yeah you can add a drop link to the above list and as i just found out the link on the opposite side has broken too! you gotta laugh, i think i have rebuilt the thing!

[toseland]

15 year old car, yeah quite normal, if you replace with good quality parts and dont pile the miles on it'll last a good few years.

my car is 16 years old....

16 years old and i have replaced..

wait for it...


nothing, due to wear and tear. turbo was upgraded,

[Poodle]

Fair enough, Welshpug, i must be really picky when i buy cars. And tbf at £250 that is exactly the kind of list of parts i would expect to replace, i'll retract my original statement.

Ok Matt, so these parts, are you fitting quality, new parts, or cheap/second hand parts? In my experience it's a case of you buy cheap, you pay twice.

If your exhaust has plenty of clearance to the subframe it is pretty unlikely to be causing a noise at idle, could be fouling somewhere else, but seems unlikely if all they've done is the alternator. Tbh i'd be inclined to take it back to them and get them to have a look - if it's an issue that appeared directly after the work they did they'll probably be able to find it a lot quicker than you because they'll know exactly what they moved.

Meh deliberately buying a cheap car to rebuild from the ground up is very different to replacing that many parts on a car bought as a reliable daily. Tbh rebuilding a cheap car is the best way to go imo, at least then you know exactly what you're dealing with and you can abuse it safe in the knowledge that everything is 100%.