Simo's inherited 306 HDi

[simo2007]

Thought I'd start a project thread. I have inherited a 2001 306 HDi Meridian in China Blue from my late grandfather. As I was brought up by my grandparents, he was literally my dad, and one of his wishes just before the end of his 2 year battle with cancer was for me to fix up his car and keep it going. Having a keen interest in cars and doing my own work to them, I promised him I would sort it out.

It was off the road for almost 6 months, so first thing was to get it MOT'd. It passed to my (very pleasant) surprise with just 3 advisories! 

She currently has a shade under 169,000 miles on the clock, and whilst I was at uni (several years back), in my spare time I did a spot of work for my grandad, which involved new brake hoses, new discs and pads all round, cam belt and tensioner kit, water pump, auxiliary belt and a full service.

He had quite an issue with the coolant system pressurising a while after, so I suspect the head gasket may have gone near the water jacket. I've replaced expansion tank cap and I've also changed the thermostat, just to eliminate these parts as a cause for the problem.

Some pictures:





And this is my current daily   



I have been using the HDi to commute to work for the past two weeks- it is an absolute pleasure to drive, and although it will never match my M135i there is something satisfying about driving it. I'm on track for 700+ miles range from the tank which is staggering, considering if I'm sensible in the M135i to work I'll get 400 miles to a tank. I've had no pressurising woes so far, and the car is now running at ~80C rather than ~70C with the new thermostat. 

I'm currently debating whether to Stage 1/2/3 the HDi, but my plans for my Grandad's car are the following:

- Engine out, renew head gasket (including skim and new head bolts), all other gaskets, glow plugs, crank pulley, engine mounts, and all seals including crank seal and driveshaft seals
- New clutch kit, possible gearbox recon as it whines a little bit in 3rd gear when slowing down, I might get some 75W-90 from ECP to see if this helps before I take the engine out
- Recon turbo- at this point I am unsure whether to up-rate it or keep it standard, I believe it's a K03 as standard
- Renew all suspension components front and rear, and see how the rear is doing in particular, I hear the rear beam can deteriorate quite rapidly
- Try and assess why the air con isn't working, I believe there are several pipes that are prone to leaking and the condenser, would be a pain if is leaking behind the heater matrix so I may just do an air con delete
- Fix up the rear wiper which stopped working. Relay pins look grubby and connecting block looks even more grubby!
- Longer term: underbody seal and recondition alloy wheels, and get a winter wheel set

Looking forward to my time here and I will update accordingly with my progress.

[Eeyore]

welcome to the club! Looks like a nice clean example!

[simo2007]

Done a few bits over the past week. Managed to find out that the little blue relay for the rear wiper was shot, look at the capacitor at the bottom 



Also changed the gearbox oil, in the past, this has always made a noticeable difference, and it has here again. Much smooth changes now and less gearbox noise off load slowing down in gear!



And the stuff that came out was pretty damn dark



Should be on track for taking the engine out in a couple of weeks, so I will keep this updated as I go!

[partybish]

Nice bit of progress already, I'm not surprised the box oil change made a difference looking at that! I was told my HDI had a stage 1 map and I liked how it pulled in all gears and seemed have bags of torque.

[simo2007]

So I couldn't resist temptation- I got a stage 1 map from Steve at HDi Tuning and it has absolutely transformed the car!

The only downside is that the clutch now slips above 2000rpm when flooring it, so I'll have to take it a little easy until I start work on the drivetrain.

Looking like this tank could be an 800 miler too!

[simo2007]

Managed to change the lower arms today (including ball joints). Wasn't too much hassle apart from cleaning up threads prior to unbolting. 

Tracking is now out a country mile so I'll be going to get the front wheels aligned perhaps tomorrow morning!

Top bush on the picture directly below (on both arms on the car) was completely gone!

[JTaylor2005]

Managed to change the lower arms today (including ball joints). Wasn't too much hassle apart from cleaning up threads prior to unbolting. 

Tracking is now out a country mile so I'll be going to get the front wheels aligned perhaps tomorrow morning!

Top bush on the picture directly below (on both arms on the car) was completely gone!

Keep up the good work!

I did the same withe stage 1+ map from HDI-Tuning. Drove down fine, drove back with the clutch slipping whenever I put my foot down haha.

An 800 mile tank sounds difficult to reach though. What driving do you do to get that? :O

[simo2007]

Managed to change the lower arms today (including ball joints). Wasn't too much hassle apart from cleaning up threads prior to unbolting. 

Tracking is now out a country mile so I'll be going to get the front wheels aligned perhaps tomorrow morning!

Top bush on the picture directly below (on both arms on the car) was completely gone!

Keep up the good work!

I did the same withe stage 1+ map from HDI-Tuning. Drove down fine, drove back with the clutch slipping whenever I put my foot down haha.

An 800 mile tank sounds difficult to reach though. What driving do you do to get that? :O

Trying my best mate    I'm trying to get the most of what's on the car, changing things in pairs (suspension wise) when required or the noise is annoying me too much!

I literally tootle down the A1 at 0520 in the morning, sitting at 70 for 25 miles then about 10 miles on the north circular around to West London. No fun in driving fast on the commute, unless I'm in the M135i going through Hatfield Tunnel, and even then I get 400-420 miles a tank in that if I commute in it (approx 40mpg). 

Didn't quite hit 800 miles this tank, hit 750 miles but only had the map from about 550 onwards, I think with a full tank now with the map it will hit 800!

---

Managed to do the crank pulley this morning. 5th gear, wheel nuts back into hub and push HARD on the breaker bar and it came undone fairly easily to my surprise! The difference in engine noise is night and day, it was really rattling!


New vs. old




Slight weep from crank seal, will renew when I take the engine out!

[simo2007]

Made some good progress this weekend, I'll write a description then let the pictures do the talking!

Managed to get the engine out long story cut short, had a few challenges along the way

- Bottom left hose on radiator was absolutely welded to the radiator, and once removed just fell apart, will need to source a new coolant pipe and radiator I think!

- White electrical plug that goes in behind the gearbox was a pain to unplug, had to do this whilst the engine was partially lifted out the engine bay.

- Air con compressor (getting rid of anyway), and alternator had to come out in order to get the engine over the cross-member.

- Perhaps the most frustrating thing I found was my engine stand doesn't go in between my engine hoist, so I'm having to do the work with the engine on the floor now! 

I think I'll make a post on the DW10 section regarding the cylinder head removal. If anyone has done this before, do you know what now needs to be done to remove it? I'm assuming all ancillaries off (fuel pipes, fuel pump, injectors etc.), and I'll need to lock the cam and flywheel to keep everything in time. 

I'm also going to whip the turbo off and check for shaft play, if there is any I'll get it off for refurbishing. 

And some pictures...







 

[JTaylor2005]

Nice work mate. I am sure people will be along to tell you how easy the head gasket is to do on these soon enough!

Looks like it is getting the care that it deserves

[simo2007]

Really quick update, it's all back together and running! I will post some pictures up very soon, but I have one annoying problem...

GEAR LINKAGES! One of them popped off on the maiden voyage and I lost my gears. What are the clips everyone talks about? I put new linkages on (the adjustable kind), is there a special way to fit them? I can't seem to find any clips at all. I know you can angle the new ones, so maybe I 'over-angled' them?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated...

[Toms306]

There are small C shaped clips that push through holes in the socket at the end of the linkage and then fold over the bar, they can be a right pain to fit as they're so fiddly. Usually come already fitted, were your linkages brand new or used?

[simo2007]

There are small C shaped clips that push through holes in the socket at the end of the linkage and then fold over the bar, they can be a right pain to fit as they're so fiddly.  Usually come already fitted, were your linkages brand new or used?

Hi Tom, thanks for your reply. I can't see any form of clips or holes at the end of the linkage. They were bough brand new from Lloyds, and are very similar to the ones in this picture, I thought they would simply just 'pop' on...

[Toms306]

I've never seen those ones tbh! They look like standard (lesser quality) replacements. The usual uprated ones come with this sort of fitting, you can see the clip fits across the hole here.

http://constella.co.uk/home/index.php/co...l?Itemid=0

This the set that I've used a few times - https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/PEUGEOT-306-M...SwDNdV0Y-n

[simo2007]

I've never seen those ones tbh!  The usual ones come with this sort of fitting, you can see the clip fits across the hole here.

http://constella.co.uk/home/index.php/co...l?Itemid=0

I see exactly what you mean now Tom, the ones I've got look exactly the same as the stock ones except they are adjustable in length and pitch.

Do you know where I can find a set of the ones in the link you just sent? They will never be popping off!

[Toms306]

I edited my post just before you posted lol, have included a link to the ones I've personally used a few times.

[Frosty]

The linkages you bought should still do the job but maybe they are just poor quality. As Tom has said most people just go for the uprated ones, usually either ones from baker bm or mile (pug racing). I've personally got a couple sets of baker ones on my 306s and ones from miles on my 205.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Peugeot-106-G...SwDNdVu4y2

http://www.bakerbm.com/306.php?data=gearrods306

---

Oh and good work on getting it all back together and running. Look forward to a more detailed update.

[simo2007]

The linkages you bought should still do the job but maybe they are just poor quality. As Tom has said most people just go for the uprated ones, usually either ones from baker bm or mile (pug racing). I've personally got a couple sets of baker ones on my 306s and ones from miles on my 205.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Peugeot-106-G...SwDNdVu4y2

http://www.bakerbm.com/306.php?data=gearrods306

---

Oh and good work on getting it all back together and running. Look forward to a more detailed update.

Thanks for the link Tom and Frosty, appreciate it. I think I will go ahead and get these types of links just for peace of mind. I managed to get the ones I bought on, I think one was slightly loose and I corrected the pitch on them. Managed to drive it into work this morning and she drove very well indeed! I will update this thread with the pictures I took along the way, hopefully it will be of use to someone with a detailed description along the way!

[Mighty306]

Good work Simo. You've managed to do more in a couple of months than I have in the past year! Really pleased for you that it's gone so we'll considering the car's sentimental value.

[simo2007]

Continuing from where I left off... the time frame is approximately three weeks, with most work being carried out on the weekends!

Engine was taken out, so I got to work on stripping everything around the head. Rocker cover came off, injector pipes, injectors, injector seals, inlet manifold, EGR + pipework, exhaust manifold + turbo etc...

Locked up the camshaft and flywheel to keep everything in correct timing and began undoing the head bolts opposite from tightening sequence, approximately 45 degrees at a time. 

Here was the damage...





The head gasket was pretty damn shot! You can also clearly see the k-seal that my Grandad used approximately 4 years ago. It still blows my mind to think that this car ran for over 4 years with a buggered head gasket.

And here is the underside of the cylinder head, can anyone guess where it went? 



After a morning with the trusty engine shop I use back in Birmingham, they concluded it was not warped, but took 5 thou off to freshen it up, and lapped the valves. It cleaned up like new!



Ordered the new head bolts and a 5 notch head gasket to be safe. Unfortunately, after cleaning the block face up, I was presented with substantial corrosion near the fire rings and the water passages







Being slightly disheartened, since I wanted it running again, I called upon a google search and discovered JB Weld. I don't have any photos showing the filling and prep around the corrosion, but I spent a good 2 hours or so making sure it was as flat as possible with very fine sandpaper. 

After putting the head back together, I was on to the task of getting the head bolts torqued down, I did it in 4 stages in the correct tightening sequence, 20nm, 60nm, 110 degrees and 110 degrees. I would consider myself above average in terms of strength (230kg deadlift, 160kg bench press, 170kg squat), but holy moly Batman, I was getting a major sweat on tightening those head bolts!

I didn't really take many photos from this point because I was on a roll, he says, until I tried to fit the gearbox back on!



Bloody thing took me the best part of 2 hours. Next time I will get a proper alignment tool, but I got there eventually...



And then I put the engine back in the car, and the rest is history!



In summary, I replaced the following parts whilst the engine was out

- Head gasket and head bolts
- Both crankshaft seals
- Camshaft seal
- Clutch, pressure plate and thrust bearing
- Injector seals
- Rocker cover gasket
- Tidied up rusty threads around the head
- Inlet manifold and exhaust manifold gasket
- New coolant pipe from back of engine to bottom drivers side of radiator
- New radiator
- Auxiliary belt (shortened, air con delete)
- Gearbox mount

Issues along the way

- Pitting around the cylinder block face, I think this may have been either due to lack of maintenance along its life (i.e. infrequent coolant changes) or the head gasket being shot for so long, or a combination of both
- Head bolts sounded horrible when tightening back up, and that was a graft in itself
- Getting the gearbox back on was an absolute pig, alignment tool next time for sure!
- CV boot clip on inner CV joint drivers side was awkward to get on, must have taken me well over an hour to fit it properly and crimp it down
- Not fitting gear linkages correctly caused one to pop off, had to get mole grips on to make sure properly connected and ensure pitch angle was correct
- Flat battery when trying to restart the engine after putting it back together, bought a 12A fast charge and that was solved in an hour
- Earth lead wasn't tightened as well as I thought on the gearbox, meant it would not start intermittently (just a click from the start motor, no turning over)

Surprisingly easier things than I had anticipated 

- Keeping the timing locked up, I can't stress this enough but just take lots of pictures with tip-ex markings!
- Taking the engine out of the engine bay, surprisingly easier than I thought, just need to drop the gearbox side first and twist engine out with cam belt side toward you first

Some more notes...

I didn't change the cam belt and water pump, it was fitted at 166k just over 2 years ago, so I figured there's at least another 2 if not 3 years left in it. I actually changed it previously, so it won't be too much of a pain to do again with the engine in. I plan to give it a full service very soon. I'm running water only in the cooling system to flush out all the old crap. I'm also running a drilled thermostat and will change it for the new one I have this weekend, along with fresh water and antifreeze.

One final issue whilst test driving it for 45 mins last night, after sorting the gear linkages out, I forgot to tighten up the charge pipe from the air box to the inlet pipe, no wonder it was boosting loud and not very hard.

Took it to work this morning, 35 miles into West London. She's running lovely, everything feels much tighter than before. I also discovered that two fuel injector lines were leaking before I did the head gasket, so with this tightened up, fuel efficiency should also be a hair better! There's also no crazy pressurizing from the coolant system now!

Hope this is of use to someone, I will keep it updated with odds and bobs I'm doing over time and if anyone has any questions at all, I'd be happy to help. 

I plan to take it back to Birmingham soon to the cemetery to tell my Grandad what I've been up to with it. Just wish he was still here so I could show him in person.

---

Good work Simo. You've managed to do more in a couple of months than I have in the past year! Really pleased for you that it's gone so we'll considering the car's sentimental value.

Thanks for your kind words Mighty, what are your plans for yours?

[Mighty306]

All that in 3 weeks ....impressive!  My GF would get the hump if I spent 3 weekends in a row dedicated to the car without spending a bit of time with her!  She already jokes that I love my 306's more than I do her.  Not quite true ....just almost

I have a couple of 16v XSi's.  Engines seem good so no need to strip them down as things stand.  Both currently have pretty much everything stripped off the rear end, incl fuel tank.  Hoping to find the time soon to clean up, repaint & seal the underside. Wish it had happened over the Summer but work n other things there wasn't the opportunity.  One of the beams has been fully rebuilt, have new mounts, new brake lines made up, have new brake compensators and rear calipers have been rebuilt ready to go on.  Also have some new bilstein rear shocks.  Need to sort out an issue on one with the tank not breathing (prob blocked charcoal canister).  Have seen on good ol' Youtube that some people have managed to recondition theirs by opening it up and filling with new activated charcoal.  May be blocked breather of course.  (EVAP solenoid tested & works fine).  There is a small patch of welding that needs doing on the n/s wheel arch, but not as bad as some have had to deal with.  Will leave that one to the local garage - one of the guys down there is pretty handy with a mig & I only have an arc welder & no power at the garage I rent.  (That is a monumental pain in the ass, but do have a small genny that will run some power tools.  Should get round to investing in some rechargeable power tools but the good ones are pretty expensive!).

Once the rear is sorted the engine will come out to get the rust in the bay sorted.  (Yours looks pretty clean - was it garaged most of its life?).  Clutch & clutch cable change planned at the same time, and think the gearbox could do with an overhaul.  Company in Bristol have said they'll do it for £350, which I can live with.  Front calipers to be rebuilt and one side needs a new wheel bearing.  Will prob do crank seals while engine is out.  In addition, apart from some new Bilstein shocks up front that's pretty much it as most of the suspension components are ok & rad seems fine too.  I was going to take some advice though on whether it's worth getting the steering rack recon'd whilst everything is out.

Was also considering getting the dash out to replace the heater matrix - have bought genuine Valeo / Beru items ready to go in (one is an AC model, the other not) & would rather pre-empt any issues that might lead to coolant loss.

Plan then is to keep one on the road as a daily while the other gets fettled with.  If I've learned anything so far is that a car this age doesn't go very long without throwing up some issue that needs attention!

[simo2007]

All that in 3 weeks ....impressive!  My GF would get the hump if I spent 3 weekends in a row dedicated to the car without spending a bit of time with her!  She already jokes that I love my 306's more than I do her.  Not quite true ....just almost

I have a couple of 16v XSi's.  Engines seem good so no need to strip them down as things stand.  Both currently have pretty much everything stripped off the rear end, incl fuel tank.  Hoping to find the time soon to clean up, repaint & seal the underside. Wish it had happened over the Summer but work n other things there wasn't the opportunity.  One of the beams has been fully rebuilt, have new mounts, new brake lines made up, have new brake compensators and rear calipers have been rebuilt ready to go on.  Also have some new bilstein rear shocks.  Need to sort out an issue on one with the tank not breathing (prob blocked charcoal canister).  Have seen on good ol' Youtube that some people have managed to recondition theirs by opening it up and filling with new activated charcoal.  May be blocked breather of course.  (EVAP solenoid tested & works fine).  There is a small patch of welding that needs doing on the n/s wheel arch, but not as bad as some have had to deal with.  Will leave that one to the local garage - one of the guys down there is pretty handy with a mig & I only have an arc welder & no power at the garage I rent.  (That is a monumental pain in the ass, but do have a small genny that will run some power tools.  Should get round to investing in some rechargeable power tools but the good ones are pretty expensive!).

Once the rear is sorted the engine will come out to get the rust in the bay sorted.  (Yours looks pretty clean - was it garaged most of its life?).  Clutch & clutch cable change planned at the same time, and think the gearbox could do with an overhaul.  Company in Bristol have said they'll do it for £350, which I can live with.  Front calipers to be rebuilt and one side needs a new wheel bearing.  Will prob do crank seals while engine is out.  In addition, apart from some new Bilstein shocks up front that's pretty much it as most of the suspension components are ok & rad seems fine too.  I was going to take some advice though on whether it's worth getting the steering rack recon'd whilst everything is out.

Was also considering getting the dash out to replace the heater matrix - have bought genuine Valeo / Beru items ready to go in (one is an AC model, the other not) & would rather pre-empt any issues that might lead to coolant loss.

Plan then is to keep one on the road as a daily while the other gets fettled with.  If I've learned anything so far is that a car this age doesn't go very long without throwing up some issue that needs attention!

Yeah it wasn't bad going, quite intense! Feel fortunate having another car I can use, which really helps with logistics of course. My Mrs wasn't too happy to be honest, but she understood the sentiment behind it, and the fact winter will be setting in soon and wanting to get it done before that.

That's one thing I noticed about the HDi too, above the spare wheel I've got surface rust, and yeah it would have been ideal over the summer but you're in a Catch 22- nice weather to do work, or enjoy nice weather not doing work 

You should get a mig welder, that's one of my bucket list things to learn how to weld! No power is a PITA, although the power tools you invest in should last a hell of a long time. 

Surprisingly it wasn't garaged no, but my Grandad barely did any miles in it. He owned it from 2012-2018, it was bought on 161k (I went with him to buy it) for the grand sum of £695, so he did about 7k in it- mainly shop runs and the occasional blast to Wales to see my Aunt. 

Not a bad shout on the heater matrix, is it a fairly straight forward job? I would definitely do both crank seals whilst everything is out, they're pennies. Mine were both also weeping slightly. I need to do the shocks and springs on the HDi eventually, would you recommend OEM replacements or upgrades to Bilstein, and if so, which variants? It's only being used as a daily. What are your symptoms with the gearbox? £350 seems quite steep for a recon...

[Mighty306]

I don't think the heater matrix is a particularly nice job to do.  The dash has to come out which means lots of awkward bolts to remove and a lot of other stuff to unplug.  I think the book time for an experienced mechanic is about 6 hours, so first time it's likely to take me 3 times as long!  There are some good guides on the web which explain some of the pitfalls.  The first thing to know is that air con and non-air con models had different heater boxes and different matrix's.

I'm no expert on the shocks/springs.  I do know many others go for Bilstein B6's, which are a slightly stiffer shock than OEM which are designed to work with slightly lowered suspension.  Many seem to go for -30mm Eilbach springs.  Personally, I'm planning to stay at standard height as I'm not taking the car on track and drive on quite a few crappy roads.  I've got some genuine Peugeot springs and Bilstein B4's (OEM equivalent) to go on.  The springs aren't cheap from Peugeot.  Soon after I got the S-reg red XSi about 3 years ago though I decided the suspension was tired and put on some Sachs springs with (I think) Monroe shocks.  It wasn't a good combination from day 1.  Apart from anything the front didn't sit at the right height.  Some investigation revealed that the springs from various aftermarket manufacturers are often different lengths and different gauge of steel from OEM spec!

As for the gearbox, £350 may be steep but I know Gloucester Rd Gearboxes in Bristol have a good reputation.  Some gears were getting difficult to engage and although it could have been the clutch or cable at fault, the fact that the oil looked like silver metallic paint when I drained it from the box made me think otherwise!  Which reminds me ...it will also be getting a new clutch, cable and the fancy linkages you've been discussing above!

[simo2007]

Apologies for the long reply Mighty, I'll write back later this evening regarding your post.

Need some quick advice, the lower coolant hose part number 1351ZQ (image below), I had an issue with the o-ring not sealing in the new radiator, so I packed it out with PTFE. It's weeping slightly so I need to get it sealing properly, which is the correct o-ring for the HDi engine?

I have the metal insert to the lower radiator connection, held on by a spring clip, as shown on the left in the image, and I've found a part number of 1343Z4 for the o-ring, can anyone advise if this is correct?

[Mighty306]

Had a look on Servicebox n was unable to find the o-ring separately listed. Sorry. Expect someone else will have an idea.

[simo2007]

I don't think the heater matrix is a particularly nice job to do.  The dash has to come out which means lots of awkward bolts to remove and a lot of other stuff to unplug.  I think the book time for an experienced mechanic is about 6 hours, so first time it's likely to take me 3 times as long!  There are some good guides on the web which explain some of the pitfalls.  The first thing to know is that air con and non-air con models had different heater boxes and different matrix's.

I'm no expert on the shocks/springs.  I do know many others go for Bilstein B6's, which are a slightly stiffer shock than OEM which are designed to work with slightly lowered suspension.  Many seem to go for -30mm Eilbach springs.  Personally, I'm planning to stay at standard height as I'm not taking the car on track and drive on quite a few crappy roads.  I've got some genuine Peugeot springs and Bilstein B4's (OEM equivalent) to go on.  The springs aren't cheap from Peugeot.  Soon after I got the S-reg red XSi about 3 years ago though I decided the suspension was tired and put on some Sachs springs with (I think) Monroe shocks.  It wasn't a good combination from day 1.  Apart from anything the front didn't sit at the right height.  Some investigation revealed that the springs from various aftermarket manufacturers are often different lengths and different gauge of steel from OEM spec!

As for the gearbox, £350 may be steep but I know Gloucester Rd Gearboxes in Bristol have a good reputation.  Some gears were getting difficult to engage and although it could have been the clutch or cable at fault, the fact that the oil looked like silver metallic paint when I drained it from the box made me think otherwise!  Which reminds me ...it will also be getting a new clutch, cable and the fancy linkages you've been discussing above!

Morning mate, thanks for looking. In response to your earlier comment I definitely don't want to have a go at the dash- seems like a nightmare, and that's from someone who's just taken the engine out! 

When I do come to change the shocks and springs I'll probably get the equivalent to OEM Bilstein's, should make quite a big difference because it's already feeling a bit squeaky. 

Silver metallic paint would point to swarf, but in all fairness a significant amount would occur when just crunching gears I'd imagine. The new clutch kit and cable I put in has made night and day difference, it's literally like pushing air with my left foot now in comparison to the old worn out setup.

[Toms306]

I have the metal insert to the lower radiator connection, held on by a spring clip, as shown on the left in the image, and I've found a part number of 1343Z4 for the o-ring, can anyone advise if this is correct?

Don't think so, it's only listed for the petrol radiators with in-built header tank. Not listed for diesels with the standalone rads. I can't find the o-ring part number for the diesel one though, it might be the same size but I thought the diesel hoses were bigger.

[simo2007]

I have the metal insert to the lower radiator connection, held on by a spring clip, as shown on the left in the image, and I've found a part number of 1343Z4 for the o-ring, can anyone advise if this is correct?

Don't think so, it's only listed for the petrol radiators with in-built header tank.  Not listed for diesels with the standalone rads.  I can't find the o-ring part number for the diesel one though, it might be the same size but I thought the diesel hoses were bigger.

The only other part number I can find is 1307V8 as shown in this link:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Peugeot-306-Z...Sw85JbwHnc

Update: Just ordered both of those o-rings, I will update here when I've changed them to confirm the correct part number...

[simo2007]

Still haven't got around to sorting the coolant pipe, it literally loses 4-5 drips over night so I'm not too worried about it. Laziness on my part- not enough light after work and been very busy on the weekends.

In other updates she has turned 172,500 miles as of yesterday, running like a dream. I'm getting 700-730 miles to a tank on the commute to London, which equates to a fuel station visit once every two weeks!

I also put some Osram Nightbreaker Unlimited H7 bulbs in the other day, incredible difference, the road lights up in front of me compared to the old bulbs (no idea what brand, but they were pretty dim!). Also replaced the oil dip stick as the plastic pull bit literally fell apart and had to get some long nosed pliers to get the rest of the dipstick out.

Tried to investigate the 'pre-heater' system with the 4 small glow plugs the other day too, can't really feel any heat until 10-15 mins of driving, the relays look good so I'll just take the connectors off and clean them up to see if that helps or not. Anyone had any experiences with getting this working?

[MY95]

Nice update, could you upload a picture of the light range from the car inside? I’ve noticed my lights to not have a very good range so would like to improve this too!