Commonly asked questions answered

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Commonly asked questions answered
#1
I will be adding to these regularly as I think of them.

What to look out for when buying a 306
306's generally don't suffer from many major problems. Probably the most common fault is broken central locking. If it locks on the fob and then the door pin pops straight up again, you can almost guarantee that the flexible loom between the door and body has some broken wires. You may also find that your electric windows, speakers or door mirrors don't work as they should because of the door loom. Whist it's a cheap fix, it can be a bit fiddly and your soldering skills need to be fairly good.
Suspension knocks over bumps are quite common and are normally down to either broken drop links or worn top mounts. Again, these are both fairly cheap and simple to fix.
Air bag lights are fairly common on a 306. In 2002 there was a recall by Peugeot to repair the pretensioner plug under the seats. Most were never done. If yours has the original orange plug, cut them off and replace with some sealed crimps (making sure to take all safety precautions with the air bags)
As well as these, you also need to look out for the general faults that might appear on any car. If your not to confident with this, get someone with a knowledge of cars to come with you.

What is the small gauge under my rev counter?
Most commonly found on ph3 (1999 onwards), it measures the level of oil in the sump. It comes on when the key is switched to phase 2 and goes off about 10 seconds after starting the car.
If you have a gti6, it turns into a oil temperature gauge after it has read the oil level.

Don't use this gauge as a substitute for checking your dip stick. The sensors can become sticky and generally give wrong readings.

What are the numbers that appear on the mile display when I start the car?
This indicates miles till next service. Once it reaches about 250 miles, a spanner may appear on the display. To reset the counter, hold down the button on the dials next to the screen with the ignition off. Start the car. The display will count down from 10. Once it reaches 0, the counter is reset to 20,000 miles and you can release the button.

What size speakers does the 306 take?
Front speakers are 16.5cm but are very shallow (about 5cm). You can get spacer rings from auto leads to give you an extra 1.5cm to play with. Rear speakers are also 16.5cm and can be as deep as you like providing your happy modifying the basket that they sit in on the parcel shelf.

What is my paint code?
Your paint code can be found on a sticker in 1 or 2 places. First and most likely is on the back of the suspension turret on the passenger side. Lift the bonnet and look down the back and you will see a sticker with a few codes on it. Your paint code will more than likely be a 4 character code (e.g china blue is EGED)
Second place and less likely is in the drivers door shut there is a label.

Parts shops are saying there are several types of brake pads for my car
Peugeot used several different manufactures for their brakes. Most commonly, Lucas and Bosch. Whist the callipers are almost identical, they can sometimes take different pads. If your parts supplier can't find the correct ones from your reg, remove your wheel and the make will be stamped in the face of the calliper.

I've only got one key. Can I get another?
Yes. The ph1 and ph2 with infrared locking allow as many keys as you like. These can be programmed without the need of extra tools or software. There are many guides on the Internet on how to do this.
The ph3 uses radio frequencies for the locking. This requires a computer that the appropriate software and hardware to program.
There are several members on here who own the PP2000 kit to do this and many shops will do it although expect upwards of £60 for a shop to do it. The ph3 allows upto 4 keys with central locking. You can have more with no central locking but this requires the immobiliser chip to be copied (instead of the proper way of the cars computer learning the new codes of each individual chip). This is a service Timpsons can offer for about £20. Ideal for a spare to keep safe incase you loose your normal key.

My temperature and time display has stopped working yet I can still see the numbers in direct sunlight
Bulbs have blown. Simple fix requiring two new bulbs from Peugeot. The trim around the display simply pulls off to reveal 2 t20 torx screws. Remove these and you will have access to the bulbs.

When I start the car, the dials spin round then back
This is a feature designed to show you your battery is nearing the end of its life. You will typically find that the voltage across your battery is about 8-11v when cranking and 14.4v when running. Your dials will spin if the cranking voltage is getting too low. You can try and trickle charge your battery but it won't last long.

My petrol 306 won't idle where it should and sometimes stalls when slowing down
More than likely your idle control valve. These get gunked up over the years with oil vapours from the crankcase breather. You can remove them and clean them up which will work for a while but generally once there gone, there gone! You can get them on eBay from about 30 quid and a real one for about 80. Don't buy the cheap ones as they don't last 5 minutes. Buy cheap, buy twice!

My 1.8 16v wont start. We have pretty much checked everything!
The 1.8s suffered from ignition coil problems. Unfortunately due to a poor design in wiring, they can spike the ECU meaning that you might turn a completely healthy car off one day and 5 minutes later it won't start again.
You can get the ECU repaired but this can be costly and time consuming. Unless you own, or know someone who owns Peugeot Planet, you will need to buy a ECU with matching security module and matching immobiliser chip. You will be looking at about £100 for the lot on eBay. Fitting is quite simple!
If you have access to PP, you can reprogram the new ECU to your existing key and security module.

What is the button with a cross on it to the right of the steering wheel?
This button is there to disable the window swithes in the back of the car. Very handy if you have children. Also handy if you have a annoying passenger as you can put the window down and lock it down.
Team Eaton


1999 China Blue 306 GTi6 - Eaton Supercharged - 214.5bhp 181lbft
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#2
Mounting depth of front door speakers is 67mm iirc :-)
Might be worth a sticky in thw guide section
Also maybe worth getting some links to other guides eg stage 1 dtubo guides and so on
The common ones

Edit:and another one is the child lock for rear windows and the passenger side airbad disable and so on
[Image: IMG_20130925_181339_zps95df48fa.jpg]
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#3
Commonly asked questions answered - A bit like an FAQ?! lol

Massively over-complicated title dude!

To add to your bit about the oil level gauge, the thing will flash like a b*stard for 10 seconds if the recorded level is too low (or more commonly, if the sensor has packed up!) you should definitely then check your oil level.
Disclaimer: The above is not to be taken to heart and is probably a joke, grow up you big girl.
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#4
c.a.r. Wrote:Commonly asked questions answered - A bit like an FAQ?! lol

Massively over-complicated title dude!

To add to your bit about the oil level gauge, the thing will flash like a b*stard for 10 seconds if the recorded level is too low (or more commonly, if the sensor has packed up!) you should definitely then check your oil level.

Or if you've parked with the left side of your car higher than the right (from my experience).
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#5
I have a good one to add

Does a body kit make my car look cool?

No, no it does not. Unless its a Dimma kit then it is acceptable.
[Image: 306ocsig_edited-1-1.jpg]


306 HDI, soon to be XUD
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#6
Great post Niall Smile We should keep adding to these, then I'll clean the thread and move it to the guides section
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