[car_overhaul] Project Jalopy

[Alastairh 47]

Fit the GTI6 lump. You owe it to yourself for the years of mincing.

[Bas 6 1 Cars]

Are you sure that the ground cables are ok?

 

Do you have a ground cable to the gearbox?

 

On one of our 205's we replaced everything (starter, battery, ignition barrel) nothing cured the start problem but an extra ground cable solved everything.

[Anthony 1,003]

I had previously replaced the ground cable and added an additional one for good measure to rule it out, but no change.

 

The problem was that the solenoid wouldn't engage - no click, nothing - but when it did then the starter would crank over strongly.

 

Identified the issue as excessive voltage drop on the starter solenoid wiring, hence putting a relay in which has fixed that issue and the starter now works as it receives full voltage. Only issue was that that the return from the SAD, which earths via the starter solenoid wiring on Jetronic looms, was triggering the relay hence I've unplugged it as a temporary measure until I adapt the wiring to make the SAD earth through a proper earth.

[Miles 331 1 Cars]

I had that problem back in 1991 with the old relay, Didn't bother me at the time as I was selling the car so never went any further but those days you could only get the huge starters

[SurGie 54]

When mine had carbs i bought a fully reconditioned one with a bigger solenoid and starting power due to the lower spec one giving starting troubles, also due to carbs being harder to start the car with. Seems it's quite an occurrence thing with these 205's and their electrics.

[Anthony 1,003]

Nothing to do with the starter motor in this instance - purely and simply down to excessive voltage drop on the solenoid cable.

 

Ever since fitting the relay, it's been fine and has started every time.

 

I was wrong in my thoughts that the SAD would be OK without a power feed to the heating element in the warm weather though, and the resulting 2000rpm hot idle (and very litle engine braking) very quickly became irritating. It would close and idle normally if you left the car parked up with a hot engine, or if you were in traffic long enough, thanks to heat soak, but no chance if you were on the move.

 

The solution was very simple in the end once I thought about it, and meant that I didn't need to remove and chop about the engine loom. All that I needed to do was to remove the original starter solenoid wire (#46) on the engine loom from the brown multiplugs under the dash, and run a new wire from there to the switching side of the relay. With the original wire disconnected from the brown multiplug and thus isolated from the switching side of the relay, I could reconnect it to the starter solenoid, thus allowing the SAD to earth through as intended (although I still can't understand why they designed it like that!)

[cybernck 402 1 Cars]

 

Very simple setup, re-using the idler from the existing setup, and then using an old cambelt tensioner mounted in a pre-existing threaded hole to tension the belt as people have successfully done on non-PAS/AC GTi-6 installs previously. Certainly I can't see any obvious reason why it won't work once I've sourced the appropriate length belt and fitted a decent tensioner that hadn't been left outside in the scrap pile for weeks - the tensioner should be easily accessible from the drivers side front wheelarch, there's plenty of belt wrapped around the pulleys, and the belt is away from anything that it could catch on or snag. And the best bit is that other than the cost of the replacement belt, it's basically free providing that you're using an earlier engine with a 136 tooth cambelt setup.

 

 

How about this 1.8 16v non-A/C auxiliary belt arrangement I've come across today?

 

 

Looks pretty neat with the PAS pump tucked down in front of the sump and still shouldn't foul the radiator.

 

I'm not sure if it would bolt to RFS block straight on though, but I'm *guessing* it should.

 

(Sorry for the crap photos - limited access to the engine plus a phone camera)

[welshpug 1,661]

I can check if it will, but you need a steel sump same as the s16 brackets, alternator mounts same as the rfs as you can see.

[Paul_13 212 1 Cars]

Anthony forked out for a 306 rallye aux setup and cheated

[cybernck 402 1 Cars]

Welshpug> Perhaps the A/C compressor mounting lugs could be utilised?

[cheesegrater 43 1 Cars]

Welshpug> Perhaps the A/C compressor mounting lugs could be utilised?

I believe the offset to be different. Not impossible though.

[cybernck 402 1 Cars]

I've just found Welshpug's post from a few years ago, better illustrating this setup (or a similar one anyway):

 

here's the steel sump non a/c bracket, PAS pump sits on the lower part, Alt on the top part with a strap to the engine mounting, and a tensioner roller attached to the 2 allen headed bolts you can see (same tensioner as many XUD9TE's)