One Fricking Problem After Another ? French ... Grrrrrrrr

[jonny6 8]

Im pretty new to 205 ownership . and its been nothing but heart ache and pain . first off it was trying to get my 45's set up properly at a few places only to find out i had a cylinder was low on compression . so i had to do a complete head overhaul , headgasket . etc etc . then it was ok for a bit , did a trackday at bedford , clutch started to slip , so i did that . then more carb related issues . Then i decided to MI my 205 , firstly i had loom issues , so i basically had to re do that , then i got it running and it wouldnt rev , dodgy afm , then it ran , took it for its first test drive . amazing. so quick , like a different car , arrive back to the garage to find the mother of all oil leaks . crank seal , box off , again , new seal etc etc . another test drive . amazing again , super fast , no leaks , perfect , until .............. i loose gears , and the release bearing is whining like a mofo . so now ive got to take the box off again . i swear to god owning a 205 is so emotional its un real . it pisses me off so badly some days that im convinced im selling it then i have one little positive drive and im in love all over again ???? WTF ?

 

anyway im convinced the s*itty plastic clips /tabs have broken on my be3 release bearing . s*it design ...

 

Sorry for the poorly punctuated rant . sometimes i need to vent my frustration to someone that understands . my mrs couldnt care less . lol

[welshpug 1,666]

we don't understand, maybe you should try punctuation

[Slo 283 1 Cars]

sounds like weekly events for most 205 owners lol

[welshpug 1,666]

not at all, done 2.5k miles since mot at christmas driving to work with very few issues at all.

[jonny6 8]

we don't understand, maybe you should try punctuation

 

sod off , only been home a few hours after being broken down in the middle of a dark country lane .

[jonny6 8]

oh yeah , totally forgot my alternator seizing , while the engine was running , so i then had to remove the inlet manifold , wich in turn wrecked my new gaskets , so i had to order new ones blah blah blah .

 

and im sure it will continue , Im just not used to it comming from a an integra R , which literally only ever needed petrol lol

[allye 530 3 Cars]

Never had a brake down apart from a failed valeo starter frying the battery and earth lead.

 

I hear its all down to how its put together and maintained

[Atari Boy 11]

205's can be problematic, granted, but it sounds as though you have been very unlucky. Most can and are be reliable. As you suggested, when good, they are awsome so stick with it.

[engine killer 6]

you will get used to it as i did over 10 years ago. bear in mind that 205 is an ultra rare little animal in hong kong.

[lemmingzappa 75 1 Cars]

Trying to get the clutch housing/shaft back into place after changing the bearing really wound me up >.<

[Carbs4me 45]

My first 205Gti littery broke down every month for about 2years then i learnt more about them didnt abuse it as much and the only thing that has broke in 15months is the alternator seized but i had it fixed next day, and now im in the middle of a Mi16..... sometimes i sit back look at all the parts ive aquired over the years and think i wouldnt change it for the world...... then i turn sane and think why and i doing this to myself!

 

You get in it drive it and its all clear again

[jimbob 3]

my roughly 10k of reciepts and countless break downs/issues/replaced parts make me so sympathetic to this thread, oh i failed to mention my pug has no wheels or engine and has been on stands for 10 months since i decided to do a "little tidy up" that has turned into a £7k+ rebuild of the engine, rear beam, brakes, suspension.... actually everything! but do you know what the debt will get paid off and the bloody and oily hands will clean off, and the stresses will work themselves out but the feeling you get when she is running spot on and your thrashing along in the sun on some windy country road makes it all worth while!

 

Atleast that is my experience and opinion

[laldy875 6 1 Cars]

buying a car thats over 20 years old and not expecting maintenance

 

You could always do a f20c conversion

[jonny6 8]

ive noticed alot of people "claiming " no issues or breakdowns are the proud owners of ground up rebuilt , no expence spared , 10k's worth of 205 ... unfortunately im not , and i do the best with my budget .

 

Those who feel my pain , embrace the good times . lol

 

Took my box off again tonight and replaced the collapsed release bearing . 1 test drive later and im smiling ear to ear . i fooking love it all over again .

 

p.s Mi16 205's rock !!!

 

p.p.s , holding 3rd gear pinned to the limiter in a 725 kg is very scary lol

[Anthony 1,003]

ive noticed alot of people "claiming " no issues or breakdowns are the proud owners of ground up rebuilt , no expence spared , 10k's worth of 205 ... unfortunately im not , and i do the best with my budget .

I wouldn't say that is true at all.

 

Once you've sorted out the initial neglect and bodges, it's quite easy to keep on top of them and providing that you're proactive about maintenance/servicing and do jobs properly, there's absolutely no reason why a 205 shouldn't be exceedingly reliable. The problems tend to be when people start neglecting them or only maintaining reactively, or perhaps worse still, adopting a half-arsed "that'll do" approach to workmanship.

 

Obviously in your case there has been a fair bit of bad luck involved with the Mi16 engine/management you bought, but it's wrong to suggest that 205's can't be exceedingly reliable on a budget.

[kyepan 291]

I like the fact you came on to have a good winge . I also like your unique style of punctuation . Its like a news tickertape . stop.

 

My car s*it's itself when ever possible , but i still like it , until it s*it's itself.

 

I'm one of the ground up rebuild types , and it's still trying to fall apart on me faster than i can fix it . yes.

 

J

[jonny6 8]

lol . i appologise on behalf of my poor punctuation , im not great at the whole typing / english thing . My excuse anyway...

 

To be honest i cant really fault the engine package , everything is over 20 years old now and to expect nothing to need replacing is in my eyes naive .

[Slo 283 1 Cars]

My car s*it's itself when ever possible , but i still like it , until it s*it's itself.

 

I'm one of the ground up rebuild types , and it's still trying to fall apart on me faster than i can fix it . yes.

 

J

 

God help us all then lol

[welshpug 1,666]

I rebuilt my beam 4.5 years ago, also replaced the steering rack and many suspension bushes, all the dampers, a driveshaft, a few engine mounts, replaced the engine management system which did away with most of the troublesome wiring that plagues a 205.

 

Also had a new rad and hose kit 4 years ago, since then it's been mods, general tidying and sevicing, no major failures

[Lan 24 1 Cars]

ive noticed alot of people "claiming " no issues or breakdowns are the proud owners of ground up rebuilt , no expence spared , 10k's worth of 205 ... unfortunately im not , and i do the best with my budget .

 

not at all touch wood my car has been reliable and had a few upgrades and plenty of replacement of wear and tear parts, you just have to do preventative maintenance check the whole car over and get everything set up nicely and replace parts as required, and then you can start going into conversions/upgrades, pretty much all 205s are knocking on 20+years now what do you expect, they wouldn't be on the road if it wasn't for all the people who put in time and care for there 205's

[RummyonFire 2]

I completely sympathise with you

 

my old gti was the same but i loved it

 

Ive had compression issues/wiring aissues with my current mi16 rebuild so i know how frustrating it can be.

 

Though for all the breakdowns there twice as many upsides to owning a 205

[MikeM 5]

I do agree that there are times when 205's can become a little tedious, but when you sort out those niggles it all pays off!

 

p.p.s , holding 3rd gear pinned to the limiter in a 725 kg is very scary lol

 

I cannot help but think that perhaps your driving style may have an adverse effect on your car. Ease off a little and save yourself some hassle, they don't need to be thrashed to go fast!

But each to their own!

[jonny6 8]

non-sence , i have a very mechanically sympathetic driving style when i say limiter i mean just over 7k

Edited April 17, 2012 by jonny6

[grandos 16]

7k, 6250 is fast enough!! And mine just took 6 months of being loaned out with only a 25 year old relay to fault! (and about 7500 mls at the same time!)

[Cameron 16]

7k, 6250 is fast enough!!

 

Oh don't be such a girl!

 

I can completely sympathise with you though (the OP) as some of them can be utter nightmares through years of bodging and neglect, and it can take months or years to get on top of the repairs and into the "maintenance phase". Stick with it though, once you get there they become sooooooooo much more enjoyable to own!