Just Brought An Stdt - Looking For More Info On The Model And Car!

[AaronMountford1990 0 1 Cars]

So, just joined after purchasing a 205 STDT I'm looking to refurb, wondering if anyone has any information on this model?

 

​I think it's lowered, annoyingly so that will have to go back to standard, anyone recommend any standard suspension kits?

 

There's probably a lot more work to do in it but first I need the weather to clear up so I can roll it out and check the compression on the engine!

 

​Its got 173K on the clock and i'm led to believe an elderly gent had it for years then it's been sold after he died.

​

​Work im thinking of doing at the minute involves ripping the sony stereo kit and cd player out, along with (what I believe to be) aftermarket (unless it was standard??) alarm system as it's shagged all of the battery cables up.

​

​Anyone got any information or leads on this car would he helpful - reg is L303GRO, its come with no service history so i'm looking to trace it back to a dealership which is proving tricky, I've only managed thus far to find out where it was imported from, from its manufacturing area of origin (Madrid).

[allye 530 3 Cars]

Post some pictures, seems unlikely it would have been lowered if owned by an elderly gent! May be a case of saggy beam or a snapped spring. You can't go wrong with a set of bilstein b4's, get some 2nd springs powder coated. With that service history a beam rebuild might be in order, allow at least £250 for that.

 

If you feel like getting oily the XUD9TE 1.9 turbo engine slips straight in with almost no modifications for a really nice upgrade!

[Gaz205 50]

I think I remember the one on eBay for quite a while, didn't look lowered if it was the same one?.

Some people are creatures of habit so I would try the nearest pug dealer to the deceased's home address, although a car that age and mileage would more than likely have had local garage work. I seem to remember a family member selling it? Aren't they contactable to ask?

[toolie72 67 1 Cars]

Bought my gti 21 years ago from a garage-first thing I did was phone the previous owner on log book

You have no come back on them so you ask the question what's wrong with it? Did you have any issues etc-admittedly they might not appreciate the call but at end of day you're trying to keep their old car going-most people would be reasonable

[AaronMountford1990 0 1 Cars]

Post some pictures, seems unlikely it would have been lowered if owned by an elderly gent! May be a case of saggy beam or a snapped spring. You can't go wrong with a set of bilstein b4's, get some 2nd springs powder coated. With that service history a beam rebuild might be in order, allow at least £250 for that.

 

If you feel like getting oily the XUD9TE 1.9 turbo engine slips straight in with almost no modifications for a really nice upgrade!

Hey thanks for the reply. I've brought it from the grandson but I don't have the log book yet to confirm anything, I know it's no longer in the grandads name.

It may not be lowered I've not taken the time to notice, but it's not like I can compare it to another STDT ?????

[AaronMountford1990 0 1 Cars]

I think I remember the one on eBay for quite a while, didn't look lowered if it was the same one?.

Some people are creatures of habit so I would try the nearest pug dealer to the deceased's home address, although a car that age and mileage would more than likely have had local garage work. I seem to remember a family member selling it? Aren't they contactable to ask?

Tried that, no luck. Gave them the VIN no and no info appears on their system. Rang Peugeot UK who said they had next to no info just a record of import from Madrid but I'm pretty sure that's just where it was built. I've contacted the French side of Peugeot too to ask for their historical records department.

 

I speak to the family on and off but there's not much info that comes from them. I'm going to request the dvla history and all previous log books, and also ask for the history of the number plate, that should feed back into the dealership that first registered that car!

[AaronMountford1990 0 1 Cars]

Added the auction images to my "drivers car" section

http://forum.205gtidrivers.com/index.php?showtopic=169734&hl=

 

Are there any common problems i should know about at all?

 

I have noticed so far, that the roof is sealed shut, cant seem to budge it at the minute.

Left hand stalk looks like its been set on fire...all bubbly as if its burnt - could be why i think i fuse blew last i tried to use it!

 

Front window screen has sealant on the upper left side (passenger side), does this mean the screens been removed before and not put back right?

Edited January 16, 2017 by AaronMountford1990

[Anthony 1,003]

Assuming that it is the factory vacuum sunroof setup (which it looks like in the pictures), do you hear the "whoosh" sound when you release the handle with the engine running? If not, it'll be extremely difficult to move without the seal being sucked flat.

 

The light/indicator stalk bubbling potentially isn't as bad as you think - the end tends to degrade and/or bubble up with grime. Cleaning it with soapy water and a gentle kitchen scourer often improves them no end! All the electrical bits are at the steering column end, so any damage relating to electrical woes would be around there not on the end where your fingers go.

 

As for the sealant - quite possibly, or someone's bodged some sealant in there to fix a leak. The front screen is sealed purely by the rubber and isn't bonded/sealed like a modern screen (the tailgate one is though)

[AaronMountford1990 0 1 Cars]

Assuming that it is the factory vacuum sunroof setup (which it looks like in the pictures), do you hear the "whoosh" sound when you release the handle with the engine running? If not, it'll be extremely difficult to move without the seal being sucked flat.

 

The light/indicator stalk bubbling potentially isn't as bad as you think - the end tends to degrade and/or bubble up with grime. Cleaning it with soapy water and a gentle kitchen scourer often improves them no end! All the electrical bits are at the steering column end, so any damage relating to electrical woes would be around there not on the end where your fingers go.

 

As for the sealant - quite possibly, or someone's bodged some sealant in there to fix a leak. The front screen is sealed purely by the rubber and isn't bonded/sealed like a modern screen (the tailgate one is though)

 

Yes its the factory one i believe. There was no whoosh sound ! Does this mean its still fully pressurised?

 

Ill have a go at cleaning it, but it honestly looks (unless that comes off), that it's had a lighter sat on the end of the stalk, as if the plastics bubbled up either from that or a LONG sun exposure? Didnt help that when i tried to check the headlights to see if i had all lights working something blew a fuse, but the entire stalk twisted around - not just the section for the lights if that makes sense?

 

With the front window, (ill get some pictures) Unsure how to upload them into a thread though?... does this mean it just needs reseating, or needs a new rubber to fix the leak..

 

Thanks for the help My daily driver is a Mk1 Fabia VRS, so i'm as new to Peugeot engineering as they come haha, i've only just got used to the faults in the fabia!

[AaronMountford1990 0 1 Cars]

I also understand the STDT is meant to have heated mirrors, are these on a switch on the dash? I cant seem to find that in mine, i can only see heated rear

[allye 530 3 Cars]

Those Fabia's are great little cars, driven one before.

 

You insured on the 205 yet? Get a professional to replace the seal, you can still get new seals, good opportunity for a fresh screen which I find makes a huge difference.

 

Pretty sure it just the gentry's that had heated mirrors. The vacuum tank for the sun roof is in the scuttle with the wiper mechanism so remove the black scuttle and trace vacuum lines would be my first port of call.

 

With the picture you need to get a account on photo bucket or similar, load pictures to there and copy and paste the IMG code to your post here (not the web link).

[Anthony 1,003]

Yes its the factory one i believe. There was no whoosh sound ! Does this mean its still fully pressurised?

 

Ill have a go at cleaning it, but it honestly looks (unless that comes off), that it's had a lighter sat on the end of the stalk, as if the plastics bubbled up either from that or a LONG sun exposure? Didnt help that when i tried to check the headlights to see if i had all lights working something blew a fuse, but the entire stalk twisted around - not just the section for the lights if that makes sense?

 

With the front window, (ill get some pictures) Unsure how to upload them into a thread though?... does this mean it just needs reseating, or needs a new rubber to fix the leak..

 

Thanks for the help My daily driver is a Mk1 Fabia VRS, so i'm as new to Peugeot engineering as they come haha, i've only just got used to the faults in the fabia!

The sunroof seal naturally sits "inflated" (for use of a better word - it isn't pressurised) and when you pull the handle, the valve in the handle exposes the seal to vacuum to deflate the seal and pull it flat away from the glass. No hiss noise means the seal isn't getting pulled away from the glass, so you'll struggle to move it. The handle also unlocks the roof mechanically by a cable, although that part is normally fairly reliable.

 

That sounds about right for the stalk - some of them are terrible and look almost melted, but will often clean up surprisingly well! The whole stalk is meant to twist btw, not just the end despite how it looks at a glance.

 

As for the seal - does the windscreen leak? If not, my attitude would be not to mess with it. If it does, then get the screen removed and refit with a new seal - I don't think that the correct sunroof specific windscreen seal is available now, but the non-sunroof one works fine (difference is the sunroof one has a raised lip to push air over the sunroof to reduce buffeting)

 

STDT's should have heated mirrors. They work off the same switch as the heated rear screen, assuming of course that they haven't been replaced over the years and still work.

[AaronMountford1990 0 1 Cars]

Those Fabia's are great little cars, driven one before.

 

You insured on the 205 yet? Get a professional to replace the seal, you can still get new seals, good opportunity for a fresh screen which I find makes a huge difference.

 

Pretty sure it just the gentry's that had heated mirrors. The vacuum tank for the sun roof is in the scuttle with the wiper mechanism so remove the black scuttle and trace vacuum lines would be my first port of call.

 

With the picture you need to get a account on photo bucket or similar, load pictures to there and copy and paste the IMG code to your post here (not the web link).

Yeah its a great car - I now do 40 mile each way to work and it just cruises along nicely getting 50-60MPG...it's due for a cruise control retrofit and possible ECO map at some stage, got to finish wiring in the factory double DIN sat nav and reversing camera first!

 

Not insured it yet no, it's in the garage, i'm not convinced at present it'd pass an MOT, not been taxed since 2012!

 

I'll look to get an account on Photobucket this week

 

The sunroof seal naturally sits "inflated" (for use of a better word - it isn't pressurised) and when you pull the handle, the valve in the handle exposes the seal to vacuum to deflate the seal and pull it flat away from the glass. No hiss noise means the seal isn't getting pulled away from the glass, so you'll struggle to move it. The handle also unlocks the roof mechanically by a cable, although that part is normally fairly reliable.

 

That sounds about right for the stalk - some of them are terrible and look almost melted, but will often clean up surprisingly well! The whole stalk is meant to twist btw, not just the end despite how it looks at a glance.

 

As for the seal - does the windscreen leak? If not, my attitude would be not to mess with it. If it does, then get the screen removed and refit with a new seal - I don't think that the correct sunroof specific windscreen seal is available now, but the non-sunroof one works fine (difference is the sunroof one has a raised lip to push air over the sunroof to reduce buffeting)

 

STDT's should have heated mirrors. They work off the same switch as the heated rear screen, assuming of course that they haven't been replaced over the years and still work.

Ah OK i see, so this could be a problem with the handle?

 

Windowscreen leaking wise, not sure, it's in the garage until it's been refurbished. I'll look to clean the stalk up, creeps me out though the entire thing twists...it was twisting it that caused what i believe to be a fuse to blow...everything died, either that or im really unlucky and a cable moved from the battery!

 

They didn't have alarms standard did they? Assuming not, i think there's some dirty aftermarket unit in it that's got wires going here there and everywhere - it's got to go as the battery wont fit as the cables are SO snug :/ !

 

That's good then i should have heated mirrors on the same switch, i was beginning to think it didn't have them!

[Anthony 1,003]

It shouldn't be too hard to diagnose what's wrong with the sunroof. If you remove the surrounding roof console plastics you can see the valve that the handle operates - check that the feed pipe is under vacuum with the engine running and that the handle fully actuates the valve plunger thing as it should. If that checks out, but there's no vacuum on the sunroof side with the handle pulled, it's likely a faulty valve.

 

No alarm/immobiliser as standard, so it'll be a (likely dreadful) aftermarket installation.

[Gaz205 50]

I had an stdt back in around 2001, mine suffered with a broken Rev counter, intermittent central locking and catastrophic head failure!

Might have had something to do with the 5 gallons of red diesel the neighbour recommended ????????

I wouldn't pick away at the windscreen until you are ready to repair whatever horrors are beneath! If it were me I'd check as many of the mot points I could do myself and take it for a test. That'll give you a good starting point before you potentially spend a fair few quid replacing non mot essential items

[AaronMountford1990 0 1 Cars]

It shouldn't be too hard to diagnose what's wrong with the sunroof. If you remove the surrounding roof console plastics you can see the valve that the handle operates - check that the feed pipe is under vacuum with the engine running and that the handle fully actuates the valve plunger thing as it should. If that checks out, but there's no vacuum on the sunroof side with the handle pulled, it's likely a faulty valve.

 

No alarm/immobiliser as standard, so it'll be a (likely dreadful) aftermarket installation.

Slight problem in trying that...I've never started the engine yet...the battery was down a cell and i've had to rebuild the battery. I need a decent enough day to drain the oil and fuel, put fresh in and try turning it over - i'm a bit wary of doing that though with it not moving for 4 years...thats about the time needed before a new timing belt is due isnt it?

 

I had a feeling you were going to say its aftermarket - GRRR.

 

I had an stdt back in around 2001, mine suffered with a broken Rev counter, intermittent central locking and catastrophic head failure!

Might have had something to do with the 5 gallons of red diesel the neighbour recommended

I wouldn't pick away at the windscreen until you are ready to repair whatever horrors are beneath! If it were me I'd check as many of the mot points I could do myself and take it for a test. That'll give you a good starting point before you potentially spend a fair few quid replacing non mot essential items

Oh charming, make my first impressions of the STDT positive wont you Gaz haha...

Yeah i'll leave it for now, think the focus is going to be on rewiring, checking the engine over then replacing the interior plastics as the dash and a few other bits are only held in with a few screws (not all of them as youd expect) and where the fixings meet the bulkhead the plastic tabs have snapped off, so i may be looking at a new set of dash plastics.....same goes for the drivers side door card, cigarette tray and glovebox (doesnt open...)

[Anthony 1,003]

If you've not run the engine yet, I wouldn't worry about the sunroof until you have - without the engine running (or having been recently run) there will be no vacuum to release the sunroof seal.

 

The cam belts are normally fairly hardy on those engines and certainly the interval is longer than 4 years. I'd be happy giving the belt a visual check initially to prove the engine etc runs before spending time/money on it, but if you've no history on it being changed then it would certainly be worth replacing the belt kit and waterpump as a precaution before putting the car into service.

[AaronMountford1990 0 1 Cars]

If you've not run the engine yet, I wouldn't worry about the sunroof until you have - without the engine running (or having been recently run) there will be no vacuum to release the sunroof seal.

 

The cam belts are normally fairly hardy on those engines and certainly the interval is longer than 4 years. I'd be happy giving the belt a visual check initially to prove the engine etc runs before spending time/money on it, but if you've no history on it being changed then it would certainly be worth replacing the belt kit and waterpump as a precaution before putting the car into service.

I was thinking of checking the compression by jacking the front up and rotating the wheels in third (would tell me if it's siezed), then changing the oil and fuel and trying a start. If all goes fine then full service followed by timing belt n water pump, is there anything else I should do?

[AaronMountford1990 0 1 Cars]

So what do we know about the Stdt then?

 

From my knowledge I believe, and correct me if I'm wrong.

 

It was in production for one year 1993/1994 making most an L plate (seen two M Reg plates)

Stdt denotes special trim diesel turbo

Some comments note it was made for business class who would chew up motorway miles but get decent fuel economy, could be why the interiors are different colours including tan beige.

Factory spec was metallic paint, sunroof, electric windows, heated rear screen, heated mirrors.

Visually has the arches similar to the gti

Not sure on ride height

Uses a 1.8TD xud7t/k engine

Would this be in some terms be a diesel GTI then?

Not sure of anymore info, if anyone has any let me know and we'll keep it here for record.

[Mikey S 29 1 Cars]

Non intercooled turbo diesel, keep them on boost (the power delivery will be way different to your Fabia) and there not far off as quick as a 1.6 GTi. Me and my brother have owned about 4 of them over the years. Iirc, colours were grey, green and beige, all metallic. Great cars and the seats are much more resistant to wear than the gti's. Wheel centre caps will often fall off so drill a small hole through the cap and into the alloy, tap it and use a stainless Allen key bolt to hold them on.

[AaronMountford1990 0 1 Cars]

Non intercooled turbo diesel, keep them on boost (the power delivery will be way different to your Fabia) and there not far off as quick as a 1.6 GTi. Me and my brother have owned about 4 of them over the years. Iirc, colours were grey, green and beige, all metallic. Great cars and the seats are much more resistant to wear than the gti's. Wheel centre caps will often fall off so drill a small hole through the cap and into the alloy, tap it and use a stainless Allen key bolt to hold them on.

I imagine the power delivery would be quite different also! It's a lot less power isn't it? What's the handling like? From what i've read the STDT was meant to be effectively a diesel GTI, but how does it handle? I know the springs will need to be stiffer to take into account the diesel lump but does it keep a similar ride height? Presumably it's still springs and shocks on front and torsion bar rear??

 

Yes i'm missing a wheel cap already, I'll have to look into that - i think i'm going to have a go at 3D printing some in the future, hopefully if they turn out OK i'll use those and keep the genuine ones in the garage haha!

 

I have noticed the seats feel different, certainly a LOT stiffer than the fabia, god that's got sport(ish) seats but you breath on the bolsters and they bend...these dont, they're solid!

[welshpug 1,657]

from memory the running gear is gti wishbones and arb, base model type hubs, 1.6 type driveshafts, 1.9 type vented discs and 1.6 gti type calipers, xs spec rear beam, gti spec rear drum brakes.

[Anthony 1,003]

from memory the running gear is gti wishbones and arb, base model type hubs, 1.6 type driveshafts, 1.9 type vented discs and 1.6 gti type calipers, xs spec rear beam, gti spec rear drum brakes.

Yep, that's correct AFAIK - certainly it's not full GTi spec suspension, despite what some people claim.

[welshpug 1,657]

Just figured out the rear brakes are the odd ones out, they may be Girling 40x180mm shoes and drum like a gti, but they're still integral compensator/limiter like a base model, but base model are Bendix.

[Gaz205 50]

Re the 'not much difference between them and 1.6GTI' was that a modified one? Increased boost?

I was always having my pants handed to me by 1.3 nova SR's I think they were back in the day.