Couple Of N00b 1.9 Questions

[milk_churn 0]

Hi folks, this is my first thread.

 

After having bought my first 1.9 GTI on a 1992 plate i have a few issues that i haven't got a clue where to start with.

 

The car i bought has been stood on a farm for over two years so after having it recovered to my house i obviously set about giving the engine a service before anything else. When i got it home it would start fine and idle at about 1200rpm. But the next time i started it it was chugging at about 600rpm and on the verge of cutting out.

 

So today i changed the oil, oil filter, fuel filter, dizzy, HT leads, Spark plugs, air filter, and power steering fluid. It starts first time and sounds okay to me, but only idles at around 500 to 600rpm, if i give it a few revs sometimes it drops right down and cuts out completely, although very rarely. Is there a screw or anything i can adjust to increase the idle speed? or do i need to get a mobile engine tuner out to it cos its sorn at the minute whilst i do it up?

 

I've noticed some of the rubber hoses, in particular one that goes from the oil filler cap toward something near the front of the car (on right hand side of inlet manifold) is in poor condition and maybe leaking in air.

 

Can I easily buy replacement hoses and such? and if so where from?

 

Any experienced help would be greatly appreciated as i'm completely new to this car..

 

Also the power steering seems lumpy, it seems to go stiffer every quarter of a turn for a quarter of a turn, its much better since changing the power steering fluid but still present.. any suggestions? apart from ditching power steering altogether? and if that is a genuine suggestion whats the easiest way of doing that?

 

Is £15 a reasonable price for a metal water pipe?

 

Thanks very much guys.

 

Shaun

[Tom Fenton 1,541]

Have a search for setting up idle speed, this is a common 205 problem, there is lots on info on here, but in a nutshell give all the breather hoses and to and from the SAD (idle air valve) a really good clean out, then after making sure the SAD is working, adjust the air bleed bypass on the throttle body.

 

Rubber breather pipes are available from your local Peugeot main dealer, I think there are also some aftermarket silicone kits available now.

 

If the steering is stiff every 1/4 turn this points to the steering column universal joint having gone stiff/tight. This is also reasonably common, and not suprising really if the car has been stood. Conversion to manual steering is not that difficult, you can either leave the PAS rack there and disconnect all the power assistance stuff, or swap to a manual rack. Different people have different views on which is better. However in your case I think replacing the coupling will sort it.

[milk_churn 0]

Thanks very much, i'll check those items.

 

The steering column universal join? is inside the car or under the bonnet? How easy/expensive is it to change? would a bit of grease sort it do you think?

[2-Pugs 57]

Re. your steering, I would agree with Tom. I had that exact same problem once on a previous GTI a few years back, and changed loads of stuff trying to find the problem before realising it was the lower UJ in the steering column. It's pretty easy to remove, it is connected to the lower half of the column. You can remove it from within the car if I remember correctly. Have a good look, you should be able to see it all OK. Once out, I found that the UJ was seized in one direction. I just filled a cup with WD-40 and stood it in there for a few days, which freed it up fine. It remained fine for the remainder of the time I had the car for (a couple more years after that). Otherwise just get another one, from a scrapyard or someone off here, but just be aware, there are two different types, a splined and a square drive onto the rack, so make sure you get the right one

 

As for the breather pipes, I would definitly pay some attention to those. In order for the engine to run properly, they need to be in good condition, not be kinked, blocked, or have any holes in, which can let in unmetered air. The main oil filler pipe that connects to the bottom of the oil filler body to the right of the inlet manifold and then runs down to the sump, is unfortunatly a bit of a bad desgin, and becasue of the bends in it, it often kets kinked & blocked or perishes. I bought a new one from Peugeot some years ago and it was something ridiculous like £65 Mind you the old one was so badly perished it had virtually broken in two.

 

I would also recommend removing your throttle body, (make sure you know where all the pipes go for reassembely!) and giving it a good clean to get any muck out. There are numerous small breather ports on it, it's worth checking they are not blocked.

 

£15 for a metal water pipe is about the going rate I am assuming that you are talking about the one under the offside arch?

Edited April 20, 2008 by 2-Pugs

[Ryan 99]

Is £15 a reasonable price for a metal water pipe?

 

They are only £14.88 from a pug dealer. Better to buy from them that one of the people selling them on ebay.

[dino20vt 3]

Where is the SAD (idle air valve)?

[2-Pugs 57]

Where is the SAD (idle air valve)?

 

Underneath the alternator. It should be mounted to the block (or head, I cant remember). It has a pipe going in the front and out the back

[milk_churn 0]

Underneath the alternator. It should be mounted to the block (or head, I cant remember). It has a pipe going in the front and out the back

 

Isn't it underneath the distributer?

[milk_churn 0]

Okay, today i located the SAD and removed the pipe to try look inside with a mirror, couldn't see a thing as it was too dark down there and i didnt have time to remove all the air intake stuff to get a better look.

I then turned my attention to the pipe that goes from the oil filler to the throttle body, it had a hole in just above where it fits to the throttle body, so i snipped the bad bit off and reconnected it. Idle seemed a bit better once i adjusted the idle speed screw on the throttle body out some. Seemed to rev through the range a lot sweeter and rested nicely around 800-900rpm. When i get more time i'll strip the throttle body off and clean everything, replace a few pipes and take a closer look at the SAD. then maybe think about getting it tuned professionally as i haven't got a clue about mixture settings etc. It still felt pretty flat when i took it for a spin. (thanks to Tom and 2-Pugs for their advice with this issue)

Is it normal to hear quite a loud sucking noise coming from around the area of the air flow meter? and a hissing for a few seconds from around the injectors after the engine has stopped?

 

I then located the universal steering joints, both inside the foot well and under the bonnet, the one under the bonnet looks pretty caked in mud so i reached down and drenched in WD40 a few good times and i'll leave that to soak. When i get more time i'll get it on some axle stands and get underneath for a proper look/clean of the joint inside the engine bay. would rather try and free the stiffness up without having to strip the joint off!

 

Anyway here is the car in person

 

http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w119/sh...20042008127.jpg

 

Thanks to everyone for your help so far, i'm sure there'll be plenty more questions yet

[2-Pugs 57]

Isn't it underneath the distributer?

 

distributor, alternator, d'oh! Yes, it'll be under the distributor

[milk_churn 0]

Had a proper inspection of the induction pipes yesterday and found the sucking noise coming from a leak in the joint between the pipe that runs from the oil filler lid to the induction pipe between the AFM and throttle body. Also the two pipes coming out of the oil filler pipe were both stiff, perished, cracked and basically shagged.

 

So i found a guy breaking a 1.9 on the tinternet about 3 miles from where i live, just so happened he had those pipes in lovely condition and gave them all to me for £15. So with those fitted and a new dipstick its already running much better, just need to fit my new brakes this weekend so i can drive it to an MOT station and a rolling road for a proper setup. Thanks for all your suggestions guys, helped me out big time.

 

Oh just one other thing, fitting new brake lines when i do the brakes FTW, is it absolutely imperative that the lines go over the top of the petrol tank??? not that i'm trying to get out of removing the exhaust and tank or anything... I know I know, if you want a job done properly, you've got to lay on your back in the pissing rain scraping the skin off your knuckles. I Just remember doing it 12 years ago on my XS and it took me and me Dad Ages. Joy!!!

[2-Pugs 57]

Glad to hear your engine is running better

 

Re. the brake pipes, you might well different opinions on that

 

But when I had to make a new rear brake pipe for mine a couple of years back, I didn't remove the tank, I routed it partly round the side. Otherwise, it means removing the fuel tank

 

Depends how much of a perfectionist you are and how original you want it. But I don't think the re-routing it slightly will affect the performance.