Bloody french car

[ianst28]

ok usually i kinda like my 406 she's cheap to run comfortable and apart from eating tyres she's not a bad old bus

that was till this morning
got up as usual got dressed and got outside to take the boy to school (it's my only day off this week so i'm not the happiest to begin with)
start the car and she's a bit sluggish which is unusual but she catches and fires up
about a mile along the road there is a hill it's quite step but not the worst in existance there is a sharp left bend on this hill however
as i take the left the stop light comes on and the oil light flickers not much but enough but i noticed it so i think "sh!! when did i last check" drop the lad off at school and turn car off wait 2 mins then brave the cold to check the oil none on the stick "oh f&&k " i top the oil up with the 5l i've had in the car for a week meaning to do the oil change but you know how it is
ok so the oil is now at the right level i start the car and drive home
half way home i kinda hear summat over the radio you know what i mean you own a 406 it's that noise that you didn't hear directly but your wallet clenches your arse cheek because it heard or felt the rift in the space time continuim that was your bank account
wind down window nothing keep driving nothing get onto dual carrage way and at 3000 rpm there it is just a knock like a deisel knock but stomach turningly different

so i'm thinking big ends little ends whichever it is its gonna be expensive

anyone got any ideas or should i approach the bank manger with cap in hand and the look that tells him i own a french car ????

[steve_earwig]

Just the one knock or continuous, goes up & down with engine revs? Where did the oil go and did the last lot follow it?

I'm afraid most oil pressure switches only close when the pressure's almost zero, by which time the damage is done It'll be big ends, rather than little ends or crank pins I'd have thought.

Why is your car eating tyres?

[ianst28]

why is my car eating tyres ???

because i thought the tyre pressures should be around 28 not the 34 or so i've read here

big ends yeah thats what i thought hoping to get away with just throwing some shells in it at the weekend only prob is i'll have to nurse it until then and doing 70 miles a day isn't gonna be easy to keep it running

i guess i'm gonna have to invest in some molyslip to try to keep it sweetish lol

[Welly]

Oh bugger, just what you need

It's mostly recognised that it's a it late when the light comes on (great idea eh?).

Mostly the engine will be kind of ok until you load it up when it then knocks. The big ends are designed to let go first (as you know) but I think it'll be a long old job especially with the siliconed-on sump

Hope you get on ok!

[ianst28]

well took it to the family garage this eve
after checking the injectors ( i never realised that if the injector fails the knocking can be the same as a big end knock)
we finaly figured that it was the big ends so i limped the car to my mum's so that i'm not using the car to get to work
it's going back on thur to have the shells replaced we're doing it in the evening so as to keep the labour costs down (ie nill)
so lets hope come thur eve i've got the car back

just out of interest anyone got any idea how long replacing the shells will take???? just i'm going after work and i have no idea how long it's gonna take

[Harshan]

front shell replacement? 5 minutes of a job if you do it carefully.. all you need is a long screw driver to loosen three clips and undo the three knobs on top of the grill .. (post 99 D9 model)

[steve_earwig]

Oops, lost in translation?

I don't think it'll just take 5 minutes Will sir be doing it with the engine in situ?

[Doggy]

Don't want to be negative, but I'm thinking it's almost certain to have journal damage by now, bearing in mind its been driven a bit. At the very least he needs to measure them all accurately to determine if it needs a regrind.....

I think I'd be looking for a cheap repalcement engine.

[ianst28]

steve yes sir will be doing the task in situ

Dogs yeah idealy i'd stick a good lump in there but what with xmas 20odd days away we're gonna try this it's costing me 25 quid for the bearings and nothing for the labour so if it works just for a couple of months then it's a good thing if it doesn't then i'm 25 quid outta pocket i can live with that

Good thing is i get to play with air tools and a bloody big hammer

[ianst28]

wheres the oh shi£ emoticon or the fu&& it emoticon

ok it didn't work

any one know of a half decent xud engine for peanuts give me a shout

thanks guys

[Doggy]

Feel for you, Ian.
You probably already know there's a couple on Ebay, but they're asking over £250.
There's a few people breaking complete cars too.
Saw one engine for a 306 TD for £125, (380082458211), but it's in London.
Another 306 TD for £170, (190268519271) in Dumfries & Galloway.
There's a guy in Doncaster selling what he thinks is an XUD9 engine, (330289003902).
I expect you could get this cheap, but he doesn't really know what it is, (nor do I).
I'm thinking there's a reasonable chance it is either what you're looking for, or a way of getting a good crank etc. for yours.
Obviously it's risky, but stands a chance of being quick & cheap.
Also a couple of complete, running Citreon Xantias & 1 406 saloon for under £250 on Autotrader.
Best of luck.

[steve_earwig]

Oh bugger. Umm, what didn't work? You changed the shells and it still knocks?

People are selling engines for more than you can buy a whole car for? Hold on, where's that bookmark? http://www.partsgateway.co.uk/

[ianst28]

well now i'm in a quandry
so my 406 is buggered it's gonna need an engine i can find one of those easy (which i have)
problem is the garage (family remember so i cant be too pushy or pi$$y) can't even look at it till next weekend
so i head off to the local auctions to see about a dirt cheap nail to get me through the next couple of weeks and maybe longer
couple of really nice 406's went through the one i drooled all over was a 51 reg hdi exec (think it was an exec anyway) estate with all the toys 12 months test and 2 months tax total price £915 i nearly cried cuz if i didn't pay the mortgage i could have had that one
so nothing at that auction so i head to an evening one
4th car through is a 95 plate mk1 mondeo td i'm not really interested but i watch the bidding the car hits 150 and i'm thinking actually this could solve my problems ok starship millage and no tax but 6 months test
bidding finished at £ 175 with me the bemused and kinda suprised owner
i went and paid for the car rang my insurance and got it added onto the 406 policy for an extra 50 quid and drove the thing home

so your wondering what the hell is the quandry

well this battered old nail actually drives better than the 406 it's quieter and very very close to the comfort level of the 406

so do i fix the 406 and flog it or fix it keep it and bin the mondeo whichever i do the mondeo owes me £225 plus road tax at the moment

[mjb]

so do i fix the 406 and flog it or fix it keep it and bin the mondeo whichever i do the mondeo owes me £225 plus road tax at the moment

Ford... Fix Or Repair Daily

The measure of a car is it's owner club anyhow, hence why the 406 is so great...

[steve_earwig]

I guess either the Mundano's actually one very well maintained car or your Pug is one hell of a nail. Drive Mundano, fix Pug, put both up for sale in the spring and loose the one you get the best price for. Or loose both and get a better Pug