N9TE

Close-up pic of the part you're missing.

I've been in your situation before and worse. Here's what I'd do. Sell the Volvo (you'll need the cash for a nice 505). Keep your current 505 as a daily driver and hope it lives till you get real cash (good job). Then, treat it to what you want. The Volvo sounds like a nice car, but they're pretty replaceable and they're not going anywhere. You'll be able to buy a nice Volvo of whatever vintage 20 years from now no problem. If you don't buy a 505 in the next few years, it'll be very hard. If you go this route, buy the nicest 505 you can find. Believe it or not, it's cheaper this way. Whatever you do, don't attempt a N9T swap in your current car in your current situation. It'll cost you so much in time and money. You're having a tough time bring a XN6 car together to your standards. I don't think many could pull it off. I couldn't. I have a good job a heated garage and a wife who'll let me do anyting (car related) I want and it's still a project that scares me. There's a nice Peugeot out there that deserves a better owner than it currently has. You're that owner. Make it happen.

I would flat-out just buy a new FPR for the car. It's only $80 @ RockAuto and if you don't know when it was last replaced, then it's time. They don't last forever and they fail gradually. I just swapped mine out when I was doing my valve adjustment and man what a difference. Drivability (especiallly cold drivability) was damn near new-car like.

Update. Put Toyota FIPG on the gasket-to-valve cover side, put 35 lbs on it and let it seal thoroughly. I've been busy and had to step away from the car for a week or so, so it sat for a week. Put it on a completely clean head surface dry and torqued it down with a 1/4 wrench by hand from the center out in steps. Final torque wasn't much, but I think enough. Dry as a bone. I just took it out for a 20 mile freeway drive and not a drop of oil coming out. I think I learned something. Another thing I did was to put in a new FPR. The one that was in there was OEM as it still had the crimp-type Oetiker clamp on it. Holy crap did THAT make a huge difference in the car. The thing drives like a Lexus now and all peakiness and drivability quirks that required a well-trained foot to ameliorate are gone. Today we just bought a MX83 (1989) Cressida for the wife and if you don't know those cars, they were the pre-cursor to the Lexus. The 505 doesn't drive *as* smooth as the Cressida, but it ain't that far off! 505 smokes it on power and agility, but they're great cars in their own right. Replacing the FPR is a b*tch of a job and only do-able with the valve cover & cruise control actuator off. Or the intake if you've got that off for some reason. But I'd highly recommend doing it if you don't know the condition of yours. Or, in my case don't know what a properly working one feels like. Some $80 bucks and you can get then on-line from Rock Auto. Also enjoying the new (NOS) blower motor I put in. Oh so nice not having that cursed squeaking! And it's blows nice and robust. Really helps make the car. Living the dream!

After I went through my cooling system, the car would never go much beyond the 1/2 wa point. Usually, it would be 1/2 between 1/4 and 1/2 even in prolonged stop-and-go. Fix your cooling issues first. You can't ignore this as it's as important to the survival of your engine as the oil. Then perform the standard Bosch-L diagnostic test as described in the book. Goto www.peugeot505.info for the manual in on-line form. Chances are a few things need attention. Fuel pressure regulator, perhaps fuel filter. But get the cooling system in order first. I may have went overboard. I bought a new radiator, stat, hoses, sources Toyota and Nissan constant-tension clamps, totally refurbished my water tank linky - polishing and testing each sensor. Then, I changed to Toyota red coolat after thoroughly flushing out the green stuff. Am I a freak? Maybe, but I know my cooling system is 100%. Has made diagnosing other elements easier as a result.

A Toyota MDT taught me this trick. Start the car and firmly grasp the top radiator hose. Warm the car up using throttle. It will get comfortably warm after a while, Then the stat will start to open. HOT HOT HOT. Let go. You'll have no choice. At that point you know the stat has opened. Some Toyotas has an interesting bleeding trick where you would remove the radiator cap after you had to remove your hand from the hose. You had 30 seconds to open the rad cap, fill it as the air gap went to the cap and close up before the thing would boil over. During that 30 seconds the hot water from the block was mixing with the cool coolant from the radiator and no boil over would occur. Neat trick. Worked like a champ. But, as we all know, the book procedure for the N9T is correct and should be followed to the letter. However, the trick can be used to see if the thermostat is functioning like it should.

Hey Broke, did you ever get to the bottom of this? I'm sorry I didn't participate at the time. Yes, a stuck (open or closed) thermostat can scrw up drivability. NTC sensor requires a functional stat. You know how to test your stat without removing it?

The upside is that you can fix any wiring FUBARs there as well.

Well, I figured out why it was leaking... I'll use the technique of bonding it to the cover, letting it dry and then installing it dry to the head. It's not like I torqued them down as much - I swear i was gentle!

I'll get the information for you on Benz Springs. Were the shocks you replaced Peugeot ones or MonroeMatic or whatever? What did you replace them with? I see the STI-type cars (XN6, ZDJL - aka naturally aspirated 4 cyl cars) as perhaps the best daily drivers. Wonderfully kind to the driver yet able to dig down and fight it out when necessary (thinking mainly corners).

I am definately going to get a SM. Prefer a 72 with the 2.8, 5 speed and in gold. I've been wanting one since I got my Peugeot and learned about other French cars. I view my 505 as training wheels for the SM. I don't think I'll ever be without a Peugeot though. They're just too damn good of a car not to have.

Eh, no worries. People can act strange. I'd just chalk it up to a coincidence. Anybody who asks what you make outside of say, you and I are in a bar and both IT guys with similar certifications, then the question, "What do you pull? I got $82K last year" might seem approate. But just cold? No. If someone asked me, I'd say I was homeless and do they have an extra $5 to spare...

Never had anybody ask me what I made - ever. Are you sure they weren't hookers?

There are companies that "make" springs to order. A place in Seattle called "Benz Springs" does just that. I can't say anything much more about them than that. No experience, knowledge of costs, etc. But if I were to ever change the springs on my car, I'd keep the stockers and have some made up to spec. You could even bring your old ones in to give them an idea and something to work with.

Most people have no clue what-so-ever about these cars. And those who know that "Peugeot" is a French car associate it with all the "news" out of France in the last decade (anti-us/riots/general strikes/etc.) No one knows that there were/are real bonified "car guys" over there and they actually put out good cars. Even those that do know the car, don't have any significant "wheel time" with one and therefore can't render an informed opinion. Get used to it.

Congratulations on the car. Understand that parts are drying up for these cars and try to rewind the clock on it's normal ageing process. Stock shocks are the best in the world. A patented 6 valve unit. I've got the original shocks on mine and no amount of fancy paint and stickers on new ones (KYB, Tokiko, Tien, etc.) makes theirs better than Peugeots. Look at yours, I bet someone replaced them with "better" ones in the past. They are rebuildable. Also, do yourself a favor and start making a "list" of fixes and to-do's. It'll probably be quite long, but start gathering the six (6) factory manuals that your car requires. It took me 18 months to gather them for my car. If you bring the car back to stock and add the N9TE/A intercooler setup, you'll have the ultimate sedan. A much nicer than a BMW in my opinion.

Wow, I didn't know that. I know with paper gakets, toyota recommends FIPG, in addition to their rubber valve cover gaskets. To be honest, I haven't seen a cork gasket since I was rebuilding 289 Fords in the 80s. Back then, FelPro was introducing rubber replacement gaskets and I started working with those never looking back. Every greasy V8 from the sixties was a result of those nasty cork gaskets. Evidently from the factory they were inferior. So you put in on wet? I seem to have fixed the leak. It was pretty localized and I put a dab of FIPG on my finger and ran it along where I though the leak was coming from. Let it sit two full days. I fired it up about an hour ago and warmed it up. Not a drop. Sounds like I should do some reading up on cork gaskets.

Hey Bill, I've been here. My wires didn't go "critical" as yours did. I just did a decent repair, but here's what I'd do if I were to do it again. 1) Create a "fused power distribution block". Aftermarket stereo guys have been doing this for years, but the main drawback is that it usually way too pimp and really only geared to isolating the amps (usually no more than 4 draws) 2) Repair (splice in new wires) where the old ones were compromised. To mount the block, there is a little room to work wtih between the battery and the coil. If you don't have variable rate power steering, there's plenty of room beneath the battery. Create a good splash shield solution if you go this route. The best place is where the windshield washer resevoir is. You can: 1. go for a smaller unit (the stock one is huge) 2. Eliminate it and somehow get one mounted on the left side of the engine compartment (where it really belongs) I pirated a main fuse block out of a Toyota Cressida. It has an assortment of 30-50 AMP fused distribution poles designed to power the entire car. The problem with all N9Ts is that the fuses are 4 feet away from the battery and they're all bundled together (with ground wires!!). After 20 years, rubber insulation can and does deteriorate. I would urge all N9T owners to set aside a couple of weeks to map out their solution. If your hasn't failed already, it's overdue. A number of people on the Peugeot-L list have been here and it's not fun to go through what Bill is doing and trying to figure out burnt-up/fused wires. I plan on relocating the washer resevoir and using that space to put my Toyota fused block there and re-wiring back as far as practicle. AND separating all power lines from grounds. And make sure any one overloaded circuit only trips one fuse. You do have an electrical book for your car, no?

Update. I used the previous owner's firing order (correct, but 180 degrees out) and it fired right up. It should serve as lesson to me. Label your shit. Sure, you don't want to label greasy parts you're dying to take off to clean and replace, but do it. Same goes for bolts and nuts. Believe me, then all look the same after they've been sitting in a pile for a couple of weeks. Baggies, label maker and digital camera. Your three best friends when working on the car.

OK. Engine fired up after five months. Thanks for your help on the spark plug wire and compression issues. One thing I didn't do when I did the compression test is block open the throttle (stupid!). Anyway, I just started and warmed it up a little and shut it down. I didn't get a chance to drive it. There is a small, but significant oil leak coming from the front left corner. Drip-drip-drip. I'll be pulling the IC and doing it again. And this time I want to do it right. I used Toyota FIPG (Form in Place Gasket) which is a Permatex-like product. Only better. I put a bead on both sides of the cork gasket. You can't get the superior Fel-Pro rubber ones anymore. Then I torqued them down in a circular patter going from the middle-out. I've NEVER had a FIPG seal fail - ever. I plan on sealing one side, then temporarily and lightly bolting it down (so that the gasket stays in place, then sealing the other side and bolting it down permanently. Pehaps the gasket slipped? Anyway, do you have any experience with these? What works and what to avoid? Thanks! Koll

Thanks for the offer, mine is "OK". As usual, I want "new".

Is the plastic L'Ectrafil sleeve (that the spark plug wires reside it) still available?

Is this a tested method? Although ambitious, it looks like it's just dumping oil upwards. The factory "squirters" I know do just that. They squirt a small amount of oil at the bottom of the piston at certain times. They certainly don't bathe the piston in oil. I wonder is there would be any negative consequences (mechanical, of course) to dumping a lot at the pistons at high rpms? If people have done the same thing before and it works great, then good deal. I've just never seen such a setup before.

OK. This is F-ed Up! Here are the new wires: Note, I count cylinder #1 as the one closest to the firewall. Here are the old wires: I should have labeled them when I took them from the plastic shield (DAMN - DAMN! - DAMN! - DAMN!) It looks like he (previous owner) had it set to the following firing order. I come to this conclusion based on the length of the wires. The only wires that are "too close to call" are ones that would go to cylinders 2 & 3. 3 - 4 - 2 - 1 The correct way should be: 2 - 1 - 3 - 4 Now, they still fire in the correct sequence, but would he have had to modify the distributor placement (180 degrees out) to get it to work or would it work at the stock setting? Here is the correct order (circled) and the previous order (triangle) as best as I can determine. Will I have to pull the distributor to get the car to fire if I go with the "correct" ordering?

The engine hasn't been running in 5 months, so I'm pretty sure all the oil is off the control rings. I'm not going to sweat it. I've never run it into the red and I don't whup on the car that much. Plus, I'm planning on getting a MotorVac done on it to try to deal with the carbon that surely is there. I've had good running cars with worse numbers. Still, looks like I'll have to do a head if nothing else at some point.