PeugeotPilot

A 604 in Alaska is a rare beast indeed. That car looks awfully familiar. I'm sure I've seen it before. I love 604s in general, and that colour in particular looks good on them.

To add some context to this, Dave McBean's site is the ONLY place I've ever read about BA10/5 torque limits. Also, "seems to be" is not the same as "is rated by the factory at" so I don't know where Dave got his numbers from. I like Rabin's numbers a lot better. I plan to put a turbo PRV into something at some point in the not-too-distant future, and the engine I have lined up for my STX is also apparently producing significantly more torque than that number in normally aspirated form. I want to use BA10/5s in both applications, so if that gearbox will live behind an engine producing 300-ish lb-ft of torque, I'd be pretty happy.

Sounds good, Jayden. The brakes should be a top priority at this point. 505 brakes are generally very effective, so if your pedal is going all the way to the floor you should be really concerned. They will need to be bled at the very least, and you will want to make sure that the hoses are in decent condition and that there are no leaks. Fortunately the job is not difficult. Get those sorted out and your enjoyment of the car will increase immensely.

I've been looking through a few old pictures from years ago, and it's surprising how a few cosmetic details alter the look of a car. This is a picture of the STI taken back in 2015. At that stage it was wearing some rather shabby-looking 504 wheels that could have used a coat of rust paint. Late 15" alloys, new mud guards, the tucked bumper and the air dam have really transformed this vehicle. While at work up here near Pond Inlet, Nunavut, I've been planning next steps. I have a few different sets of driving and/or fog lights I can mount at the ends of the air inlet in the air dam, but I'm having a hard time deciding between a set of Blazer projector fog lights: ...and a set of Pilot Automotive halogen reflector driving lights: I've actually got two sets of each, and I'm honestly torn. The Pilot units look pretty good on a 505, as seen on my STX: ...and they're probably more period-correct for the car. But I also want to replace the halogen sealed-beam headlights with a set of projector inserts, like so: So now I face the dilemma of picking one...or the other...or something else entirely. I'm embroiled in similar questions around switches, gauges, and other things. Details matter, and I don't really like doing things twice.

Lots of little details accomplished this week, and although I now have to go back to work for basically the rest of August, I’m happy with what I managed to get done while I was home. In no particular order, here’s what I did: - found and installed a good set of basic sun visors from one of my parts cars. - installed new front LED side marker lights (Princess Auto items). - replaced cracked and non-functional RR side marker with good unit from a parts car. - installed the correct rear seats for this car, to match the fronts. I still haven’t located the tub with the headrests in it, but that’s on the list. - changed the oil and filter, and greased the propeller shaft. Second such service since I reactivated this car, and I’ll be changing the fluids in the hydraulic system, transmission, and differential soon. - replaced all four exterior door handles with black aftermarket units from Argentina. Lubricated latch mechanisms while there. - removed power trunk lock. (This caused some fun for me, as I then stupidly closed the trunk and couldn’t open it. The power lock mechanism works by inserting a plastic arm between the plunger and the latch. If it’s not there, there is no way the plunger will ever actuate the latch. I finally managed to trip the latch by removing the RH licence plate light. I then changed the plunger and its keyset to one from an earlier car without the power trunk lock. Problem solved, after a bit of consternation on my part.) - temporarily refitted the door cards, just to make the car presentable for now. When I’m home next, I will be switching the window regulators to manual crank units, in keeping with my philosophy of simple, light systems with this project. I don’t know if I mentioned it in an earlier post, but the power door locks have already been removed. -cleaned and repainted the rocker panels with rubberized rocker guard. At the same time, I found and addressed a few areas of minor surface rust that I didn’t deal with in years past. Happily for me, southern Alberta is so dry that a car parked for years in a field will not rust any more than it already had before being parked. So at least I’m not dealing with a nightmare in the wheel wells and elsewhere right now. - tweaked the position of the shift knob so that it sits 1/2” higher. I like the look better, and it’s an easier reach to fifth gear now. - installed a simple fixed antenna to replace the unserviceable power antenna. Other than that, I spent a fair bit of time planning next steps. Driving and/or fog lights are on the agenda, as well as some additional instruments. A new dashboard is in the future too. I’ve been looking into projector headlight housings that will fit into the spots currently occupied by the 7”X6” sealed beam headlights. I have a trailer hitch that is earmarked for this car, and it will also get 505 Turbo suspension, steering, and brakes at some point. I have a pretty clear vision for this car now, and it’s merely a question of time, effort, and a little money. By the way, I’ve decided that I will not be painting this car. I’ll do what I can to shine up the existing paint, but it’s going to wear its 35-year patina proudly. That said, I will paint things like the window frames and wiper arms, and all those elements will be flat black. I like the look. More to come in September! For now I’m off to the high Arctic to fly around and count whales for three weeks.

Hahaha, that’s what I should do with it, but it has the much more mundane task of providing manual control for the fan I just installed. My philosophy with regards to this particular car project is “remove weight and complexity.” In other words, manual everything. The power door locks and power mirrors have already been removed, and the power window mechanisms will be next.

Well, a few changes to the STI as of today. Chief among these was the fitting of an electric cooling fan, which was cheerfully donated by one of my parts cars - in this case, a Renault Sportwagon 2.2. The Renault fans move plenty of air, and they use a wire frame with no shroud, which makes the installation easy and clean-looking. I’ve used them before, and always been happy with the results. While I had the front end apart, I fitted a 505 Turbo air dam and I tucked the front bumper. While not quite as tidy as the Euro bumpers or the 1989 NA ones, I still think it looks pretty damn good now. A set of low-profile driving lights will be fitted shortly and I’ll find some way to make the top bar on the air dam sit parallel to the lower edge of the bumper. This piece always seems to sag, and it bothers me. The front marker lights were removed, along with the side moulding that carries them. I bought low-profile LED units to replace them, which will look much cleaner. But I ran out of time to fit them today, so I put black Gorilla tape over the holes for the moment. In a few days I’ll finish the job properly. Inside, I fitted a Renault Fuego steering wheel and a new shift knob. The latter nicely matches the stalks for the manual side mirrors, which is a nice touch. I like details like that. I painted the centre portion of the wheel and its hub, and I oiled the leather wrap as well as the shift boot. I’ll use leather paint on the wheel later and restore its black colour properly. On the back end, I used black rocker guard to paint the plastic piece that mounts the licence plate and fills the gap between the taillights. And speaking of taillights, after a monumental struggle I managed to get all the lights to work...mostly. I believe there is a special place in Hell for the guy who designed those taillights. I’ll devise a longer-term fix in the near future, but for now at least I won’t get pulled over for THAT item. Overall, a very good day! More to come soon.

That's a very well-considered answer, Goce. I doubt I'll ever get the chance to experience a 607, but owning a 605 is on my definite to-do list.

Actually, I see that Rabin asked a very similar question a few replies up, and you answered it. That said, if you had to choose just one of them to keep, which is your favourite now?

Glad you're keeping it going, Goce. I have to admit that the 607 is a model that I've never thought much about. I'm curious as to how it compares in your mind to the 605, since you own both. I mean in terms of driving dynamics.

Taking a look at your pictures, Mike, it strikes me that the 404 sedan has really good proportions. Everything seems right, in relation to the rest of the car. I'll admit that at one time I thought they looked dated, but my tastes have changed over time. I do prefer the lines of the 404C, but I would never say no to a sedan either. One of each would sure look nice in any garage. Although I've never owned a 404, and my only experience with them was when Jamie Kitman's 404 Familiale was in my care for a few months on its way to him, the 404 is largely responsible for me getting into Peugeots in the first place. When my dad was overseas in Nigeria during the civil war in the late 1960s, one of the jobs he did was operating a motor pool of heavy trucks as part of the relief efforts for all the displaced people. His shop also maintained a few other vehicles that were not part of that fleet, and one of these was the 404 sedan of a doctor whom my father called a friend. This doctor would drive the 404 at high speeds over the appalling roads in that country, and the only things my dad ever had to do to that car were to change the oil and hammer the tie rods straight because they'd become bent as a result of this treatment. He was so impressed with the durability of the Peugeot that he bought one when he returned to Canada. He owned two 304s in succession, followed by a 604 that became my first car and my introduction to the marque. In a sense, I owe my involvement with Peugeot to some doctor in Nigeria who I never met and whose name I don't know. By the way, that same doctor was very nearly killed for his car by two deserters from the Nigerian army who stopped him one day. He knocked one of them over with the door when that man came alongside, and struck and killed the second one, who was standing in the middle of the road firing at him. The car survived with some bullet holes. This was a common thing in those days, and very nearly happened to my dad as well. He has some interesting stories from that time.

I spent a bit of time re-reading my earlier posts in this thread. What's interesting is how flawed my memory can be about some things. Also, I'm puzzled as to why I allowed a perfectly good car to sit for two years because of a failed alternator. At that time in my life I was extremely busy with work and family, but it seems like such an inconsequential thing, an easy and cheap fix. That was not a good reason to allow a car to sit and deteriorate for two years. Neither was borrowing the radiator for another STI and putting off replacing it. And yet, it's a testament to the basic durability of these cars that twice now I've brought it back to serviceability after multiple years of neglect. Now in its 35th year, it doesn't feel like a tired or worn out car. It feels like it has a lot left to give.

As a complement to the articles Andre posted elsewhere in this section, here is a PDF from a manual I own entitled "How to Tune and Modify Bosch Fuel Injection." The quality of the document is not that great, as it is composed of pictures taken of the applicable pages from the actual book. I will replace this version with a much better version at some point in the future, but for the time being this may be of some use to anyone here who owns and maintains a 505 equipped with the XN6 engine. I've found this manual to be very useful, particularly with regards to troubleshooting problems. There are two chapters - the basic K-Jet system, and the K-Jet w/Lambda. The latter applies to the XN6. I hope someone finds this helpful. Hugh Bosch K-Jetronic + Lambda.pdf

Aha. Just had to make the file smaller. See attached. I'll put it in the Technical Resources section too. This covers both the standard "K-Jetronic" version and the "K-Jetronic with Lambda" version used by the XN6-powered 505s. This is from an excellent manual called "How to Tune and Modify Bosch Fuel Injection" and it's saved me a lot of headaches. If you skip to page 29 in the PDF, Chapter 10 deals with your specific system and it includes troubleshooting, plus the various pressures. Read this and you'll understand how the system works. Bosch K-Jetronic + Lambda.pdf

That's normal oil vapour from the crankcase. With the cap on, that vapour is actually routed into the intake manifold and burned. Nothing to be concerned about, unless it's excessive. Of course, when I say that I'm not really helping you because I can't describe what "excessive" means in this case. Rabin is right though - if it was pressurizing the crankcase the oil would find its way out of the front seal, and you'd have a big leak. I think your running issues are most likely related to the fuel system, and you're in luck - I found my picture files from my K-Jet manual and put them into a PDF. I can't seem to upload it here for some reason, but I'll find a workaround. It's got all the information you should need. By the way, a compression tester is a worthwhile investment, and they are not all that expensive. I'd invest in a fuel system pressure tester as well for this car. Well worth the money to have the right tools around, especially when dealing with older cars that nobody knows how to work on anymore.