TWHansen Posted January 4, 2009 Report Share Posted January 4, 2009 Bought on a whim as another BABE Rally candidate. If you haven't heard of it, the idea is to buy a car for $500 or under and drive from New York to New Orleans - Big Apple to Big Easy, hence BABE. It's basically an excuse to get in some fun mountain driving in between rounds of drinking in motel parking lots with like-minded cheapskate gearheads. I already have three other cars that qualify, but I've always wanted one of these. Saw it on Craigslist at noon, it was in my garage by 7pm. Man, talk about an impulse buy. Mind you, I've wanted one for a while. This one isn't -exactly- what I wanted in an SW8...not a turbo or a diesel, not a manual transmission. On the other hand, it does only have 132,700 miles on it and apart from the suspension needing some serious attention and a slightly loud exhaust, it works flawlessly. The only damage is the left-front corner, from an incident which totaled a Corolla. This thing is a tank. Oh, except last night, backing it into the garage, the gear selector cable snapped. I've started taking the console apart but have to dig out my Torx bits to finish the job. Is this something that happens frequently? How much am I going to have to replace? The more worrisome issue is the suspension - it's SCARY. Turn left at speed, and the car wants to continue turning left. It almost feels like the right rear wheel wants to fold under the car, but it could be front-end related. Previous owner said the guy who had it before him did all his own work on the car and had refilled the struts (is that even do-able on these?) The other issues I'm having are a temperature gauge that quit working yesterday, a stuck driver's door lock cylinder (still locks/unlocks from passenger door), and a right rear taillight that seems to work when it damn well feels like it; replacing the bulb didn't help - sometimes it's on and sometimes it's off. What else should I look at in terms of maintenance? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
norcal505 Posted January 4, 2009 Report Share Posted January 4, 2009 cool find. you should ditch those fugly wheel covers, and fix that rust. sucks that rare 89+ car was attacked by the rust demonds... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pugsley Posted January 5, 2009 Report Share Posted January 5, 2009 Unless you know when it was last done throw on a timing belt; its cheap insurance; on the ZDJL's if it breaks the motor is trashed and parts are not cheap or easy to get if that happenes. Fix the temp guage also, that's an all aluminum engine and wont tolerate overheating. I'm wondering if thats the one I saw in St Louis a while back on Craigslist. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TWHansen Posted January 5, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 5, 2009 I don't think this one was in St. Louis; I bought it here in Wisconsin on a Wisconsin title. As of today the onus is really on me to get it fixed and fixed right; since I've committed to my friends to run my Audi 200 turbo on the BA/BE, I'm tentatively allowing four college coeds I know to adopt the Peugeot as their own for the rally. Which basically means I have until the last week of May to get this thing whipped into shape to put up with 3,000 miles of abuse. Yes, it's a bad idea. Yes, I'm doing it anyway. It is kind of a shame about the rust, but it's a Wisconsin car. Whatcha gonna do. Timing belt, temp gauge, shift cable, suspension, brakes. That's the list so far when I have it towed in on Tuesday. Half of it I'd rather do myself but it's seven degrees outside here right now. In fact, some of this stuff I might be able to get from parts cars if any of you have/know of them. Shift cable, gas struts for the hatch, and suspension parts are the obvious bits. (Also, what differences are there between sedan and wagon suspension? I'd imagine the rears are different...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest EUROTRASH Posted January 7, 2009 Report Share Posted January 7, 2009 I've used "RustMort" on my car, it works great... it turns rust into a neutral iron-like metal, just make sure you sand it down to where you want it, the metal will be too hard to sand off afterwards. You can find RustMort in any body repair shop. By the way, is that front grill stock or did someone customize a regular grill? Either way you just gave me an idea, you can never have enough light.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TWHansen Posted January 10, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 10, 2009 I've used "RustMort" on my car, it works great... it turns rust into a neutral iron-like metal, just make sure you sand it down to where you want it, the metal will be too hard to sand off afterwards. You can find RustMort in any body repair shop. By the way, is that front grill stock or did someone customize a regular grill? Either way you just gave me an idea, you can never have enough light.. It looks to be a modified stock grille but the Sylvania fogs they installed (and wired to a factory foglight switch) are no joke! I got such a kick out of the setup that it was probably the deciding factor on the purchase. Anyhow, just got word back from the shop today - turns out there is no cable in the auto trans selector. It's a rod that attaches to a ball pivot - this rod is about 1/8" thick and apparently, it snapped. For an hour's worth of labor, my guy tack-welded the thing back together and it works but suffice it to say we'll be delicate with it until a replacement can be sourced. And the suspension issue looks to be 100% strut related. So, yeah, on my parts-car shopping list is an auto trans selector assembly and possibly another set of struts. I know they take cartridges but apparently they were already replaced within the last 4 years and have gone wrong again. I'm also going to need to supply my own repair manual. The shop I go to is exclusively VW/Audi by trade but Jake is willing to take a crack at anything if I supply a book. Normally I like working on my own stuff but we got 5 inches of snow today, and besides, a lift helps a lot with suspension work... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bean Posted January 10, 2009 Report Share Posted January 10, 2009 Cool... Suspension - I'd guess one of your lower ball joints is right hooped. It can cause some really severe handling characteristics - and when mine had it, it would show tight till you wedged a crow bar beside it and levered it up - had a good 3/4" play! Check the rest of course - but make sure to apply pressure to the joints to check for deflection. If the struts already contain cartridges then you gotta replace them. If you're wagon has the once piece strut and spindle then there are some cheap KYB GR2 inserts on E-bay that'll work. If the stock struts are still OEM, then they can be resealed and filled with oil and they're good to go. (Can't remember if the wagons ever got the newer style two piece strut? If so the KYB's won't work - they need the old style one piece strut / spindle.) BTW - the 3000 mile thing isn't even moderately odd. Having a 505 wagon to do the trip with a decent suspension will be the most comfortable car you can imagine on the highway - just make sure it's got a good load of weight in it, and 4 college guys and their gear will be perfect - should ride awesome. MUCH better than any other loaded down car I would guess. When I picked up my 505 GL-Turbo in VA from my brother he said it had a mis-fire so I assumed tune up. Didn't do the tune up till Wednesday and found 0 compression on #3. Had to be in Regina SK that Sunday night. Swapped in an engine from the 505 Turbo I had given him a couple years previous that had sat for months and months. Finished the swap Friday night at around 7 PM, Fired it up, drove it down the block and back, loaded it up with 1000 pounds of stuff (weighed it at a scale) including a complete 82' GPz 750 in parts, as well as parts from the other 505 Turbo. Left at 9PM and drove it at 80 MPH back to Regina in 48 hours total time. Mapquest says it was 2000 miles, but I took a different route that was more like 2300 miles to stay on major interstates. That my friend is crazy... Rabin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TWHansen Posted April 20, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 20, 2009 We're finally digging into the bits this car needs. Good advice on the ball joints, I'll try to find some to order. What's happened now is that the radiator is utterly corroded and apparently the later 505's like my '89 use a different radiator that is harder to source and twice as expensive as the earlier cars. I mean, seriously, $230 for a radiator. Wow. That's the cheapest price I've found. Do any of you guys have a good spare? On the other hand, my friends have taken a shine to the car and it's turned out to be quite the party wagon; just last Friday we threw eight people in it and headed down for a couple or three pitchers of Margaritas (Conejito's Place - best $5 chicken mole in Milwaukee). The consensus is that I should sell my Volvo ASAP and keep this for a daily, but the jury is out until I get the suspension sorted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pugsley Posted April 20, 2009 Report Share Posted April 20, 2009 We're finally digging into the bits this car needs. Good advice on the ball joints, I'll try to find some to order. What's happened now is that the radiator is utterly corroded and apparently the later 505's like my '89 use a different radiator that is harder to source and twice as expensive as the earlier cars. I mean, seriously, $230 for a radiator. Wow. That's the cheapest price I've found. Do any of you guys have a good spare? On the other hand, my friends have taken a shine to the car and it's turned out to be quite the party wagon; just last Friday we threw eight people in it and headed down for a couple or three pitchers of Margaritas (Conejito's Place - best $5 chicken mole in Milwaukee). The consensus is that I should sell my Volvo ASAP and keep this for a daily, but the jury is out until I get the suspension sorted. Have you tried looking for a radiator repair shop, they are rare these days, but if you can find one usually they are much cheaper. I had my STX radiator rebuilt for $35 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geo Posted April 21, 2009 Report Share Posted April 21, 2009 Have you tried looking for a radiator repair shop, they are rare these days, but if you can find one usually they are much cheaper. I had my STX radiator rebuilt for $35 Check the tanks - if they're plastic, you're probably out of luck, if they're brass you can probably get it rebuilt. Be thankful that you don't have the turbo -that radiator costs $500 if you can find it. -George Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bill Posted April 21, 2009 Report Share Posted April 21, 2009 It looks like you got a lot of car for the money. The suspension is pretty straightforward, and not bad to bring up to snuff. Keep us posted, and we can give you the inside skinny if you decide to go that route. I am getting ready to part out an 89 turbo wagon, so if you want to bring the girl back, I will have a good front bumper cover assembly that I will be pulling. I'm in Ohio. I will also have some other wagon specific stuff that I will be able to part with. Let me know if there's anything you need. My phone number is (330) 830-3852. I heard that the camping potential is great in Wisconsin. My friend showed me a map of a place up north. I forget what's it's called. It was some sort of peninsula near the lake (?). I would love to have an excuse for a road trip this summer. I thought about Vermont, but I could very well go west instead. Anyway, feel free to pull on our coats. Welcome to the club.. -Bill We're finally digging into the bits this car needs. Good advice on the ball joints, I'll try to find some to order. What's happened now is that the radiator is utterly corroded and apparently the later 505's like my '89 use a different radiator that is harder to source and twice as expensive as the earlier cars. I mean, seriously, $230 for a radiator. Wow. That's the cheapest price I've found. Do any of you guys have a good spare? On the other hand, my friends have taken a shine to the car and it's turned out to be quite the party wagon; just last Friday we threw eight people in it and headed down for a couple or three pitchers of Margaritas (Conejito's Place - best $5 chicken mole in Milwaukee). The consensus is that I should sell my Volvo ASAP and keep this for a daily, but the jury is out until I get the suspension sorted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TWHansen Posted April 21, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 21, 2009 It looks like you got a lot of car for the money. The suspension is pretty straightforward, and not bad to bring up to snuff. Keep us posted, and we can give you the inside skinny if you decide to go that route. I am getting ready to part out an 89 turbo wagon, so if you want to bring the girl back, I will have a good front bumper cover assembly that I will be pulling. I'm in Ohio. I will also have some other wagon specific stuff that I will be able to part with. Let me know if there's anything you need. My phone number is (330) 830-3852. I heard that the camping potential is great in Wisconsin. My friend showed me a map of a place up north. I forget what's it's called. It was some sort of peninsula near the lake (?). I would love to have an excuse for a road trip this summer. I thought about Vermont, but I could very well go west instead. -Bill Gosh, there's a whole list of stuff. What color is the car? I need tailgate struts, marker lights, a set of respectable wheels or wheel covers, a few interior bits, left front fender would be handy too. The lock cylinder on the gate has also completely failed. We can still open it from the inside but it's a pain. Given the rust on mine, if your gate is good I might just want the whole piece. What else...latch for the lower glove box (previous owner fixed this by putting a couple drywall screws through the lower glove box to hold it shut) Where in Ohio are you? I will be passing through the last week of May en route to the rally. We may or may not have the Peugeot with us. The turbo cars I'm assuming use a different radiator. Do you have photos of the turbo wagon? If you do wind up coming up this way I might be interested in the entire car. I like having a parts car handy for whatever I'm driving. Time was I stuck to Toyota Camry station wagons exclusively, but friends have intervened and put me in more interesting hardware, and spare Peugeots aren't exactly falling out of trees up here. Wonder where your friend was talking about? I have friends who've been camping up near Ashland way up by Lake Superior... -Tim Hansen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bill Posted April 21, 2009 Report Share Posted April 21, 2009 I am NE, about 50 miles south of Cleveland.The fenders are a royal pain to remove- they have an adhesive. I heard it's virtually impossible to remove them without screwing them up, kinda like opening a sardine can where the lid gets bent. It looks like yours might be easier to have someone fix it. I don't know. You might ask a body shop. The tailgate is good (car is gray w/ gray interior), as are the tailgate struts. The glovebox latch is not easily removable. The original is cheap plastic anyway. I used a bit of pipe hanger that plumbers use and a screw to fix one one time. You have a ZDJL engine. Come to think of it, I have a copy of the engine repair manual. I can get some pics. Gosh, there's a whole list of stuff. What color is the car? I need tailgate struts, marker lights, a set of respectable wheels or wheel covers, a few interior bits, left front fender would be handy too. The lock cylinder on the gate has also completely failed. We can still open it from the inside but it's a pain. Given the rust on mine, if your gate is good I might just want the whole piece. What else...latch for the lower glove box (previous owner fixed this by putting a couple drywall screws through the lower glove box to hold it shut) Where in Ohio are you? I will be passing through the last week of May en route to the rally. We may or may not have the Peugeot with us. The turbo cars I'm assuming use a different radiator. Do you have photos of the turbo wagon? If you do wind up coming up this way I might be interested in the entire car. I like having a parts car handy for whatever I'm driving. Time was I stuck to Toyota Camry station wagons exclusively, but friends have intervened and put me in more interesting hardware, and spare Peugeots aren't exactly falling out of trees up here. Wonder where your friend was talking about? I have friends who've been camping up near Ashland way up by Lake Superior... -Tim Hansen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bean Posted April 21, 2009 Report Share Posted April 21, 2009 The trick with the front fenders is to get rid of most of the adhesive from inside, and on a HOT day use a heat gun to warm the seam up as you GENTLY pull the fender free. Patience is the key - but once you get it down pat - the fender comes off undamaged. Rush it - and you get the sardine can effect. Sounds like you're well on your way to Peugeot ownership! They really are fantastic party wagons and they make really nice long distance touring cars. SO much space. Rabin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TWHansen Posted April 22, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 22, 2009 You have a ZDJL engine. Come to think of it, I have a copy of the engine repair manual. I can get some pics. Pics would be great. I'm also keen on the manual. I will be passing through your way at least once during the summer, first around May 29th, not sure on later. Back on the subject of the radiator, I found this on ebay.co.uk: Peugeot 505 2.0 & 2.2 06/1984 -> "PEUGEOT 505 2.0 (1995ZEJ ENGINE CODE) & 2.2 (2165ZDJ ENGINE CODE) JUN 1984> RADIATOR NEW" If I've got my homework right the ZDJ engines weren't sold here until 1988 or so but this should be the correct radiator? If I can get it shipped to the US for $50 or less I'll still be coming out decently ahead over the best price I've found in the the country; on top of that most places I call can't get one for any price. Failing this, I'll have to get it recored, which will run at least $200... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TWHansen Posted June 29, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 29, 2009 Pics would be great. I'm also keen on the manual. I will be passing through your way at least once during the summer, first around May 29th, not sure on later. Back on the subject of the radiator, I found this on ebay.co.uk: Peugeot 505 2.0 & 2.2 06/1984 -> "PEUGEOT 505 2.0 (1995ZEJ ENGINE CODE) & 2.2 (2165ZDJ ENGINE CODE) JUN 1984> RADIATOR NEW" If I've got my homework right the ZDJ engines weren't sold here until 1988 or so but this should be the correct radiator? If I can get it shipped to the US for $50 or less I'll still be coming out decently ahead over the best price I've found in the the country; on top of that most places I call can't get one for any price. Failing this, I'll have to get it recored, which will run at least $200... Estimate on a recore is $365. Which is daft. Found this: http://cgi.ebay.fr/RADIATEUR-REFROIDISSEME...p3286.m20.l1116 on eBay France - is this the correct radiator? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pugsley Posted July 15, 2009 Report Share Posted July 15, 2009 The trick with the front fenders is to get rid of most of the adhesive from inside, and on a HOT day use a heat gun to warm the seam up as you GENTLY pull the fender free. Patience is the key - but once you get it down pat - the fender comes off undamaged. Rush it - and you get the sardine can effect. Sounds like you're well on your way to Peugeot ownership! They really are fantastic party wagons and they make really nice long distance touring cars. SO much space. Rabin I'd like to get a wagon , but they never put the V6 in it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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