Some 505 Wagon Issues

[wagon]

Hi everybody! It's my first time posting , but I've read through a lot of post here that have been very helpful!

I picked up a 1989 505 SW8 2.2L back in the summer of 2019 on a whim. It's my first time owning a Peugeot (was probably the first 505 I've seen in my life if I'm being fully honest...) and I love it. But there are a couple of nagging issues I wanted to see if anyone had some advice on.

There's a good few issues with the dashboard. Neither the coolant temp or fuel level gauges work. The fuel level used to work, but went out randomly last summer. I'm pretty sure it's an electrical issue, as it will bounce back every once in a while. I tried looking for the fuel level sender, but it seems like you can't access it without dropping the tank. Someone pls correct me if I'm wrong. The coolant gauge has never worked. It used to rise slightly above the blue/low level as if it wasn't calibrated correctly, but now refuses to move at all. The dashboard backlight does not work either. It's very temperamental though, sometimes it'll work for weeks then back off, then back on a few weeks later. I suspect it's a grounding issue which leads me to my next question: where are the grounding trees?? I've seen several mentions of them in various posts but for the life of me can't find where they actually are.

Also, are there any Pug owners in the Bay Area (CA)? I just moved out here a few weeks ago from PA, and am worried about passing smog... Was wondering if any CA Peugeot owners had any advice regarding it. My car still has the original cat (as far as I'm aware), but I think it may be clogged. Also pretty sure my exhaust manifold is leaky, but haven't checked it out just yet. Also would love to know if there are any competent mechanics nearby.

Last thing, if anyone has/knows of a pair of Euro headlights for sale, please let me know! I'm dying to get a pair.

[Bean]

Welcome to the forum!

There should be a grounding tree on the steering column - you just need to expose the area by taking the panels off and you should see it.  I’d also pop the instrument binnacle out of the dash (two small screw drivers in the holes on each side to push the spring clips out and it pulls out.  May need to drop steering column a bit or pull wheel off to get it out though.)

Electrical connections and poor grounds account for 98% of all electrical issues.  Always clean / deoxit / dielectric grease any connector you ever come across.  Redo all grounding trees as well which means pulling all the ground wires off, cleaning all the spades, and pinching all the female connectors to firm up the connections. 

As for shops Ukit Suwantararungsri from US Foreign Auto Repair in El Monte, CA is the place most of the CA members rave about.  Looks like he’s ~400 miles away though!

Rabin