Engine coolants

[malcolm]

If I recall your car is a 406 coupe.

I have had a 406 and a 306 with the hdi engine and they can be a pig to bleed properly. The reservoir is mounted too low in the engine bay in these cars.
I made up an extension for the coolant reservoir from a large mouthed 1 litre plastic bottle. Cut the bottom out of it and added tape around the top until it wedged tightly into the filler neck of the reservoir.
You will have to remove the small return hose from the reservoir as you have probably blocked off the end of it.

This means that you can have a head of coolant higher than the engine. Slowly add neat coolant until you have added half the system capacity. Then top up with distilled water until bubble free coolant runs from your open bleed nipples.

Thanks, I found a cap from the Eezibleed brake bleeding kit fitted and wedged the hose from a Renault 4 expansion bottle in the top. Worked perfectly. I have to do the same for the Renault 4s too but on those all you do is unclip the expansion bottle and sit it on top of the engine.

I was impressed how easy it was to remove the radiator. Unclip two hoses, release two stainless clips then pull the radiator out. 5 minutes max. I bet the designer ran a Renault 4 so was very motivated to make this an easy job.

 

[reb78]

I did the Ford 3600 with half a litre of Sentinel X800 when I fitted the new radiator a couple of years ago. Run for a couple of hours while I mowed the field, then drained, then flushed. Got out loads of god knows what. Fitted the new rad afterwards. Has been fine since.

Used the rest of the Sentinel on the mini digger in three doses (system only 2.5 litres capacity) after if overheated because K seal blocked the rad. Got all that out too.

I cannot see that just flushing with water will do much at all.

Why did you use a central heating cleaner over something that someone like holts makes specifically for cars? Only asking as I will do the digger soon as it's sat with no antifreeze in currently which won't be doing it any good.

 

[Smallfry]

Why did you use a central heating cleaner over something that someone like holts makes specifically for cars? Only asking as I will do the digger soon as it's sat with no antifreeze in currently which won't be doing it any good.

Because years ago I had some left over from a job, so I thought I would use it up and try it. Worked well IMO, and I have used it ever since. Get multiple treatments out of a bottle, plus I can use it in the CH system, whereas I would not use Radflush in a CH system as there is not enough of it in one 250ml container.

No other reasons really.

 

[Wallace]

These days it seems to take longer to work out what spec you need and buy the the stuff than it takes to flush, refill and bleed a system.

I ran a dishwasher tablet through a Suzuki SJ410 as a last resort, despite flushing with degreaser several times there was still an oil residue from a head gasket failure. The tablet worked a treat, no oil residue and the radiator brass looked shiner than new inside.

 

[m_c]

Several vehicle manufacturers advise laundry detergent for flushing after oil contamination.

 

[Kayos]

These days it seems to take longer to work out what spec you need and buy the the stuff than it takes to flush, refill and bleed a system.

I ran a dishwasher tablet through a Suzuki SJ410 as a last resort, despite flushing with degreaser several times there was still an oil residue from a head gasket failure. The tablet worked a treat, no oil residue and the radiator brass looked shiner than new inside.

A pal did this on his C20LET after head gasket failure

Once it was flushed and the header tank replaced it was the only thing that shifted the oil residue

 

[PhillipM]

I was impressed how easy it was to remove the radiator. Unclip two hoses, release two stainless clips then pull the radiator out. 5 minutes max. I bet the designer ran a Renault 4 so was very motivated to make this an easy job.

I wish the same designer had thought about it when he put the V6 in mine. The radiator hits the alternator about 10mm before the pack will come out, you have to take the entire front bumper, lights, fans and slam panel off!

 

[malcolm]

I wish the same designer had thought about it when he put the V6 in mine. The radiator hits the alternator about 10mm before the pack will come out, you have to take the entire front bumper, lights, fans and slam panel off!

What do you have? I've been impressed by mine. Did a timing belt and that was set up to make it easy too. Only person who tried to make things difficult is the electrical guy who soldered all the relays into hidden compartments in the fusebox and body control ecu

 

[PhillipM]

I've got the 3.0 V6, D8, early one.
Timing belt is a nightmare too, you have about 2 inches of room to work in and the engine mount runs through it - I can do them fairly easy now (well, unless you have to grind bits off the waterpump but that's another quirk of the early ones) - but Peugeot procedure used to be to lift the engine out and a £1k bill.

I like it, but it's been a pita with some stuff. And getting parts is often a nightmare to the point I started making replacements myself and selling them to the other owners

 

[malcolm]

I like it, but it's been a pita with some stuff. And getting parts is often a nightmare to the point I started making replacements myself and selling them to the other owners

Parts are an issue. I got an advisory on an upper rear suspension arm. They are still available as used parts and I could make one but it would take time.

Thinking about taking the subframes off and having everything blasted and painted.

 

[PhillipM]

Parts are an issue. I got an advisory on an upper rear suspension arm. They are still available as used parts and I could make one but it would take time.

Thinking about taking the subframes off and having everything blasted and painted.

I did the same the other year

 

[malcolm]

View attachment 510963

I did the same the other year

That looks good. I'll do the same. I want to see if iI can keep it going for another 25 years.

Did you blast the coil springs or fit new? Worried blasting won't be very good for them but rust won't be good either.

 

[PhillipM]

Blasted, they were all replaced not long before that so I wasn't too worried. I'll be swapping these out soon though I had some custom springs made, just haven't got around to fitting them.