General reliability

[Ricky]

Just want a few opinions/experiences with the general reliability of stage 1 mapped HDi's. I'm an XUD lover at heart and quite frankly i'm scared of joining the ECU controlled diesel world, with all their sensors etc!

What are the common faults to look for on them, heard of tapping injectors, not sure how big a problem they are to fix? Also I know the general 306 issues, rear quarter rust etc. so I know what to look for there. Also how difficult are things like cambelt changes on them compared to XUD's?

I really am clueless when it comes to these, so ANY information would be helpful

[JamesG]

I got mine remapped at 175k and its on 180k and still pulls like a train, my advice is by a nice standard example as I bought mine off a lad who was a 306 fanatic turns out he knew absolutely nothing about the car itself I've had to literally replace most things but saved on labour doing it myself.

As for the timing belt I think its pretty much the same as the XUD you only have to lock off the can and crank though, and the hardest part is getting all the plastic covers off once there off its a piece of p***

James

[Just Sean]

bought mine on 67k and apart from auxilery belts, its never let me down... on 100k and stage2+ now too

[Poodle]

I havent had a single problem since mapping it 5k ago.

[DaveW]

Usually good on S1 its S2 is where the fun/pain begins...Alot of info about now on the problems and plus you can buy pp2000 or a code reader to easily find the source of the problem.

[Toms306]

As soon as I S1'd mine the clutch decided it didn't like torque.....

But apart from that, all the other shit was broken before I mapped it lol.....

[Just Sean]

your such a miserable lady garden tom!! You coming to the thorpe park meet in september? I so wanna meet you lol

[Toms306]

your such a miserable lady garden tom!! You coming to the thorpe park meet in september? I so wanna meet you lol

Is thorpe Park located in IP9? Is it a nice safe place with no scary rides or people?

If the answer is no to one or both of those then it's a no.

[Just Sean]

its a yes to all 3


oh wait, i ment no

[Toms306]

Oh well....

[Ricky]

I knew tom would add a bad comment! Cheers guys, won't be anything more than de cat and stage 1. £1000 should get me a good tidy estate surely?

[Just Sean]

id deffo say so mate!

[Toms306]

Depends.....mine cost me £850 after bartering and was shit.....

Spent over a grand time I'd fixed it all so might as well have paid more to start with lol.

[kentiiboii]

My old hdi I paid £750 at 146k. Mapped her after a service and cam belt to make sure no problems. Whippy was saying howblook after she had been with her full service every 6-10k. During the stage 1 not a single problem had crank pulley start to go but thats common fault. Clutch went as previous owner only had plate changed not pressure plate and bearing. Pulled really well and my new one is being done with the same map fole as its same ecu.

[Poodle]

You make your own luck. If you dont know what youre doing, take a mechanic mate or a local knowledgeable member to view it with you. The usual rule of you get what you pay for doesnt apply to second hand cars, if the asking price is too high its usually someone deluding themselves as to what the car is worth or they're just trying it on.

[Ricky]

I know 306's pretty well now so I know what to look for, just not much about the engine.

[Midnightclub]

Just make sure it's been well serviced and you shouldn't have many problems, check usual stuff like clutch, cambelt etc.. IIRC the belts only need changing every 80k on HDi's

[Poodle]

Yeah sorry, that was mostly directed at Tom, him being appalling at buying cars etc.

Aux is every ~40k iirc.

Engine-specific issues to look for:
Crank pulley (loud rattle; if the noise disappears at ~3k rpm you're actually hearing injectors, not the crank pulley)
Engine management light lit (obvs lol), if you can take a code reader that'd be great.
Shouldn't smoke at all, ever except the usual bit of steam for the first couple of mins when cold.
Cutting out under high load - check by flooring it in 5th at ~1500rpm and holding your foot there for a good 10-15 seconds, preferably while going up hill.
Worn turbo - will screech/scream/whirr on boost.

[Toms306]

If you don't have a mechanic mate or a local member that's not exactly easy though.

And all diesels smoke...its when you can see it in the mirror you know its too much.

Also check for it being a lot flatter than you were expecting, usually means the MAF is knackered as they nearly all are now. Previous owners don't notice though as they wear out over time rather than suddenly.

Check it starts well without all the dials flicking.....mine had a bad earth that I never could find.

And let it idle when its warmed a bit - if it hunts there's a dodgy sensor somewhere.

Oh also, listen for the thrust bearing whine, it'll be pretty obvious and rises with revs.........you don't want an exploding thrust bearing, mine was close when I broke it....

[cully]

i paid 2700 three years ago @ 70kmiles its now on 110k been on st1 since i bought it other than wear n tear items not a problem

but ive had every age related wear and tear problem
bottom pulley ball joints arm bush's shocks door looms ect

[Ricky]

Problem is any standard hdi will feel very flat compared to my DT! is the boost any higher on stage 1?

[Toms306]

Nope, can't adjust boost until stage 2 with an intercooler...........as Peugeot decided to save money by not bothering with an intercooler on the HDi...


And Ricky, I went from a 180bhp Golf to a standard HDi, and I could still tell it was worse than it shoulda been, turned out the MAF was knackered lol.

[Poodle]

You don't need the extra boost, HDis don't need it to make the same power as an XUD. If you do go for big boost, this means you can burn more fuel and make more power. A good stage 1 with supporting mods makes 125bhp, similar to the XUD figures, but has even more torque.

[Ricky]

Yeah thought so.

Need to find a nice estate with no rust in the rear arch now!