Anyone
I have recently noticed my 306 (98 S) is taking a lot of effort to put in gear, any gear. Particular force required to get to 2nd (from either 1 or 3) and all areuncomfortably ropey.
Have tried pushing the clutch pedal right into the floor which sometimes helps, and occasionally if I get the stick movement just so, a smoothish change happens. Previously all was very smooth. Any advice that wo't end up in a 300 quid bill gratefully received.
Cheers
Phil
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Phil - have you tried posting this query on the Technical Matters forum ? If not, you'll probably get a better response from there. Good luck !
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I haven't got the answer, but I would like to know if your problem is like mine. When the weather is cold, changing gears can be quite hard work - you have to put some muscle into it. It's better, but still not brilliant, on warmer days or when the car has thoroughly warmed up and some heat has got into the gearbox.
The gears don't crunch, or give any indication of any other type of fault.
I think my problem is gearbox oil related. A long time ago, I changed the gearbox oil because of this problem and things seemed to get a bit better. Then last year I changed the oil again for the same reason, but this time I don't claim to be able to see any improvement. I used the right spec oil (75W-80W), but I wonder whether using Halfords own brand has made a difference.
Ian
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There are only liable to be 3 problems associated with stiff gearchanges.
1. Worn clutch cable especially on diesel turbos - heat dries them out and makes them stiff.
2. Worn clutch giving insufficiant clearence hence stiff gear selection. These clutches seldom slip giving an indication they are worn.
3. Combination of the 2.
Dont leave it too long as you may cause expensive gearbox damage!
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I agree with Full Chat, I had similar symptoms on my 306, replacing the clutch cable (which has an auto-adjuster on it) helped a lot but it's still quite hard to get into first gear sometimes. Right hand drive 306s have the cable routed such that you'll probably need to replace it every few years as the heat knackers them. I wish Peugeot had used a hydraulic mechanism.
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OK folks, a new clutch cable coming up soon. I'll let you know how I get on. Hope it helps sterminator too.
Ian
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I've replaced the 306's clutch cable and the gearchange is now easier, though noticeably clunkier. Clutch drag may have disguised the clunkiness previously. But my main complaint had been the particularly stiff gearchange on really cold days, so I'll have to wait for another really cold day to see if this has significantly improved.
The following comments apply to a 1993 306 Turbo Diesel, additional to what's in the Haynes manual ...
Technically not a difficult job, provided you can get at least one finger and a thumb to where the cable passes through the bulkhead, just below the exact centre of the servo. With no air-conditioning pipework, it was enough just to move aside the accelerator cable and the turbo oilfeed pipe (undo three hex screws). If your forearms are no thicker than mine (28cm diameter!) you can do it with only minor scratches - otherwise think about getting a thinner mechanic to do it for you, or read next paragraph. It would have scratched a lot less if I had sawn off the little piece of metal supporting the clip attached to the accelerator cable, but then I would have had to devise a replacement mounting afterwards.
Elsewhere, I have seen the recommendation to wedge the engine forward after undoing the driver's side engine mounting to get more room, but it wasn't necessary in my case.
It looks as though it should be possible to remove the cable without removing the battery tray. But there is a bracket hidden by the battery tray and it's much easier if you can see what you are doing. If I were doing it again, I would try without removing the battery tray (and without disconnecting the battery and other nearby electrical bits and pieces).
The battery tray is fixed by four bolts. One of them had rusted and I sawed it off, so now the tray is only held on by three bolts.
It isn't necessary to remove any air cleaner pipework or the intercooler.
Removing the fusebox cover and heater duct allows a stiff wire to be pushed through the bulkhead. This wire can then be tied to the end of the new cable and pulled back through the bulkhead. You can't get your hand to the cable this way - access is from underneath, by the pedal. I tried to fasten the wire to the old cable before pulling it out, but couldn't do it due to the limited access - didn't matter though, because it was easy enough to push the wire through afterwards. But it was difficult removing the wire from the new cable after it had been pulled through into the cabin.
There was a small clip fastening the cable to one of the brake pipes. Mine had broken off and I didn't see any need to replace it. The clip holding the cable to the middle of the subframe was intact but rusty, so I backed it up with a cable tie on the driver's side. There is a small clip locating the cable to the subframe on the passenger side. If damaged, this should be replaced by a proper Peugeot clip - you mustn't use a cable tie on the passenger side because this part of the cable must be able to move freely.
Ian
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Third paragraph above - I'm not really Popeye, I meant 28cm circumference!
Ian
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Another correction - I might as well try to get this as accurate as possible. The pipe I described as the "turbo oilfeed pipe" is in fact the vacuum supply to the brake servo, and is held by two hex screws, not three.
Ian
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Progress report now that we've had some more cold weather -
1. Pressing the clutch pedal is definitely lighter than before, so changing the cable was worthwhile.
2. Scratches have healed up.
3. Gearchange remains very stiff, especially when really cold. I'm going to examine the gearchange linkages next.
Ian
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I sprayed all 9 or 10 joints on the gearchange linkage with WD40 and it has had a wonderful effect on the gearchange stiffness. Problem almost solved, hopefully.
Only "almost solved" because Haynes recommends using a "Special Grease - Esso Norva 275" to lubricate the joints. Does anyone know why, and what's special about it?
Ian
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Clean all the crap off the joints using liberal amounts of WD40. Wipe clean, then use Spray PTFE grease. Problem solved. Peter
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I have a citroen ZX which is showing similar problems;
Sqweaky / Heavy clutch
Stiff / sqweaky gearchanges
Trouble getting into 3rd gear.
I believe the ZX shares a lot of parts with the 306, does anyone know if this true of the gearbox and linkages? It sounds like I have the same problem as Ian.
I have a 1.9 Diesel 'Advantage' model.
Any help greatly appreciated.
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Yes Dave, its the same gearbox.
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