306 HDi - Engine/Sump Guard Broken

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Sat 30 Oct 2004 20:18
306 HDi - Engine/Sump Guard Broken - MikeC
After hitting some debris in the dark, Ive broken the plastic engine/sump guard on my 2000W 306 HDi, its now in two bits. As the part is £140+ my plan was to repair it. However the bolts at the front have proved impossible to undo as the clips behind just spin round so I cant get the front broken section off to re-join it to the main section I have already removed.

Judging from the difficulty of removing these bolts I presume these have never been removed so guess that changing the oil involves removing the quick snap locks and the 2 bolts at the rear and flexing the guard it down to get to the sump. But this means an oil change cant be done at home without a getting the car a couple of feet off the ground?

As it doesnt seem strong enough to provide any mechanical protection to the sump etc, or be sufficient to completely seal the engine from water spray it is difficult to see what function the guard provides.

My question is, does this item have any important function or can I safely save myself £140+ by not having it fixed?

Thanks MikeC
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Sat 30 Oct 2004 20:49
306 HDi - Engine/Sump Guard Broken - Frogeye
My Son has owned an identical model for a year and it has no guard. I guess that it keeps the engine cleaner and maybe cuts down some of the clatter.
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Sat 30 Oct 2004 22:30
306 HDi - Engine/Sump Guard Broken - Andrew-T
Mike - altho my HDi's sump guard is intact, one of the front bolts was also seized until I hacksawed it off. I suspect the guard's main function is aerodynamic rather than protective. But if you can't release the guard at the forward end it will be nigh impossible to get at the oil filter, which is up behind the top of the rad (if you don't know this already). With the guard off it can be reached by a chain-wrench with the car on ramps or axle stands, but with the guard in place - no chance!
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Sat 30 Oct 2004 22:58
306 HDi - Engine/Sump Guard Broken - PhilW
Strange that Peugeot don't use the same guard (design) as on a Xantia HDi, which has a little hatch held by a plastic slider to get at the sump plug - dead easy. I wonder though, whether a Xantia guard would fit the 306? Might be worth looking at one in a scrappy? Mind you, on the Xant, the filter can also be removed easily from above.
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Sun 31 Oct 2004 09:09
306 HDi - Engine/Sump Guard Broken - DL
I might have a 2nd hand 306HDi plastic sump guard out in the garage, hanging up
--
groups.msn.com/honestjohn - Pictures say a thousand words.....
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Mon 1 Nov 2004 19:13
306 HDi - Engine/Sump Guard Broken - MikeC
Thanks for your comments. I think based on the fact they are not fitted to all 306s, I will live without it. Will make oil/filter changes easier anyway - only done 7k so haven't yet had to do a change.
Thanks Mike.
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Tue 2 Nov 2004 12:26
306 HDi - Engine/Sump Guard Broken - Andrew-T
Mike - several people in this community (me included) would recommend an oil and filter change every 6K, so you may need to reach that filter soon. My engine uses no measurable amount of oil, but like all diesels it does get black by 6K.
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