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I've got a Peugeot 205 XLD 1989 and over the past couple of weeks it's been cutting out on me about 10 seconds or so after starting. Starts back up again after 15 seconds, revs like hell on it's own then runs fine until its had an hour and a half/2 hours cooling down, then it'll do it again. Taken it to the garage and bascially they're stumped. They've checked no air's getting into it and changed the fuel filter (which was brand new anyway), but have run out of ideas. Anyone got any clues? i'm desperate! Cheers.
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Well, it's only a long shot based on my limited experience of diesels, but I have a couple of ideas.
There was a psot on this forum recently about a diesel revving on its own & it was to do with engine oil being forced into the induction side due to overfilling. Have you recently changed the oil? if so, check the level. Does it smoke more than usual?
The other remote possibility is related to a problem I had on a Saab diesel. In this case, I had starting problems due to some injector seals breaking down and allowing engine oil to contaminate the diesel fuel.
These two possibilities sound mutually exclusive but I can envisage the situation where one or perhaps even both might cause the problem.
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Thanks, I will have a check of the oil level because I have recently, less than a fortnight ago got it serviced (I can't imagine them having over-filled it but it's a possibility). It didn't happen the first two days after the service but was then much worse, as I'm now unable to move off any more than two metres if at all before it cuts out whereas before the service I was getting to the junction at the end of my street, albeit often quite jumpily, before it died. Now a couple of weeks before the service I had topped up the oil myself, and can't remember checking the level afterwards seeing as I was planning on getting it serviced anyhow. I'll just go and check now in fact...
Thanks again
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I checked the oil level and it is indeed a little over-filled but only by just over half a centimetre or so above the maximum threshold. Does anyone know if this would be enough to cause this and if so what's the best way to get oil out if you haven't got any equipment for it, raiding the straw dispensers at Macdonalds maybe and taping 20 of them together...? Cheers
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That much overfill is extremely unlikely to cause oil pickup into the induction system, unless you were cornering almost on two wheels at the time. The oil would have to cover the breather oil drain hole to get sucked up and that should be a lot higher than the max fill mark on the dipstick.
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I reckon it is quite common for garages to overfill engines at an oil-change, especially with a motor that needs just under a gallon - that is what they throw in, probably having not fully drained it anyway.
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This still sounds like air in the fuel system, to me. The fuel filter on the 205D is not easy to get at. Are you absolutely sure that it's not drawing air in around one of the unions or the case seal?
Also, it's possible that you have a perished fuel hose at the back of the car, near the fuel tank/filler neck. I believe there is a feed and return here. A pal at work had no end of trouble with his 205D until he changed these hoses.
Ian Cook
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Have you tried putting a length of transparent fuel hose between the filter and fuel pump - you would be able to see the air bubbles if that is the problem. My BX had a leaky filter HOUSING, and leak at the fuel preheater block behind engine which caused awful starting. Cured by replacing housing (£60!)and by-passing preheater. Not sure about sudden revving though
PhilW
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Re: the engine revving. Had a similar problem on a diesel AX a few years back. Problem quickly resolved by removing & refitting throttle cable and lubricating the mechanism.
No recurrence. Simple to check.
A feature of design changes from LHD to RHD.
Might be part of your problem.
(The other contributory factor was the mat under the pedals´)
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PhilW has the best idea. Get some clear plastic pipeing between the filter head and injector pump, then you will be able to see/compare if you are drawing air in from somewhere. It sounds as if the air leak (if it is an air leak) seals up as the source of the leak expands with heat, and reappears as the components cools and contracts. I use the word compare, as you see the odd air bubble on my diesel 406's plastic pipes. If its just been serviced, it could be possible to have some air trapped in the injector pump, although I dont think that your symtoms would come and go as they do. I cant remember if this has its own bleed valve on the pump or if you would have to slightly release two of the injector gland nuts and crank the engine for a few seconds to check that it is clear of air.Also do you park on a hill? If you do it could be that the ball valve in the injector pump which acts as a non retun valve may be stuck open and allowing the fuel to slowly drain back to the tank and draw air in from a union, although normally this would stop the engine starting altogether. Start with the clear plastic pipe and go from there.
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Got an update on this for anyone who's interested. Problem got much worse whereby it wouldn't even start at all and was killing the battery, revving heinously whenever the clutch was down if it did get started so I took the plunge and took it to a Peugeot dealer. They said the filter housing was leaking, changed that but then said it was a deeper rooted problem, and that the fuel pump itself needed repairing (apparently a NEW one costs £1500?!) which they said they couldn't give me a price on because it had to be sent to Lucas, until it was done, but could've cost up to £500, without the other costs resulting from the filter housing, but the car must only be worth 600 tops, so I told them to leave it and they just charged me £61 for the diagnosis. All this took them nearly a whole week by the way. So as a last ditch thing before dumping the damn thing I contacted a local scrap dealer and they said they could supply and fit a pump for £165 so I went ahead with that, but they reckon there's nothing wrong with the pump, just changed the filter head and now it's running fine so far! Thanks for your help all, and does anyone think the boys and girls at Peugeot should be receiving a nasty letter along with a SAE in which they will put a cheque for £61 in...?
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Demon,
Was your fuel filter housing the one with the round black priming button set at an angle on the top? Was this the part you replaced that cured it?
MM
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Is it possible that the stop-solenoid is getting sticky? This usually fails open, so that the engine runs on when the key is removed, but might it behave erratically? An easy replacement at about £20 from a dismantler.
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I have a 91H 205 DTurbo and recently it exhibited similar symptoms before finally failing to fire and flattening the battery in the process. Problem was a small crack in the flexible hose between the hard tubing on the rear bulkhead and the filter inlet. I had not changed the filter prior to it happening, but the hose was quite hard and inflexible (engine bay heat and ageing??). A vary small diesel leak gave the game away, but since this is a suction hose it would generally suck in air rather than leak fuel. Green flag man turned up and had a short length of fuel hose fitted within 10 minutes. Has been a permanent repair since with no probs.
I have changed many fuel filters on similar cars (and this one since) and invariably you end up with a bit of a wrestle with the filter head as you twist it to fit new seals etc, so this could have done the flexi pipe.
Best of luck in getting to the root cause.
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