406 Coupe revival

A

andrewj

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Fellow Frogger
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Location
australia
After many years of neglect, I've got my 406 Coupe back on the road and driving around. and really enjoying it :cheers: And good to see the renewed interest in Coupes on this forum!

It's an auto with 160k on the clock and gearbox swap 30km ago. So should have a few years left in it.

So a couple of questions:
i) any suggestions for tyres?
ii) Are there any workshop manuals available for the V6? First task is timing belt and sealing up the starboard side of the engine - I think I can work it out my self, but a manual would be nice.

Cheers,
Andrew
 
The easiest and best way to do the timing belt and oil leaks is to remove the engine
It's dead easy and should be on the ground in under 2 hours the first time
It's a good idea to do the diff seals and replace the engine mounts that will no doubt be dead from the leaking oil
The timing belt is very straight forward
best to do the serpentine belt as well and have a good look at any pulleys
The inlet has to come off anyway to do leaks so you may as well do plugs at the same time
Believe me, all this out of the car is so much easier than in the car
 
pugrambo said:
The easiest and best way to do the timing belt and oil leaks is to remove the engine
It's dead easy and should be on the ground in under 2 hours the first time
It's a good idea to do the diff seals and replace the engine mounts that will no doubt be dead from the leaking oil
The timing belt is very straight forward
best to do the serpentine belt as well and have a good look at any pulleys
The inlet has to come off anyway to do leaks so you may as well do plugs at the same time
Believe me, all this out of the car is so much easier than in the car
Click to expand...
Hi Pugrambo,

That sounds like a good approach - I reckon I spent 2hrs just getting the covers off to see what was going on last time!

Only got 40k on the water pump and pulleys - only changing the timing belt as I suspect it has copped a bit of oil over the years from the leaks - but will check pulleys /bearings carefully anyway.

Engine out from the top I presume? And is there anything you think I need to watch for taking the engine/gearbox out, or is it all fairly initiative?

Cheers,
Andrew
 
Out the top is the easiest way
The rear exhaust is fiddly to get to and don't drop the little nuts !!!
Also the drivers side drive shaft retaining bolts are also a bit painful
If you can remove the gearbox spike it's easier but if you can't it's no biggy
Other than that it's very simple
I did get it down to just on an hour to remove the engine
SO long as no one has modified any of the harness everything should just unplug and sit out of the way
Be a good idea to rip the thermostat housing off carefully and check the thermostat, this is something that is also much easier to do out of the car than in and you'll see why when it's out
 
Hi Pugrambo,

That sounds very straight forward. My thermostat seems a bit wonky, as it opens up and holds temperature around 70degrees. Took a low mileage SV sedan for a test drive a few days back and it didn't open until 80, which seems more sensible.

Thanks for the tips - Time to track down a few more parts :)

Cheers,
Andrew
 
My biggest issue with the recent work I did on my 406 coupe was getting parts. They took months to get here from Europe and often were the wrong part (even though the website confirmed they were correct).

I did engine mounts and rebuilt the alternator as I could not source a new one.

The main wiring harness connector over the motor failed after reassembly of the motor mounts resulting in a tow from the side of the road to an auto electrician who then just soldered them together instead of replacing the plug.....a future job for me down the track.
I guess after 22 years of engine heat the plastic just crumbled.
Mine has done 270,000km.
 
if you are in Melbourne I would suggest that you get Salman to do his magic on the auto so as to prevent it from detonating down the track. When you say "new auto" is it just new to the car or has it been rebuilt? If you are elsewhere maybe Salman can sell you the parts and kit to remove the water/oil heat exchanger with a proper aircooled transcooler and some photos/instructions on how to do it. He recently completely flushed mine (116,000km) and fitted the new improved gear plus an in line filter I asked him to add.
 
mandc said:
My biggest issue with the recent work I did on my 406 coupe was getting parts. They took months to get here from Europe and often were the wrong part (even though the website confirmed they were correct).

I did engine mounts and rebuilt the alternator as I could not source a new one.

The main wiring harness connector over the motor failed after reassembly of the motor mounts resulting in a tow from the side of the road to an auto electrician who then just soldered them together instead of replacing the plug.....a future job for me down the track.
I guess after 22 years of engine heat the plastic just crumbled.
Mine has done 270,000km.
Click to expand...
Are all V6 alternators the same mandc? If they are I might buy one from a wreck and rebuild it. Have just rebuilt the diesel one from my Land Rover and have it on the shelf with all my other spares so a petrol alternator should be a doddle.
 
Stephen Murray said:
Are all V6 alternators the same mandc? If they are I might buy one from a wreck and rebuild it. Have just rebuilt the diesel one from my Land Rover and have it on the shelf with all my other spares so a petrol alternator should be a doddle.
Click to expand...
Not sure if they are all the same as mine is a D8 from 1998
VALEO TYPE ALTERNATOR REPAIR KIT BRUSH SET PX60 SLIP RING 230090 SERIES TG.. I
This was was I got off ebay from the UK
The alternator was a Valeo 2542202A
 

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Thanks Mandc. When I did the Denso one I replaced the brush box, regulator, rectifier and bearings. As I have a perfect spare it guarantees that the new genuine one I installed will never die :)
 
Stephen Murray said:
if you are in Melbourne I would suggest that you get Salman to do his magic on the auto so as to prevent it from detonating down the track. When you say "new auto" is it just new to the car or has it been rebuilt? If you are elsewhere maybe Salman can sell you the parts and kit to remove the water/oil heat exchanger with a proper aircooled transcooler and some photos/instructions on how to do it. He recently completely flushed mine (116,000km) and fitted the new improved gear plus an in line filter I asked him to add.
Click to expand...
Hi Stephen,

That sounds like a great idea. The auto was not "new, new" but apparently out of a low mileage wreck, and I've discovered that leaving the transmission in 3rd for all but highway running dramatically reduces the number of un-necessary up and down shifts that these gearboxes are notorious for. Improved cooling and filtration sounds like an extremely good investment none the less.

Hi mandc,

Encouraged to hear that yours is running well at 270k. Also seems to be quite a few very high mileage cars on the 406 coupe club web page.

I've hung onto a wreck (dead gearbox) of the same year, so hopefully this gives me a "plan B" for parts & rotted plastic. My seems ok for plastic rot for now, with the exception of a busted cam cover ventilation tube, which is likely to be as much due to " repairs " as plastic deterioration.

Cheers,
Andrew
 
andrewj said:
Hi Stephen,

That sounds like a great idea. The auto was not "new, new" but apparently out of a low mileage wreck, and I've discovered that leaving the transmission in 3rd for all but highway running dramatically reduces the number of un-necessary up and down shifts that these gearboxes are notorious for. Improved cooling and filtration sounds like an extremely good investment none the less.

Hi mandc,

Encouraged to hear that yours is running well at 270k. Also seems to be quite a few very high mileage cars on the 406 coupe club web page.

I've hung onto a wreck (dead gearbox) of the same year, so hopefully this gives me a "plan B" for parts & rotted plastic. My seems ok for plastic rot for now, with the exception of a busted cam cover ventilation tube, which is likely to be as much due to " repairs " as plastic deterioration.

Cheers,
Andrew
Click to expand...
btw - what tyres are you guys running? Looking for something that is good in the wet and rides ok - won't be pushing it to "the edge" intentionally...
 
I have only had ours on the road for a couple of weeks (bought it and the gear selection switch (xyz) shit itself on the 20 km trip home, so had to get a flat bed to take it out to Salman to do his magic). Its running Michelins but will have to go an have a look to see what they are. Quiet, good grip and comfy. Don't plan on driving it anywhere near its limit as I have a coupe with an engine twice the size for that activity :) I have just been putting it in D for dopey and mainly tootling around. Was on some twisty roads and the freeway to past Drouin and back have found the gearbox super smooth. Its lovely and quiet to drive. Nice having a coupe with an auto in the city. Our other coupe is a 6 speed and is a pain in heavy traffic. I am surprised someone in Europe doesn't make a quality alloy or steel aftermarket cam cover.
 
The bonus is the autos are beautifully easy to rebuild and the kits are readily available
They are very mechanical and nothing mysterious in them
Just make sure you run the correct oil
 
pugrambo said:
The bonus is the autos are beautifully easy to rebuild and the kits are readily available
They are very mechanical and nothing mysterious in them
Just make sure you run the correct oil
Click to expand...
I contacted A&B when mine died, and they basically didn't want to know about it - saying the parts were no longer available. Two other places were quoting between $5k and 11k to rebuild depending on what parts were required. They gave the impression that I should just scrap it. Looking online there seemed to be quite a few parts available - there were guys in Europe selling new ones for Alphas for about $3500. Do you know what the differences were between the ZF4HP20 in the P8 and the P9 cars?
 
andrewj said:
After many years of neglect, I've got my 406 Coupe back on the road and driving around. and really enjoying it :cheers: And good to see the renewed interest in Coupes on this forum!

It's an auto with 160k on the clock and gearbox swap 30km ago. So should have a few years left in it.

So a couple of questions:
i) any suggestions for tyres?
ii) Are there any workshop manuals available for the V6? First task is timing belt and sealing up the starboard side of the engine - I think I can work it out my self, but a manual would be nice.

Cheers,
Andrew
Click to expand...
Michelin Primacy 3ST
 
I did the one in my XM and the parts came delivered for under $500
There are a couple of tricky bits but nothing mystical
The Xm is a 2000 model so would have been equivalent to a D9 406
They are a commonly used box between many marques
Anyone charging $5-11k or saying they are difficult need to be avoided
I haven't looked but i doubt there would be any major differences between them
 
pugrambo said:
I did the one in my XM and the parts came delivered for under $500
There are a couple of tricky bits but nothing mystical
The Xm is a 2000 model so would have been equivalent to a D9 406
They are a commonly used box between many marques
Anyone charging $5-11k or saying they are difficult need to be avoided
I haven't looked but i doubt there would be any major differences between them
Click to expand...
Thanks. Mine is running beautifully since Salman sorted it but the plan is to buy another and potentially rebuild it as insurance. Salman thinks I'm mad but I will be keeping the car for a very long time as part of my small but growing collection.
 
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