2001 Peugeot 406 D9 Petrol

It has been nine or ten years since I did the locking ring on my 206. Was lying in bed yesterday and remembered why the locking ring is such a bugger to take off and put back on.
The tank is plastic and over the years, it warps out of shape due to age and the weight of petrol. Thus the hole it the top is no longer round....though you can't see it. If you measured it, it would be an odd kind of oval. Perhaps even splayed downwards at each end ?

Anyway, it is a bugger to screw back on until the matching marks line up. As I recall, at least one (if not both) is a small arrow or triangle.
 
That's good to know and would explain things. Yes, I've spotted the arrows. All in all, I'm really looking forward to this job tomorrow.
 
Well, I don't want to take the wind out of your sails, but doing up the locking ring is a real bugger. :)

Taking out and refitting the tank is only a pain because you have to grovel around underneath and so on, and taking off the locking ring on mine wasn't too hard. Refitting it will try your patience. Doing up mine to within 90 degrees of a turn wasn't good enough (it leaked and smelt), and even the Pug tech only eventually did it up to within 45 degrees. But that worked.
 
Thanks mate. And here I was thinking the fun part was temoving the tank. This will make for a good areticle for Torque (PCCV mag).
 
Okay then. Seeing as I have time on my hands plus, (and why make a job easier?) I decided to go down the tank out path. Tank is now out. Next problem - rolling around the fuel tank is a 27.5 mm opaque, plastic ball, much like a smaller, ping pong ball. It's too big to fit down the filler orifice, so it must belong in the tank - somewhere. There seems to be two options - either it is a part of the fuel pump, that has become dislodged, or it's part of the gizmo that is fixed to them top of the tank. Any ideas? I'm hoping that it's just part of the old fuel pump. The old one is a VDO while the new one is a Magneti Marelli and they are different. I can't get a good look into the fuel pump on the the old 406 HDi as it won't fit through the hole in the floor, so I can't see into the pump. :cautious:

Removing the the locking ring, with the right tool, was actually very easy. As someone advised, it's important with whatever tool you're using, that force needs to be applied from the centre of motion.

I've just received today a new locking ring and "o" ring.
 
Progress, sort of. I've now cut the metal floor of the 406 HDi under the back seat around so as to remove the fuel pump. That 406 HDi is the one in retirement down the back and will never be back on the road.

Pump removed , and looks indentical to the one in my 406 ST, and no sign of a ball. Reaching in, I can feel the fitting that is located on the top of the tank and about half way along. There is a plastic line connected on the outside, but I don't know its purpose. Fuel return line? It feels the much same as the one in my 406, and has two short, vertical descending tubes about 28mm in diameter. There doesn't seem to a plastic ball anywhere.

Was the plastic ball left in the tank by accident at construction? Am I missing something? My worry is that, early on, giving the locking ring a hammering using a wooden peg and hammer has dislodged it from someplace that I'm not aware of, and it could be important.
 
It's possibly part of the rollover safety valve, I'm not sure if pugs have them, it stops fuel coming out the filler neck if you put your car on its roof. Also, I've found all sorts of things inside fuel tanks, rocks, leaves, rubber bands, plastic bags, a spark plug and my favourite 4 and a half meters of garden hose.
 
If its anything like a diesel the in tank pump only works to prime the pressure pump for a short time after the ignition is turned on ,if acrack in the line has let air in allowing the fuel to run back to the tank ,several short applications of the key to ignition ,may be required to get the fuel up ,that may explained why continual cranking didn't work ,but a re try after a short time did(just needed one more prime) ,I can't see how that would apply if the cracks on the return line though
 
^^ Correct...I had to Google it. Though the answers were about other makes of car.:)

"It's a check ball.... Its supposed to be in the filler neck in case of an accident. Keeps fuel from spilling out the filler neck when the car is wrong side up. It should be in a "cage" in the base of the neck as far as I know".

And (don't forget this is about another brand of car) :

"As stated in the last several posts, it is a filler tube checkball and when it's in place you will find it impossible to use a siphon hose below 1/2 full !
That ball normally moves horizontally in it's tube, left to right, so it's really a filler-neck anti-surge device
In order to fully drain the tank before dropping it, you must pull the fill and overflow hoses off the tank fittings. Next, if you look closely, you will notice the end of a slightly smaller plastic tube sticking slightly out of the tank filler neck. You may need to grab it with pliers to pull it free (nothing will break) If the section where the ball nornally goes is broken to the point of not being able to contain the ball, then the only purpose it's gonna serve is to still somewhat minimize left surge to the filler neck on right turns.... just not as much as with the ball.
Once that ball tube is pulled from the tank, you can drop in a fuel hose hooked to a pump and suck the remaining fuel out (If you pulled the hoses with more than 1/2 tank of fuel, the top half ran out on the ground!)".

 
Well, this sounds promising. The 406 HDi should have one, except the tank is half full and I didn't think to see if there is a plastic in the tank.

I've just now out to check the tank again and I cannot see, or find a cage. I used a syphon to (partly) drain the fuel tank so am thinking, if the cage was located in the filler pip, I may have dislodged it. However, I can't see anything else in the tank.

If there is not meant to be a cage, I can't see how it would stop fuel from coming out of the filler.
 
I wouldn't worry about it, unless you are planning to fang it around at 200 kmh along windy mountain roads and eventually flip it....

Unless you have a very special 406.
...


:)
 
Hey, my 406 is very special! It's my only registered car! I need to have a close look tomorrow to satisfy myself what is what.
 
Time for an update.

The trusty 'ol 406 is still in dry docks, on ramps, on my gravel driveway. This job should have been done and dusted by now, but the "black dog", me faffing around, partly relying on the simplistic Haynes Manual, not ordering/getting all the parts at the same time and incompetence, have all played a role.

The last thing I'm waiting for in the post is a new plastic fuel filter hold down strap that should arrive in the post on Tuesday or Wednesday.

While we are on the subject of the fuel filter and its hold down strap, let me tell you that Haynes don't alert you to risk of breaking this thing when removing the tank. It's one thing with the car up on a hoist, but its another thing with the car up on ramps with you laying on your back on a gravel driveway. For all I know, it could have already been broken. After all, the car is 22 years old and I can assure you it is now brittle.

I was actually tempted to put everything back together and put the new the strap on when it arrived but, keeping in mind how this job has kinda' stretched out a bit for various aforesaid reasons, I thought caution, and not jumping the gun would be a good plan.

Another issue is method. As I sit back in my old wing backed chair with a cup of coffee, I gaze out of the adjacent window to the 406 up on ramps in the driveway, and cast my mind back to when this all started. I also think of the old 406 HDi down the back. By now, having enlarged the fuel pump access hole in the HDi, I can very much see the wisdom of going down that path. I reckon, on a slow day, it would take about half an hour all up to replace the fuel pump taking the "make a bigger hole in the floor" option. Still, the tank out path allowed me to have a bit of a look around under the back and wonder at the clever suspension bits and pieces. They are dirty, but look okay. Hmm, rear muffler is a bit corroded.

This week, is THE week! All going well, this "simple" job should be all over and done with. Once again, I shall be able to travel without the need of the bus or by walking there.
 
Well, today is Wednesday and I'm still waiting for the new fuel filter retaining strap to arrive by post/courier. Was ordered last Friday with an ETA of Wednesday so, who knows. Aust Post is something of a conundrum. I recall a year or two ago sending something by Express Post to Wangaratta. Fortunately I allowed plenty of time because it took about 2 weeks to get there. So much for Express Post.

The fuel tank, heat shield and hand brake are all now back in place. The Haynes manual in "18 Fuel Filter Renewal" says you simply disconnect the strap and remove the fuel filter and, predictably, do the reverse to install the new fuel filter. Looking at my 406, I couldn't see how it could be so straight forward until I looked at picture 18.1 on page 1A.14. It seems that Peugeot have moved the filter from the D8 to D9! Rather than being easily accessible, alongside and sort of under the tank, it is now alongside and sort of recessed into a sort of molded recess sort of above the tank which is, as far as I can work out at present, sort of pretty much inaccessible. Methinks you now need to gain access from behind the filter. Either that, or drop the fuel tank a bit on that side. Convenient, eh? Maybe Peugeot changed things because they realised that the filter was a bit too exposed.

Right now, the cut the access hole option is looking pretty appealing. What is the name of that Tina Turner song? Something about time?
 
Wouldn't dropping the tank a bit on that side be the way to go, rather than surgery ?
 
You have to be careful with plastic fuel tanks to not leave the locking ring off for long.

Especially if there is fuel (ie weight) in them, you really need to be out and back together in under 10 minutes, else they warp and make it at best very bloody hard to get the lock ring screwed back on….

At least screw the ring back on if you’re going to be stuffing around with the pump out for a while.
 
If you are to replace the fuel tank, then dropping the tank is far easier than tank out. Renewing the fuel filter? I reckon I'll have to drop the tank on one side. I'll post the outcome when I reach that point.

The new fuel pump, locking ring and sealing ring are all back on. I actually didn't think of the flange distorting so I'm probably lucky the weather hasn't been hot.
 
^^ That sheds some light and understanding on the subject for me ! Thanks, Haakon...

And Peter, considering the difficulty I had with my 206 tank, you are luckier than you know. You managed to get the matching marks lined up ?
 
I'm not moving very well today. Slept in till just after nine and was then up and doing just fine, until. Well, until I moved the wrong way. I reckon I've strained my back. Actually, I know I've strained my back. Who'd a thought? I think this happened when I forgot that I wasn't 20 or 30 something years old and I over zealously just picked up the two large, heavy borrowed ramps and moved them out of the way.

Strained back or not, the important thing is the car is back on the road, and guess what? There are no signs of a petrol leak around the fuel pump, or anywhere else, for that matter. Having said that, after a drive around a bit over the next few days, I think I'll have a good look here and there just to make sure all is well.

The only reservation I have is that the fuel outlet line from the pump may not be exactly in place as it seems to be a bit wedged between the top of the tank and the bodywork above it. The car runs well so it can't be restricted. Still, I will feel better knowing that there is not a potential problem lurking. This is the pipe that goes from the pump outlet to the fuel filter, and it seems to be too long. It could be too long because when Peugeot re-located the filter from down alongside the sill, to further up in a, hard to get to, molded recess on the side of the tank, they didn't bother to change to a shorter pipe.

At this point I'd like to thank dacia4x4 Jim, dmcurtayne, Beano and everyone else who has helped/provided advice. This should've been a fairly strightforward job but, as pointed out in previous posts, I've been held up by waiting for various parts to arrive by post, there has been one or two rainy days, me dithering etc, has really dragged this whole thing out.

The proper tool made a very big difference. As someone pointed out, exerting effort from the centre of the locking ring with the right tool, is important. You may have success with other methods such as a large screwdriver or wooden stake and a hammer, but the proper tool is the way to go. I was able to remove the locking ring on the old 406 HDi using a wooden stake and a hammer, but not the 406 in question.
 
Post script.

Enthusiastically, I gathered up the necessary tool and leapt out from the front door to finish this thing. Actually, I went down to the shops, got the newspaper, did the crosswords and mused about various things over two cups of coffee until I couldn't put it off any longer.

To be honest, the thing that inspired me the most was that, although the car did run, I was restricted by the fuel starvation problem. Going down to the shops or a bit further to the supermarket was doable, but running the gauntlet and venturing further afield was a bit nerve wracking, and I don't very good nerves. Ask any of my friends about my anxiety and they will back me up on this point.

You know, with the experience behind me of taking out the fuel tank two and a half times, I reckon I could nail the whole job it over a slow morning, and that is on my gravel driveway! Particularly as I now know what parts and tools you need as well as not losing sleep over that 25mm ping pong ball in the petrol tank.

To avoid repetition, I'll skip along to the part where I've just bolted everything back together. After going over nuts and bolts a second time, a final check was me lying under the car and doing a visual check on the various bits and pieces to make sure I hadn't forgotten something.

Being imbued with unlimited confidence, I was almost surprised when the car roared to life and revved up as it should. A quick jaunt around the block (about 1km) and - "we have power"! Thank goodness. Forget about Coles On Line, forget about conning friends into giving me a lift somewhere and forget about studying the net so I know what bus to take to wherever. We have wheels!

I hope.
 
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