JRA guy's 5 year old article, still valid

JRA was a disreputable company that ignored serious fire safety problems with the Range Rover and the Peugeot 604. It caused at least one death.
 
I had dealings in the 70s with Pressed Metal at the Enfield factory that was building vehicles for Rover, and found them to be excellent and concerned with the end result.
 
JRA were responsible for chasing down the 604 fires they inherited fron Renault and had a Range Rover fire problem. They knew about it, it was cheap enough to fix, they did nothing. A Range Rover burned out in Elizabeth St Melbourne once and they pretended it was a one off. Their national after sales manager testified that they knew about the problem but wouldn't spend the money. Eventually a well known disabled grazier died in a fire in his Range Rover. Long police investigation, made difficult by the fact the thing burned out so completely they at first investigated whether accelerant had been poured over it. JRA had no money to fix the fault but found the money to send a top legal team led by a QC to the long inquest held in Hamilton. They threw their local (Mt Gambier) dealer under the bus and blamed them for not looking after it. Countered by the former national service manager. Country coroner, top legal defence team and low level prosecution team. JRA got what they wanted which was an open finding. They called in all their press favours and kept it out of the national press. But the life was still lost. Renault Heidelberg would not have behaved like that.
 
reason for sharing was what a primary source felt about PSA's attitude to this market ...
 
It's good info, I just wanted to remind people that JRA wasn't the ethical company Renault was.
 
The fuel pump issue in the 604 wasn't JRA's fault, they assembled and sold the cars, they didn't design and manufacture them and as such the fault in the pump was Peugeots problem and one they should have fixed as the issue was world wide and not just an issue in Australia
All carby equipped 604's around the world had the same pump
 
They were responsible for the cars sold in Australia. Two 604's were sold in the region, both to businessmen, one in Hamilton the other Mt Gambier. Within a year both burned out at city intersections in their respective towns. The seller of a new car has a responsibility to sell a safe product. It should have been followed up. Not the last firm to try to wash its hands of matchbox models but nowadays people use class actions. Watch the footwork at Hyundai.
 
The 604 fell through the cracks between Renault and JRA. There were three or so loose leaf manuals for the 504 at Heidelberg and an entire shelf of manuals for the 604. By 1983 nearly new examples could be bought for $6000 to $8000 and Reagans were saying they couldn't maintain them because all the men who knew anything about them had gone when Renault closed.
 
The 604 was supposed to the ultimate Peugeot, a true European luxury car and they dropped the ball on reliability. They were magnificent on the open road but not in traffic and even less in the workshop. They weren't properly supported, parts were always on back order and twice as dear as they should have been. Both importers and Peugeot share blame but those cars lost value at an alarming rate.
 
The fire was caused by a leaking fuel pump diaphragm or the hoses leaking attached, to it. It was bolted to the LHS bank, valve cover at the back of the engine and got very very hot under the 6OH bonnet. I think every 6OH sat around at dealers for a year at least before being sold, "new" as well. There was 3 hoses from memory. In out and return to reduce vapour traps in the fuel delivery on the pump. The hose was that rubber hose with the woven flex braid which became hard and inflexible out here in Australia, at least. Hot hot, too hot. Hoses may weep, or split but if the diaphragm let go in the pump, it would pump very hot and plentiful raw fuel out the weep holes like a fire hose. Fuel would spray about over the engine, exhaust and the twin point, Kettering ignition distributor. Boooff, up she'd go. Carbs also leaked and the hoses to them at times. I restored my 604 in the late 80's and it was a fantastic big touring car. Needed injection and a more cubes/turbo but, at 160 kph out west, no wind noise ice cold a/c and superb ride and handing. Koni's, TRX tyres.
Loved it.
 
As one that has seen many a 604 and a few fired ones, the brass fitting slipped out of the alloy housing of the pump and sprayed fuel around the engine bay viola fire
Had one of my own do the same thing but caught it very quickly
 
the brass fitting falling out of the carby on earlier french cars is quite common. I fit threaded barbed fittings. But did find early on epoxy onto the brass fitting also seemed to work when pushed back in.
 
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