Peugeot 504 (411) radiator empty of fluid (!!!)

[julian c b]

If you want to flush the cooling system there is a drain plug under the exhaust manifold which you can undo when you drain the system Turn on the heater and put a hose on the rubber hose to flush the inside of the heater and the water should come out clean .Then do everything up tight and and fill with coolant

 

[Andrew Watkins]

Update on Peugeot 504 "rebirth" -

1. on Sunday 8/5/22 I got the necessary globes for Pug from Repco, then back home & put them in place on rear rhs assembly, including the spot for a/the reversing light. All lights were then checked and are to my satisfaction.
2. Yesterday (Monday 9/5/22) I took Pug to the nearest petrol station and half-filled the tank with high octane petrol
3. also at the station pumped the four tyres up to 31 something or others (lbs per square inch??), a guess as I had forgotten to look at that in the owners manual (left back at home), actually that wouldn't have helped me at all (I see right now on page 58 that it's meant to be 1.5 bars at front & 1.8 or 1.9 bars at the back). I'm not familiar with "bars" as a pressure measurement. If anyone can recommend a suitable tyre pressure for PUG (1976 504 saloon) in both imperial and metric, if possible, that would be good.
4. I then went to Repco again looking for a replacement petrol cap as the one Pug has is locked and none of the keys I have seems to fit it (dang me!!!) - the cap just sits in place and is held there with a suitable rag cloth that seems to hold the cap there OK. I do actually know the key number as it is somewhere on my computer in a MS Word doc. (see 5. below for wording/details)
5. Keys to the Peugeot: Petrol Cap - P. Journee France J143 (it also has the ignition and boot key details as well, handy but not relevant here)
6. so my question re petrol cap - knowing that number (J143) can I somehow get a duplicate key from somebody, somewhere, some time soon ??? Your suggestion(s) would be much appreciated, I don't really like the present situation.
7. also yesterday at Repco (further to point 4 above) I bought what I hope is a suitable coolant product, the details are:
   1. REPCO Red Long Life Coolant Concentrate 1 litre colour is RED - "makes 3 litres 8 years or 500,000 kms" & "suitable for vehicles already using red or orange colour" & "Repco recommends mixing product with demineralised water" & "consult vehicles owners manual for cooling system capacity and filling procedures" - then there is other "blurb" re what it does &/or doesn't do, but (I checked this) it doesn't say whether it can be just added to the water that Pug's radiator is filled with at present (or is it, after I did the ?ten kilometers trip yesterday? - I should check that, but Pug is again under its car cover, so I'll do that later). I think that because it's mixability with water is NOT mentioned, the assumption has to be that that is a big "NO-NO"
   2. Now, re "rebirthing" the radiator -- presently, as far as I know or can gather, the radiator has got in it either one or the other of these two possibles - A) water only, or B) a mixture of water + coolant ---- as per the previous posts (mine + various kind forum posters) the situation is unclear, at least it is to me ....
   3. my 504 Pug manual page 53 "Cooling system" makes it look like emptying, flushing and re-filling the radiator is pretty simple (but I bet it isn't ....)
   4. so, my question re "fixing" the radiator is this - 1) is the coolant I bought suitable? 2) Why can't I just keep topping up Pug's radiator with water? - at page 53 of the "504 Peugeot Instructions_maintenance" manual - "Cooling system" -- under "Refilling" it says "Refill with clean water ..." (etc). If it was good enough in 1976, is it still good enough in 2022?
8. My brain is all tuckered out, also it's dinner time, so I'll not mention the door locks (at this stage)
9. Would anybody be interested in seeing a pic of Pug?

I would really appreciate any advice you care to give me, I hope this isn't getting too much for the collective expertise and knowledge of this forum. Ed K 10/5/2022

If you have the numerical key code many locksmiths can do it without having an original to copy

It is computer whizz-bangery which I don‘t understand, but my locksmith assured me that all I needed to get keys for my ‚73 240Z and ‚70 404 was the number of the key, so age does not seem to be a problem.

I presume that there is a computerised database of all combinations and that somebody has been unusually diligent ( old cars not generally a priority )

It might well be worth asking around locksmiths, especially those specialising in cars

Good luck

Andrew

 

[run205]

looks like a very sound 504 , the front anyway
do drain the system of whatever's in there at present by either of the two methods suggested above
and then get some demineralised water Supermarkets are cheaper for this than (Repco/Autobarn/SCA)
mix coolant (and yeah the repco stuff will do) dm water and fill system
its really not a good idea to skip the smaller maintenance items even though it seems like a hassle
the small regular amounts of money and time you spend on coolant, engine oil, filters, brake fluid, and pumping up the tyres is what prevents cars from having major catastrophes

 

[EdK]

If you have the numerical key code many locksmiths can do it without having an original to copy

It is computer whizz-bangery which I don‘t understand, but my locksmith assured me that all I needed to get keys for my ‚73 240Z and ‚70 404 was the number of the key, so age does not seem to be a problem.

I presume that there is a computerised database of all combinations and that somebody has been unusually diligent ( old cars not generally a priority )

It might well be worth asking around locksmiths, especially those specialising in cars

Good luck

Andrew

Thank you Andrew W. I think I have the number of the key, so soonish (when I have access to the other vehicle) I will take the petrol cap plus the key details to several locksmiths and see how I get on. EdK 11/5/22

 

[EdK]

If you want to flush the cooling system there is a drain plug under the exhaust manifold which you can undo when you drain the system Turn on the heater and put a hose on the rubber hose to flush the inside of the heater and the water should come out clean .Then do everything up tight and and fill with coolant

Thanks Julian c b and run 205, I've taken note of that info, for when I can pluck up enough courage to attempt it. Before I do anything, I will consult my brother-in-law (son of the original owner) who worked on Pug ?3 years ago to get it up and running then. He is a member of a car club here in SA and owns ?7 cars of varying vintage and has worked on all of them. I am singularly lacking in mechanical expertise or experience. EdK 11/5/22

 

[EdK]

looks like a very sound 504 , the front anyway
do drain the system of whatever's in there at present by either of the two methods suggested above
and then get some demineralised water Supermarkets are cheaper for this than (Repco/Autobarn/SCA)
mix coolant (and yeah the repco stuff will do) dm water and fill system
its really not a good idea to skip the smaller maintenance items even though it seems like a hassle
the small regular amounts of money and time you spend on coolant, engine oil, filters, brake fluid, and pumping up the tyres is what prevents cars from having major catastrophes

Thanks run 205. This is what I had in my reply to Julian cb --

"Thanks Julian c b and run 205, I've taken note of that info, for when I can pluck up enough courage to attempt it. Before I do anything, I will consult my brother-in-law (son of the original owner) who worked on Pug ?3 years ago to get it up and running then. He is a member of a car club here in SA and owns ?7 cars of varying vintage and has worked on all of them. I am singularly lacking in mechanical expertise or experience. EdK 11/5/22"