History:
- my wife's deceased father's white 504 inherited by her in ?2002
- several thousands of dollars spent by us on 3/4/2004 completely cleaning back then repainting (several coats) to original colour by reputable Adelaide motor body restorer to our satisfaction
- "resurrected" from moderately neglected state (mainly battery-related and that due to infrequent use over previous decade or so) - this resurrection done circa 2017 or 2018 by my wife's brother who once owned a Peugeot 4 series (?403). It included a newish radiator that (apparently, according to my bro-in-law) should not be leaking.
- I drove it around occasionally (once per month) for about a year - my historic registration drivers log book says between 27/7/2019 (first trip) to 23/11/2019 (latest, ie "last" trip)
- After that, I would start up the motor and run it in the driveway for about ten minutes every time but this in due course failed - battery "died". So Pug was left for further two years (under a car cover).
- sick of it being in the driveway but didn't want to ditch it, so made yet another attempt to get it going in about 2020
- I discovered that the radiator was empty but could not pinpoint when this actually happened ie I had not checked radiator level on Pug's "recommissioning" at dot point 2 above (actually I had never checked the radiator prior to 2020, what does that tell you?)
- I got my brother in law involved again, on a "one-off" b asis
- incident possiblities he identified were:
- he forgot to fill the radiator some 3 or 4 years ago when he an his mate "got it going" and it was then driven from his place to mine (only about 5 miles) - he didn't think that was likely as my driving Pug around (as per 2) should have caused overheating etc problems
- it (the emptying of the radiator) happened during the ?eight short trips I made subsequent to then
- it (the emptying of the radiator) happened gradually while Pug was just sitting in my driveway due to a slow leak
- diagnoses included/excluded by my bro-in-law are(please excuse my layman's terms):
- leakage of water while stationery - not sure, but several inspections of the ground surface underneath the radiator suggested this not happening
- leakage of water into the oil sump due to failure of ?gaskets at base of ?pistons - we checked the dipstick oil for signs of water - no sign of water at all, the oil was pure (on reflection, I wonder if this was a definitive check)
- (very recently) my bro-in-law contacted me to say he had thought of a further possibility and that he now thinks this is the more likely - that somehow the system for heating the car (which apparently relies on hot water/fluid distributed from the radiator) could be leaking out and (un-noticed by me or anyone else) be settling under the passenger side mat(s)/floor covering. I checked this and it was inconclusive - it was wet but it didn't look "pristine" ie it was difficult to tell one way or the other
- I did notice a forum post (sorry, I lost the reference) & replies of 2015 vintage about how to fix the heating system which was therefore vaguely relevant in that it convinced me that at 77 years of age I would not be attempting to further investigate or fix the problem
- Would anyone like to comment re
- likely cause of the problem
- (if it is in fact to do with the car heating system) what is the actual likely problem, and
- (if it is in fact to do with the car heating system) how easy would it be to fix (self or motor mechanics)?
- would it help to obtain an owner's manual or a service manual for this model Peugeot (the ID plate of which says Model 504__ 411), which I don't mind paying for?
- (ho ho) what's the market like at the moment for (take your pick) - A) an excellent opportunity, or B) a money pit?