Peugeot Advice

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Tadpole
Tadpole
Joined
Dec 4, 2022
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3
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Sydney
Things are tight, I finally pulled the trigger and bought myself a 2006 Peugeot 307 wagon with 1.6 HSI Diesel as my LS3 Clubsport was just costing me too much. I'm going to sell that as I need the money.

I was hoping I could get some advice.

The car that I have bought is actually running really well, I actually enjoy driving it despite coming from a 6 speed LS3 wagon.

Obviously, the diesel is a huge change. Was wondering what the ideal way to drive the diesel efficiently.

1. I could sit at 1k in 6th gear puttering along in my LS3 but the torque curve is much different. Where should I change for maximum efficiency? 3k revs? When should I use 5th gear?

2. In my LS3, if it was at a certain rev, it would turn off the petrol which obviously slowed the car using the engine as a brake which was great when going downhills. Does the diesel do the same thing? On my clubsport, I could read when it turned off using the instant fuel usage display, I could also hear it in the exhaust as it give me a crackle when turning off and on.

3. The display on the dashboard starts to fade out a little while after the car has been running for a while, I assume that this is a complicated fix and probably a common fault in these things?

4. Obviously, I'm going to service this thing on time and take care of it but is there anything else that I should look out for that are particular to these cars? Should I buy something to help prevent a common problem from occurring as I'm going to need this car for at least 5 years.

5. Should I warm the car up, I have a vague recollection of Diesels needing to be warmed up for a while?

I hope I'm not being to annoying with my questions.

Thanks guys.
 
No idea about your particular engine, but pretty much all modern engines shut off fuel when coasting.

Changing gears works as usual. The car will tell you where to change. Going up through the gears swiftly to cruising speed (not spinning the wheels) is the norm if you want economy.

Warming up is probably not going to do anything much (good or bad) as you have computers taking care of everything for you at all times and wear in modern engines is no longer an issue (how many modern cars have you seen with rebuilt engines?). I am not saying they will last forever but by the time you clock up half a million k's or such your car won't be legal anymore so I wouldn't worry about it.

People drive modern cars like they always drove any other car (mostly not giving a shit) and the engines outlast pretty much everything else if you don't do something dumb like putting petrol in a diesel car. Even then, the engine itself won't suffer that much. Other things will.
 
This engine has rather different design criteria! Economy is one of them.

The 1.6 HDI engine (used in many PSA cars) MUST have regular oil changes with the correct low ash oil, C2 grade, and a new filter, to avoid expensive clagging up and other trouble. When treated well it is a long lived engine.

I am assuming a particle filter is fitted in 2006. If it has one, you will need a catalyst top up at about 160,000 km. It will tell you when. Particle filters are regenerated by the car computer while doing a long even speed run such as on a motorway.

Diesel efficiency means less waste heat, and so it takes longer to warm up. There is no special need to idle it to warm up.

All turbochargers run at very high revs and it is not healthy to just shut the engine
down without getting back to idle, The turbo is lubricated via an external tube, which may leak. Check this out.

Service parts, filters, etc, for French cars are quite economical from specialist importers. In Sydney that means European Auto Imports or Dapco. I get mine by courier from EAI.

Which display fades? The small LCD one with error messages, date, etc can give out. The main speedo display hardly ever.

Does the 307 display current fuel usage? You'll see the fuelling change depending on load. Every aspect of fuelling is controlled by the engine computer. You probably won't hear the turbo valve.

There's a flattish high torque curve from about 1500 rpm to 2500 rpm. This is the range to keep the gears in. Max power is flat out near 4000 rpm, but this isn't something to aim for.

Did you get an owner's handbook? These are available online from Peugeot.

Do you know when the timing belt was changed? This is an interference engine.
 
Welcome! We had a 2 litre HDi Wagon from new (06-09) - only problems I remember were a failed EGR valve (it was subject of a recall) and a brake switch.

However there are few issues we should point out to you so you are forewarned!

1. Oil. Must use low-SAPS (low ash) engine oil, as season says.
2. Wrong oil can cause blockage of the oil pump strainer and the oil feed line to the turbo (which obviously wrecks the turbo), as well as blocking the particle filter.
3. Fuel injectors can develop sealing problems (they are seated directly into the head). This is supposed to contribute to carbon build up, which blocks turbo intake etc.

Not intending to put you off - better to be aware of the issues. I have one sitting here that belonged to a friend. He trusted local mechanics, who didn't do their homework and used the wrong oil...

It will certainly be worth searching for threads on the 307 on this forum - Luthier in particular has taught himself a lot about these cars.
 
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