Questions for anyone with knowledge of the 205

Edd205

Member
Fellow Frogger
Joined
Feb 12, 2013
Messages
124
Location
Aldinga
Hi guys,

must confess I'm new to the Pugs, but I was looking for a cheap car to run in local khanas and hillclimbs and came upon a 205 SI for a good price. I know the GTI would have been a better choice but the budget did not stretch that far, and I liked the idea of driving something a little different to the usual Corollas and Datsuns.
The man I bought it from was selling it on behalf of his brother in law, and said he believed it to be a 1.9L engine. A bit of online seems to indicate the SI only came out in a 1.6L, and the engine code BDY seems to back this up. I have heard though that the only difference between the 1.6 and the 1.9 is the crankshaft - is this correct?
Also, I can't find a reference anywhere to an SI with a carburettor, but mine has a weber DGV on it. The car seems to have been modified somewhat by its previous owner so I wouldn't be surprised if the weber was a modification, but would it make any sense to do this?
As a side note, can anyone tell me the location of the oil pressure switch?
Your expertise is greatly appreciated.
 
The Si is the best choice for dirt motorkhanas and won't be disgraced in hillclimbs even.
There are a few Sis here in Victoria taking out highplacings and outright wins in State and Club khanas.

The Si had a monopoint injection system so someone has fitted a carby, this is good as it can now be tuned and won't have the normal Si flat spot, I'm thinking about aftermarket ECU to cure this problem in mine.

BDY is 1.6, crank is different and also the rods.

In short give it a go, you will have a ball, and modify after a year or so of experience, you may find that all you need is a freshen up and a better camshaft to give the car a lift, plenty of people in the UK prefer the 1.6s and it wouldn't take too much to bring the Si up the 1.6 GTi standard, it already has the big valve head for instance.

Whatever you do don't go and buy a GTi with a view to modifying it, there are so many cars that have been subjected to this and virtually none have appeared at the other end, most get sold on, take a look at the for sale section.
An early 205 without PAS and with the lazy DFZ engine WONT be as good as an Si for what you want.

Graham

Hi guys,

must confess I'm new to the Pugs, but I was looking for a cheap car to run in local khanas and hillclimbs and came upon a 205 SI for a good price. I know the GTI would have been a better choice but the budget did not stretch that far, and I liked the idea of driving something a little different to the usual Corollas and Datsuns.
The man I bought it from was selling it on behalf of his brother in law, and said he believed it to be a 1.9L engine. A bit of online seems to indicate the SI only came out in a 1.6L, and the engine code BDY seems to back this up. I have heard though that the only difference between the 1.6 and the 1.9 is the crankshaft - is this correct?
Also, I can't find a reference anywhere to an SI with a carburettor, but mine has a weber DGV on it. The car seems to have been modified somewhat by its previous owner so I wouldn't be surprised if the weber was a modification, but would it make any sense to do this?
As a side note, can anyone tell me the location of the oil pressure switch?
Your expertise is greatly appreciated.
 
I used my road daily in the Vic Autocross events with Graham. I would have much preferred the SI though even though the GTI was great.

I well set up GTi Tarmac car would be unreal. $$$ though.

You'd have a ball in an SI at a fraction of the cost.
 
That's great news. Seems I have been lucky as I wasn't really sure what I was buying, just figured it looked cool and would probably go OK. It seems the previous owner didn't do a great job with the conversion, it had a couple of vacuum leaks I have now repaired and it needs a good service. Once that is done I'm hoping it will be decently competitive car in its class. Thanks for the info and I'll let you know how I get on.
 
I owned an early 1.6L GTi for a while. It was a great car. If I ever owned an Si, I'd throw away the inlet manifold & ECU and fit a GTi manifold and aftermarket ECU. Add a decent cam as Graham suggested and it will be a hoot.
 
If you do this don't throw away the original ECU as it is an important junction point for much of the cars wiring.
Simply disconnect the unwanted wiring and leave the rest in place.Just means the ECU (K) light will always be on!
Graham

I owned an early 1.6L GTi for a while. It was a great car. If I ever owned an Si, I'd throw away the inlet manifold & ECU and fit a GTi manifold and aftermarket ECU. Add a decent cam as Graham suggested and it will be a hoot.
 
Top