#1: Project DORA. Author: pjxr2, Location: Milton KeynesPosted: Mon May 16, 2011 11:05 am ---- Ok, a brief history. I turned 40 in December 2010. My Girlfriend called me at work one day in the October to tell me she was off to Dunstable to look at a car for my birthday. I told her please take your Dad or someone to help you check it over. When I got home from work I found W226ORA sat on my drive!!!
After lots of thanks and big kiss and hug for my Girlfriend in thanks for a lovely present, I was shocked and delighted then a little cross because I could see something wasn't quite right. The missus had got it insured and it had tax and test for a few months so it couldn't be too bad could it?
Out came my Iphone and 30 seconds later I find out this fab little motor was a Cat C write-off in 2006 and had passed both a VIC and MOT in 2007 and nothing else was wrong, no hp, and no warning signs of trouble.. PHEW!
I needed to find out a little bit more about the history so I logged into www.direct.gov.uk once the full V5 had arrived from DVLA.
They have a service where you can get details of all the passes and FAILS in the cars MOT history.. Very interesting reading and recommended for all you out there to improve your re-sale value.
First things first, insurance was not an issue, Direct Line took it on fully comprehensive, no further questions or conditions for £623.70 P.A. not too bad.
#2: Re: Project DORA. Author: pjxr2, Location: Milton KeynesPosted: Mon May 16, 2011 11:13 am ---- A few weeks into owning Dora as she is now known, the tyres and brakes needed attention all round. I took it to a local garage B&T Tyres for the rubber and as ZM car repair is next door they did the brakes front and rear.
The initial cost of the car was £650. I had now spent an additional £165 on brakes and £140 on 4 new tyres.
Happy motoring until mid December early January, you know in that snow and cold.. I noticed the temperature going up alarmingly to close to max.. pull over and investigate.. Coolant headder tank empty!
Topped up with my bottle of Evian and nursed the old girl home.
#3: Re: Project DORA. Author: pjxr2, Location: Milton KeynesPosted: Mon May 16, 2011 11:23 am ---- Obviously I had a leak, the thermostat housing was leaking and as I removed and refitted the unit it broke in two. I guess the frost had got into where the two parts weren't mating properly and killed it.
£50 later and armed with a new stat and enough Xstream (G30) Red coolant to refill the system off I went, spanner in hand, drain, flush inspect, replace and refill then runt the engine and bleed the system properly.
Breaking a £1.80 copper bleed screw off the water pump housing in the process Be careful with these little buggers, get a spare from Peugeot before you start this job, just in case.
Job done and another issue pops up, a little oil in the headder tank, tiny ammount nothing to worry about. keep an eye on it and carry on.
The temperature settled at about 92-95 and we're back in the game.
April and MOT time, couple of little things, full exhaust including KAT, drop links and numberplate lights. £285 lighter and Dora is legal again.
I know now that it needs a head gasket doing now as the mayo has started showing up in the headder tank but not on the oil filer cap... it's booked in for the first weekend of June 2011.. will let you know how that all goes.
#4: Re: Project DORA. Author: MrZiggerz, Location: Milton KeynesPosted: Mon May 16, 2011 11:52 am ---- Full exhaust? Must have been rotten. Least it passed on the VIC.
#5: Re: Project DORA. Author: pjxr2, Location: Milton KeynesPosted: Mon May 16, 2011 1:46 pm ---- The exhaust wasn't quite rotten, it wasn't the right unit in parts and the KAT had a small hole in it as did the back box on the internal connection ring so it wouldnt re bolt.. so it was more economical to replace them and not have to worry about it (the garage did discount it for me as our family get everything done there normally even the inlaw's Masarati Q.P.)
The head gasket and next phase will be down to me and my step brother to do as i fancy getting my spanners out in the sun and have no pressures to use the car like I did up till now, the joys of self employment.
#6: Re: Project DORA. Author: pjxr2, Location: Milton KeynesPosted: Mon May 16, 2011 2:04 pm ---- Pictures of Dora as she looks today.
Can anyone tell me why my keys won't operate the remote central locking anymore? batteries are not flat. and they worked a month ago??!! Last edited by pjxr2 on Tue May 17, 2011 7:37 am; edited 3 times in total
#7: Re: Project DORA. Author: Addaz, Location: SuffolkPosted: Mon May 16, 2011 2:23 pm ---- Are you getting a mirror and fog anytime soon?
Do the locks bounce? Or just not work?
Does the redlight on the key work?
#8: Re: Project DORA. Author: pjxr2, Location: Milton KeynesPosted: Mon May 16, 2011 11:26 pm ---- I've got a HeadGasket to do before I can afford to do the light and mirror but I am looking if you know anyone that has one cheap?
The locks just don't operate from the plip, Tried the instructions on the key sync threads and nothing changed.
#9: Re: Project DORA. Author: Danny., Location: PeterboroughPosted: Tue May 17, 2011 4:55 am ---- Holy s**t...
Mate i would resize your Sig before a mod deletes it.
Looking good though.
Is the bonnet bent?
#10: Re: Project DORA. Author: pjxr2, Location: Milton KeynesPosted: Tue May 17, 2011 5:00 am ---- Thanks for the heads up, forgot to resize the image on DropBox!!
Nope bonnet's not bent, think there are some alignment issues, to be expected when it had a front end smash in 2006 and was rebuilt.
#11: Re: Project DORA. Author: pjxr2, Location: Milton KeynesPosted: Fri May 20, 2011 9:54 am ---- I retract my last statement... the bonnet is bent, either that or both wings and the front cross beam are. Also, a random bolt and angle bracket just fell out of the N/S inner wing. On investigating it's the strengthen that holds the wing in place, it's dethatched itself from the inner and outer wings at the welds... bummer.
Looks like I'll have a few more quid to spend as the missing link has weakened the outer wing and it's flexing in the heat so now it touches the N/S door and is not the right shape at all.
Going to have to try and get Peugeot to tell me the original paint code as the usual labels are missing from both the under bonnet area and doors as I have discovered both doors are replacements from a red car that have been over sprayed when I took off the door cards.
Talk about a can of worms.
#12: Re: Project DORA. Author: pjxr2, Location: Milton KeynesPosted: Wed Aug 03, 2011 12:50 pm ---- Ahhh July and the summer sun, what an awesome time to attempt my first head gasket change.
As it happens it was as easy as the haynes manual predicted. I now have a working happy TU3JP engine, however no one told me i'd need a water pump so it cost me nearly double in parts to sort out.
Still back on the road and working a treat, ran in the new gasket on the run back from Bath to Milton Keynes and I'm a happy man.
Next on the list is to address the front end, shutlines, bent bonnet?, passenger wing fix, fog lamp and bumper touch up!!!
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Be careful with these little buggers, get a spare from Peugeot before you start this job, just in case.
