#1: The "Sexy Beast": GTi 180 Preservation Project Author: VorTechS, Location: Gloucestershire, UKPosted: Thu Dec 07, 2017 1:02 pm ---- Current Task List
01. VVT Solenoid removal / cleaning / replacement ✔
02. Engine oil flush and replacement ✔
03. Change spark plugs (for the hell of it) ✔
04. Check the coil pack is a Pug one
05. Look at why steering seems to have gone a bit 'stiff' ✔
06. Check / replace fuel sender
07. Swap the 'red' and 'yellow' wires over for the stereo!
08. Replace the cheap wipers
09. Re-hang the exhaust, replacing perishing rubbers
10. Replace the 'faded' SP fuel cap
11. Check / replace discs and pads all round ✔
12. Investigate slow coolant leak
13. Replace O/S front drive shaft
14. Sills?
The journey began here...
It's always been in the back of my mind to consider picking up a GTi. Only about 6 months ago I'd been talking with Sim, and Mrs VorTechS, about potentially replacing the 1.6 with a GTi 138, as there was the potential for me to be able to pick one up at their going rate and it'd give me a chance to work on something new.
Low and behold, various factors / suns / moons have aligned that have meant I suddenly had some money to make use of, and so I set about looking for a car - not with the intention of really buying one.
Until I saw an add on GumTree for this:
It's a GTi 180, 63k miles and pretty much as it was out of the factory.
The advert made a few bold claims:
Seller wrote:
EXCELLENT CONDITION INSIDE
EXCELLENT CONDITION OUTSIDE
IMMACULATE RECARO WING-BACK SEATS
NICE PAINT WORK, NICE WHEELS, WELL LOOKED AFTER
NO WARNING LIGHTS, NO ISSUES
DRIVES 100% - LOTS SPENT INC ;
CAMBELT KIT FITTED THIS YEAR @ 62K, WITH INVOICE
FULL 'SCORPION' STAINLESS STEEL EXHAUST
RECENT OIL CHANGE
NEW KONI LOWERING SPRINGS (-30MM) SO SITS NICELY
NEW BRAKE LINES THROUGHOUT (ADV. ON LAST M.O.T)
FULL SERVICE, INC. COOLANT FLUSH / FRESH COOLANT
AIR - CON RE GAS AND ICE COLD
RECENT FRONT DISCS & PADS
FULLY WAX OILED UNDERSIDE
GOOD TYRES ON ALL 4 CORNERS
NEW HEADUNIT, FOR AUX INPUT (HAVE ORIGINAL ALSO)
2.0 16V, 180BHP ENGINE, VERY QUICK & LIGHT LITTLE CAR! ALL THE USUAL '180' EXTRAS, AS YOU WOULD EXPECT AND EVERYTHING WORKS, NOT A SINGLE THING BROKE, DAMAGED, FAULTY ETC. A CREDIT TO ITS PREVIOUS OWNERS / KEEPERS, AND ZERO RUST OR ROT.
THE CAR STARTS, DRIVES, PERFORMS AND STOPS - AS IT SHOULD. AS YOU CAN IMAGINE FROM SUCH A LOW MILEAGE, WELL CARED FOR EXAMPLE - NO KNOCKS, CLUNKS, BANGS, UNWANTED NOISES ETC.
So, I arranged for the seller to hold the car until I could come and view it as I'd had bad experiences over the months trying to get a 138, to find sellers had sold a car when they agreed to me going to view it!
In honesty I was wary of getting the same treatment, but having spoken to the seller and outlining the reason for my interest in buying and my ties to here (the forum) he seemed genuine. And he had a valid reason for selling too.
Better still he'd already taken calls from people wanting to buy the car just to break it! (Thankfully he didn't sell it to them!)
I mentioned the potential purchase to a couple of 'insiders' (one of which was our very own Sim), and all agreed it could potentially be a great buy. Sim even decided he'd like to come along for the ride, as he already had some business to do in Tamworth on the day of viewing anyway.
And so we (including Mrs VorTechS) set off on yet another 206info adventure from the rainy grey duldrums of Gloucestershire, to the sunnier climbs of Darlington up North!
And what an adventure! Last edited by VorTechS on Mon May 21, 2018 11:49 am; edited 2 times in total
#2: Re: The "Sexy Beast": GTi 180 Preservation Project Author: VorTechS, Location: Gloucestershire, UKPosted: Thu Dec 07, 2017 1:44 pm ---- The journey started out for us (Mrs VorTechS) at 9am, and first stop was to pick up Sim at Tamworth, a journey time of 1hr 40 minutes.
From their we continued up North, until hunger set in.
As always, no 206Info adventure is complete without a trip to our 'favourite' eating establishment:
...it has become somewhat of a tradition over the years.
It took another 2 and half hours to get where needed to be. I'd asked for the engine to be left cold, so we check around it without fear of burning ourselves, although that proved a bit harder than it sounds. Even though I'd taken some good old Halfords matting with us, I'd forgotten I'm the size of 'Big Daddy' (without the height) so getting under the lowered front was nigh on impossible.
Checking the oil, and it seemed a bit black for 'Recently changed' and there seemed to be a small drip around the filter. There also seems to be a bit coming from the drain plug. There was nothing around where the car had been stood to suggest anything sinister. (Yes, when the car moved it had clearly been sat around as the discs/pads clunked a bit where they'd settled, so there's no reason to doubt anything untoward)
There was a trace amount of camber on the rear axle, nothing heavy. The body work, to be fair, is in immaculate condition for the age.
It's not perfect, a couple of 'chips' where the car has obviously been 'opened' into walls and a bit of repair work evident on front/back bumper strips. Clearly at least one of the doors has been changed (the blue door hinge gives that away, and the lock doesn't work on it with the keys).
At the right angle, Mrs VorTechS happened to notice a dent in the passenger door which the seller admitted to not knowing about.
The Exhaust (backbox) was hanging a little low, and off-centre, but the rubber is looking a bit worse for wear. So easy fix that one. The sills are in reasonable condition, the alloys have 'acceptable' kurbing wear on them. The tyres are all good.
Inside is immaculate. The seats are not only clean, but show minimal wear. The drivers side folds down and moves as it should.
First thing we did, plug Peugeot Planet in.
...of course these issues could be quite old. So I cleared them, and fired her up. I left the engine ticking over for a good amount of time, just to check its idle temperature and make sure there we no signs of gasket issues. I'd already checked there was no white mayo in the cap, no oil in the coolant, no white smoke.
Electrics all seem fine. There's no warnings, the MFD works. The climate control works. The cluster works (or appears to). The electric windows work. The indicators work, lights work, wipers and jets all work. (I didn't test the cigaretter lighter)
Then I took her for a test drive.
No scrapes, whines or clunks. Well, a little noise from the discs but given it's been sat around for a while not a major problem. The gear change is smooth, it's perhaps a little lumpy around clutch bite for my liking.
(Although hugely compared to the 1.6!)
It accelerates well, and the grumble from the Scorpion exhaust is 'grown up' (as Mrs VorTechS described it).
Once back, Pug Planet plugged in again, and it's all clean.
All in all. This is indeed is a decent little car. While I was gone, Mrs VorTechS had apparently been talking 'money' with the seller... and a price agreed.
The car was up at £1750. I'd had £1500 as an offer rejected, but the final figure of £1550 seems to be very reasonable.
So the paperwork was signed, money handed over and then it was off to the local Asda round the corner to get some petrol and last minute paperwork sorted.
Just seen this after commenting in your introduce your self post.
I'm pretty sure 180's in this colour are getting "rare"
It looks pretty clean.
Congrats on it.
Pez
#4: Re: The "Sexy Beast": GTi 180 Preservation Project Author: macj, Location: EssexPosted: Sat Dec 09, 2017 5:24 pm ---- Good purchases young man
#5: Re: The "Sexy Beast": GTi 180 Preservation Project Author: rytona4, Location: midlands EnglandPosted: Sun Dec 10, 2017 9:20 am ---- Good write up on checks to make. Many thanks. Enjoy .
#6: Re: The "Sexy Beast": GTi 180 Preservation Project Author: Edward, Location: In the garagePosted: Sun Dec 10, 2017 12:46 pm ---- Keep going. Would be good to see a really good example of a 180. They are becoming quite rare now. I'd have one if my garage was big enough.
#7: Re: The "Sexy Beast": GTi 180 Preservation Project Author: VorTechS, Location: Gloucestershire, UKPosted: Mon Dec 11, 2017 11:03 am ---- Thanks for the comments all! I haven't mentioned everything we checked, we did give it a thoroughly good going over.
The journey back home, was, let's call it 'eventful'!
We'd pre-arranged the travelling arrangement so that I'd sit behind Mrs VorTechS and Sim (in the 308 GTi) on the way back and flash once for low fuel, and flash lots of time for anything problemmatic.
There was just under half a tank of fuel, and we started our way off... and everything was going swimmingly. Still no clunks, rattles, whines or rumbles. Just the sound of the wheels on the road. The fuel gauge was dropping and was about to hit the point where I was thinking we should stop at the next fuel station to top up, just in case the one after was some considerable distance away.
Sure enough, on the very busy M1 we pass a sign that the next fuel station is 10 miles away. We're in the middle lane, and I flash to indicate the we'll take the next fuel stop. And then, the engine seems to drop into what I think mught be limp mode, and then just stops running. At EXACTLY the point I did the flash. No warning lights, no fuel light, just dead. I quickly flash rapidly to indicate a problem and somehow, under the rules of gravity, manage to get the car not only to the inside lane, but also into a lay-by.
I cannot stress how precarious a situation this was. It was 5pm on a Sunday, the M1 was exceptionally busy and being followed closely by a truck once I got into the inside lane was just a little bit of a 'brown trouser' moment. Thank <insert appropriate deity> there just happened to be a lay-by so close to where the car cut out!
I explain what's gone on to the guys, and try to restart the engine. It turns over, but doesn't fire. The fuel gauge indicates we should have at least 30-40 miles in the tank. To rule out anything sinister, we plug planet in and give the diagnostics a run through and the old girl gets a clean bill of health. Mrs VorTechS suggests it's out of fuel. Surely not?
This wasn't a situation we'd planned for! But, as we have little to lose, Sim and Mrs VorTechS head out to a petrol station to get a jerry can and some fuel. As luck would have it, just a few hundred yards down the road there's a turn-off and just around the corner is a petrol station! Better still, from the petrol station it's possible to come back up the other way and out just a few hundred yards behind where I'm stranded!
So that wait was literally only about 10 minutes, and once the rescue party returned Sim poured in the petrol and I turned the key.....
....*vroom*!
So. A new problem to add to the list, already! Clearly there's a problem with the fuel sender. Perhaps it's just been sat idle for so long and gunk has settled in the bottom of the tank...?
So, armed with this new knowledge, we set off again... and of course stop at the closest fuel station to top up! Next stop Tamworth to pick up Sims car, hopefully without the fuel running out this time!
Everything went nice and smoothly, there were no further problems with car and we arrived back at Tamworth in one piece....
....only to find Sim's car had been locked in at the retail park it had been left!!!
After an attempt to see if there was anywhere to escape / get the car through, we eventually settled on taking Sim home and then I'd get him where he'd need to be in the morning, at whatever time. Sim parked his car up a bit closer to the exit, and we were just getting ready to head out when a security guard popped out from around a corner.
He'd been watching, no doubt with some amusement, and after explaining our predicatment he let Sim out! As was evident from the general road noise around the estate, the park gets locked up because there are a lot of 'boy racers' that used to use it for whatever boy racers get up to!
Luckily, the rest of the journey home was un-eventful and we eventually walked through the front door at 10:30pm to a lovely cooked roast dinner made for us by my step-daughter!
#8: Re: The "Sexy Beast": GTi 180 Preservation Project Author: VorTechS, Location: Gloucestershire, UKPosted: Mon Dec 11, 2017 11:25 am ---- I've been driving it for a week now. The plan is to keep driving it. So far, even with the low temperatures, it's fired up every time. The seats are soooooo comfortable. Far more comfortable than the SW seats I have in the 1.6. Having the climate control is pure bliss! No more fogged up windscreen!
The 1.6 is going to go and sit somewhere in the new year while I decide what to do with it. I've had it since 2003, and I'm reluctant to resign ito the scrapheap, and in general not particularly keen to let it go where it'll be abused. It is old, the paintwork is suffering... but other than needing a new clutch kit... the engine is just bullet proof. It's never missed a beat in the 14 years I've had it.
But I'm in a dilemma.
Do I keep this GTi in as much 'OEM' style as possible?
Or should I, as Mrs VorTechS suggests, store the original parts and 'tart' it up with the 1.6 parts...?
Parts that would get changed:
Alloys (for the new ones I bought in the summer)
Front lights (black masked Crystals)
Side-Repeaters (black masked)
Rear Lights (black, there's a theme!)
Fog Lights (surprise surprise, masked!)
3rd Brake Light (guess what colour?)
SP Grilles
If I decide to do the tart up option, I'll also consider:
Swapping hoses in the engine bay for something fresher
Braided brake hoses
At the moment I'm quite liking the fact that it's OEM. As is the bank balance for the change in insurance costs, which has literally halved.
#9: Re: The "Sexy Beast": GTi 180 Preservation Project Author: Edward, Location: In the garagePosted: Mon Dec 11, 2017 12:58 pm ---- I would definitely keep the 180 standard looking. The aftermarket lights won't make it unusual. Standard look is unusual and always looks better long term.
#10: Re: The "Sexy Beast": GTi 180 Preservation Project Author: VorTechS, Location: Gloucestershire, UKPosted: Tue Dec 12, 2017 9:23 am ---- I'm inclined to agree ...
#11: Re: The "Sexy Beast": GTi 180 Preservation Project Author: VorTechS, Location: Gloucestershire, UKPosted: Wed Dec 13, 2017 8:17 am ---- So it looks like I have some work to do on the old girl!
Having had a look at Pug Planet last night with Timon, it seems the P0011 code is back - the EML isn't throwing though, so it's clearly early stages. Looking at the error and the potential symptoms from looking over the car when / after being bought, it's pointing to a VVT solenoid.
[He says confidentally, as if he knows what this is - which now I sort of do, having researched it]
I was looking at Pug Planet to check if the fuel gauge should be working properly, so using the gauge and the warning lamp illumination actuator tests (under Instrument Panel).
Both tests passed. The fuel gauge rose in increments from it's resting point to the top, and below the resting point to zero in the first test, and the low fuel warning light came on in the second.
So, time for a list of things to look at as soon as I can:
01. VVT Solenoid removal / cleaning / replacement
02. Engine oil flush and replacement
03. Change spark plugs (for the hell of it)
04. Check the coil pack is a Pug one
05. Look at why steering seems to have gone a bit 'stiff'
06. Check / replace fuel sender
07. Swap the 'red' and 'yellow' wires over for the stereo!
08. Replace the cheap wipers
09. Re-hang the exhaust, replacing perishing rubbers
10. Replace the 'faded' SP fuel cap
11. Check / replace discs and pads all round Last edited by VorTechS on Thu Dec 14, 2017 8:02 am; edited 4 times in total
#12: Re: The "Sexy Beast": GTi 180 Preservation Project Author: Jamerz, Posted: Wed Dec 13, 2017 4:58 pm ---- Great buy, seems a solid, tidy looking car!
#13: Re: The "Sexy Beast": GTi 180 Preservation Project Author: VorTechS, Location: Gloucestershire, UKPosted: Thu Dec 14, 2017 8:04 am ---- Yea, despite her little foibles, I'm liking her!
#14: Re: The "Sexy Beast": GTi 180 Preservation Project Author: Timon2210, Location: PalestinePosted: Thu Dec 14, 2017 1:41 pm ---- What a beautiful car my friend..Keep it stock as much as you can and enjoy it,the service plan is very good,and about the fault code you got it's either a faulty solenoid or the timing is done,but not done right.
Try to flush the engine and get a Mobile 1 5W/30 oil and a good additive to restore the engine horse power and compression in the pistons.
What a beautiful car my friend..Keep it stock as much as you can and enjoy it,the service plan is very good,and about the fault code you got it's either a faulty solenoid or the timing is done,but not done right.
Try to flush the engine and get a Mobile 1 5W/30 oil and a good additive to restore the engine horse power and compression in the pistons.
I'm not discounting that the timing is slightly out. It was recently done alledgedly, but not necessarily very well. So I think ruling out everything else would be the best place to start as that's all well within my remit to do!
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and enjoy it,the service plan is very good,and about the fault code you got it's either a faulty solenoid or the timing is done,but not done right.
