306 Questions

Discussion in 'Peugeot 306' started by James Green, Apr 3, 2004.

  1. James Green

    James Green Guest

    Hi all,

    Am considering the purchase of a Pug 306 TD '97 R reg @ 85,000 miles.
    I have a few questions that I would appreciate your thoughts on before I
    make any decisions etc.

    1. Steering. I am not used to power steering, however having driven it on
    some country roads for maybe 30 minutes, I noted a distinct pull to the
    left in both directions on the route we took (we double backed on
    ourselves). Owner says the tires were recently replaced and tracking
    checked, however I am not sure whether there could be something more
    expensive at fault. My father, who drives a POS van, notes that this
    problem can be road cambur being felt through the steering wheel - I am
    suspicious!

    2. Remote radio controls have apparently never worked for him. He bought
    the car summer 2003 apparently, and he suspects the radio might have been
    replaced with something not hooked up to, or incompatible with, the remote
    stick. Parker's suggest a £400 repair bill, but is this realistic? Its
    obviously not a crucial requirement...

    3. Any particular points I should be looking out for really - I'm not car
    expert by any stretch of the imagination so will likely fork out for an
    RAC check, but if anyone has specific common problems I can check for,
    please let me know.


    Thanks,

    James
    - remove 'spam.' from email before replying privately.
     
    James Green, Apr 3, 2004
    #1
  2. James Green

    Alec Guest

    Head gasket failure is common on this engine when there is an airlock. Check
    that heater works properly. Also check if and when the cambelt was last
    changed. Rear bushes can fail so listen out for noise. All Peugeot cars seem
    to suffer from poor electrics so thoroughly examine all electrical switches,
    lights and gauges.

    Alec
     
    Alec, Apr 3, 2004
    #2
  3. James Green

    Tom Saul Guest

    :

    I'll take these one at a time:
    The 306 TD I had was affected by camber, but not to the extend you describe.
    I do know that the 306 is *very* picky when it comes to having the tracking
    done,
    so perhaps it just wasn't done correctly. Then again, the steering gould be
    totally
    tits up.
    Agreed - if you don't have a standard Pug radio unit in there - or it's not
    wired up
    correctly - it ain't gonna work. TBH even if it is a genuine Pug-fitted
    radio, you
    might as well replace it. Just try what's fitted. If you can get to the
    major controls
    easily, don't worry about it.
    Aside from the usual stuff, check it starts first time once the glow-plug
    light is out.
    If it's a 3-door pay special attention to the seat - move it about and make
    sure
    it locks in position even if you give it a bit of a shove - the 3-door cars'
    seat can
    shift, creating pant-filling terror whilst driving.
    The 306 should handle very well for it's class and should pick up very well
    from
    2100rpm in any gear. The clutch is usually set in concrete - don't worry
    too much about that.

    As usual with any car purchase, if you're not happy about owning it for
    however many years you
    were intending, walk away.

    Tom.
     
    Tom Saul, Apr 3, 2004
    #3
  4. James Green

    James Green Guest

    Alec,

    Thank you for your prompt reply. Allow me to answer some of your points:

    1. I have no idea how to check the head gasket, if its even possible;
    2. Heater works fine. We blew cold air upon ignition, then let the warm
    air come through, switched back and forth without any trouble;
    3. Cambelt changed at 70,000 miles in the service history;
    4. Do we check during the drive, or by bouncing them as we walk around?;
    5. Internal light checked ok, electric windows the same, wipers and
    washers checked ok too. Temperature reading reached around 1/4th from the
    left and remained constant, fuel guage also remained constant. No
    noticable problems with the dashboard components.

    James
     
    James Green, Apr 3, 2004
    #4
  5. James Green

    Simon Guest

    take the car for a free tracking check. if it's okay and pulls to the left
    on a flat surface like a car park not a road which has a camber then walk
    away.

    Simon
     
    Simon, Apr 4, 2004
    #5
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