Diesel Junkyard find! - Page 3 - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

Palangi · #31 08-09-2009, 09:49 PM

Cracked block is unlikely.

I have no idea what a head gasket job would cost.

It is not an overhead cam engine, so, theoretically, should be easier than on an MB diesel.

katja · #32 08-09-2009, 09:53 PM

I can't help but comment...I learned to drive on my parents' 1980 505SD (no, that's not a rogue D; it actually had that insignia instead of 505S and the "diesel" plate below it). I think the Peugeot made me appreciate that a diesel engine in a car was a lot of fun.

Mine was a 4-speed manual and felt slightly peppier than the W123 240D (it's lighter, for one) which I think is partly why my parents chose it instead of the Mercedes.

However, my "classic" Mercedes gets respect from onlookers, while I got lots of ridicule from my friends when I drove the Peugeot.

Nonetheless, the seats were wonderful, the shocks (when you have the proper Peugeot ones) were fantastic, and the engine was quite reliable. We had a defective aux fan and alternator when we bought the car (new) in 1981. Since then, there were many misc. electrical problems that would come & go(power windows, lights, various relays & switches, etc), the sunroof broke over & over, and when the water pump & head gasket failed at 105K my mom got rid of it. It was hard to find someone to work on it and expensive to get parts after Peugeot left the North American market.

I knew the people we sold it to and they drove it for about 20,000 more miles before the engine "blew up." I never found out exactly what happened, but they put a turbodiesel in and then a year ago, I saw the car on Craigslist. I was very tempted to buy it back

So if you get this one - when you need parts, check the Seattle craigslist....there is some guy up here that has a LOT of 505's parts and could probably ship you stuff cheap.

Make sure the cooling system and aux fan are working perfectly and the head gasket is OK. Head gaskets were even more of a problem on the turbodiesel engines. If all that's OK, it should be just as reliable as the Mercedes engine.

Palangi · #33 08-09-2009, 10:01 PM

The fan clutch is electric. It was common to tighten down the gap adjustment screws so the fan was always engaged.

Also, these beasts had winter and summer thermostats.

JordaanDMC-12 · #34 08-10-2009, 01:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by katja

I can't help but comment...I learned to drive on my parents' 1980 505SD (no, that's not a rogue D; it actually had that insignia instead of 505S and the "diesel" plate below it). I think the Peugeot made me appreciate that a diesel engine in a car was a lot of fun.

Mine was a 4-speed manual and felt slightly peppier than the W123 240D (it's lighter, for one) which I think is partly why my parents chose it instead of the Mercedes.

However, my "classic" Mercedes gets respect from onlookers, while I got lots of ridicule from my friends when I drove the Peugeot.

Nonetheless, the seats were wonderful, the shocks (when you have the proper Peugeot ones) were fantastic, and the engine was quite reliable. We had a defective aux fan and alternator when we bought the car (new) in 1981. Since then, there were many misc. electrical problems that would come & go(power windows, lights, various relays & switches, etc), the sunroof broke over & over, and when the water pump & head gasket failed at 105K my mom got rid of it. It was hard to find someone to work on it and expensive to get parts after Peugeot left the North American market.

I knew the people we sold it to and they drove it for about 20,000 more miles before the engine "blew up." I never found out exactly what happened, but they put a turbodiesel in and then a year ago, I saw the car on Craigslist. I was very tempted to buy it back

So if you get this one - when you need parts, check the Seattle craigslist....there is some guy up here that has a LOT of 505's parts and could probably ship you stuff cheap.

Make sure the cooling system and aux fan are working perfectly and the head gasket is OK. Head gaskets were even more of a problem on the turbodiesel engines. If all that's OK, it should be just as reliable as the Mercedes engine.

Thanks for sharing that!

I know what you mean when you say you get more respect from onlookers for the Mercedes, I got two comments the first day I had my 240D and numerous comments on my 220D. I imagine no one will care with the Peugeot but I will! It will be my prize. I long in having a "different car" and until I can afford the $18,000-20,000 DeLorean the Peogeot will fulfill that longing. I've loved French cars ever since I was in 7th grade, especially Citroen. I feel like i'll finally be getting the chance to own one!

I'm told by my dad, who had two that they were VERY comfortable ad I know what he meant by sitting in the seats at the junkyard. That's a bummer that it endedup "blowing up" do you think it could have been a runaway? Thank you for all the advice and for recommending to check out the Seattle craigslist. I seriously just can't wait to get this car on the road. Besides my 220 and my future DeLorean it will be my prize.

JordaanDMC-12 · #35 08-10-2009, 01:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Palangi

The fan clutch is electric. It was common to tighten down the gap adjustment screws so the fan was always engaged.

Also, these beasts had winter and summer thermostats.

Hmm i'll check for that, and wow that's crazy how it has two thermostats! I could sure use the summer one where I live!

Gurkha · #36 08-10-2009, 05:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pj67coll

In my experience, which is considerable, Peugeot's are crap. But for some reason they have a bizzarre cult following. Rather like british cars I suppose. My experience was with gas Peugeots and I'll state bluntly that they don't come close to Mercedes in any aspect with their gas engines. Considering how badly made the rest of the car is it would be a miracle if their diesel engines were as good as Mercedes.

Just a wild guess here but I'd venture to say that car wound up in the junkyard as a result of one too many instances of the thing overheating.

- Peter.

I will fully agree to this, this same vehicle and its variant as well as the engine found use in various Indian vehicles, the engine is a joke, comparing it to the likes of OM616 or 617 is the most preposterous statement I have ever come across.

t walgamuth · #37 08-10-2009, 06:10 AM

The pugs were well regarded in Africa but I had one and to compare one with a mercedes for quality is a joke imho.

It drove well but parts availability was a nightmare....absolutely the opposite of mercedes.

seanarcher · #38 08-10-2009, 05:11 PM

what kind of injection pump do these peugot engines have?
do they have timing belts like volvo/VW???
do they all have slushbox automatics mated to them?

Oldwolf · #39 08-10-2009, 09:09 PM

if the engine runs you have got it made.

babymog · #40 08-10-2009, 10:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by katja

<> the seats were wonderful, the shocks (when you have the proper Peugeot ones) were fantastic, and the engine was quite reliable. We had a defective aux fan and alternator when we bought the car (new) in 1981. Since then, there were many misc. electrical problems that would come & go(power windows, lights, various relays & switches, etc), the sunroof broke over & over, and when the water pump & head gasket failed at 105K my mom got rid of it. It was hard to find someone to work on it and expensive to get parts after Peugeot left the North American market.<>

Yep, Peugeot is French for Fiat.

Palangi · #41 08-10-2009, 10:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by babymog

Yep, Peugeot is French for Fiat.

Some of the exterior parts were made Italy. After about 10 years in the Texas sun, the body and the fender colors would no longer match.

binder123 · #42 08-11-2009, 12:00 PM

Back in the 80s and 90s, I used to work on a ton of Peugeots, and in fact have owned 17 (12 were diesels) of them myself. The local dealer (60 miles away) had a poor service reputation, and folks would bring them to my shop instead.

It's interesting to me to read these threads and hear about cracked crankshafts, cracked blocks/heads, hard to find parts, etc. Back in the day when Peugeots were still being imported, parts weren't really that hard to come by, almost all maintenance parts were even available aftermarket. With the diesels, headgaskets were the only recurring repair I ever saw, and even that, since the engine is an OHV, a headgasket was a breeze to change- 2 hours tops. They don't have timing belts, and the chain is real simple design without tensioners or runners or anything. Eventually, we were able to get a "better" quality headgasket (I don't recall the brand) that was much longer lasting. Many times when a customer had a short-lived head gasket, we found out that the previous repair didn't include new head bolts!

I've never seen a Peugeot diesel with a bad crankshaft, cracked block, or cracked head. In fact, major engine repair was just plain rare. I did have a customer with a 505D fill the fuel tank with gasoline, the engine "took off" and over-revved, resulting in a valve breaking and going through the piston and cyl head. Here's the crazy part- this same customer did it twice- the first time she was lucky and it just ran poor, was real upset the second time when I told her about the major engine damage, after all, she'd done it before and it didn't damage anything!

These cars were solid, wonderful drivers, super comfortable! If you can get this thing bought (with a title), DO IT. You'll have a blast!

If there's anything I can help you with, just let me know. I still have a few parts laying around here. I also have an XD-2 engine in the shed. It ran fine 25 years ago, but would probably need freshened up. Seems like
the injector pump and nozzles are gone, but other than that it's complete.

Good Luck and if you happen to find a 504 diesel on your next outing, please call me- I'd love to have one again!
Russ