Peugeot 206 Dynamic Tensioner



After just over a year and  of replacing the dynamic tensioner a.k.a belt tensioner, my lion is whining once again. The last time it cost me about RM400 to get this replaced. Damn expensive part which does not last long. The other part which gives way often is the Idler roller. This cost RM150 to replace.

What gives way on this tensioner is the pulley(the plastic round thing with the bearing in the middle). Sadly spare part shops do not sell this pulley. The only sell the whole tensioner.

Undeterred, I started to search for the pulley, and after months of searching I finally found it!! :-).

This is an original part replacement. Fits the dynamic belt tensioner perfectly

I also managed to find the Idler Roller. 

Now you can get both of these at RM149 each on my online store at http://www.foreverdeals.asia/Online-Store.html

Peugeot 206 Power Steering Pressure Switch

Into my 5th year of owning this car, the  power stering pressure switch started to leak again. This would be my 3rd time changing it. The previous 2 times, this switch was replaced under warranty.

This is the place where it leaks

At first I thought it was leaking at the oil seal, but after taking out the switch, I was able to see that oil was leaking thru the switch. This problem seems to be a very comment problem with almost all Peugeot/Citroen models

Alas...nothing can be done except to replace the switch.

This is the switch I bought. Part No : 401509 / 9677899580 You may purchase it here, It is shipped worldwide.

Engine Oil and Filter, Routine Maintenance

Over the years, I've been asked many times about oil changes..how often to do it? what type of engine oil to use? What should I do to keep my car in excellent condition.

 Here I Share what I've been doing the past 5 years, and has so far clocked 170,000+kms.

 Oil Changes are done every 10,000kms using Semi Synthetic Oil. I don't see the point of using Fully Synthetic Oil for a 1.4 8V engine. Mineral Oil would also be good enough. I usually use either TOTAL Quartz 7000 10W-40 or Petronas Syntium 800 10W-40. Lately I've been using Petronas as its much easier to get.

Always use genuine oil filter. Never compromise on that. Back in 2009 the oil filter used to cost almost RM50. Now you can get it as low as RM20 from my online store  here

Once a year, regardless of mileage, change the air filter. I also open up and clean the rear drum brakes. Tighten undercarriage. 

Every two years or 40,000kms, I change my brake fuild, power steering fuid and engine coolant.

For the Gearbox, I change the AL4 gearbox oil every 40,000kms or once a year.

Check all rubber bushes and mountings every 20,000kms.

Change timing belt every 80,000kms.

The rest just change parts when they are worn out.

Peugeot 206 Rear Wheel Bearing

After 150,000kms, my rear wheel bearing gave way. Getting quotations from  workshops and spareparts shops, it seemed like like it was going to be a expensive affire. Each bearing would costs RM160 and labor RM60 perside, which means to replace both rear wheel bearings would cost about RM440. This I felt was too expensive.

So as usual I began my bargain hunting. And finally I managed to get both Bearing changed for only RM220.00

I got my bearings from SKF. Each costs only RM80. Part No. VKBA3525. But the clip that came with this bearing could not be used. So I had to use back the old bearing clip.

 

To get my bearing fixed, I went to the workshop near my house. Its run by 2 brothers. Very nice chaps. They're not so experienced with french cars but are more than willing to learn and try. They've worked on my car a couple of times before and I'm very happy with their work.

I always enjoy coming here as they are friendly and nice. Always willing to listen to my suggestion on how to replace a part or repair it. They even send me back and come fetch me when the car is ready. Wished more workshops will provide this kind of service.

I replaced my wheel bearing a bit too late. This caused the left rear bearing to be jammed and it was impposible to remove the brake drum. Thank goodness they had a special tool which could solve this.

This red handle is like a dumbell. what is done is this weight is pulled along the shaft and the momentum pulls out the drum.











After the drum was out, replacing the bearings were a breeze as they had the brearing pressing tool. All this was done within and hour and without me burning a hole in my pocket :-)

Improving Acceleration

The 8v, 1.4 engine coupled with the AL4 gearbox on the 206 makes it grossly underpowered. Nipping in and out of city traffic is almost impossible in this car. This car's pick up from standstill feels like forcing an Elephant to do a 100M sprint.

There are the commong things you can do to improve acceleration slightly, like changing the air filter, exhaust system, etc. But all this costs money. Today I'll share with you something simple to improve the car's acceleration. Best of all its free. The idea is to get the throttle body butterfly valve opened as much as possible when the accelerator is floored.

First step is to minimise any slack @ throttle cable. This is done by pulling out the retaining clip, then pulling the cable to the left as much as possible, then place the retaining clip back.

If you look at how the throttle body(TB) operates, you can see it how it stops when the accelerator pedal is floored. So the next step is to file down the stopper on the TB.

It would be good if you have an OBD2 reader attaced to the car. This is so that you can monitor the increase in the throttle position as you work on the car. Take your time and file it.

 

My initial Absolute Throttle Position was only 70.2%. Now it has increased to 78%. If you're wondering, I'm using this ELM327 device to connect to the car. You can buy it over the internet for less than RM100.

Now the car accelerates much better(of course with the accelerator floored) and improved top speed to, and most definately increased fuel consumption.