Need help with a Peugot diesel

[AFoulk]

My girlfriends old man just bought an old diesel Peugot as a beater car, and wants to do something about putting a block heater in it. He didn't think he'd have much luck finding something that would fit in one of the factory freeze plugs, so hes thinking about getting an electric fuel heater like you would put on a big rig and installing it in one of the heater lines. Any suggestions guys? I'm gonna check at work tomorrow to see if we have anything in our catalogs, but I was also wondering if a bmw, mercedes, or VW block heater would fit. Sorry, I havn't had anytime to look at the car, I don't know what model, year, or engine it has, I just know its got a diesel in it. And since its just a beater, I don't think he wants to spend a whole lot on it.

 

[TBurow]

they make a coolant heater that connects to the heater core hoses and has an internal pump to circulate coolant through the engine. they are at most large auto parts stores for about $45

 

[hammersley]

You poor guy...........

back in the 80's I had a total of 5 504's, all station wagon's NONE turbocharged - and one 604 Turbo Sedan - these cars are a FREAKING $$$$$$$$$$$$$$ PIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!! RUN AS FAR AS YOU CAN from them!!!!!!!!



They have terrible glow plugs that are constantly going out - they almost always need to have them operating - if one goes south - it starts hard - 2 go out - FORGET IT - she won't start!!!



The electrical starters are a problem as well as the alternators..... they ride the best you can ever imagine - they don't have enough power to pull a sick ***** off a toilet!!!!



And imagine this - the French hate the English so much - that when you work on the wheel bearings there isn't the usual wheel bearing nut with a cotter pin -(the English invented the Cotter Pin ) No Way - they use a nut that has an extended sleve that you actually hit with a chisel into a fixed grove - to keep it from turning - use it once - throw away!!!!

 

[TFucili]

Some of their diesels were joint venture units that they shared with Volvo and Renault, IIRC. In general, I would agree with Hammersley. Horror stories are abundant.

 

[FourBarR]

I agree they are junk, French and English stuff bad engineering. You should work on their airplanes. !!!!!!

 

[AFoulk]

I've seen lots of cars that use those wheel bearing nuts... . I believe they're called a "stake" nut. I had a ford festiva years ago that used them.

Anyways, he bought the thing for $300 with 280,000miles on it just to use as a beater back and forth to work. He just wanted something cheap to heat it up at night. Trust me, it wouldn't have been my first choice in cheap transportation either.

Anyways, I found a zerostart catalog at work, and I think I found a heating unit for him that he can put inline with his heater hoses and it'll circulate the coolant too.

 

[rscurtis]

As I once heard on one of the radio car question and answer shows, "only buy a French car if you live in France. " Another option is to find a well used

123 Mercedes- several years ago I bought an '82 300 CD with 238,000+ miles on it (the odo had stopped working), the AC didn't work, it was rusty, the paint was shot, but it started and ran well-all for $500. Parts and advice for these are easy to come by and relatively cheap (except hard parts). I sold it for $900 when I found what I really wanted-a 300D sedan with 101k miles.

 

[mhenon]

back in the 80's I had a total of 5 504's, all station wagon's NONE turbocharged - and one 604 Turbo Sedan - these cars are a FREAKING $$$$$$$$$$$$$$ PIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!! RUN AS FAR AS YOU CAN from them!!!!!!!!



They have terrible glow plugs that are constantly going out - they almost always need to have them operating - if one goes south - it starts hard - 2 go out - FORGET IT - she won't start!!!



The electrical starters are a problem as well as the alternators..... they ride the best you can ever imagine - they don't have enough power to pull a sick ***** off a toilet!!!!



And imagine this - the French hate the English so much - that when you work on the wheel bearings there isn't the usual wheel bearing nut with a cotter pin -(the English invented the Cotter Pin ) No Way - they use a nut that has an extended sleve that you actually hit with a chisel into a fixed grove - to keep it from turning - use it once - throw away!!!!

Stop beating around the bush... do you like the car or not????