The Repair Project II: engine locked while drivin

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Hi folks,

2 years ago, I was driving my MILs car, a 1.4 NA petrol Peugeot 206. For the history, the car was before maintened often at some quick repair shops. Oil changes, timing belt...

I started doing maintenance on this car at 70000km, doing an oil change with a MANN filter and some 5W40 A3/B4 oil, and an air filter. drove the car regularly, more and more. Redlined sometimes, once a tank at least. then, oil and filter at 80000km, done spark plugs too. Car turned to be my daily driver then.

Around 90000km, I did another oil change (and filter), and this is where the bad things began (maybe). First, I used 5W30 C2 because I had some and the owners manual states that the engine can use it. Second, the oil filter cover was slightly damaged inside, maybe the bypass valve or something ? Third, maybe i was lugging the engine.

I Was driving smoothly on a light uphill, 3rd gear at 2000rpm, maybe half pressed gas pedal. The engine then lost power, shattered and stopped. From the beginning of the power loss, it took barely 10 seconds to stop. I tried to downshift and it was the end. When cranking using the starter, the engine couldn’t rotate anymore. I got the car pulled home.

Days later, i accidentally noticed that cranking with starter motor was possible but sounds like there’s no compression, i fought from broken timing belt. I didn’t investigate further, lack of time and motivation.

Now, I’m ready to start fixing it. Where do I start? Who wants to follow this journey?
 
I’m thinking, either timing belt tensionner, or engine lubrication problem (oil overheat, oil starving by bad oil pump or plugged pickup, sludge in oil galleries...). Also, the engine was always running in the hot side of coolant temp gauge, so maybe plugged coolant radiator.
 
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I'm thinking if its a timing belt it probably broke, and if its an interference engine its probably wrecked.

(I can't imagine THE FRENCH would pass up a self-destruct opportunity like that when hardly anyone else does)
 
Originally Posted By: JC1
How old is the Peugeot?


2007 model year, average condition (before the engine went wrong).

I'll try to remove that timing belt housing. I just removed the top cover and actually the belt is still in one piece.

What makes me think that it's maybe a lubrication/local overheat problem is that the engine locked up when it happened, and freed up later.
 
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Originally Posted By: Donald
Are you getting blamed for any of this.

More or less but I'm okay with it, because I know it would likely have happened whatsoever, and I managed to be towed home without much hassle, and without much money spended. I prefer this than MIL stuck with my kids, car broke, in the middle of a fast road... (worst situation)
 
You may get lucky. With the M 20 engine in the 528e, the damage is often confined to the valves and the head.
Pistons will be dented but survive. However, the age of the car, parts and labor, send the car to the junkyard.
 
Originally Posted By: andyd
However, the age of the car, parts and labor, send the car to the junkyard.


In working condition, a used similar car costs no less than EUR 3000 here (USD 3600). Because I'll do most repair with my own hands, I think it's worth fixing. Of course, if I had money to spend, I would have sent the car to a junkyard and bought something more "suitable" (auto trans, more like a compact SUV).
 
Usually a timing belt fails by having several teeth come off at the spot that is engaged to the crankshaft. The outer part of the belt may appear intact, but the belt and cam will not move when cranking.
 
OP suspects engine seized and now spins. TB is intact.

Check oil, crank it, do compression test, go from there.
 
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Originally Posted By: mk378
Usually a timing belt fails by having several teeth come off at the spot that is engaged to the crankshaft. The outer part of the belt may appear intact, but the belt and cam will not move when cranking.


+1

No matter what happened, if no, or low compression now, you have one or more bent valves. So the head will have to come off to see what really happened and get the compression back ... Can you get the pan/sump off with the engine in the car?

Once the head is off, if the pistons survived, I'd do a nice valve job on the head, shave 0.020 off the gasket surface, and if the pan will come off, roll in a new set of rod bearings. Prolly drop out the oil pump and check it for metal bits/scoring and "plate" the end cap.

Re-assemble and drive on. Make sure to epoxy a big plate magnet into the bottom of the pan (sump) so that any loose Fe metal bits get captured and sty out of circulation.

Take pictures along the way
smile.gif


Parts are a lot cheaper than a new car ...
 
Did you state how many miles / km are on the car ? At what miles / km does the owner's manual call for timing belt to be replaced ?

I have never worked on this brand of car , so just taking a guess it is a messed up timing belt , idler , tensioner , etc. .
 
I'm in. Depending on the damage to the head, you may be out a few valves and gaskets. The combustion chambers will be beaten up. Use some sort of grinder to smooth them out. Unless you can see through a piston, don't mess with them. You may need plugs. Is another head , preferably used, available? Thats the cheap way. Is there a Peugot forum? The E28 group I hang with is worldwide and is almost a fraternal order. Whatever you do, please post your progress. I replaced a set of exhaust valves on a Honda. It was DIL's car. 2 valves and a head gasket kit. A Haynes manual gave me the the torque specs and order for tightening. The rest of the manual was " remove stuff. Replacement is the reverse of installation." It took me a month, feeling my way. I set the engine to TDC before I started. I match marked the distributor before I removed it. Oh, If you can manage it, leave the intake and exhaust manifolds on the head. Easier to deal with them on the bench. Because there wasn't an overheat, I didn't have the head checked. I backed the bolts out in 3 stages to preserve its flatness. It passed a straight edge test.
 
Originally Posted By: mk378
Usually a timing belt fails by having several teeth come off at the spot that is engaged to the crankshaft. The outer part of the belt may appear intact, but the belt and cam will not move when cranking.


Interesting info ! I'll put a mark on the cam pulley to see if it turns.

Originally Posted By: meep
OP suspects engine seized and now spins. TB is intact.
Check oil, crank it, do compression test, go from there.


yes but what do you mean by "checking oil" ? Level is fine. For compression test, I'll have to buy a tool. Any suggestion on what to buy cheaper yet will fit on any engine (will have to use it on other vehicules too after this one) ?

Originally Posted By: BrocLuno
No matter what happened, if no, or low compression now, you have one or more bent valves. So the head will have to come off to see what really happened and get the compression back ... Can you get the pan/sump off with the engine in the car?


Or all the rings stuck in their gaps ?

Of course while the car is immobilized, I'll plan to take the pan off to clean anything and inspect (or replace) oil pump, because it seems to be a particular point of failure on these PSA "TU" (TU3JP) engines.

Originally Posted By: WyrTwister
Did you state how many miles / km are on the car ? At what miles / km does the owner's manual call for timing belt to be replaced ?


90000Km (56000 miles) on the car, timing belt claims (from the parts&labor receipt I found in the glove box) to be done 3 years and 30000km before the actual engine failure; but given the cheap parts we can find, maybe a plastic tensioner roller/bearing came off, ... The thing is, it's actually tight in there to remove covers here and there to see the actual damage. But now, I'm in, and will get over it
smile.gif


Originally Posted By: andyd
It passed a straight edge test.


What is a straight edge test ?

smile.gif
 
What is a straight edge test ?

I inverted the head on the bench and ran my 3 foot long carpenter's level along the flats with a light behind it. Not enough light to worry about is good. Really lit up is bad. So is anything you can stick a feeler gauge through.
 
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Originally Posted By: andyd
What is a straight edge test ?

I inverted the head on the bench and ran my 3 foot long carpenter's level along the flats with a light behind it. Not enough light to worry about is good. Really lit up is bad. So is anything you can stick a feeler gauge through.


By extension, the straight edge straight edge test is a piece of fishing line under tension along the side of the straight edge, which gives you a clue as to whether your straight edge is, like, straight.
 
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