Peugeot 406 - 03 2.0 DIY Service?: Motoring Technical Car/Motor Issues forum

Technical Car/Motor Issues > Peugeot 406 - 03 2.0 DIY Service?	Miscellaneous
Thread Author: ToMoCo	Replies: 16

Mon 27 Feb 12 10:55

Peugeot 406 - 03 2.0 DIY Service? - ToMoCo

My 53 plate 406HDI is due a service - 102000 miles. Normally I give it to the local indie to be relieved of a few quid.

How hard is it? as a novice, could I give it a go?

If yes, what should I get (nothing in particular needs looking at)

Oil Filter
Oil
Air Filter
What else?
Any tips (or links, if it's been covered)

Last edited by: ToMoCo on Mon 27 Feb 12 at 10:56

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Mon 27 Feb 12 11:01

Peugeot 406 - 03 2.0 DIY Service? - VxFan

>> What else?

for starters:-
Fuel filter.
Pollen filter.
Brake fluid (recommended to be changed every 2 or 3 years)

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Mon 27 Feb 12 11:07

Peugeot 406 - 03 2.0 DIY Service? - ToMoCo

Thanks.

It had new Pads/Disks all round 10 months ago, so the fluid should be good till next service.

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Mon 27 Feb 12 11:26

Peugeot 406 - 03 2.0 DIY Service? - L'escargot

>> It had new Pads/Disks all round 10 months ago, so the fluid should be good
>> till next service.

Renewing brake pads and discs doesn't automatically involve breaking into the fluid system, so was the brake fluid actually changed at the same time?

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Mon 27 Feb 12 11:35

Peugeot 406 - 03 2.0 DIY Service? - ToMoCo

I assumed it did (yeah, never assume). I'll dig out the last invoice and check, But maybe best to replace and be sure if i'm doing the rest anyway.

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Mon 27 Feb 12 11:59

Peugeot 406 - 03 2.0 DIY Service? - -

Before starting give the car a good underbody wash to hose out all the salt.

Then as above good advice, and whilst your down there (old ones are still the best.;) bleeding the brakes, remove brake pads and make sure the pistons and sliders etc are all free moving, inspect and lubricate as necessary with the correct brake grease as you reassemble.

Inspect drive shaft couplings and rubber bellows, clean and slosh some waxoyl or CL grease about on the brake pipes, carefully inspect flexible hoses.
Check all suspension joints for wear and rubber perishing, check shockers for leaks and effort, check exhaust for conditionand security, check drive belts...is it due a cambelt or coolant replacement?

If you find any slight wear in CV joints you can often prolong their life indefinately by snipping the large clip, bend back bellows repack joint with fresh CV grease and use a sturdy cable tie to re-attach bellows....i have snipped the small end before and fed a narrow grease gun up the bellows too depending on design...i used to do this as part of a full service in my kerbside cowboy days when my customers aquired a new to them car, my customers cars lasted long....cleanliness is an obvious must for this.

PS...check gearbox oil level...being a Pug you will have to look up how far below the fill plug as from memory fill plug is not level plug...or if its been a long time renew gearbox oil anyway.

Last edited by: gordonbennet on Mon 27 Feb 12 at 12:02

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Mon 27 Feb 12 12:00

Peugeot 406 - 03 2.0 DIY Service? - Iffy

Bleeding brakes is not a job for a novice, so I think you need to consider if you want to take the job on or not.

Brake fluid is supposed to be replaced every two or three years, but I bet few owners bother doing it that often.

Are there any other jobs that need doing at 100,00m?

For Ford diesels it's cambelt time.

The engine in your Peugeot could well be from the same family, so it might need a belt.

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Mon 27 Feb 12 12:23

Peugeot 406 - 03 2.0 DIY Service? - ToMoCo

Cambelt was replaced just over 2 years ago around 65k.

It's all sounding a bit much now without proper facilities to be honest.

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Mon 27 Feb 12 12:33

Peugeot 406 - 03 2.0 DIY Service? - Iffy

Not something I would do unless I had to - shortage of money.

Even then, you be paying retail for consumables and will probably have to buy a tool two, so the saving over a garage service may not be that great.

Last edited by: Iffy on Mon 27 Feb 12 at 12:34

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Mon 27 Feb 12 13:20

Peugeot 406 - 03 2.0 DIY Service? - Dog

I don't know if this applies to modern oil burners but, when we lived in Tenerife I had a little AX 1.4 diesel and although I'm more-than competent with a petrol engine, I did a service on the AX which included changing the fuel filter, and I couldn't get the blimmin thing started afterward!

I ended up calling in a local English mechanic who soon had it going again = air lock :)

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Mon 27 Feb 12 13:48

Peugeot 406 - 03 2.0 DIY Service? - -

>> I ended up calling in a local English mechanic who soon had it going again
>> = air lock :)
>>

Most if not all PSA cars have a primer bellows, but i always check its working before removing the old filter, too late when you've got an empty filter and a us primer on saturday afternoon..;)
If no primer then i pre fill the fuel filter with clean fuel before fitting, though this is not possible on many designs and would not have been possible on our C2 when i changer the ff a couple of weeks ago, though you can usually find some way to syphon some fuel in one way or another close enough to full to get it running.

I will not do as MB and other seem to require, churn the starter over for minutes to fill the filter with the laughingly called self bleeder.

edit, there's a lovely little AX diesel just round the corner from us, not a spot of rust on it...cheaper motoring possible to be found?

Last edited by: gordonbennet on Mon 27 Feb 12 at 13:49

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Mon 27 Feb 12 14:00

Peugeot 406 - 03 2.0 DIY Service? - Dog

Think I'll stick with petrol injuns gord :)

My AX had the all-alloy engine, but the later ones (1.5 I think) were not as nice I seem to remember.

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Mon 27 Feb 12 20:22

Peugeot 406 - 03 2.0 DIY Service? - Dave_

I had a new 53 plate 406HDi, its level of complication at the time was beyond me so my involvement was limited to keeping it clean. And driving it :)

Nowadays I'm comfortable with doing basic servicing on my equally complex 55 plate diesel Mondeo, but anything involving taking the engine or fuel system apart would see it taken to a mechanic.

Re: PSA manual fuel priming pumps - Yes they do have them, but they can't be relied upon. If they're never used the diaphragm inside can harden and become brittle over time, and they split the first time the plunger is pressed, requiring replacement. I've done it twice.

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Tue 28 Feb 12 15:15

Peugeot 406 - 03 2.0 DIY Service? - madf

I cannot recommend a novice does any work on brakes without competent assistance..

Sometimes the work is complex,
sometimes potentially dangerous : you need axle stands as well as a jack for safety
if you do it wrong, you can kill yourself and others.
the costs of getting it wrong vastly outweigh the savings..

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Tue 28 Feb 12 15:43

Peugeot 406 - 03 2.0 DIY Service? - ToMoCo

Beyond attempting to change the oil/oil filter/air filter, I realise the rest is probably a bit much for me.

Booked in for Thursday.

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Tue 28 Feb 12 16:22

Peugeot 406 - 03 2.0 DIY Service? - Number_Cruncher

Reading this thread, it's no wonder you've been put off doing the work yourself.

A more rational approach is to obtain the list of service tasks for your car, and then check your receipts to find what was done and when. Then, you can prepare a list of tasks which actually need doing. On a modern car, this is a short, easy list.

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Mon 2 Apr 12 12:48

Peugeot 406 - 03 2.0 DIY Service? - Robin the Technician

Hi,
Changing the filters & oil is a piece of cake - you don't even have to bleed the fuel filter - it does it itself.
I agree however that bleeding the brakes is best left to someone competent (and qualified) to do it. You will do yourself no harm in investing in a Haynes manual which is specifically aimed at people like yourself - needing a little guidance. I don't think anyone here is trying to scare you into not doing the brakes - it's just its a safety critical system that requires a 'more experienced' hand to do it.
Good luck with the service - i think it will be something you can do - with the right guidance.

Robin the Technician - I fix, therefore I am...

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