advice wanted on a car thats been layed up for 6 months

[untamedstylist]

hi peeps...

wondered if theres any car enthusiasts or mechanics amungst us that can advise me!

ive just bought a peugeot 306 gti....

i bought it and had to collect it from northampton, aparently it's been layed up for about 6 months so warmed it up for a while and drove it very gently on the way home...

seemed a little lumpy on low revs but absoloutly fine when picked up in revs, also running a little hot, sadly it was a little dark and was not able to have a good proper look around the engine although looks very nice and clean.

it got me back to london after a 2 hr drive and managed not to overheat too much but was still running a temperature of around 110 instead of 90....

car drove fine just a little lumpy on low revs and the being a little hotter than normal..

other than booking it in for a service when i will do when i have the cash can anyone advise anything i can do or should do to help clear out the engine...

i was thinking of buying some of that nitro u put in a full tank of petrol which is supposed to clearout the engine!

does this stuff actualy work? or does it sound a little more serious!

any good advice welcomed!

thanks

[HAL9000]

Nitro or nitromethane (CH3NO2) is a fuel supplement/enhancer that contains oxygen. It might help burn off carbon residues but first make sure that it is suitable for your engine, fuel pump and catalytic converter otherwise it could do more harm than good.

[EDKiwi]

Could be that the radiator needs flushing out, that may help the overheating (that and check the oil and coolant levels), though you could get that done when you get it serviced.

[untamedstylist]

yeah im going to do the radiator.. as soon as i can get the bugger started! blooming starter motor has decided not to work now! lol oh the joys!

[huncamunca]

1st step - change all the leads & distribtor cap with new uns. Do the plugs as well - may cost up to about ?50 but will likely sort out any rough running. May as well do the fuel filter cartridge at the same time, as these get ignored by most people and get blocked up with gunge n rust.Do this with every used car you get and you will avoid about 80% of the breadown issues that are usually seen

These changes may help with overheating, though this is usually less of an issue with injection cars ( i.e running lean can overheat an engine on carb cars )- this is often the cheapest way to get a car running well again.

See how it runs after these basic changes.If they dont sort out the problems and make a noticeable difference, then you may have to start thing about bigger issues - an iffy head gasket may be to blame for overheating, thouigh this usually gets terminal pretty quickly.

the various engine cleaning aditives do little apart from create a bit of smoke - cars dont get coked up these days , like they did back in the day, so this kind of treatment is nearly redundant

A rad flush may help, but look at replacing the thermostat at the same time, as these too get gunged up if no anti freeze has been used.A new rad can put extra pressure on old hoses, so if you want to do it peoperly, get all the water hoses replaced at the same time as the rad.

Lumpy running could be due to air leaks - dump any aftermarket KN filters that may have been fitted & source an original airbox.Tthe intake & exhaust manifolds gaskets can blow and cause problems like you mention - see if you can hear any overly loud noises from both manifolds when it is running.

Summary - if a total ?200-250 & a few hours DIY outlay doesnt get the car purring along, then think very carefully about investing much more, as these pugs did get caned and could well be shagged out.

[untamedstylist]

huncamunca ...........thanksman!

do u by any chance do all this kind of stuff yourself? if so fancy making some dolar! lol

i sussed out why over heating.... had an airlock in the cooling system,sorted it and now running correct temp, still running a tad lumpy low revs so spark plugs etc next i guess.....

i need to get tthe heater matrix as its got a small leak, but enough to send some steam into the car and a wee puddle on the floor after its done its peeing lol.... that involves the dashboard coming off which garages charge around ?300 +for, anyone know of any home mechanics that might do it for me cheaper?

thanks for help guys!

[huncamunca]

Sadly I must deline your kind offer

speak to Padwicks on OGlander road if you want a quote on the matrix - it may just be a loose clip rather than a full dashboard off scenario

good luck