205 1.8 GLD xud7 starting trouble (fixed)

[ekjdm14]

Agreed, the horror stories you've likely read about PSA glow plugs snapping is from the HDi era. Never given XU glowplugs a second thought as far as snapping goes, always just warmed the engine up & unscrewed them without a fight. I have snapped a plug in an HDi and it was a royal pain but the design is totally different.

I'd really just go for it, if you've done cambelt then like moizeau said you'll find the GP's a piece of cake. Should be a Lucas pump on the 205 I think so easier access to the #4 plug too, only bit of advice I'd give is to be careful tightening the 8mm busbar nuts because if you overdo it & turn the stud it can damage the new plug. That and do follow the advice to only use BERU plugs in this engine, or at the very least avoid NGK like they've got dog muck on them (because that's what they are IMO).

Good to see a non-GTi 205 being kept alive, lovely little cars with decent handling & peppy enough for a 1.8 NA diesel too from my memories of the yellow D-Junior I bought as a write off years ago. (Actually, not relevant to this issue I feel but, the only non-start I had with that was a no-crank situation which was the main earth connection to the gearbox needed cleaning. You could actually see the small black earth wire to the fuel filter housing "twitch" and go shiny/melty as it heated up when the starter tried to find a return path through that!)

[white exec]

Would endorse all the above comments.
No problem with XUD glowplugs....just turn steadily with a proper tubular spanner or deep socket.
Copper grease when replacing.
Clean up, but don't over-tighten the 8mm nuts.

You have a great car and NA engine there. We had similar (XUD9 NA) in our BX19RD.
On this one, save yourself a garage bill, and just fit the BERUs.

Don't forget to test the old plugs afterwards. Will be interesting to know the result.

[lad-with-205d]

ok i've got the plugs ordered and ill try it myself, thanks all for dispelling some horror stories
ill be sure to test and let you know about the old plugs... and i hope this will sort this normally ultra reliable motor

in the mean time here are some photos to make you laugh

we had to do some welding and didn't have a pit... some time in the future i'll get a car rollover jig for the full restoration

[white exec]

"Wooden suspension" is usually something Citroen owners complain about (on bad days)!
She's getting some good TLC there.

[Pug_XUD_KeenAmateur]

nowt wrong with a bit of 'makeshift & mend'. I've found a multitude of uses for Concrete Blocks too.

I like to also have a couple of well positioned wheels under a car, so that should anything go wrong there's a good chance the wheels will take the blow of the falling car, rather than oneself.

[Activa TCT]

Might be bad ignition key lock. Plugs should be on for a few secs then you can crank. A bit worn out xud7 might not start just on compression if it's cold.

[lad-with-205d]

here we go "THE BIG UPDATE"

new plugs arrived (BERU) and i got the old ones out just fine,
tested the old ones and found that only 1 was working well and 2 where dead, dead... the last one only just started to glow.
so i think i only had 1 glow plug working, amazed it still started the car, i now love the car even more, its a little trooper and fires up first time (epic)

thanks again for your help
i now know a little more about the car and how to maintain it.

[moizeau]

Great news, the fact that it started on 1,5 plugs is a good sign that everything else is in good nick.

[white exec]

Brilliant news, and well done, you, for seeing it through!
There isn't a better diesel engine to learn things on.

[lad-with-205d]

my next jobs are

power steering fluid,
thinking i'll suck out most of the old stuff and then refill and repeat a few times? "any tips"

fuel filter
open cap take out old filter and replace with new filter filled with diesel to help bleeding, then prime it up by pumping the bulb?

and another oil and filter change that ones easy

[moizeau]

Have you got a Haynes BOLs? They were still really good when your car was built, somewhat more vague these days.

[white exec]

Second that. The older Haynes manuals were very good.
For the 205, there's Book #0932 - Peugeot 205, 1983-1997
Looks as if it only includes the petrol engines.

For the engine, there was #1379 - Citroen Diesel Engine, 1984-1990
Covers NA and Turbo, XUD7 and XUD9.
A really good manual.
There may have been a later edition of this, but I couldn't see one.

[Little Grebe]

Hello,
I can also recommend Haynes 0950 Peugeot Diesel Engine 1982-1996
This along with the input from forum members has been invaluable for my XUD7

Mark

[moizeau]

I've got a 0950 Peugeot Talbot manual, used but complete, specifies the 205 in the list of models that the engine was used in. If you can't find one closer to home (I'm in France) you're very welcome to it for the cost of postage, probably about a tenner.

[Pug_XUD_KeenAmateur]

Happy Story! Glad to hear its sorted. These little XUD Pugs are so cheap to run, returning 'modern' economy without the complexity ...and comfortable too. I don't think you'll have any difficulties with those two jobs.