Another update on 306 woes - Andrew Petterson
Hiya,

Thanks for all the replys.
We took the car to Graham Harper, (what a nice man he is) and he wasn't altogether sure what was calling the noise, however, his best guess was a big end rattling. He gave three options:
1. Leave it and see if it gets worse
2. Try renewing the big end shells and see if it fixes the problem and at the same time, see how the crank looks. (Cost about £150)
3. Put a thick oil such as 20w-50 in the car to try and deaden the noise and get rid of the car at an auction.

In your experience, guys do you think renewing the shells is worth it, and is this a fair price for doing it, or is it only a temporary fix before a crank regrind.

Cheers

Andy

Again please see previous posts on 306 woes for the whole saga
Big ends..... - David Lacey
The shells have probably been replaced previously..........before you bought it

Rgds

David

PS I suggest you leave it until something happens.
Re: Big ends..... - John Slaughter
Andrew

Changing the oil viscosity won't make any significant difference.

Whilst you could leavi it 'till something happens, the 'something' (probably major failure of a big end), could well leave you stranded on the hard shoulder, and could do some secondary damage, increasing the final bill.

I'd be inclined to get it fixed sooner rather than later. Extent of work required can only be determined when it's dismantled.

Regards

JS
Short-sighted..... - David Lacey
I guess it was rather short-sighted of me to suggest Andrew to leave it.....

Holes in engine blocks render the engine non-returnable for surcharge if a reconditioned engine is fitted adding up to £500 to the cost.

Rgds

David (Tail between legs scurrying away....)
Re: Short-sighted..... - Dave N
If it does require new shells, you need to find out why they have worn so quickly. No point indoing it only to find an oilway blocked and the same thing happening again within a few miles.
Re: Short-sighted..... - Richard Hall
I would junk the engine altogether and fit a guaranteed second-hand replacement from a reputable dismantler. The 1.4 petrol motor has been around for donkeys years, and turns up in Citroen AX, BX, ZX, Saxo etc etc as well as millions of Peugeots. You should be able to find a good one for around £250 and get a garage to fit it for a couple of hundred more.

If your existing engine really has a major mechanical fault, there could be little bits of metal swarf in all the oilways by now. Once you have sourced a replacement, you can take apart your old engine for fun, and see if you can spot what went wrong...

I should get out more.