Peugeot 306 transmission failure - was8v


1993 1.4 peugot 306

Has had a rythmic "thumping" noise related to speed when accelerating in 2nd and 3rd gears for around 3 months.

"cracking" and creaking noise when accelerating hard and steering (i.e. 1st gear from a junction for 2 days.

Something failed yesterday when accelerating out of a junction in 1st.

Now when turning a corner under power, something "jumps", its almost as if it is jumping out of gear and then back in again, very unnnerving and probably dangerous. Car is fine accelerating in a straight line.

Got it jacked up today suspecting a CV joint, but theres no play in any of them. There is a nasty grinding noise coming from where the left (passenger) side inner CV joint connects to the differential. Not sure if it is the inner cv joint or something in the differential making the noise.

Are the wheels supposed to spin together? spinning the right wheel eventually makes the left wheel move at the same speed. Spinning the left wheel never makes the right wheel move.

However the fact it fails when turning a corner leads me to think its more likely to be an outer CV joint or the differential?

Now if the problem is with the diff or gearbox the car will probably be scrapped. If its likely to be a CV joint an exchange driveshaft assembly is £27 from GSF.

Anyone any clues? before I remove the left driveshaft? how can i tell if its broken when i take it off?

thanks in advance.
Advice on changing 306 driveshaft - was8v
About to remove my '93 1.4 306 driveshaft for the first time. Looks straight forward in the haynes manual - will I be swearing soon? anything to look out for or tips?

A friend mentioned with his Astra he had difficulty removing it from the gear box - the haynes doesn't mention any special tools needed for this on the peugeot - do I need any?

cheers, Will.
Advice on changing 306 driveshaft - IanT
Mine is a 93 diesel, so there may be some differences. And I've only done the left driveshaft - the right shaft is harder because it has an extra intermediate bearing.

This is not a complete guide, just notes on things which may not be fully explained in Haynes ...

1. You need a 36mm socket (possibly 35mm, but 36mm is OK) and a Torx T50 screw bit.
2. You need a hefty socket extension bar to undo the hub nut - a 2ft piece of scaffolding tube or similar.
3. Drain the transmission oil.
4. Loosen the three shock absorber nuts in the engine bay by about three complete turns each, to allow the strut some movement when extracting the drive shaft.
5. Remove the lower ball-joint clamp bolt and lever the ball joint down by about half an inch - this will give the necessary clearance to remove the three suspension arm nuts.
6. Pull the swivel hub assembly outwards and to the rear - as the driveshaft is not held in place at the gearbox end, it will naturally move out with the swivel hub, so it will need to be loosened from the swivel hub by tapping the end of the drive shaft - the driveshaft is slightly spring-loaded inside the inner boot joint, so some extra clearance can be obtained by pressing the driveshaft inwards.
7. The driveshaft is just a push fit through the oil-seal into the gearbox.
8. The shaft is only held together at the inner joint by the rubber boot and the boot clips, so be reasonably gentle.
9. If dismantling the inner joint, fit rubber bands around the three big rollers so they can't slip off (which could damage them).
10. When refitting the boots, you can use plastic cable ties (or two cable ties joined end to end) instead of the approved metal boot clips.
11. The original inner boot had a plastic sleeve over the shaft at the narrow end of the boot - there was no way I could refit this sleeve inside the new boot, so I left it off.
12. Haynes says that the outer boot also has a plastic sleeve, but mine didn't have one.
13. When finished, tighten the hub nut to 235lb-ft - calculate 235 divided by your weight in pounds (= "x") and then stand on the scaffolding tube x feet from the nut.

Ian
Advice on changing 306 driveshaft - was8v
Thanks very much for the advice, mine sa left one too - have had to put this off until tomorrow anyway. Will have to source some torx drivers from somewhere (what is it for?).

For the record, my 1.4 has a 30mm hub nut not 36mm. And GSF have been miles cheaper for driveshafts (£27 ex vat for a recon exchange item, compared to £55 ex vat locally).

Hopefully my 306 will be resurrected!
Advice on changing 306 driveshaft - IanT
" ...torx drivers from somewhere (what is it for?)..."

On the diesel, the lower ball joint is attached to a plate, and the plate is attached to the suspension arm by three bolts with T50 heads. You can't get a Torx screwdriver onto the heads, but a short Torx adapter bit (something like 3cm long) can be held in place with a small spanner.

BTW the torque setting for the 1.4 is 194lb-ft, not the 235lb-ft I quoted for the diesel.

It's easier to get the hub nut loosened with all wheels on the ground and the front wheel chocked, instead of using the special tool and/or assistant recommended by Haynes. Just the initial loosening by a half turn or so, before jacking the car.

Ian
Advice on changing 306 driveshaft - was8v
Cheers, got it off. The hub nut was *** tight, ended up chiselling it round and off.

Ended up using mole grips to grip the heads of the torx bolts to get em off.

Inner CV is absolutely junk, strange, i thought the outer one had gone, but it was fine.
Advice on changing 306 driveshaft - was8v
Right fitted new driveshaft, problem is still there.

Also, having read this:

tinyurl.com/4dbyr

I am sure i'm having the same problem this guy experienced.

Anyone got any idea where I can get a recon gearbox for my 1.4 1993 306? I believe its the MA gearbox, however there are a few variations, and i'm not sure which I have.

Can anyone recommend a transmission specialist who will help?

I may as well fit a new clutch whilst i'm at it.
Advice on changing 306 driveshaft - was8v
Replacement transmission solved it, so if you have similar symptoms to me then its probably your diff, apparently a weak point on the peugeot / citroen MA5 transmission, hence why they are rare as the proverbial rocking horse poo in scrappys. I must have range 40 scrapyards accross the north west, and found 2 one at £200 and one at £75.

Cars with MA5 transmission: Citroen ZX, xsara and peugeot 306 1400 and 1600. Saxos and 106s are also fitted with the MA5 but have a different, non interchangeable gear linkage.
Advice on changing 306 driveshaft - mfarrow
Replacement transmission solved it, so if you have similar symptoms to
me then its probably your diff, apparently a weak point on
the peugeot / citroen MA5 transmission


Too right!

Just found this thread. Friend had his Xsara differential go last year, another friend has his 306 diff. go bang on Friday!

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Mike Farrow