Rescuing an abandoned Diesel 12 valve in Europe

[GoceKU]

Impressive transformation!

Thank you, i just find out, that picture was october 2014, the headlights are brighter and the hood still has some lacquer, 9 years later i bought it.

 

[Winegrower]

You were definitely the right guy for this job. Great results, and an interesting story of the journey. Congratulations!

 

[GoceKU]

Today i did some tire changing, i want to run some wider tires especially in the back i had those 235 40ZR17 tires so i mounted them. That was easy said then done the tires are wider than the rim off the bead i had to use 2 pry bars to squeeze the tire when installing it . I'm still looking for wheel bolts a want to avoid making them. For the wheel spacers i'll make them.

 

[GoceKU]

After more than a week of chasing the previous owner i managed to arrange for him to come to the notary that issued the document so they can reissue him a notarised copy. The guy turn out to be very unreliable but i'm glad its done. It cost me time money and frustration. Also i had to be in Skopje on the hottest day of the year with no a/c when i return i got the insurance agent to reissue an insurance policy, they need to be the same date, and went to the DMV and got my plates, now is registered and insured ready for driving. I also need to fill it with fresh fuel, to dilute the 14 year old diesel.

 

[Tozguy]

You sure worked hard and long to get the paperwork sorted out. But you did it and won a lot of admiration from us in the process.

 

[GoceKU]

Last few days i've been driving this car everywhere, i'm taking it easy like it's a rebuilt engine because it's been sitting for so long. I put half a tank of fresh diesel to dilute the old fuel. You can see some of the places i visited, it drives well, the tires aren't the best and the brakes pulse on higher speed. I'll fix both tings as i use it. One thing i need to check, i've park this 406 to another mine looks to be longer, especially in the back door, i'm not sure if there is different variants or length.

 

[GoceKU]

I've been driving this car for some time now its driving fine but the old tires i put on to move it around are not good. Yesterday i managed to finish the back wheel spacers and i decided to reuse the taper bolts because the wheel have a matching taper. One side by one i mounted the rear 17" rims with 235 40ZR17 tires, that is a bit over kill tire for my driving but they fill the rims well and should help with stability, last 10 years i've been driving widebody cars, this one is narrow and it feels in sharp corners. I may need to go with bigger tires in diameter to fill the wheel well more i went with the same not to mess with the speedo calibration.

 

[GoceKU]

Yesterday i got the yellow glow of the abs light, from years of previous experience my battery is dying. Drove it home check it and it was at 10.8v. Took apart the alternator and found the brushes are stuck and worn down, had a new set and change them. Tested it it 12.8-13.8v at rpm, not great but maybe the brashes haven't still settle, took it to work this morning. I was checking it on the gps and it was 11.8 to 13v dependent on the load, headlight, aircon. When i got back i took it apart again and change the complete alternator with a spare from the parts car. This is the 3rd alternator on this car, i'll look in to get the original 120 amp unit fixed because i'm suspecting the 80 amps is not keeping up. With this 3 rd alternator is at 14,4v at idle.

 

[GoceKU]

Time for report, i've been driving this car as my daily for few months now, the alternator die again, i replaced it with the spare one. The engine needed few miles to get its power back and now is running as it should. This engines are known for their brut torque and low revs, this one is much smoother than others i've driven, the electric fuel pump does not apply the torque so quickly so the tires grip. The high speed stability is another thing completely the 235 wide tires in the back really helped but it still wanted to oversteer so i bought new wheel spaces, and brought the tires as much to the corners as i could. Now is good, i need to look into a rear spoiler or a diffuser to keep the back down. But for practicality is much better than the sedans, i don't need to think will it fit, just lift the tailgate and throw it in. I do miss the big sedans they are much more stable and have better brakes, but i can't cut thru traffic like i can in this narrow body car. In the near by future i'll have to change it to winter tires, which i plan to run steel rims and i may get the windows tinted, it's like a solar garden inside.

 

[GoceKU]

This car has been used for my daily commute for few months now and i've been very satisfied, but the brakes have been lacking. They show ok on the rollers but having had to do couple of panic stops, they take much longer than my other peugeot's. I did some troubleshooting, changed the brake fluid, had a slider on one back caliper sticking, clean it out and greased it. Only part that is not replaced is the front discs and pads, they are very thin. So i bought me some good quality discs and pads, i'll replace them probably when i change to winter tires. And hopefully i'll get better stopping power, i should have replace them when i changed the back ones but at that point i had my hands full with the paint job and doing the big service and the pads had 75% life on them.