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Author Subject: New guy...in Japan.
EUPoget

Newbie

Location: Shinshiro

Registered: 25 Nov 2011

Posts: 5

Status: Offline
Post #1
Hello all,

My name's Chad, but the locals call me "Chado-san" here in rural Japan.
I found out about this forum through a vwvortex user. (I owned only pre-'99 VWs in the US.)

It appears there's a wealth of info here and the fast-moving forums seem friendly and useful.

Let me tell you why I'm here.

The rundown:
I'm living in Japan, driving a kei car daily.
A friend of mine has a 6-spd, 2001ish Peugeot 306, in great cosmetic condition, that had the timing belt snap a number of months ago.
Her mechanic friend said that it'd cost 40万円 (about $5k USD) to repair.
She and her husband decided to abandon it and it's been sitting at the mechanic's house since.
Also, she's willing to hand the car over to me.

That's the little information I gathered from a brief conversation about the car.

My questions:
What engines were available with a 6-spd transmission? (Wikipedia doesn't offer much help.)
What's the best way to score an engine? For how much?
How are these cars to work on? Easy? Poorly-designed? A dream?
I hear they handle like a dream, but are there any poor designs or weak points?
I'm glad I found this forum because the few I've looked at haven't looked too promising and lack useful information.

Here's a picture of my daily beast.
1991 Honda Today 5spd
660cc carbureted 3 cylinder




Here's a link to a model in Japan that I think may be similar to the one in question:
[URL]http://www.gooworld.jp/usedcar/spread/goow/13/700957172020111122005.html[/URL]
EDIT: Um... does this forum accept links? If so, I must be using the wrong format.

I look forward to hearing about these vehicles and hopefully becoming an owner (for a short time, at least).


-Chad

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Accepting gti engine donations in Japan.
Posted 25th Nov 2011 at 11:42
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cjm_harris

Seasoned Pro

Location: Parts for Sale section

Registered: 04 Dec 2007

Posts: 7,442

Status: Offline
Post #2
Welcome mate Wave

If the 306 she has does have 6 gears, it will be a gti6 Yes It may be branded as an S16 though.

They are quite common to have the timing belt slip/snap, and an engine here can be had for around £300, not sure how much it would cost to get it over there though, the repair may be the better option.

________________________________________

Chris
1999 China Gti6 Supercharged Devil [Fun car] >>Project Thread<<
2000 Bianca 306 Diesel [Work runabout]
Posted 25th Nov 2011 at 11:45
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welshpug!

Capt Pedantic

Location: Bigend, Wales.

Registered: 27 Mar 2007

Posts: 25,839

Status: Offline
Post #3
Only the Xu10J4RS (RFS) came with the 6 speed BE3/6 transmission, there are only found in the 306 GTI6 (Or S16 BV6)

Early S16's used the RFY engine with a BE3/5 gearbox, 5 speed.



Are labour and parts prices extortionate over there? as Peugeot UK list a BRAND NEW engine for £5.5k.

________________________________________

need a part number? get on here - http://public.servicebox.peugeot.com

Bring on the Trumpets.

Posted 25th Nov 2011 at 11:47
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monkeyman

Seasoned Pro

Location: Sunny St Albans

Registered: 01 Oct 2008

Posts: 1,955

Status: Offline
Post #4
What's the best way to score an engine? For how much?
You may just need a new head unless the pistons are damaged, that would make the job much easier. You can get an engine for £2-400, but shipping it will be a headache, you will also need an unlocked ecu to work with it.

How are these cars to work on? Easy? Poorly-designed? A dream?
A complete nightmare, unless you have very long double jointed arms, with tiny but very strong hands LOL, more difficult than most engines of their age, but I guess the same as modern plastic covered engines

I hear they handle like a dream, but are there any poor designs or weak points?
Cambelt, turning circle, poor fuel economy, suspension parts will need refreshing - bushes etc, air-con LOL, electrics can be temperamental, alarms die, but for a 10 year old hot hatch it is a ton of fun.

How will you get past the Japanese emission/car age limitations?

The car in the ad is a very nice condition phase 3, 306 S16/GTi6 Thumbs up

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Forum Search Clicky
Posted 25th Nov 2011 at 12:06
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EUPoget

Newbie

Location: Shinshiro

Registered: 25 Nov 2011

Posts: 5

Status: Offline
Post #5
cjm_harris wrote:
Welcome mate Wave

If the 306 she has does have 6 gears, it will be a gti6 Yes It may be branded as an S16 though.

They are quite common to have the timing belt slip/snap, and an engine here can be had for around £300, not sure how much it would cost to get it over there though, the repair may be the better option.


Thanks, man.
Common timing belt snapping is not something I like to hear about.
I'm guessing this is an interference engine, then. Crazy
If it does come down to having repair as my only option, I'll have to let this one go.
$4k is a very large chunk of the savings I've accumulated over the last year-and-a-half here and I recently took a pay cut. Thumbs down

Also, the car's got leather seats. Black on black.

________________________________________

Accepting gti engine donations in Japan.
Posted 25th Nov 2011 at 14:38
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EUPoget

Newbie

Location: Shinshiro

Registered: 25 Nov 2011

Posts: 5

Status: Offline
Post #6
welshpug! wrote:
Only the Xu10J4RS (RFS) came with the 6 speed BE3/6 transmission, there are only found in the 306 GTI6 (Or S16 BV6)

Early S16's used the RFY engine with a BE3/5 gearbox, 5 speed.


So, I'm guessing it's the S16 from what I've heard.
Did they come as 3 and 5 doors or just one or the other?


welshpug! wrote:
Are labour and parts prices extortionate over there? as Peugeot UK list a BRAND NEW engine for £5.5k.


Yes. Everything's expensive in Japan. Sad
I laugh when my friends in the US are complaining about high gas prices when I've been paying TWICE as much as them for gas since I came here.
Vehicle registration is expensive and is required to be done every 2 years.
People regularly pay $1-1.5k to have the inspection done at a local certified service station.
I was able to do mine, with the help of a friend, for about $400.
Vehicle laws are very strict here and the culture very much depends on presentation.
So, it's pretty rare to take your car to 'that guy you know' to have him look at your car on the cheap.
If something goes wrong, you take it to the shop and pay what you need to.

If I have to buy a new engine, I, unfortunately, will be forced to decline the vehicle.
I don't have the funds to dump a bunch of money into a second car.
The only reasons I'll do this are:
-it's cheap
-the car's fun to drive
-I can sell the car for a (small) profit prior to leaving the country.

Also, there are 2 silver Nissan 300ZXs sitting in a junk yard on a road I drive down once in a while.
I'd LOVE to take 2 and make 1!
There's a guy around the corner from my house that has 3 old school Fairlady Zs sitting in his front yard with oil coolers, body kits, and stickers all over the place.
I'm sure he could help me out with the two silver bullets. Wink

________________________________________

Accepting gti engine donations in Japan.
Posted 25th Nov 2011 at 14:51
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welshpug!

Capt Pedantic

Location: Bigend, Wales.

Registered: 27 Mar 2007

Posts: 25,839

Status: Offline
Post #7
I would look into the cost of shipping a known good unit from the UK.

the gti6/s16 are only 3 door models.


I wouldn't worry too much about US fuel prices, their fuel is crap, 85 RON? Laugh my ass off

________________________________________

need a part number? get on here - http://public.servicebox.peugeot.com

Bring on the Trumpets.

Posted 25th Nov 2011 at 15:02
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EUPoget

Newbie

Location: Shinshiro

Registered: 25 Nov 2011

Posts: 5

Status: Offline
Post #8
monkeyman wrote:
What's the best way to score an engine? For how much?
You may just need a new head unless the pistons are damaged, that would make the job much easier. You can get an engine for £2-400, but shipping it will be a headache, you will also need an unlocked ecu to work with it.

monkeyman wrote:

How are these cars to work on? Easy? Poorly-designed? A dream?
A complete nightmare, unless you have very long double jointed arms, with tiny but very strong hands LOL, more difficult than most engines of their age, but I guess the same as modern plastic covered engines

I USED to have strong hands when I was working at UPS back home, but I've certainly softened up since then.
The guy on the vortex sent me a link to a service guide that talks about using a hose to fill the engine with oil from the bottom or something and you have to take it very slowly. I didn't really study it, but it seemed weird. On VWs, you just dump the oil in the filler hole on the valve cover, turn the engine over, and head to your favorite fast food restaurant. Dunno

monkeyman wrote:

I hear they handle like a dream, but are there any poor designs or weak points?
Cambelt, turning circle, poor fuel economy, suspension parts will need refreshing - bushes etc, air-con LOL, electrics can be temperamental, alarms die, but for a 10 year old hot hatch it is a ton of fun.

What's up with the cam belt (AKA timing belt, right)?
Hmmm... turning circle's a problem in this pint-sized country.
What kind of fuel economy do you see? My friend said she doesn't really recall what hers gets, but it was decent. (12-13km/L?)
If I can get parts for a decent price, swapping them shouldn't be a problem.
From what I gather, this car's in great shape, save the timing belt/engine ordeal.

monkeyman wrote:

How will you get past the Japanese emission/car age limitations?

Good question...
The shaken (shah-ken) inspection is pretty strict and I'd have to replace the engine with one of the equivalent size and do some paperwork, from what I hear.
Age limitations aren't so terrible if the emissions are within spec and the paperwork checks out.
My current car, Honda Today kei car, is 20 years old this year, but has some exemptions because of the minuscule engine size.

monkeyman wrote:

The car in the ad is a very nice condition phase 3, 306 S16/GTi6 Thumbs up

I'm hoping that it's the same as the car in question.
From what I've gathered so far, there's a good chance it's the S16.

Thanks!

________________________________________

Accepting gti engine donations in Japan.
Posted 25th Nov 2011 at 15:05
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dangti6

aka JKshooter

Location: Taunton, Somerset

Registered: 15 Jun 2006

Posts: 10,305

Status: Offline
Post #9
EUPoget wrote:
There's a guy around the corner from my house that has 3 old school Fairlady Zs sitting in his front yard with oil coolers, body kits, and stickers all over the place.



PICS!!!! Thumbs up

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  • Senior Test Automation Engineer for the 306GTi6 Owners Club Forum Wizard

    • Posted 25th Nov 2011 at 15:09
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    EUPoget

    Newbie

    Location: Shinshiro

    Registered: 25 Nov 2011

    Posts: 5

    Status: Offline
    Post #10
    welshpug! wrote:
    I would look into the cost of shipping a known good unit from the UK.

    the gti6/s16 are only 3 door models.


    I wouldn't worry too much about US fuel prices, their fuel is crap, 85 RON? Laugh my ass off


    Hm... Another 3 door?
    I've only owned Jettas and 2 door, topless mk1 Rabbits (Golfs) until this Today.
    How's the rear passenger space in the 306?

    haha, Yea, a lot of stuff doesn't make sense in the states.
    Speaking of fuel, what's the lowest octane fuel recommended to be used in the GTi engine?

    ________________________________________

    Accepting gti engine donations in Japan.
    Posted 25th Nov 2011 at 15:10
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    welshpug!

    Capt Pedantic

    Location: Bigend, Wales.

    Registered: 27 Mar 2007

    Posts: 25,839

    Status: Offline
    Post #11
    quote:
    [quote="monkeyman" you will also need an unlocked ecu to work with it



    no he wont, he still has the original car in a complete state, all he needs is a bare engine or cylinder head.

    ________________________________________

    need a part number? get on here - http://public.servicebox.peugeot.com

    Bring on the Trumpets.

    Posted 25th Nov 2011 at 15:12
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    russbez

    Seasoned Pro

    Location: Inverness-Shire

    Registered: 19 Dec 2005

    Posts: 7,459

    Status: Offline
    Post #12
    ahhh nice one
    welcome to forum Thumbs up

    good luck with that one

    get some pictures up of the car Big grin

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    TEAM HIGH BOOST SUPERCHARGED RALLYE

    My Rallye project thread
    Posted 25th Nov 2011 at 15:29
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    gman

    Seasoned Pro

    Location: Didcot

    Registered: 25 Oct 2007

    Posts: 1,471

    Status: Offline
    Post #13
    I would recommend buying a decent cylinder head from this site, a new head gasket, water pump/cambelt kit, and get it all shipped over to Japan.

    That would be cheaper than shipping a second hand engine over. I'm happy to help source parts and shipping if you need assistance.

    ________________________________________

    1992 Onyx Black 205 GTI-6
    2005 Honda S2000 (Sold)
    2002 Audi S3 (Sold)
    2005 Clio 182 Trophy (sold)
    Posted 25th Nov 2011 at 15:55
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    aphyx

    Regular

    Location: Castle Cary

    Registered: 26 Feb 2010

    Posts: 403

    Status: Offline
    Post #14
    Pug recommends 97 RON, but I'm sure 99% of the members here use standard 95 RON so I doubt there's much difference.

    Also loving the fact that someone is living for the 306 in Japan! Cool

    ________________________________________

    Onward to the Edge!
    Posted 25th Nov 2011 at 16:06
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    honestly3k

    Seasoned Pro

    Location: Berkhamsted

    Registered: 06 Apr 2009

    Posts: 2,390

    Status: Offline
    Post #15
    EUPoget wrote:

    The guy on the vortex sent me a link to a service guide that talks about using a hose to fill the engine with oil from the bottom or something and you have to take it very slowly. I didn't really study it, but it seemed weird. Dunno



    Laugh my ass off

    No friend, its done exactly the way you thought, dump the old oil out through the sump plug at the bottom end of the engine, reapply sump plug with fresh sump washer. Dump 4L of fresh oil in the filler on the cylinder head. Job done!

    LOL whoever told you that sounds like a right joker

    edit; good luck with the motor, its by far the best GTI6 colour - moonstone blue Love

    ________________________________________

    ''Oh, it does handle like a golf!'' Why drive a Golf....when you can drive a GTi-6?
    Posted 25th Nov 2011 at 16:35
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    russbez

    Seasoned Pro

    Location: Inverness-Shire

    Registered: 19 Dec 2005

    Posts: 7,459

    Status: Offline
    Post #16
    aphyx wrote:

    Also loving the fact that someone is living for the 306 in Japan! Cool


    thats what i was thinking LOL

    ________________________________________

    TEAM HIGH BOOST SUPERCHARGED RALLYE

    My Rallye project thread
    Posted 25th Nov 2011 at 16:40
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    xaero1

    Senior User

    Location: Edinburgh

    Registered: 31 Aug 2009

    Posts: 835

    Status: Offline
    Post #17
    EUPoget wrote:
    welshpug! wrote:
    I would look into the cost of shipping a known good unit from the UK.

    the gti6/s16 are only 3 door models.


    I wouldn't worry too much about US fuel prices, their fuel is crap, 85 RON? Laugh my ass off


    Hm... Another 3 door?
    I've only owned Jettas and 2 door, topless mk1 Rabbits (Golfs) until this Today.
    How's the rear passenger space in the 306?
    ?


    It's pretty good for a small car - similar to your Rabbit (we call it a Golf) back in the States. I took mine on a 1000 mile road trip over a week with 2 passengers and loads of camping gear and everyone was comfortable.

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    Light travels faster than sound. That's why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.
    Posted 25th Nov 2011 at 17:05
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    Rich E Forum Admin

    Location: Hertfordshire

    Registered: 27 Apr 2005

    Posts: 7,757

    Status: Offline
    Post #18
    welshpug! wrote:
    I wouldn't worry too much about US fuel prices, their fuel is crap, 85 RON? Laugh my ass off

    Roll eyes

    A different rating system is used in the US which is why the numbers are lower.

    The US rating is anti-knock index (AKI) which is the average of the RON and MON ratings for the fuel in question.

    ________________________________________

    Rich
    Posted 26th Nov 2011 at 11:19
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    arigti6

    Seasoned Pro

    Location: Wiltshire

    Registered: 24 Jan 2010

    Posts: 2,365

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    Post #19
    Welcome Chad Wave

    When you get the pug running it will be 'Honda Today..... Gone tomorrow' Yes

    Never knew they had Pugs in JP?

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    I Live for the 306 Ninja

    TEAM CHERRY PINK RALLYE
    2008 BMW ///M 320d
    Posted 26th Nov 2011 at 19:31
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    gman

    Seasoned Pro

    Location: Didcot

    Registered: 25 Oct 2007

    Posts: 1,471

    Status: Offline
    Post #20
    arigti6 wrote:
    Welcome Chad Wave

    When you get the pug running it will be 'Honda Today..... Gone tomorrow' Yes

    Never knew they had Pugs in JP?


    Yep, they even created a 205 gti auto for the Japanese market. Not sure if they ever made it there though, as I have seen quite a few for sale in the UK

    ________________________________________

    1992 Onyx Black 205 GTI-6
    2005 Honda S2000 (Sold)
    2002 Audi S3 (Sold)
    2005 Clio 182 Trophy (sold)
    Posted 26th Nov 2011 at 19:49
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    arigti6

    Seasoned Pro

    Location: Wiltshire

    Registered: 24 Jan 2010

    Posts: 2,365

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    Post #21
    gman wrote:
    ]Yep, they even created a 205 gti auto for the Japanese market. Not sure if they ever made it there though, as I have seen quite a few for sale in the UK


    Hmm Did they have the bonnet bulge like the standard Automatic 205s? Hyper

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    I Live for the 306 Ninja

    TEAM CHERRY PINK RALLYE
    2008 BMW ///M 320d
    Posted 27th Nov 2011 at 15:04
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