Just bought a 1.6 '02' 206, HELP!

[coolasacucumber]

Talk about mixed emotions...!

My wife needed a car, and she has liked the 206 CC for a long time. Found one advertised pretty locally, went to see it (in the dark ) But well lit forecourt.

All seemed good, not a perfect example, and a couple of minor things wrong, but all of the big things seemed ok, and the roof worked perfectly, I think we must have tried it 7 or 8 times

The test drive was good, very smooth, very very low on fuel though. Struck a price with the trader which we were happy with, and we drove away a 2002 '52' plate 1.6 S, with black & red leather. It has 102k, but lots of service history, and proof that the cambelt was changed at 80k. It was last serviced in August 2012.

We drove away happy. There was an Asda around the corner, and it was literally running on fumes, so I filled up with fuel (I like to do that with a new car to see what it holds, and see what I can get to a full tank...)

Leave Asda, no problems, onto the motorway, no problems, untiiillllll.... I was happily sitting at 70, whilst very impressed with the mpg (I've had diesels for years).

I dropped down to 55/60 in 5th, then changed down to 4th and put my foot down expecting it to sail up to 70 quite quickly...

But the Emissions Control Warning light flashed on a couple of times, and there was virtually NO delivery of power. I got up to 70, but literally crawled there. It stayed at 70 with no problems.

I pulled over when we left the motorway, and it was juddering quite badly, idling anywhere from c.100 -1000 revs.

After doing some digging, it seems that this has happened to a few others. The idea of this car, apart from a short hop work mobile, was to be a bit of cheap fun, and as such we can't spend a fortune repairing it.

I am tempted to go back to the garage, but I must be honest I'm hoping it's a reasonably simple fix that I can attempt.

If anyone can provide some help I'd (we'd) be very very greatful!

Thanks in advance.

[GrandadMonkey]

For a start I never ever use supermarket petrol! Why buy a decent car then put the cheapest fuel you can find in it? I accept that you needed fuel urgently but I would have put a few litres only in it until I could fill up with quality petrol.

I always use Shell V Power and BP Ultimate in our 206cc. Fuels that will save you money in the long run by improved economy, smoother running and keeping your injectors clean.

[coolasacucumber]

Thanks for the reply. Although I understand a lower octane rating may not be as good for the car, surely it couldn't be only that that causes the problem we experienced?

[GrandadMonkey]

Maybe not, but we had a car once that just would not run properly on supermarket fuel. As I understand it with the 206cc the ecu "learns" its settings according to the fuel being used and if it has been run on decent fuel in the past then it may still be trying to readjust for the cheaper fuel. I would only use decent fuel in future.

The warning light has probably come on because of incomplete combustion products hitting the lambda sensor. Having fault codes read would help to identify the problem.
Things I would be looking to check are:
Air filter - is this dirty or wet - would cause an over-rich mixture (might also indicate how well it has been serviced in the past)
Spark Plugs - what state are they in and are they the correct Peugeot Bosch ones - Pugs don't seem to like alternative makes.
Coil pack - if faulty this could cause a misfire
Cracked/hissing breather hoses - leaks can cause poor running

However, since the car was run very low on fuel I would suspect a fuel issue.

If I had only just bought the car from a dealer I personally would take it back to them immediately to sort it out. I would tell them the sequence of events after taking the car from them to give them the best chance of sorting it out, i.e.
Drove car from forecourt
Filled up with petrol as the tank was virtually empty
Drove on motorway at 70
After slowing down to 55, tried to accelerate again - no power and ECW light came on.

If you have a go at fixing it yourself before taking it back then he could argue that it is something you have done and charge you for it.

Good luck. Let us know how you get on.

[coolasacucumber]

Thanks for the comprehensive reply, I'll check some of those bits out!

I must admit I've never had a problem with supermarket fuel before, but I know some have. It has a full tank now, would an additive product, Redex etc help do you think?

Think we'll stick to decent fuel in the future...

We bought it as a 'Trade Sale' from a small dealer, so npot sure entirely where that leaves me with a return.

[coolasacucumber]

After driving it home on Tuesday evening & experiencing those problems, we didn't use the car yesterday. Just been out on a country run, nice and steady, nothing above 4k revs or 60mph, and it ran like a dream.

I'm going to put some fuel additive just to be on the safe side, and of course it may be different when we go on the motorway etc, but I'm glad it didn't happen again (and that it started on a cold morning after reading all of the problems on here )

Now to change a head light bulb, buy some mats, get rid of the dog hair from the rear carpet,and buy an airfreshner!

It is my wifes first experience of open tp motoring (cold here today, but the sun is semi-appearing!), needless to say, she absolutely loved it!

[GrandadMonkey]

Good, I'm glad it seems to have sorted itself. Perhaps the ecu has adjusted itself to the different fuel.

I never bother with additives myself. Have fun with the headlamp bulb.

Ron