Re: 1986 505 Turbo

PeugeoToGo@aol.com
Sat, 15 Feb 1997 17:23:58 -0500 (EST)

I would venture to guess that the car has either a cracked head or a bad
turbo, or both. If it has a cracked head, it will bubble into the water
bottle when it runs, and use coolant. The radiator will either be recently
replaced or leaking from the side tank near the upper hose. There may be
whitish goo on the underside of the oil filler cap (water in the oil). If
there is a lot of puffing when you remove the oil filler cap with the engine
running it probably has one or more cracked pistons.

If the cylinder head has not been replaced with a properly done rebuilt, and
you can't afford to replace it yourself, don't buy the car.

I believe that some people make it to 200,000 miles without these problems,
but I know of many who have had them before 100,000. This is turbo gas N9T I
am talking about here, not any other Puegeot. Mileage is practically
irrelevant on any other 505--what counts is the condition of the car; I have
a couple of 200,000 mile 84 STIs, one gas, one turbodiesel, that I bet will
go the next hundred thou at less cost than that N9T (unless the head and
turbo have already been replaced--then it might be close.

Beware the used N9T unless the extra performance really means a lot to you,
and you are willing to pay for it in maintenance. The first 100,000 may be
cheap, if you are lucky and good to the car; the second and third won't be.

Brian Holm