406 Heater outlet hose Sprung a Leak

It was on a Saturday ( 11 March 2006 ) 2:15 pm. Was crusing down towards Sungai Dua heading towards Bagan Ajam. Observing the temperature Gauge indicating ~ 90 degree C. This is not normal as my cooling system runs on Redline Water Wetter Coolant. On a normal day, the temperature should be just above 80 degrees C. Shelf that thought aside but keeps periodic glance at the gauge. Proceeded to the said rendezvous point to listen to a "Purist" hifi System.

The hifi "Sifu" was well prepared to feed me with "vegetarian" diet ( Purist ) first and then fed me the non-vege diet. I can tell that he is a person with a high degree of skill and knowledge in this " purist " hifi subject. The music played was enjoyable and guess now am confused, To be a Purist or a Non-Purist ? Well, will think about this.

At 4:15 pm, time for coffee and to Bagan. On the way there, the temp gauge was climbing and immediately I suspected something to do with the the cooling system. I was thinking it could be my heater core leaking again since I had it repaired sometime ago. But the cabin looks dry. Need to stop. I could tell that the high speed fan was kicking-in. As the distance was about few minutes more, I proceed to the Cafe and park at a spot that I could work on later.

Stops the engine and switch the ignition "ON" without cranking the start. let the fan spins to cool it. Yes.. you could see hot coolant flows out as indicated. Lock the car and went for coffee.
Called up Tai Hoong - Ah Ngan. Ask him about the hose and he said to come over to his shop. One thing he said was pleasing to the ear " I'll wait for you" unqoute.

About 5pm, the "Purist" drove me and my family to Tai Hoong. Talk to Ah Ngan and I was asked to follow him upstairs where he keeps his stocks of Peugeot and citreon parts. Could not find this heater outlet hose. Apparently not many people looks for it. Found a generic Japs hose that I could use. It was a little bit longer and well I could cut it. He charged me RM20 for it.

Went back to the car and open up the bonnet. Started working by removing the hoses. removing was easy. Using a plier, grip the 2 points of the clip and move it outward. Installing the new hose took me almost half an hour. The clip was too tight ( New hose ) and my old trusted pliers ( old John ) was having some "loose teeth". Hoses were in place but I couldn't hang on to the grip. It just keeps slipping in that tight working space. The clip just won't budge. My Purist friend was having "teh tarik" while I was struggling to insert the top clip into it's position.
My purist friends realised that my "old John" plier could not do the job, volunteered to go back to his home and get a better plier. I thank him for that and told him that I will keep on trying till he comes back. But if he don't see me, then I should be on my way. We bid farewell and had a laugh over it.

I guess "old John" wanted to proof that he still have some Juice left, he gave a good grip on the clip, slip it to it's position and Woaa laaah . It's in.. !!!. Poured bottles of water in and starts the engine. Keeps filling up the water and waits till it was 90 degrees C. called my Purist friend and told him it's OK. He was just about 5 mins away and waited for him. We met and bid farewell again. Drove to Alor Setar without any incident.

What I can say is that if I had not stop at the Purist house, I would be stuck on the highway. I believed the hose was already leaking and that was why the temperature was ~90 degrees on the highway. So it was a blessing in disguise and will buy another round of Ipoh White Coffee.

Blue Battery Terminal

Today I had a few hours to kill. Did general check up on my wife's car. When I open the Bonnet, WoW, what did I see, Blue-greenish flakes surrounds the Battery +ve Terminal. Got a shock!!. This is actually a thin film of sulfuric acid. If left un-check will eventually lead to corrosion of metal parts around the battery. It can be cleaned away easily before it causes problems. If corrosion is ignored, it can damage battery cables and holddown parts and lead to operating problems, such as a no-start condition.













This blue-green flakes are corrosive !!!













Remove the terminals ( -ve) first, then remove the (+ve) side. Ensure no spill of the corrosive flakes. I then remove the +ve cable that connects to the start-motor. Did a good wash on it. Use lots of running water. Use eye-protective goggles. Then wash the battery mounting areas. You do not want any residue of the flakes to starts "eating" your paintworks and subsequently your car metal parts.













Washed thoroughly the cable connectors and the terminals. They look ok now. Then install back the cables and the battery.
This time I apply a layer of grease to protest both the +ve and -ve terminals.













This cleaned terminal and connector will give you a "one-Kick" start.

Give me a tinkle

Heaven & Earth Meets as 1

Spent 2 days in Ipoh at clearwater Sanctuary Resort. Nice to have met some of Perak's Pug Owners and had some open bonnet session.
Had a good time there. Good place to "Let loose and Fancy Free"

At the reception, you are welcome with greeting from the 3 monkeys. This reminds me of the "missing 4th" monkey ..... created during the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal
( both hands clasping to cover the private area)


This is where the chalet are. Ample and shady parking area too. Was told that Jodie Foster stayed in one of these chalet when they film "Anna and the the King" with Chow Yuen Fatt.















What a view from the balcony. the serenity, tranquility and the chirping of the birds. Makes this a sanctuary for us to recuperate,rejuvenate and recharge.














Now with this kind of view from my balcony, what else can one ask for in life ? Well, what else ? With Old town white coffee, cigies and Newspapers to read ... No wonder it's tagline says
" it's heaven and earth meets as one"















Were "caught" in the middle of a Kavadi Procession. Very colourful sight !! Watch the red car in front.. that's a 605 !! a very RARE breed.


Ain't she a beauty ?

Well, here are the Pamelo girls !!. I guess this veiled view should suffice.

Give me a tinkle ..

Changing Coolant

Bought Distilled water and also Redline Coolant
8 Litres cost RM7.50

Redline Coolant
Bought this yesterday.

Radiator drain Knob.
need to turn this to discharge the old coolant out.

Preventive Inspections - Pre-CNY holidays

Did an Inspections on the 406 today to prepare for the CNY. All checked out A OK. However saw some cracks on the Drive belt ( the one that drives Aircond,Power Steering Pump and Alternator ). Will get it change tomorrow.


The belt starts to cracks. Hope you guys do your Preventive Inspections too. Especially CNy holidays, workshop could be closed for days.


Give me the Tinkle

Heater Core Updates

So far the heater core is holding on. No leak. Hope this stays.

Running tempt. is hovering near 90 degrees during hot days and at traffic lights stops. Rest of the time >80's degrees <90 degrees.

Will be flushing out the older redline coolant this weekend and replace it with a new bottle. All the efforts was real worth it.

Lesson learnt, the 406 Heater matrix is repairable and one does not have to remove the whole dashboard to fix it.

On the 405, is also possible except one will need a revert tool as the dashboard is reverted. will embark on my 405 later this year.

Give me a Tinkle

2006 2nd TT - Auto Detailing session

Hi Guys,
Oh what a night. It was fun,tiring and satisfying. The results speaks for themselves.
Here are some pics ....

I must be crazy to be here



Another Sifu at work


My shine will beat them all


Let me show you all the right footworks


Give me a tinkle ?

405-Dashboard down !!!

Notice how dirty it is ?


dashboard - Rear view


The airflow from the top of the blower fan goes to the cooling coil


Behind the dashboard.

Hi Guys,
Had an opportunity to see 405 dashboard strip bare. This is normally required to replace the AC cooling coil that has sprung a leak. For those who have not seen how is it like behind the dashboard, here are the pics.... ( I am not good at taking fotos - guess you just have to live with the quality of pics taken )

Notice the condition of the cooling coil ( Dirty ). Despite the fact that this car was well taken care off. If your blower fan speed is slower, guess it's time to clean the cooling coil. Now have to figure out how to clean it without having to remove the dashboard.


Give me a Tinkle ?

How to Remove Peugeot 406 Heater Matrix / Core

Hi Guys,
I have re-connected my hose today. All system checked out OK.
No leaks, at the inlet,heater matrix and oulet. Set to 30 degrees C. The Hot air makes me feels like like Winter again.





Hi Guys,
Took the heater core out and there was 2 holes in between. The first welder doesn't want to weld for me. The 2nd one did it for me for RM18/xx. Pressure tested OK.
Installed back the core and the Glovebox. Have not connected the inlet hose yet. Will wait till weekend to do it. Who Knows if there is going to a big "Flood". The pics shows the leaks.

1st TT - Sunway Tunas - 8th Jan 2006

Hi Guys,
Our first TT of 2006. I was DIY on my Peugeot 406 Heater Matrix that was leaking. You do not need to remove the whole dashboard as required from the Peugeot 405. There is a short cut to this. Just need to remove the Glovebox. Remove the plastic hinges at the glove box. There are 2 if not I am not mistaken. Just pull them. Then remove the screws that is holding the glove box in place. There is however 1 screw that is located at an awkward position. YOu will need to use the torque wrench L shape and using wrist power to unscrew it. Thanks to Wlchin for removing the 1 screw that was so difficult to remove. Once that screw is removed, the rest is no issue. Will be taking out the heater matrix tomorrow for welding and hope that it works

Sorry I did not take photo of the screw locations as I was too engrossed with the Heater Matrix removal.








This Squad is mighty expensive.