Gentry Restoration

[jlarkin 1]

Hello

 

I have recently acquired a gold Gentry with the downrated XU9J1 1.9 engine.

 

To be gently (old pun!) revitalised.  It starts and runs but has a few mechanical anomalies to be fixed over the winter.  It will then need a repaint and leather refurb in the spring.

 

Never having owned a 205 before, I am on a steep learning curve as to what is where and what it does.

 

Once started, oil pressue makes it to the second mark on the dash gauge and then quite rapidly subsides within a few miles, to one mark or less as it warms up.  simultaneous ly the coolant temperature gauge climbs close to maximum.  Oil temperature gauge doesn't move at all until after about twenty miles.

Idle speed is about 1000rpm on start up and then sometimes rises illogically to 1200-1400 but never drops back below 1000 as I would expect as engine warms.

 

It has a Bosch distributor.  There is no hose attached to the vacuum advance can.  Should it be there and if so, where is the other end attached?  A picture would help as I cannot as yet identify most parts by name.

 

Appreciate any info/opinions/help.

 

John Larkin

[welshpug 1,622]

all sounds fairly typical of a mildly neglected 205 to be honest!

 

I wouldn't trust the oil pressure gauge as gospel, as long as the low oil pressure lamp stays off,   oil temperature behaviour is normal.

 

the vacuum advance capsule should be connected by a hose to the bottom of the throttle body, without a hose there it will have a small air leak, before reinstating the hose check the capsule is also not leaking air,   you can find replacements if it is.

[SRDT 146]

The XU9J1 isn't a downrated XU9JA, it is the older of the two and that's why XU9JA parts that could have been the same are not. They simply didn't exist at the time.

On the plus side that's why bolting a big valve head get you a pretty good compression ratio.

[jlarkin 1]

7 hours ago, welshpug said:

all sounds fairly typical of a mildly neglected 205 to be honest!

 

I wouldn't trust the oil pressure gauge as gospel, as long as the low oil pressure lamp stays off,   oil temperature behaviour is normal.

 

the vacuum advance capsule should be connected by a hose to the bottom of the throttle body, without a hose there it will have a small air leak, before reinstating the hose check the capsule is also not leaking air,   you can find replacements if it is.

 

[jlarkin 1]

Mei

 

Thanks for your speedy and encouraging reply.

 

I now understand what the throttle body is !!  I need now find where on the throttle body is the connection for the pipe to the distributor advance can. New pipe maybe bring idle speed down?

 

If anyone has a picture it would be a great help.

 

Also I now find that the car is running on NGK BCPR7ES plugs.  I understand that these are for the non-cat cars and that the correct plug for Gentry with XU9J1 engine with cat should be BCP6ES without resistor.  Could this contribute to the engine running a bit hot?

 

Thanks

 

JL

[jlarkin 1]

38 minutes ago, SRDT said:

The XU9J1 isn't a downrated XU9JA, it is the older of the two and that's why XU9JA parts that could have been the same are not. They simply didn't exist at the time.

On the plus side that's why bolting a big valve head get you a pretty good compression ratio.

Baptiste

 

Good evening

 

I didn't mean that XU9J1 engine is a downrated XU9JA.

 

I meant that my Gentry automatic has the 105hp version with lower compression ratio.

 

Regards

 

JL

[jlarkin 1]

 

Baptiste 

  

Good evening

  

I didn't mean that XU9J1 engine is a downrated XU9JA.

  

I meant that my Gentry automatic has the 105hp version with lower compression ratio.

  

Regards 

  

JL

[petert 550]

The bottom end of the DFZ is a good thing. Unlike the others, the pistons only have a 9cc dish and additionally, have a higher compression height, which reduces squish distance and promotes better flame travel. I suspect they had to do something better to make up for the lower compression. Thus it's still a very lively engine, when all is working well.

 

As said earlier, if you replace the head with one from a D6B, DKZ, BDY etc., you get bigger valves and a smaller combustion chamber. Thus yielding approx. 10.8:1 CR.

 

The DFZ distributor has a very early centrifugal advance however. Thus it will ping easily from 2000-2500 if you try to advance the ignition timing, with a higher compression ratio. Easily fixed though. 

 

Enjoy your 205!

[jlarkin 1]

Peter

 

Thanks

 

With my level of knowledge, best I do not try to make changes !!

 

Regards

 

JL