Common Problems with the
1997 Peugeot 106

The rear suspension on the 106 uses a transverse torsion beam tube with trailing radius arms riding on needle roller bearings. Over years of UK rain, road grit, and road salt, the outer rubber water seals perish. Water enters the axle tube, corroding the needle bearings and gouging the hardened steel pivot shafts. As the bearings collapse, the rear wheels tilt inwards at the top (excessive negative camber). In advanced stages, the inner tyre sidewall rubs directly against the inner wheel arch tub.

The PSA TU eight-valve petrol engine family (1.1, 1.4, and 1.6) is notorious for head gasket degradation. Specifically, the pressurized oil feed gallery passes through the front-left corner of the cylinder head, directly above the alternator. The factory composite gasket deteriorates around this corner, causing engine oil to weep externally down the front face of the block. If neglected, the failure breaches the coolant passages, causing coolant loss, oil-coolant cross-contamination, and overheating.

The manual 106 uses a mechanical clutch cable coupled to a plastic self-adjusting toothed ratchet quadrant mounted atop the clutch pedal box. Over time, road dirt and heat cause the inner steel cable to fray and bind inside its protective outer nylon sheath. The resulting excessive pedal resistance puts heavy mechanical stress on the plastic quadrant teeth, causing the ratchet to slip or the cable to snap completely, leaving the pedal stuck flat to the cabin floor.