Peugeot 301 Valves

A consistent misfire on one cylinder, low compression on that cylinder under a pressure test, loss of power and rough idle. A burnt exhaust valve often whistles under load. Diagnosis is by compression or leak-down test, not guesswork — burnt valves always need the head off.

A single valve job becomes a full head-off inspection in practice, so labour dominates. AfricaBoyz stocks Peugeot valves and head parts. Request a free quote through our form with your engine code — we price full head refurbs rather than part-only estimates.

Nearly always a timing chain or belt failure — the pistons hit the valves when timing goes out of sync. On the 1.6 HDi and 1.6 THP engines, a stretched chain jumping teeth is the usual cause. Catch cold-start rattle early and you avoid bent valves entirely.

Short-term at light load, yes, but performance, economy and emissions all suffer. Long-term, no — a burnt valve lets combustion gas past, overheats the cylinder, and damages the piston and catalytic converter. Book the head-off job within a week or two.

Two methods: a compression test reveals a low cylinder, and a cylinder leak-down test confirms whether leakage is through an exhaust valve (hissing from exhaust), intake valve (hissing from intake) or head gasket (bubbles in coolant). Both need a warm engine.