Peugeot 3008: 3008 1.2 PureTech (EB2DT/EB2DTS) wet timing belt degradation, oil starvation and brake vacuum loss

The P84 3008 with the 1.2 PureTech 130 three-cylinder (EB2DT/EB2DTS) drives its camshafts with a timing belt that runs inside the engine oil, not a chain. Fuel dilution, short trips and the wrong or overdue oil make the belt swell and shed rubbery flakes, which block the oil pump pickup strainer (oil starvation, low oil pressure warning, engine damage) and the brake vacuum pump feed (a suddenly heavy brake pedal). Stellantis cut the belt interval to 100,000 km or 6 years in 2022, so many earlier cars are now overdue on age alone. This version was not sold new in NZ or AU (local 3008s had the 1.6 THP or diesel), so it arrives as a UK used import; the chain-driven Gen 3 engine only reached the 3008 as the Hybrid 136 from mid-2023.

• Oil pressure warning or 'engine fault' message, sometimes flickering at idle
• Brake pedal suddenly hard or heavy to push
• Black rubbery flakes on the oil filler cap or dipstick
• Engine in limp mode or rough running after a cold start
• Oil level dropping or smelling of petrol

1. 1

   Check the badge or the service book to confirm it is the 1.2 PureTech (three-cylinder), not the 1.6 or a diesel.

2. 2

   Ask for the service history and check each oil change used the Stellantis-approved grade no more than 12 months or 20,000 km apart.

3. 3

   With the engine off, remove the oil filler cap and shine a phone torch in: part of the belt is visible, and there should be no black flakes on the cap, the filler neck or the dipstick.

4. 4

   Pull the dipstick and smell for petrol.

5. 5

   Ask when the belt was last changed; on a car older than 6 years or past 100,000 km it is due now unless there is an invoice.

6. 6

   On the test drive press the brake pedal several times with the engine running and make sure it stays light, and watch for any oil pressure warning at idle.

7. 7

   If a workshop inspection is possible: have the belt width measured with the Stellantis belt gauge through the oil filler opening and, if it is out of limit or debris is found, the sump dropped to inspect the oil pump pickup strainer and the vacuum pump feed.

Parts involved: Timing belt.

$1,500 to $9,000 at New Zealand independent workshop rates. That is for this job on its own, not for the car.

An estimate, in NZD, for the repair as normally carried out. What a specific car costs depends on which part has failed and what it damaged on the way — treat this as the floor for a negotiation, not a quote.

• “Has the timing belt been checked or replaced, and is there an invoice?”
• “Was the oil changed at least every 12 months with the approved grade?”
• “Has the oil pressure or brake warning ever come on, or the brake pedal gone hard?”
• “Was this car imported from the UK, and does it have its UK service history?”

The failure described above is documented in the sources below. The inspection instructions and the cost estimate are KickTyres’ own interpretation of them.

• NTN-SNR TECHinfo #22 '1.2 PureTech Turbo' (wet belt; interval revised to 100,000 km or 6 years, 06-2022)
• Italpassion - 'Stellantis 1.2 PureTech engine: list of belt and chain models' (Gen 3 chain from 2023; 3008 1.2 Hybrid 136 EB2LTEDH2 chain)
• Honest John - 'Are there cambelt issues with the 1.2 PureTech engine?' (interval cut to about 62,000 miles or 6 years)
• CAT Magazine - 'Stellantis PureTech wet belt compensation' (belt debris blocks oil pump strainer and brake servo vacuum strainer)
• Triscan - 'Avoid engine breakdown: PSA 1.2 PureTech' (debris, oil pump damage, belt gauge G-0109-6 through filler hole)
• Stellantis UK media - 'Peugeot launches new hybrid powertrain for 3008 and 5008' (Hybrid 136, August 2023)
• CarExpert NZ 3008 2017-2022 specs and australiancar/CarExpert AU 3008 specs (NZ/AU 3008 petrol was 1.6 THP only)