RenaultSport Clio 182 Trophy
- Thread starter SharkyUK
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Sorry about the delays guys - I'll bring things up to date shortly including the 'issue' I had a couple of months back with water in the engine...
Don't laugh. I was sh!tting it and getting ready to bend over whilst forking out for a new engine block! :lol:Thanks, mate. There's a load of tuning / mod options available for the RenaultSport Clio these days. It's only really limited by how much money the owner has (although I guess this applies to any sort of performance car!) Engine conversions are becoming quite popular these days, as is taking the Clio down the forced induction route. There's a few 1,000kg ClioSports out there with over 300bhp. They are fairly rapid things!
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In my last update I had just discovered a rather nasty oil leak (or three) and was taking it in to get it looked at and fixed... I'll pick the story back up from January 2012 having been waiting for 5-6 weeks to get my car back... :roll:
January 2012
A small update... and some good news!
I recently got in touch with Matt at TDF (the owner, who has been enjoying some much deserved time off) with a view to getting some information on the state of my car and when I can get it back. As noted in my previous posts, I had been a little disappointed in the fact that there had been a breakdown in communications with the workshop at Track Group (i.e. NOT Matt at TDF) and I had struggled to get updates and information about my Trophy; plus the fact it had been with them for two months.
(Just to clarify, TDF and TG had effectively 'split' and gone their own ways. I think my Trophy had got 'lost' in the process as it was ultimately TG who were supposed to be fixing the problems).
Matt got back to me straight away and I explained the situation to him and how I felt and - as always - he got on the case immediately. I was soon contacted by TG's workshop and we talked about the situation regarding the work carried out, the breakdown in communications and 'misunderstanding'. I won't go into detail (it's boring rather than interesting!) but it has all been sorted and no doubt a professional job done as always.
Knowing that I was a little disgruntled about the situation (and not entirely sure initially whether my car was back to full health) Matt kindly offered to pick up my car and is personally giving it a look over to make double sure that all is well. Can't fault the guy, eh? The valves, etc. have been checked out and the cylinders scoped and - thankfully - the Trophy has been given a clean bill of health. With the oil leaks fixed it was dyno'd again and made the same figures as last time - no flatspots and a decent level of power and torque. All I need to do now is to make arrangements to collect it.. which is difficult due to current work commitments! All being well I'm hoping to get over there within the next couple of weeks. I can't wait to get it back to be honest.
So - fingers crossed - it looks like things are looking up and I will soon be reunited with my Pink Frenchie (I think my good lady has one of those, running off 4x AA batteries).
Thanks to Track Group workshop for getting the issues sorted and clearing up the misunderstanding and a big thanks to Matt for getting back to me and helping get it all sorted (as well as looking over my car again). He's lived up to his reputation and I look forward to visiting TDF again in the not-too-distant future for a few further 'upgrades'. His last words to me mentioned something about 421's but I don't have a clue what that's about...
All being well my next update will have a few pics as I'm desperate to get out and drive. Anywhere! Cheers!
January 2012
A small update... and some good news!
I recently got in touch with Matt at TDF (the owner, who has been enjoying some much deserved time off) with a view to getting some information on the state of my car and when I can get it back. As noted in my previous posts, I had been a little disappointed in the fact that there had been a breakdown in communications with the workshop at Track Group (i.e. NOT Matt at TDF) and I had struggled to get updates and information about my Trophy; plus the fact it had been with them for two months.
(Just to clarify, TDF and TG had effectively 'split' and gone their own ways. I think my Trophy had got 'lost' in the process as it was ultimately TG who were supposed to be fixing the problems).
Matt got back to me straight away and I explained the situation to him and how I felt and - as always - he got on the case immediately. I was soon contacted by TG's workshop and we talked about the situation regarding the work carried out, the breakdown in communications and 'misunderstanding'. I won't go into detail (it's boring rather than interesting!) but it has all been sorted and no doubt a professional job done as always.
Knowing that I was a little disgruntled about the situation (and not entirely sure initially whether my car was back to full health) Matt kindly offered to pick up my car and is personally giving it a look over to make double sure that all is well. Can't fault the guy, eh? The valves, etc. have been checked out and the cylinders scoped and - thankfully - the Trophy has been given a clean bill of health. With the oil leaks fixed it was dyno'd again and made the same figures as last time - no flatspots and a decent level of power and torque. All I need to do now is to make arrangements to collect it.. which is difficult due to current work commitments! All being well I'm hoping to get over there within the next couple of weeks. I can't wait to get it back to be honest.
So - fingers crossed - it looks like things are looking up and I will soon be reunited with my Pink Frenchie (I think my good lady has one of those, running off 4x AA batteries).
Thanks to Track Group workshop for getting the issues sorted and clearing up the misunderstanding and a big thanks to Matt for getting back to me and helping get it all sorted (as well as looking over my car again). He's lived up to his reputation and I look forward to visiting TDF again in the not-too-distant future for a few further 'upgrades'. His last words to me mentioned something about 421's but I don't have a clue what that's about...
All being well my next update will have a few pics as I'm desperate to get out and drive. Anywhere! Cheers!
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January 2012 (Update)
Happy days! I am chuffed to be able to say that I have got my car back and that it is driving beautifully! How I have missed it. Now, whilst I don't want to tempt fate I will say that the car is really 'together' now. It's driving well, the newly rebuilt Sachs are an absolute joy and it sticks to the road like glue.
Here's the story...
I made arrangements with Matt (Matt Bentley of Track Group, not Matt from TDF) last week so that I could pick up my Trophy on Saturday (yesterday). As they were closed for the weekend he kindly agreed to meet me there around lunchtime. Sure enough, I turned up as did Matt a few moments afterwards. We had a good chat and he detailed the work that had been carried out as well as the various checks and diagnostics performed to ensure that all was well within the engine and its running. After the chat he handed over the paperwork and dyno graph (which I'll post up below) and I started the fairly lengthy trek back home to Wales.
The drive home was fantastic. I didn't go mad but naturally I had to ensure I got my fill of ITB goodness as it had been so long since the last time... I think my good lady probably thought I was a bit mental but even she was smiling as I floored it through the tunnels on the way home *embarrassed grin* It was the first time I'd really properly driven it with the new filter solution (and with it making decent torque / power) and it sounded the mutts nuts. Talking of the "good lady", I really must thank her for letting me have her Type-R for the last few months, for putting up with my moaning and for coming along yesterday so that I had transport between Wales and Kimbolton!
So... where is the Trophy currently at?
As briefly mentioned in a previous post, no major problems were found in terms of pistons, cylinders, valves or any related components. A thorough look at the engine had confirmed this. Likewise, the head work that had been carried out last year was spot-on and there were no problems there. As for the leaks, these had been fixed and the leak down test and compression test found nothing out of the ordinary. A few test drives along the way (during the repairs) appeared to confirm that there was nothing else much wrong apart from the rather bad leaks.
A quick look at the compression test and I did notice that it was down a bit (across all cylinders) compared to the results I got from them last year - but they are not out of the ordinary. The results can be seen below:
As I say, the compression is a little bit down but it's pretty consistent across all 4 cylinders with a variance of only 0.5 bar. The upshot of this (the low compression) is that I'm losing somewhere in the region of approximately 5-6bhp and the same amount of lbft torque, so not major by any stretch of the imagination.
Matt (TDF Matt) had agreed to take a quick look at my car after the work was done to ensure that it was running well from a map / tuning perspective. He knows the car well having carried out the work previously along with the remapping. He put it on the dyno a few days ago and the results are shown below. The map appears good although the peak power is down a little bit compared to last time (but I'm not going to worry aboutit). The most important thing, and what I am interested in, is the torque spread. Whilst I'm no expert, the torque seems pretty good (certainly from a driver's perspective!) and comes in nice and early. With the instantly responsive throttle it is sooo much fun to drive. Ok, so the turbo and diesel boys may laugh at the torque levels but for a 2.0l NA petrol I'm not complaining. Here's the power graph:
And here's the AFR graph:
As mentioned, it's a little disappointing in that the figures are a bit down due to the low compression, but it's driving amazingly well (which is the main thing). I can't be too disappointed considering I'm still running parasitic aircon, catback and standard internals and standard cams. I'll be keeping the 100-cell sports cat but the others will be upgraded in due course. Sadly I don't have a freakishly strong F4R engine in my Trophy but it seems healthy now.
In celebration of the Trophy's return I decided that it would be celebrated today by having a Sunday roast at a favourite pub / restaurant with my better half. Truth is, I only really suggested it so that I could have a quick blast out and grab a couple of photos for the album. They aren't the best photos but here you go (sorry about the crap colour, I should have calibrated my monitor first)...
Oh - the Sunday roast was good. But the drive to and from the pub was even better.
Cheers!
Happy days! I am chuffed to be able to say that I have got my car back and that it is driving beautifully! How I have missed it. Now, whilst I don't want to tempt fate I will say that the car is really 'together' now. It's driving well, the newly rebuilt Sachs are an absolute joy and it sticks to the road like glue.
Here's the story...
I made arrangements with Matt (Matt Bentley of Track Group, not Matt from TDF) last week so that I could pick up my Trophy on Saturday (yesterday). As they were closed for the weekend he kindly agreed to meet me there around lunchtime. Sure enough, I turned up as did Matt a few moments afterwards. We had a good chat and he detailed the work that had been carried out as well as the various checks and diagnostics performed to ensure that all was well within the engine and its running. After the chat he handed over the paperwork and dyno graph (which I'll post up below) and I started the fairly lengthy trek back home to Wales.
The drive home was fantastic. I didn't go mad but naturally I had to ensure I got my fill of ITB goodness as it had been so long since the last time... I think my good lady probably thought I was a bit mental but even she was smiling as I floored it through the tunnels on the way home *embarrassed grin* It was the first time I'd really properly driven it with the new filter solution (and with it making decent torque / power) and it sounded the mutts nuts. Talking of the "good lady", I really must thank her for letting me have her Type-R for the last few months, for putting up with my moaning and for coming along yesterday so that I had transport between Wales and Kimbolton!
So... where is the Trophy currently at?
As briefly mentioned in a previous post, no major problems were found in terms of pistons, cylinders, valves or any related components. A thorough look at the engine had confirmed this. Likewise, the head work that had been carried out last year was spot-on and there were no problems there. As for the leaks, these had been fixed and the leak down test and compression test found nothing out of the ordinary. A few test drives along the way (during the repairs) appeared to confirm that there was nothing else much wrong apart from the rather bad leaks.
A quick look at the compression test and I did notice that it was down a bit (across all cylinders) compared to the results I got from them last year - but they are not out of the ordinary. The results can be seen below:
As I say, the compression is a little bit down but it's pretty consistent across all 4 cylinders with a variance of only 0.5 bar. The upshot of this (the low compression) is that I'm losing somewhere in the region of approximately 5-6bhp and the same amount of lbft torque, so not major by any stretch of the imagination.
Matt (TDF Matt) had agreed to take a quick look at my car after the work was done to ensure that it was running well from a map / tuning perspective. He knows the car well having carried out the work previously along with the remapping. He put it on the dyno a few days ago and the results are shown below. The map appears good although the peak power is down a little bit compared to last time (but I'm not going to worry aboutit). The most important thing, and what I am interested in, is the torque spread. Whilst I'm no expert, the torque seems pretty good (certainly from a driver's perspective!) and comes in nice and early. With the instantly responsive throttle it is sooo much fun to drive. Ok, so the turbo and diesel boys may laugh at the torque levels but for a 2.0l NA petrol I'm not complaining.
Here's the power graph:
And here's the AFR graph:
As mentioned, it's a little disappointing in that the figures are a bit down due to the low compression, but it's driving amazingly well (which is the main thing). I can't be too disappointed considering I'm still running parasitic aircon, catback and standard internals and standard cams. I'll be keeping the 100-cell sports cat but the others will be upgraded in due course. Sadly I don't have a freakishly strong F4R engine in my Trophy but it seems healthy now.
In celebration of the Trophy's return I decided that it would be celebrated today by having a Sunday roast at a favourite pub / restaurant with my better half. Truth is, I only really suggested it so that I could have a quick blast out and grab a couple of photos for the album. They aren't the best photos but here you go (sorry about the crap colour, I should have calibrated my monitor first)...
Oh - the Sunday roast was good. But the drive to and from the pub was even better.
Cheers!
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March 2012 (Update)
I went along to a joint RenaultSport meet last weekend in South Wales and had a really enjoyable day. It was the first time that I'd had a proper chance to get the Trophy out and have a bit of a blast since I picked it up from the workshop a month or two back.
The good news is that the Trophy ran beautifully (as good as it sounded) and it was an absolute hoot on the mountain roads. The newly built (and now fully adjustable) Sachs felt great and were setup pretty much perfectly for the roads we were on. The engine pulled her along nicely; the increase in torque levels across the rev range has made a heck of a difference and, coupled with the instant throttle response, it's a real pleasure to be behind the wheel. But another issue has surfaced, an issue I noticed a few weeks back (more on that later). Here are a few photos from the meet:
(Thanks to Lady-Bock and Webby for the additional photos).
As mentioned above, I have another little issue and (again) the issue is oil related. However, this time I don't think it's due to an oil leak. I haven't found any signs of oil leaks anywhere but I'm getting through more oil now than I've ever done before. Previously I would simply change the oil every 6k miles and never really had to top up the oil between changes (apart from when I had the leaks, of course). However, in the last 2,000 miles I've used 1 litre of oil - which is ironic as I wasn't losing this much through the leakages! As a result I'm currently keeping a close eye on things and checking the level every other day, especially before/after a spirited drive.
Despite having a fairly clean exterior the engine bay is an absolute mess at the moment (largely due to the previous oil leak problems). It is in need of a thorough clean and I'm hoping to get this done soon. It might also help identify whether or not I am still suffering with leaks as these will become immediately obvious with a clean engine bay... I'll try and get some before and after pics done when the time comes.
I went along to a joint RenaultSport meet last weekend in South Wales and had a really enjoyable day. It was the first time that I'd had a proper chance to get the Trophy out and have a bit of a blast since I picked it up from the workshop a month or two back.
The good news is that the Trophy ran beautifully (as good as it sounded) and it was an absolute hoot on the mountain roads. The newly built (and now fully adjustable) Sachs felt great and were setup pretty much perfectly for the roads we were on. The engine pulled her along nicely; the increase in torque levels across the rev range has made a heck of a difference and, coupled with the instant throttle response, it's a real pleasure to be behind the wheel. But another issue has surfaced, an issue I noticed a few weeks back (more on that later). Here are a few photos from the meet:
(Thanks to Lady-Bock and Webby for the additional photos).
As mentioned above, I have another little issue and (again) the issue is oil related. However, this time I don't think it's due to an oil leak. I haven't found any signs of oil leaks anywhere but I'm getting through more oil now than I've ever done before. Previously I would simply change the oil every 6k miles and never really had to top up the oil between changes (apart from when I had the leaks, of course). However, in the last 2,000 miles I've used 1 litre of oil - which is ironic as I wasn't losing this much through the leakages! As a result I'm currently keeping a close eye on things and checking the level every other day, especially before/after a spirited drive.
Despite having a fairly clean exterior the engine bay is an absolute mess at the moment (largely due to the previous oil leak problems). It is in need of a thorough clean and I'm hoping to get this done soon. It might also help identify whether or not I am still suffering with leaks as these will become immediately obvious with a clean engine bay... I'll try and get some before and after pics done when the time comes.
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March 2012 (Another update)
As some folks may already know (or have read previously) I had a little issue over the weekend just gone. It's true what they say... engines, electrics and water don't really go together all that well.
On Saturday I had planned to open up the engine bay and give it a bit of a wipe down and clean as it was still covered in oil from the various leaks I'd recently had fixed. But, and much to my embarrassment, whilst I was faffing around inside, getting my bits together, making a cuppa and (importantly) answering the call of nature... the heavens opened and there followed a torrential downpour. A moment or two later realisation dawned and I remembered I'd left the bonnet open. Not the smartest of moves.
Sure enough, I hurried outside but I was already too late. The engine block was soaked along with the leads, coil pack and - well - pretty much everything. Water had pooled around the leads and was no doubt leaking into the spark plug wells. I quickly mopped up the water best I could and waited for the rains to pass. Obviously I was fearing the worst.
To cut a long story short I spent the rest of the day trying to get things dry. The car would eventually turn over but it was juddering and misfiring, and you could hear that it was not running on all 4 cylinders. I also spent Sunday trying to get everything dry and to gradually coax the Trophy back to health. I guess I got extremely lucky as the coil pack seemed fine, as did the HT leads. The sparks weren't too bad either in the end. The main problem was simply moisture down the spark wells.
After some much welcomed advice (and turning the engine over with the plugs and leads out to eject some of the water) things started to get better. I let the engine warm before removing the leads and plugs again; allowing it time to dry further overnight. This morning I put it back together and started my journey to work. After a hesitant start it soon started to settle down. By the time I arrived in work she was running fine. I did have the toolbox in the car just in case mind... Likewise, the return journey home was pretty uneventful (a good thing!) and all seems to be good in the world again. Lesson learnt!
My thanks go to all those who contacted me and helped me out along the way. Cheers!
On a separate note, whilst this fiasco was going on, I did manage to give the engine a bit of a clean up. The oil breather pipe and filter was again filthy and full of cr4p (but easily cleaned). The trumpets looked good and fortunately no water had gone in through the filter during the downpour. Admittedly the filter didn't look quite so healthy afterwards but... hey, it did a good job in this case.
Oil deposits and a general build up of grime throughout the engine bay:
The dirty oil breather pipe and filter:
The spark plugs cleaned up well and should be good for a little while longer:
Despite the water issues she cleaned up quite well. Good enough for now anyway!
Now I'm a little happier that it's running well again I'll look to take her out for a spirited drive soon.
Note to self: shut the f**king bonnet next time.
As some folks may already know (or have read previously) I had a little issue over the weekend just gone. It's true what they say... engines, electrics and water don't really go together all that well.
On Saturday I had planned to open up the engine bay and give it a bit of a wipe down and clean as it was still covered in oil from the various leaks I'd recently had fixed. But, and much to my embarrassment, whilst I was faffing around inside, getting my bits together, making a cuppa and (importantly) answering the call of nature... the heavens opened and there followed a torrential downpour. A moment or two later realisation dawned and I remembered I'd left the bonnet open. Not the smartest of moves.
Sure enough, I hurried outside but I was already too late. The engine block was soaked along with the leads, coil pack and - well - pretty much everything. Water had pooled around the leads and was no doubt leaking into the spark plug wells. I quickly mopped up the water best I could and waited for the rains to pass. Obviously I was fearing the worst.
To cut a long story short I spent the rest of the day trying to get things dry. The car would eventually turn over but it was juddering and misfiring, and you could hear that it was not running on all 4 cylinders. I also spent Sunday trying to get everything dry and to gradually coax the Trophy back to health. I guess I got extremely lucky as the coil pack seemed fine, as did the HT leads. The sparks weren't too bad either in the end. The main problem was simply moisture down the spark wells.
After some much welcomed advice (and turning the engine over with the plugs and leads out to eject some of the water) things started to get better. I let the engine warm before removing the leads and plugs again; allowing it time to dry further overnight. This morning I put it back together and started my journey to work. After a hesitant start it soon started to settle down. By the time I arrived in work she was running fine. I did have the toolbox in the car just in case mind... Likewise, the return journey home was pretty uneventful (a good thing!) and all seems to be good in the world again. Lesson learnt!
My thanks go to all those who contacted me and helped me out along the way. Cheers!
On a separate note, whilst this fiasco was going on, I did manage to give the engine a bit of a clean up. The oil breather pipe and filter was again filthy and full of cr4p (but easily cleaned). The trumpets looked good and fortunately no water had gone in through the filter during the downpour. Admittedly the filter didn't look quite so healthy afterwards but... hey, it did a good job in this case.
Oil deposits and a general build up of grime throughout the engine bay:
The dirty oil breather pipe and filter:
The spark plugs cleaned up well and should be good for a little while longer:
Despite the water issues she cleaned up quite well. Good enough for now anyway!
Now I'm a little happier that it's running well again I'll look to take her out for a spirited drive soon.
Note to self: shut the f**king bonnet next time.
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March 2012 (Yet another update)
Why don't I just keep my mouth shut?! :lol:
As some of you may already be aware, I had another problem with the Trophy last Monday. I was on my way to work and pulled in for some petrol. Filled her up and then got ready to drive away. But no, I couldn't get a gear. I couldn't find any gear at all. I eventually forced it into first and limped the mile or so home in first gear!
Back at home I couldn't get into reverse so ended up pushing the car into place! :lol:
My good lady kindly let me borrow her car so I dropped her off at work (having arranged to try and get my car to my mate Rob's garage in Cardiff). My car wouldn't get into gear so I didn't really fancy driving it by forcing home the gears... but I had a stroke of luck. On the way to drop Paula off there was an AA man parked up. So, after dropping her off, I returned back to the layby and pulled in front of the AA van. I was a bit cheeky and asked if he could get me over to the garage! LMAO! I'm a member with the AA and have a full membership so he rang it in as a new job, finished his lunch break and took me and Trophy over to Cardiff. I left the car with Rob and returned home... via public transport. It wasn't pleasant.
I then got a call yesterday (Tuesday) from Rob stating that he had checked the gearbox and all was well. However, the clutch was knackered. The clutch spring had broken on the clutch plate. A new clutch was needed so he took the details of what was needed and a new clutch was ordered. Thankfully this was speedily delivered earlier today (Wednesday).
I then got a phone call only a few hours ago - Rob had the car ready at his place for picking up. My other/better half kindly offered me a lift to collect it and - I'm happy to say - all is well again.
It's taking some getting used to, though. The clutch has always been heavy on my Trophy... but now it's feather-light in comparison. I nearly put my foot through the footwell on several occasions whilst driving home.
Hopefully that's the last of the problems for a while!
Why don't I just keep my mouth shut?! :lol:
As some of you may already be aware, I had another problem with the Trophy last Monday. I was on my way to work and pulled in for some petrol. Filled her up and then got ready to drive away. But no, I couldn't get a gear. I couldn't find any gear at all. I eventually forced it into first and limped the mile or so home in first gear!
Back at home I couldn't get into reverse so ended up pushing the car into place! :lol:
My good lady kindly let me borrow her car so I dropped her off at work (having arranged to try and get my car to my mate Rob's garage in Cardiff). My car wouldn't get into gear so I didn't really fancy driving it by forcing home the gears... but I had a stroke of luck. On the way to drop Paula off there was an AA man parked up. So, after dropping her off, I returned back to the layby and pulled in front of the AA van. I was a bit cheeky and asked if he could get me over to the garage! LMAO!
I'm a member with the AA and have a full membership so he rang it in as a new job, finished his lunch break and took me and Trophy over to Cardiff. I left the car with Rob and returned home... via public transport. It wasn't pleasant.I then got a call yesterday (Tuesday) from Rob stating that he had checked the gearbox and all was well. However, the clutch was knackered. The clutch spring had broken on the clutch plate. A new clutch was needed so he took the details of what was needed and a new clutch was ordered. Thankfully this was speedily delivered earlier today (Wednesday).
I then got a phone call only a few hours ago - Rob had the car ready at his place for picking up. My other/better half kindly offered me a lift to collect it and - I'm happy to say - all is well again.
It's taking some getting used to, though. The clutch has always been heavy on my Trophy... but now it's feather-light in comparison. I nearly put my foot through the footwell on several occasions whilst driving home.
Hopefully that's the last of the problems for a while!
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May 2012
Something very strange is going on with the old fuel economy at the moment... as some of you are aware, I'm having a few running issues whereby I'm getting hesitation under acceleration (i.e. the power delivery is stuttering). It's got better over the last few days but it's still a problem. I don't think it's serious but I do believe (having spoken to Marc recently) that the ITB's may be ready for balancing again. As a result, a synchrometer has been ordered and hopefully I'll be able to balance the ITB's myself in due course. The strange thing is the fuel economy. I'm suddenly 5-6mpg better and I'm now in the mid-20's! Result... I think... :lol:
There's not much else to report at the moment - just a few bits and pieces to get done soon.
I've bought a selection of new fluids - oil, brake fluid and coolant.
I've also got some new brake pads and discs to get fitted (at the same time I'm getting the brake fluid refreshed). I have some 280mm Brembo High Carbon ventilated discs and Ferodo DS2500 sat ready to go.
I've also just received my new crash helmet. I decided to go for an open face design; nothing special but it's approved for trackday and race use and has fire resistant properties. It will certainly do me for the time being.
That's about it for now. Hopefully got a little something else coming along soon, too...
Something very strange is going on with the old fuel economy at the moment... as some of you are aware, I'm having a few running issues whereby I'm getting hesitation under acceleration (i.e. the power delivery is stuttering). It's got better over the last few days but it's still a problem. I don't think it's serious but I do believe (having spoken to Marc recently) that the ITB's may be ready for balancing again. As a result, a synchrometer has been ordered and hopefully I'll be able to balance the ITB's myself in due course.
The strange thing is the fuel economy. I'm suddenly 5-6mpg better and I'm now in the mid-20's! Result... I think... :lol:There's not much else to report at the moment - just a few bits and pieces to get done soon.
I've bought a selection of new fluids - oil, brake fluid and coolant.
I've also got some new brake pads and discs to get fitted (at the same time I'm getting the brake fluid refreshed). I have some 280mm Brembo High Carbon ventilated discs and Ferodo DS2500 sat ready to go.
I've also just received my new crash helmet. I decided to go for an open face design; nothing special but it's approved for trackday and race use and has fire resistant properties. It will certainly do me for the time being.
That's about it for now. Hopefully got a little something else coming along soon, too...
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Hi Andy long time no speak. Hope you're well. You know what I think to this car, stunning! I love you're write up's too. So professional. I've not been on Rebel in ages I must get back on there. Looking at buying an FN2 so I will be back .
.
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Thanks for the reply, mate - glad you enjoyed the read. As far as I am aware the crankcase pressure is fine. I've not experienced the dipstick lifting but it does fit nice and firm. The RenaultSport Clio's are known to leak a bit from around the rocker cover (it can be difficult to get a good seal) but I'll make sure it's done properly next time I'm getting some work done. The main concern is the cam seals as this is where the heavier leaking appears to stem from. I will probably get a pressure test done and get a reputable specialist to take a look at the cam seals. I understand it's easy to fit them incorrectly which then leads to premature failure (through misalignment) and then oil leaks.
Hi mate - it has been a while! Thanks for the reply and good luck with your search for the FN2. I don't do much with Rebel these days as we kinda parted company a year or more ago, hence I started a new Club to keep me busy! :lol: Not that the car doesn't keep me so...Hi Andy long time no speak. Hope you're well. You know what I think to this car, stunning! I love you're write up's too. So professional. I've not been on Rebel in ages I must get back on there. Looking at buying an FN2 so I will be back
No problem and amen to that! A lot of people would have given up on it long ago I expect. :lol: Anyways, I hope you are well and life is good. And your motoring life is still full of many cylinders and boost!Thanks for the updates Andy.
Here's hoping you can have a few trouble-free months of motoring. I think you've had enough issues to last you a lifetime.
Cheers mate. Believe it or not, *some* Renaults aren't too bad. They are very rare though. Jap or German is the future!
Thanks for continuing to read through, fella. Here's a video of the ITB's from a while ago. Since I took this video I've had a new filter and backplate fitted and the ITB's sounds much, much better. They also breathe much better as more space is available around the rims of the trumpets for taking in cool air. I need to borrow my mate's GoPro again so I can make another video...
[video=youtube;P7WTDFS4POA]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7WTDFS4POA[/video]
Due to the shockingly bad weather here at the moment (and over the past few weeks) I haven't really been able to enjoy the car all that much. Hence, there's nothing much else to report at present (apart from an upcoming oil change, filter clean, brake pad/disc/fluid upgrade... i.e. maintenance stuff).
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Ahh.. this is ace. Good to know the Trophy and yourself are doing well.
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Niiiiiiiiiiiice - what a fantastic motor! I had one rumble up behind me on the A470 only a month or so back. I deliberately rolled down the window as he went past and - as hoped - he floored it. What a sound! Anyways, I do hope that the suspension fault is not serious and easily remedied. I would say 'enjoy' your new Merc but I would hazard a guess and say that you are already doing just that...
Ahh.. this is ace. Good to know the Trophy and yourself are doing well.
Indeed we are kind sir! Likewise, I hope you are well and in good health. It's been a long time since we enjoyed that drink in Birmingham a good few years ago...
Thanks, Rob - appreciate the kind words.
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Likewise, mate - it was good to see you too (after a good handful of years since the last time we spoke). I'm sorry I couldn't have chatted for longer but I had to be elsewhere to meet a couple of folks. By all means feel free to venture over to Wales and give me a shout. I'd be happy to introduce you to the Pink French shed that is my Trophy! :lol:Hey Andy,
Was good bumping into you on Saturday
Will have to try and venture out to Wales and look you up, see this Clio in the flesh.