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Broken down again!!!...I need help

Hurrah....Ive managed to get it back.

I went back to the car and it started first time. Whats going on I thought.

Manged to get it home (20 minutes drive) luckily there was very little traffic so only had to stop at 2 traffic lights.

No backfire just a bit sluggish.

On arrival I switched off and opend the bonnet. I touched the coil. It was boiling hot.

I red its supposed to be warm.

It was only a matter of time before I conked out again I am sure.

So we are back to square one:

Why is my coil overheating?

Because I am sure its the fact that it overheats is the cause of the cutting out at traffic lights etc....

wiring?

I have read that points too close together could cause overheating of the coil due to increased dwell angle.

I am going to open the points as far as I can and again adjust the timing by twisting the dizzy to see if that helps.

Anything else I can try?
 
You could always take it to a Renault garage. You've done your best. Sometimes spending some money saves a lot of heartache and sleepless nights
 
Can you post a photo showing the new coil and dizzy, then we might be able to help eliminate the wiring. ?
 
i know it's been said before but is the coil wired correctly ? because if it's getting very hot there's definitely something at fault in the wiring.
when you said you stopped it then it would'nt start did you check to see if there a spark at the plugs ? if there is then it must be a fuel problem.
 
As requested here are some photos of the wiring:

Ignore the fact that they both have a little bit of red on them.

Rest assured that the positive terminal on the coil is attached to the cream/red wire and the negative on the coil is attache3d to the black/red wire.

I have triple checked this.

I have widened the gap of the points a fraction in the hope to reduce the dwell angel.

I have just tested the old Coil number 2 to see if it works and it does work fine.

I am heading off this afternoon for another 1 hour test run.

If (when) she brakes down I will exchange the coil with coil number 2 and see if she runs.

If she doesnt ....its not the coil.


I couldnt check last time if there was a spark because I am always on my own in the car when it brakes down.

If she brakes down theis afternoon I will somehowe see if there is a spark anywhere.

...and yes Mojobaby.....its come to that after this...it will be time to bite the bullet and see if a mechanic can fathom it out.....but Nice is not the cheapest and best place to go to a garage.

8 days to go......
 
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Wiring all looks good, If it stops again try putting a little fuel in the inlet see if it fires as it could be a fueling issue.
 
There's something about your distributor set-up that doesn't look right to me.
You could try this:
- Slacken the distributor clamp, and turn the distributor clockwise until the vacuum advance unit is at about 4 o'clock as you look at it from above. Tighten the clamp.
- The clips that hold the distributor cap on should now be at about 10 and 4 o'clock; the condenser should be between about 6 and 7 o'clock.
- Check that the plug leads are connected correctly: As you look at it from above, the cap terminal above the vacuum advance is #1 (the plug nearest the water pump); go round past the condenser and the next one is #3, then #4, then #2.
- Check for spark at points, and cross fingers....
Before you try this, make a note/take a photo of where everything is at the moment, just in case!
 
You're absolutely correct, Andy, I put up a photo of my distributor

It looks like Spracker's dizzy is about 90 degrees out
 
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call me crazy tho, but even tho it was wrong (in a weird way) if it runs shouldn't it keep running ?
 
I'm also interested to know why that if it runs it it doesn't keep running, even if the dizzy is 90 deg out. Even at 90 deg out it is wired up right as you can see plug lead 2 precedes plug lead 1, so the timing must be 1-3-4-2 or it wouldn't run. And why the coil is getting so hot? It's not to do with it being a ballasted resister coil that doesn't have the ballast resistor in the circuit, or has the resister defective or shorted out - don't those coils run on a lower voltage than 12? And therefore overheating because it's getting too much voltage? Or was that mentioned elsewhere earlier and dismissed? Don't know how you would identify what type of coil it was, ballasted type or not. Just an idea.

You have a nice bright light illuminating your picture Sprackers, wouldn't know what would do that in the UK.

Chris
 
Ha ha yes that bright light is somehting called the Sun!!.....rare indeed.

As regards the coil its a 12V like all the others and there is no ballast resistor as there would be another wire coming from the + terminal on my coil.

I have just done a 50Km run. I did stop, my choice, twice for an hour each time to let everytihng cool down.

It didnt brake down but it didnt run very well.

I am off fro another 50K run now to see if it gets any better.
 
:D

Made it back.

30km on M'way and at least 15 minutes stop start through town.

I think I held my breath for the whole journey but she ran better after I had tweaked the dizzy a little and closed the points up alittle. They were a little too far apart.

I felt the coil, pretty hot to touch, but I think the only way is to ignore it until something happens.

With 5 days to go it looks like I'm off to Corsica to follow the Tour de France.
Keep an eye out for Blue R4 with the union jack on the top.

Then hopefully Thenay

"Cheers" see you there
983
983
983
 
Well it does look like you've got it sorted now, nice one. Just a bit of fine tuning needed now. We are hoping to catch the Tour later on, at stage 13 on the 12th, it passes quite near to our b&b after we've left Thenay. So, see you at Thenay, we will be looking out for you. Regards Brian.
 
It sounds very much like the condensor to me even if it's new. At least half of the ignition problems start after assembling brand new parts. No matter where you buy them.
 
Condensor:

I will pick a new one up and take it with me. If she brakes down I will replace. Another thing to rule out of the equation.

Cheers

983


ps. I see that I put union jack on my previous post it. It will in fact be a
St. Georges Cross.

images
 
Carb problem, in spite of Cornish4's objection. One of my 845cc machines does this on a hot day, while in motion, after only a few miles (it did it only yesterday). I haven't really ever solved the problem but as it is only a spare car I don't find it so inconvenient as Sprackers does.

What I am about to try is replace the (original 1972) air filer with a bigger one which draws air right from the top of the bonnet, well away from the hot exhaust and manifold. Possibly it's overheated air which is causing the problem. It is most odd because over the years I have had several other machines of similar vintage which never gave any trouble.

In my case I KNOW it is carb overheating because you can see and hear the petrol boiling out of the float chamber into the air inlet and away.
 
I think you might have a point.

I have just gone out to start her up and she didnt start at all.

After 5 mins of trying and seeing the fuel pass into the fuel filter, I gave up.

Checked the spark from the HT lead and there was a good spark.

so not the coil then.

Then, I decided to foolow up on elch101 and go and buy a new condesor. after an hour I got to the shop and it was closed!! they close here at midday!!!!

Walked back and thought I would have one more go.......she started first time!!!

So maybe Im thinking, although I can see the petrol going into the fuel filter , that doesnt mean its getting to where it should do.

Possibly there is a slight blockage in the carb which means initially on start up its blocked, but after an half hour or hour a little fuel finally dribbles into where it should be.

Sounds like it fits the non starting.

Is it easy to get into the carb and clean what needs cleaning?
 
Sprackers : Run the car until it begins to fail/stall, then quickly open the bonnet, take off the air filter and look inside the air inlet shaft. If it is boiling fuel you will see it coming over from the float chamber, and it should also be audible as it bubbles away.

It should be easy to dismantle the carb but if it is essentially a "structural" problem with the carb design, cleaning may not do any good.

What year is the car?
 
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