One last question (regarding ign. timing)

[Niels Svane]

Hi everybody

I have now finetuned my r4 so that it doesnt hesitate when pulling off, nor at sudden acceleration at speed. That setting is though somewhat more advanced than what Haynes says.

It still seems and sounds a bit sluggish when accelerating.

When I give it some throttle and checking the timing with a light (and the vacuum adv. on this time) it looks like its gets really retarded 'at speed'.
Am I totally wrong, or shouldn't it be kept a bit advanced (a few degrees) when I use the throttle?

Niels

 

[Niels Svane]

Could the vacuum advance setting be off maybe?

 

[mr-reno-139]

Have you checked the distributor is ok it has been known for them to fall apart or be sticky as they are supposed to get lubricated
If it is a femsa unit they are not good at the best of times
Not strictly necessary but professional strobe timing lights have a rpm and a dial to enable you to check against the specified advance curve ie at 3000 rpm timing should be x degrees
Most cars will be fully advanced by 4500 rpm
It is common for timing by ear to work well on R4 if you mark distributor base with paint marker first you can road test and will be able to park and keep advancing till pinking is heard under load ie 4th gear low speed full throttle
At this point pull over and retard fractional rotation distributor body re test to confirm that you have eliminate pinking

 

[malcolm]

Don't forget the 850cc Renault 4 engine turns in the opposite direction than the 1108cc or the Dauphine engine. Worth having a look at the engine turning over on the starter to make sure you have the direction of rotation right. Nothing should make the ignition retard.

What is supposed to happen is you start off with about 6 degrees of static advance. The advance weights in the distributor increase that by another 20 degrees by 4500rpm. Connecting the vacuum should give another 10 degrees at no load, and zero at full load.

 

[Niels Svane]

Im pretty sure that the engine turns counterclockwise when standing i front of the car. IE turning left. When the engine is sped up the timing moves further left. Maybe Ive just messed the rotation direction up, but it seems pretty clear when standing beside it. Ill look into it tomorrow.
It drove 130km without trouble, it just has that sluggishness.
Thanks for the replies The stalling + hesitation troubles are still gone, and it still starts on the touch

 

[Niels Svane]

I found the answer in another post (again). So i'll try setting it again tomorrow 9-11mm to the left of the marker when in front of the car, screwing the mixture screw 3 turns out (or 1.5 turns as haynes say?), and maybe giving it some less play in the acc. pump.
Having a specific base setting and working from that

 

[mr-reno-139]

Setting timing will need to be done first and the mixture screw setting is only a guide
Once you have got it to idle as slowly as it wil run on throttle stop use mixture screw to even out engine note
Basically fully in is weak idle mixture so keep coming out till it runs worse then go back in counting turns inwards it should run better then get worse again
Wind back out till runs even aprox half number
turns
If there is no meaningful change wherever screw is something is wrong
Impossible to say further without being next to car

 

[Niels Svane]

Regarding the direction of rotation I just looked at the flywheel when I pushed the car in 4. gear to set static timing. Shouldn't that then be the direction of rotation? Funny thing is just that it is counterclockwise when facing the front :S

 

[Niels Svane]

So tinkered a bit again this morning, and now it accelerates again, with the right 'raw' sound It was the timing thing I had misunderstood... I'm a biologist not electromechanic But yet again ive managed to renew the whole electric compartment somewhat, along with cleaning and rebuilding the carb; so totally lost im not! It still hesitates a wee bit in 4th at pickup, but now it has to be a mixture/acc.pump issue. Either to large a sudden squirt of petrol or to lean a mixture.

So now we just need you all to come to Denmark, and have a nice gettogether on our little beach

 

[mr-reno-139]

this is the bit where i said it is a good idea if you put your vehicle details in the title underneath your name as we will all know what car you are talking about so the question is747 and 845 run different direction 2 956 And 1108
i've posted this before but as both the engines used in 4s were designed for rear engine cars ie dauphine
to enable the use of a starting handle the direction on small engines was changed due to the gearbox being at the front
the 956 And 1108 stiCks2 the original design rotation o clockwise this is assuming you are looking at the non flywheel end where you would of been putting a starting handle if engine was still in the back of a Renault 8
direction was not reversed with a bigger engine 4 as no facility to fit a starting handle on the later gearbox needed for the moRe Powerfulengine

 

[Niels Svane]

Of course, its done now. Its a 845cc of the last series thus a type 1B1. Its equipped with a ducellier dizzy.
It runs clockwise seen from the front as you stated, I just had some misunderstanding along the way when fiddling