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Peppers Renault 4

pepper said:
Sorry I don't mean to upset anyone! I just thought putting all my Renault 4 ramblings into one thread like a diary rather than start a new thread each time I wanted to say something about my 4 would be a neater idea?
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I for one have really enjoyed this thread. It's been an fascinating journey. Much better than having scraps of this and that scattered over many threads. I don't think Lord Stanbury was being entirely serious, just amazed that your thread is interesting enough to continue so long.
 
..Its an amazing thread Pepper..

..And you go on and on and on for as long as you like. I think you are amazing to struggle on with getting BB on the road no matter what - mechanical problems, sheared bolts etc and freezing cold days in your workshop - Well done!!

Will I be able to see and perhaps race my wrecks against BB at Le Moulin Bodin in the summer - That would be fun?

So onwards and upwards Pepper, plenty of power to your elbow and I can report that your beloved Vendee is springing into spring finally!!
 
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Well I've still not been up the workshop much these past few weeks, working so many hours in Belgium is taking it out on me and I end up just falling asleep all the time!

A week or so ago I finished swapping the engines over in BB and gave the replacement engine an oil change. I then left it for a week, and came back to a workshop floor covered in oil. Grr the Sealing ring on the sump plug wasn't working!

Today I drained the sumps on both engines so I could swap plugs over and lo they were both different, so a PTFE tape temporary repair has been made until I can get a new sealing ring.

We've got 3 workshops on the farm with three different boxes of sealing rings and none of us managed to have a replacement!!

I then cleaned up all the oil and stripped the gearbox off the old engine so I can keep the box and scrap the engine, by then my back had gone again and I could barely walk so went home to strip bunk beds and move them from room to room ready for when our french neighbours come over for Easter.

I think its a good thing them coming over as it means we're giving the house a massive spring clean and tidy up, getting rid of all the kids old bits and pieces and trying to get Mme Poivres tat and junk thrown away.

As an example

I've put 1 bag of clothes out for the air ambulance, Mme Poivre has found Five!

So my backs well and truly knackered now so we're off to a mothers day BBQ at one of the daughters, yum yum.
 
Careful with them sealing plugs - I had an exact size solid copper washer which I fitted and had a big leak as a result. Compressible ones like the originals are the thing, and mine had evidence of a rubber bit too. I used instant gasket :D

Hope the back improves. Mine was bad last year from leaning over a laptop. I invested in a great big screen that I have to be some distance from, a keyboard, and an executive chair. My back has been much better since then.
 
When Claude had his last oil change just before we moved to France I couldn't get hold of an oil plug sealing washer anywhere. When we got to to France I found even the local supermarket sold them!. So when you're next over this side of the channel it might be worth stocking up. The drain plug keys are also widely available here. The joys of living in Renault 4 land :D

That's just reminded me we've been here a year now so another oil/filter change is due.
 
Thanks Claude for reminding me of that.

I do love the fact you can buy all of the useful service parts from your local supermarket, its great.

This Renault 4 is eventually going to make its way back to France, but I'm going to enjoy having it around here for the time being.
 
Peppers car

Malcolm, ours is a TL with the same bumpers and grille, it was owned by the mayor of Chartres office, so was a local council car and maybe they were given even cheaper bits than normal.
 
I think the ones with rubber in the middle are called a 'Dowty washer' - try your local hydraulic or agricultural supplier.
 
Well alls sorted, I finally managed to complete the undersealing and waxoyling today, the main reason was my workshop buddy needs to get his VW bus into remove the engine again (god I love VW' engines).

I was NOT going to get it back down off the axle stands again and then put it back afterwards! So I set too and managed to get most of the undeseal and waxoyling done this afternoon, then finished the rest off this evening.

BB is now sitting back on her wheels and is all shiny and black underneath. I've jsut got to go round getting all the overspray off the bodywork and she's ready for MOT next weekend.
 
Oh and now I'm sitting here drinking cheap Belgian Beer and not moving another inch all night, I have no back left at all!
 
This evening, I have braved moving and went up and took BB for a shake down drive to see if anything were wrong.

I had a few little niggles, tail gate squeaking, indicator earth and steering wheel needing aligning, oh and a great big leak from the rocker cover, I have a spare gasket that will be going on next friday night.

The biggest concern for the MOT is the handbrake, its not brilliant so when I get back next friday I shall be concentrating on getting that working a lot better. The brakes are excellent pulling up squarely and without judder so I reckon I just need to get the cable adjusted a lot better before the MOT.

Its really funny how different individual engines can have such different characteristics?

BB's old engine which I had to take out due to a liner gasket leaking at the bottom was far far gruntier than the relatively low mileage engine that I've dropped in now. The new engine feels tighter and less revvier (new word of the day) than the old one, which would wheelspin BB down the drive in the first 3 gears!
I swopped the carb and inlet manifold over so it isn't different carbs which are causing it. I shall check all the ignition settings as it does feel flatter at the top end which could mean the ignitions advanced or retarded too far one way or the other.

All I've got to do is to ring my local MOT man for a booking for next saturday now and then burn some midnight oil when I get back getting the handrake sorted out.
 
Well its all done, the midnight oil was burnt and she duly arrived at the MOT station at 07:30 this morning.

She passed the test with an advisory or two so all is good.

I then spent today adjusting tappets changing the rocker cover gasket and adjusting the timing.

She runs a lot better now and really flies when you use the full revs.

I won't be bringing her down to the run as she needs to be registered in the UK first and I doubt I'll have the time this week to get it sorted.
 
Well here's a thread from the past, going to resurrect it as I'm about to do more work on Old BB.

She's now been UK registered and has been running around quite happily for the past twelve months and we even made it down to the Kent run with our own car this year! Should have kept her in the garage and taken Malcolms again I reckon as it Peed down with rain!!:p

I'm making a "little" list of stuff that needs doing to improve her this year and it starts below.

New door Seals so I can run along without being able to stick my fingers through the gap.
New Boot seals so we don't get asphyxiated too much ;)
New Front Shoes as upon inspection for the MOT they don't seem to be touching the handbrake mechanism correctly.
New Distributor cap, Rotor arm, Points and Condensor.
Perhaps another distributor as the vacuum advance doesn't work, doesn't stop her going ok though so may just get left as is, it isn't broken fully yet etc.
Check and adjust the rear suspension as it doesn't seem to be quite straight to my eye.
Check front tracking and get that all correct and true.
New Rear dampers as my old uns are pooped.
Find colour code for French Police Renault 4's and get some paint over some of the bits that could do with it.

That doesn't mean being restored, I like her looking rough and eventually she is going to go and live in a barn in France and I don't want a snazzy looking car I want one to use.
 
Righty Ho, One job done today ;) Popped over to Birmingham and picked up the set of KYB dampers and spent a couple of hours this evening fitting them. Robert and I had been discussing my clunking of BB's rear shocks on the way down and I tonight I found out why!


I also tweaked the Right hand side rear wheel over as it wasn't looking quite straight, although it wasn't wearing tyres out dreadfully or anything, so that should help it in the corners too.

The dampers themselves are in great condition they just need a set of bushes fitting in them, I wonder if they are available as replacement parts these days?
 
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Thanks again Steve, I will give them a ring and see what they say.

I've been busy ordering parts for BB today,

Using your little list I popped into my local motor factors and ordered all the bits and pieces, I also ordered a replacement exhaust at the same time. Though its ended up as a Bitsa as I prefer Bosal exhausts but they only had the centre pipe so I've had to get a Timax tail pipe (at least it isn't Walkers)
 
MMMmm next problem, whilst on the run down to Kent, (well on the way back whilst freezingingly soaked) I found that after a while on the motorway the heater went cold, if I stopped it warmed back up to a roaring flame, then once I set off again it became cold, felt to me like the thermostat wasn't in (double checked and its there, never been taken off as it has its original clamp around the hose still.

So I whipped the hose off and blew through it and its like the thermostat isn't there, I reckon its failed in the open position, so I now need a new thermostat, anyone got one hanging around spare?
 
I've bought a replacement from Ebay and am hoping to fit it next weekend, shall see how we get on with a new one, will check the old one in the boiling water and see what was going on with it, or not as the case may be.
 
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