Frederick the Frog and the Art of Renault 4 Maintenance
Clementine is joined in the garage by Frederick the Frog to demonstrate how to resolve common Renault 4 problems (without spending money).
See the forum for more technical questions and answers.
Starter motor
Does your Renault 4 turn over very slowly on the starter motor?
If so your problem might be dirt in the solenoid. Frederick the
Frog explains how to fix it.
Clutch seizing
The Renault 4 clutch should be light and smooth in operation,
but seizes up after many years of use. Frederick shows how to
un-seize the clutch without taking anything apart.
Headlamps
Renault only supply headlamps for left hand drive R4s. Frederick
the frog shows how you convert them to right hand drive and fit
a sidelight.
Pinking
It's common to get pinking when the ignition timing is too advanced
or the points need replacing. If you have pinking in perfect tune
it's worth trying Frederick's trick.
Gas Pressurised Dampers (shock
absorbers)
Most dampers supplied for the Renault 4 don't work properly. Find
out why and how to select good dampers.
Fitting Rear Dampers
How to fit gas pressurised dampers without all the problems of
them expanding too much.
Front suspension lower balljoint
Frederick decides a creaking sound is caused by a lower balljoint
and tries to replace it with a new one bought on eBay.
Frederick's angle grinder (RIP)
Frederick's angle grinder passed away today giving him another
opportunity to take something apart.
Serious Technical Stuff:
Rear Suspension Jig
A positioning jig for rear chassis welding repairs. Don't leave home
without one!
Torsion Bar Unloading Tool
A tool to unload the tension from front torsion bars prior to removal
or adjustment.
Building a
full chassis jig
The chassis jig will be used in the Gordini project - lots of rust in
the chassis to repair on that one. There's also a page with dimensions
for building a chassis jig.
