My Renault 5 Gordini Turbo passed its MOT today, without problems. However, I know that the brake proportioning valve is weeping. It leaks very slowly. I'm trying to get an old one rebuilt at the moment. Will keep news posted here...

I last drove my white Renault 5 TL in May 2004. Since then it has been sitting in a lockup, gathering dust, and not moving an inch on four very flat tyres...

Fast forward to April 2007, when I found an insurance broker that would insure my Gordini Turbo and the TL for £250 - far better than the £400 or so I was used to paying for the Gordini Turbo alone. So, I thought - "why not get both on the road?". Good idea - let's do it!

Back in 1997, I fitted a weber dual choke carburettor and its associated manifold, etc. from a 1397cc Renault 5. It did seem to help with the acceleration potential of the car a little. However, I felt that overall it detracted from the car, introducing several flat spots into the rev range, and appearing to reduce, rather than increase, the top speed.

So I decided to return the car to its standard specification with the help of the manifold and carburettor from B246 NLM, which I had happened to purchase a year or so ago. Fitting the manifold and carburettor wasn't too tricky, but I did have to use the exhaust clamp from B246 NLM, as this was missing on the exhaust on my car.

I cut the exhaust on B246 NLM, spread open the clamp and then welded it shut again. You can see photos of this operation here: 

It was only the second welding job I've ever done (and I'm teaching myself). So don't be too critical of it! I just hope it will last the lifetime of the exhaust...

My wife refurbished a set of TX wheels for me (very kind of her - thank you). I got a brand new set of Pirelli P3000 (155/70R13) fitted.

After finishing putting the manifold and carb back together I turned the engine over without starting it, waited a bit then tried starting the engine. To my delight, it sprang in to life! This video here shows the first time the engine ran after 3 years: 

After that success, I tried driving the car round the local industrial estate. Didn't seem too bad, but was very slow, and reluctant to perform. The clutch was also  stuck, so I did the usual trick of starting the engine in gear with my foot on the clutch pedal.

I carefully drove the car home so I could finish it off there. I'd not gone more than a mile or so, before I could smell hot brakes. Oh dear... siezed caliper. When I arrived home, the front offside wheel (let alone the brake disc) was too hot to touch. A fun afternoon was spent dismantling the caliper, polishing away the small amounts of rust on the caliper body and piston, and reassembling, bleeding the brakes, etc. I also checked one of the rear brakes - upon removing the drum it seemed fine.

So, the car went for its MOT today - 22nd May. And passed! Without even an advisory. I was very pleased, to say the least. Looking forward to driving it at the Renault Owners' Club Run this weekend.

A common problem with Mk I Renault 5s as they get older is leaking or siezed brake limiting valves. They are specific to the Renault 5 and limit the pressure being sent to the rear brakes. As more weight is in the rear of the car, the valve is automatically adjusted (by suspension deflection acting on a rod) to allow more braking force to the rear brakes.

The valve on my Gordini Turbo appears to be leaking, so I posted a topic to the forum explaining my plight.

After further investigation, it's very diffiuclt to tell if the valve is actually leaking. I got my wife to stamp on the brakes while I watched for fluid and I couldn't see any. No drips, nothing...

I got a siezed valve from a scrap car and have managed to free it off, but don't know if it works or whether it leaks. Changing the valve is a fiddly and time-consuming job, so I'm going to wait and see whether my original valve really does leak...

Note: it's my belief that the valve fitted to the Gordni Turbo is different from that fitted to other models.

Ever since I fitted electro-hydraulic power steering (electric pump, hydraulic steering rack) to my Renault 5 Gordini Turbo, I've found the current ouptut of the alternator to be not quite enough. For example, the current drawn by the brake lights is often enough to cause sufficient a voltage drop as to make the radio go off! This has been a bit annoying, as every time I brake, I must reach down and turn the radio back up. It does come back on of its own accord, but is set at a default, quiet level...

So, I decided to fit LED brake/tail lights from www.ulraleds.co.uk - model number U38025R . You can see the results here (although it's a little difficult to accurately photograph lights):

 

 

 

The end result of fitting these lights is that the radio now no longer turns off when I brake! Much less distracting and safter for me...

The new lights are comparable with the old. The amount of light output by the LED lights is very similar to that emitted by the originals.

I've just returned from my holiday in Tenerife. Moises very kindly came to my hotel as I'd not hired a car on this occasion (but this is a picture of his car, nonetheless!).

It was great to see Moises, and though I wasn't able to see his car, we talked for quite a while. I gave him a tour of this site, which he thought was great, and showed him how to upload images to the gallery, how to add a Car Register record, and how to edit the wiki. We also discussed turbos, power steering and the DVLA (UK Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority). It was a pleasure to meet him and great to discuss the Renault 5 in such great detail. Moises is extremely knowledgeable and very helpful.

I've fixed the fuel starvation problem! Ssee earlier blog posts for details on the issue...

I removed the fuel pump, a

Facet Interupt Fuel Pump - Silver Top

and opened it up to have a look inside. I found it works by oscillating a hollow metal bar up and down in a tube. The bar has simple non-return valves on its ends. The hollow metal bar (piston) is a close fit in the tube. When I inspected the piston, I found it was quite scuffed. The inside surface of the tube was also quite scuffed. I reasoned the pump must be worn out. To prove my hypothesis, I fitted an old(er) pump I had - a Facet Solid State Fuel Pump - Fast Road

which I had fitted to the car initially, but had subsequently found it delivered insufficient fuel on when the turbo was at full chat. Incidentally, I remembered that it was "only just" insufficient, and was far better than what I am experiencing now.

So... refitting the "old" pump has transformed the car! It pulls properly in all gears, and the turbo continues to boost for as long as I dared in my short test-drive. I will need to fit the pump properly, or (probably) upgrade it to one which delivers a little more fuel.

You can see photos of the worn-out fuel pump if you select the thumbnail here:

Now, what I must also point out, is that I completely ignored the advice of the manufacturer of the fuel pump. They warn that the pump MUST be pre-filtered. I simply didn't bother fitting a pre-filter, and this must have caused the death of the pump. It probably sucked in some gritty debris from the fuel tank, which prematurely wore the inner bore and the piston... There's a lesson in there somewhere ;-)

To investigate the fuel starvation problem, I got under the car on Wednesday and checked the fuel pressure regulator. It looked ok - even when I took it apart. No blockages or anything else. I reassembled it and wound it all the way open. When I took the car out, it was just as bad as ever, if not worse. However, I'm even more certain than before that it's suffering from severe fuel starvation. The next step is to try replacing the fuel pump. I have an old pump that I know's not up to the job of properly running the car, but it would do as a temporary replacement test to see if the current pump is faulty.

I'm currently preparing a large shipment of parts to go to a customer in Japan. I don't really advertise that I sell parts on the site, but people do contact me "just on the off chance". I do have most parts for Renault 5 TL, TX and Gordini Turbos.

In this instance, the customer requires a Gordini Turbo engine, a TX (or similar) gearbox and some Gordini (atmo) wheels. He also requires a few other parts, including a TL carburettor.

I started today by removing a the gearbox from a TX engine I have. The power steering pump bracket was really bodged together. It looked as though some of the bolts had sheared off at some point, and so an alternative fix was required.

Of course, old engines and gearboxes are always covered in a thick film of oil, and these were no exception. I gunked them and washed off with a power washer. Of interest is that a power washer will run from a water container as an inlet - it doesn't require running water. Something I found out when I tried it today. Useful if you haven't got running water in your lockup (or if the adaptor doesn't fit the tap, as in my case)...

Job done in the end. I had to clean the parts, as the shipping co. won't touch dirty/contaminated items. Next is to drain the oil! 

 

I had to get to work this morning for 6:30am. Grr... Started the car, and drove the 9 or so miles - leaving at 6:15. At one point I flew past a police car in the opposite direction - I was doing almost 80 in a 50! Fortunately, he kept going...

I was finding that the car wasn't running too well - misfiring a lot on sustained acceleration. I think it's suffering from fuel starvation. The fuel pressure regulator I have fitted may well be faulty. It worked perfectly for a year or two, which indicates it meets the needs in principle, but the fuel starvation is now getting worse and more frequent. I will try and get under the car this weekend to check it out.

As I got close to work, the oil warning light came on! That gave me a scare - I literally dumped the car in the first available car park, and ran to where I was meeting my colleagues, as I was a little late by this time...

I had to leave the car all day, and check it upon my return. Plenty of oil, and upon starting, plenty of oil pressure on the gauge. Figured that it must be ok, so left. Half a mile down the road, after going round a roundabout, the light came on again. Stopped and checked, all was well, and it went off again. My hypothesis is that it's a wiring problem, with something shorting to ground somewhere. Probably just the wire falling off the end of the sender. Again, I'll try and check it out this weekend.