Clio 172 Cup

[Dempsey87]

Hi,

I'm new to the forum and thought i would start a project thread so i could get some feedback on the car and maybe some ideas for future mods!

I have just bought my first Clio and its my first Renault. Always liked the 172 cup and decided that my Subaru had spent enough of my money on fuel so i sold this -

and bought this -

The Clio is on 80,000 with full service history. Needs the belt done and after spending a bit of time on hear im going to replace the dephaser as well.

So after a couple of days of ownership i noticed a few faults that i wanted to get sorted ASAP.

The car wouldn't heat up so i replaced the thermostat and water pump i also flushed the heater matrix and radiator out, I also changed the aux belt as it was knackered.
It is now heating up well.

The other fault was a knocking from the back which i thought was maybe a bush or failed suspension part. Then one day last week the back box decided to fall of the car on my way up to my folks! Good news though the knocking had stopped!

This is what was left -

So i bought this ktec stealth cat back from Clio172T (Matt)

Nice easy job and sounds so much better.

So that's all i have done so far just need to buy the timing belt kit and dephaser and get them fitted. Then that will hopefully be all of the service jobs done. Unless anything else decides to break!

Im not sure on the long term goal for the Clio, The car is standard and has been really well cared for so would be a shame to do anything to drastic looks wise!

Plan to get the Wheels done in anthracite as they could do with a refurb and possibly do something with the suspension as i think the back end feels a bit unstable.

Let me know your thoughts so far and also any good mods?

 

[Dempsey87]

Also meant to ask about the rev limiter. I know the car gives you an extra 1000revs once heated up. The thermostat now goes to mid way but i am still not getting my extra revs all of the time! Any ideas what the cause could be? Cheers.

 

[MG cup]

Car looks good, what was wrong with the exhaust. That strainer tailpipe look is in this season

Your rev issue is the temp switch, get that replaced and it will be sorted. If your not able to do the belts yourself then SWR are not far from you and there prices are brilliant from what I have seen.

Oh and the rear shocks are known for being rubbish, £40 a side from Renault and it will be spot on and another £80 on top and you will have 4 new shocks all round which will transform the car.

 

[Dempsey87]

Haha Yeah should have started a trend!

Thanks for the info! Is this seporate to the temp sensor or is it the same unit?

 

[Paprika123]

You get this off Neil?

 

[MG cup]

I bet it sounded fruity.

Yeah I meant the temp sensor that was a typo, they don't have a temp switch. The sensor is screwed into the thermostat housing on the gearbox side of the engine.

 

[Dempsey87]

You get this off Neil?

The car? I bought it from a trader. Previous Owner was a Jamie Ryan in Fife.

 

[Dempsey87]

I bet it sounded fruity.

Yeah I meant the temp sensor that was a typo, they don't have a temp switch. The sensor is screwed into the thermostat housing on the gearbox side of the engine.

Perfect. Cheers for that, was really bugging me. Its not the same car without the revs.

Ill have a look at the back shocks on Saturday to see if they are seeping. Possibly thinking of doing a few track days so might invest in something a bit firmer!

 

[Paprika123]

The car? I bought it from a trader. Previous Owner was a Jamie Ryan in Fife.

If you bought it off a young lad from the house in the second pic then it'll be him. Previous owner was from Burntisland iirc.

 

[Dempsey87]

If you bought it off a young lad from the house in the second pic then it'll be him. Previous owner was from Burntisland iirc.

Yeah. He bought it with his mate to sell on! small world.

 

[Dempsey87]

So i replaced the temperature sensor today but still have an issue with the rev limiter

When i sit in traffic for a bit the temp goes up and the rev limiter will go up for a short period until the car cools down a bit after i get moving.

Hear is pic of the temp gauge when i am getting the extended rev limiter

And this is the gauge as it runs most of the time.

Can anyone shed any light on this? Its doing my head in!

cheers.

 

[Corby G]

Might just be simple as it's not running warm enough to trigger the limiter.

Mine runs just above half way all the time.

 

[Dempsey87]

Just need to figure out why it is running cool. It has had a new thermostat and pump! Running out of parts to blame! haha

 

[Dempsey87]

So finally got to the bottom of it! I bought a cheap temp sensor from ebay and that didn't work it made the gauge read cooler!!!!! So i then decided to buy a genuine one from Renault and now the temp gauge is spot on and i have the extra revs!

Also have had some new parts delivered!

Cant wait to get them fitted hopefully will notice a big difference.

Next thing to do is get this all fitted and then look at getting some suspension sorted out!

 

[Dempsey87]

So I got allot done on the car last week.

First thing I got done was the timing belt and dephaser pulley.

Wasn't as bad as everyone made out. While I was there I replaced all the engine mounts and uprated the dogbone with the powerflex kit.

next thing I did was change the plugs. I found that cylinders 3 and 4 had about 10mm of oil around the spark plugs! -

im guessing that the oil has leaked from the top part of the rocker cover! Is this common? Also is it a paper gasket or just instant gasket? Any info would be appreciated!

next thing I done was make an induction kit! -

really pleased with how it turned out and it sounds great.

Then it was on to fitting the coilovers that I had acquired!

And hear are a couple of pictures of how that car is sitting now.

has anyone found that fitting coilovers has affected there tracking? Car seems to be a bit jumpy at the front end over bumps!

Last thing I had to do was change the steering wheel from this -

to this -

but I only got this far!

i managed to get the bolt out but the wheel will not budge. I have tried hammering, pulling it, heating it, wobbling it. Doesn't seem to want to move!!! Any tips on how to get this off?

So that's where I am at just now. Looking forward to getting the car up to Knockhill to see what it's like! Any info or feedback is welcome.

Also I was planning in doing the wheels anthracite but kind of like the silver!?! What do people think? Stick silver or go anthracite?

Cheers

 

[Mr R.]

Oh dear, I spy tipex.

You're timing will be out.

 

[Paprika123]

Looking good, did you do the belt yourself?

Oil could be from leaking rocker cover or even spilling it whilst topping up. It has two gaskets, one is a pre formed thing, and the main cover is just a tube of sealant. (I think).

The wheel probably needs a good wiggling tbh, leave the bolt in a bit and hang off it lol.

Tracking will need done after fitting coilovers. Try CLCM at Hermiston Gait, they done my 182 and it was spot on.

 

[Paprika123]

Oh dear, I spy tipex.

You're timing will be out.

Page 07-13 and 07-27 of the Renault Workshop manual tells you to mark the pulleys. It's not always a sign of being timed incorrectly.

 

[Mr R.]

Did the horse shoe fit in the cams with no problems?

 

[stuart_s182]

looking good mate

 

[Dempsey87]

It's all good tipex is from a previouse offender. Was timed up using crank pin, horse shoe and cam locking tool! All done properly.

 

[Dempsey87]

Yeah did the belt myself! I was thinking CLCM. Allot of people have told me they are spot on.

 

[Djw John]

Wullie at CLCM will see you right. I'll be there again shortly

 

[Dempsey87]

What does he charge for doing it?