Clio 182 MC04TXG (car number 5!)

[David Stuart]

Hi everyone. Joined the forum and club a few weeks ago. Great place to be by the way! Anyway, I bought myself a clio 182 this week, motivation was a visit to a local hill climb open night. I have an MG TF that I was planning to start using for some non competitive track days and hill climbs but got chatting to a guy in a mk6 fiesta st that looks quick. His words, get a clio. 2 seconds faster up the hill than him.

If anyone can tell me how to post a video I'll upload one from forrestburn hill climb.

Here is the car next to my daily driver.

Very happy with it. After purchasing it I use it for work and back 3 days to get to know the car. A few jobs to do but nothing serious.

The intention is to tackle the project in a few stages.

Stage 1

Get an MOT. From what I have checked there isn't much needing doing. All the suspension joints seem good and the brakes are fine. The MOT is due next week and part of the reason the car was very cheap.

Stage 2

Sort the other faults. Car needs a cam belt as the history isn't known. I'm new to clios but done plenty research. I know I'm in for a big complicated job but nothing YouTube can't help with. Pretty sure the dephaser needs doing as well. Might do the water pump while I'm at it. Thankfully the car came with a genuine Renault timing belt kit.
The car also has quite a big oil leak. I'll be sorting that as well.

Stage 3

Track prepared.
Plan it to keep it simple. Rear half cage. Bucket seats and harnesses. Not planning on competitive stuff. Strip out as much of the interior as I can be bothered with.
Will also look at some decent brakes. From what I see standard rear and HC from discs are the way to go for this kind of car. I'll also be doing a scenic shifter I think. 1st and 3rd are a stretch even in a road car.

I'll update as I go. Still looking for bits for stage 3 so if anyone has some and are local ( central Scotland ) give me a shout.

Thanks
David




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[Vaughan]

That looks great!
Regarding doing the cam belt yourself: many DIYers end up breaking valves.

 

[David Stuart]

Cheers. Yes I saw that on YouTube. Mental set up. Seen this on eBay so for £30 plus £90 for a dephaser I can do the job myself. http://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/New-Renault...3A23a2bdeb15e0a9cc230fd009fffe36c0%7Ciid%3A14


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[David Stuart]

Also forgot to mention I bought some turinis for it as well.

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[welshname]

Cheers. Yes I saw that on YouTube. Mental set up. Seen this on eBay so for £30 plus £90 for a dephaser I can do the job myself. http://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/New-Renault...3A23a2bdeb15e0a9cc230fd009fffe36c0%7Ciid%3A14


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They bend very easily so be careful as the timing won't be correct. Also you're forgetting the price of a cambelt kit. You'll want to do the kit rather than just a belt on its own plus the aux belt kit too.

 

[David Stuart]

Cam belt kit came with the car. [emoji106]


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[David Stuart]

Looking a bit better on these.

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[David Stuart]

So a few newbie observations and lessons. Rear discs bought from local motor factor (APEC) are shite. Had to transfer abs ring. Bearing on one is worse than the discs I took off. Done this cos they had them in stock and it was handy. Buying Renault ones off eBay now and will be asking for my money back on at least the one with the crap bearing.

Also bought a sump plug, oil and filter as on first inspection my oil leak looked like a quick fix. Once cleaned up you can see its leaking from further up. Any suggestions? Sump gasket or anything else?

Also looks like I have a slight leak from the gearbox. Oh joy!

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[imprezaworks]

They all leak from the gearbox mate

 

[David Stuart]

They all leak from the gearbox mate

I can put up with that. The thought of smelling gearbox oil gives me a sore head.

The engine oil leaks is much worse and def needs some attention. Looks easy enough to get the sump off. Is it? If so I'll get a gasket and try that first.


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[David Stuart]

Also noticed inner cv boot is split on the O/S. Any recommendations on that job? Full drive shaft or cv boot?


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[David Stuart]

So after a few weeks getting one of my minis sorted and a day clearing out the lock up today iv started on my clio project.

Nice tidy workspace.

After a wee while I've got the front end off.

Main job here is the timing belt. But I'm taking the engine out as I've got 3 jobs and overall it will be less time and hassle.

Oil leak is much worse than I first thought. Also keen to fix the gearbox leak and may as well do a clutch while I'm doing that.

Track car in mind. Any other jobs I should be considering while I'm at it?

Thanks
D


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[David Stuart]

Got a spare hour today on my day off. Got the air con condenser and radiator off. Water pipes all disconnected. Also off with the alternator and air con pump.

Nice wee surprise inside the air box. Saved me £30 and looks almost brand new.

Also made my mind up on the air con. I was going to reinstate it but found the dryer like this.

So I'll not be putting the air con back and will be on the look out / open to advice on how to put it back together writhing the compressor.


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[David Stuart]

The strip down continues. I'm new to clios so spark plug lead reference [emoji23]

Inlet manifold off and a bunch of wiring disconnected.

I've seen a few of these stamped RS up for sale and this car has one. What does it mean exactly?

Thanks and I'll keep the pics coming.

David


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[David Stuart]

Man I love xfactor. Out as soon as that shite comes on. Granted is only on an hour and I was away 3 but still. [emoji23]

Engine now out.

All quite straight forward so far. I did snap the bolt securing the main 12v supply to the starter motor. Is this common? Not sure if I done it wrong.

Also. How much of that crap do people leave in the engine bay on track day cars?

Thanks
David


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[Djw John]

RS inlets are known as the best ones for flow. Just better machined than the other ones.

I've never snapped the starter bolt but a new starter isn't much if you get one from one of the many breakers on here.

Folk tend to remove all the aircon gubbons and some go to epas instead of the existing pas.

 

[David Stuart]

Cheers. I'll take a pick of the starter tonight. Just snapped the bolt off the solenoid. I'm going to remove the AC but leave the PAS since it came apart ok.


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[David Stuart]

I'll be removing it all the engine bay sound deadening.


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[David Stuart]

Pressure washed the engine and gearbox tonight then split the two.

Then left for the oil leak to build. Looks like it just appears from nowhere on the sump. Can't see any cracks. I'll take it off for a look inside.

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[David Stuart]

No pics tonight but lots done. Clutch off. On the wear limits so needed changed anyway.

Belt and pulleys off. Cam cover off. What sealant do people use to reseal this?

I also removed the waterpump. Inside this looks brand new so will be going back on.

New dephaser pulley on order.


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[David Stuart]

Unexpected free night tonight but waiting on parts. So decided to do a bit more cleaning than I initially set out to do.

Painted the block.

Using some auto smart wheel cleaner and a brilo pad cleaned some alloy parts as well.

Hoping the cam cover sealant and dephaser pulley come for the weekend.


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[Jekyll]

Just a heads up.... If you decide to change your suspension, measure the bolt spacing first. Yours could be a non cup packed model. They normally had silver wheels but that could just be a aesthetic change by previous owner/owners. The hub bolt spacing will either be 54mm or 60mm. Non cup packed is 54mm, cup packed is 60mm.

If you have the former, there is a wider choice for suspension kits as that size (54mm) covers all 172's including ph1 and cups and non cupped 182s.

 

[David Stuart]

Just a heads up.... If you decide to change your suspension, measure the bolt spacing first. Yours could be a non cup packed model. They normally had silver wheels but that could just be a aesthetic change by previous owner/owners. The hub bolt spacing will either be 54mm or 60mm. Non cup packed is 54mm, cup packed is 60mm.

If you have the former, there is a wider choice for suspension kits as that size (54mm) covers all 172's including ph1 and cups and non cupped 182s.

Cheers for the heads up. Pretty sure it's not a full fat. So the non cup suspension. I'll measure the upright bolt spacing. But not suspension mods in the near future. Get it back driving first.


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[David Stuart]

Feeling good about the progress on this car. Got the big job of timing the cams in off the list.

New sump and clutch ordered up. That will be the job next weekend. I do need some 2nd hand parts. Plastic timing belt cover anyone?

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[RuskiWeldFab]

Great progress! Keep it up man.



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[David Stuart]

Some good progress and some frustration.

First starting with my gearbox. I went about splitting it. I want to renew the seal between the two machines halves and replace the 3 oil seals. Unfortunately I only got at far as the pic below shows. Looks like the diff and crown wheel and attached to one half and the rest of the gearset to the other. Removing the diff seal shows a big nut and bearing set up. Please help here. I’m stuck and I’m not going to force it.

After that I done some easier jobs. New plastics timing cover, thanks @stevem42. And new cup alternator setup thanks to @ross bannell.

I then went to finish the night with the clutch but my new Luk kit didn’t come with new bolts and I think I have chucked the old ones. Trying to find some online now.

Thanks
David


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[David Stuart]

Slow progress recently with the early arrival of this wee girl. Hannah born last week and a delighted big sister.

So after a week of being extra helpful around the house I got to the garage on the condition that I brought ice cream back for the misses.

Gearbox split.

Some parts fell out.

Pretty sure these support the selectors going through the end of the casing but please tell me! Or if anyone has a Renault Manual I can refer to.


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[imprezaworks]

Congrats on the new born

 

[David Stuart]

And I should really change the title of this thread. This is now only car number 4 after selling this last week.

I don’t think I will be buying another to be honest. Main reason for purchasing was because my dad seen them at a car show and liked the idea.

I picked it up for £350 as a project, spent time and a few hundred quid doing it up. Got its MOT but seen it was overheating.

It’s the 160 model so goes quite well but they are very rusty underneath and quite dangerous in the wet. The driving position is terrible as well. So after getting it roadworthy I’ve ended up letting it go for £350 for someone else to sort the overheating problem.


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[David Stuart]

For the attention of gearbox gurus. Can you help identify this part. Putting the gearbox back together and no clue where it goes.

Also need to buy a few parts. I damaged this plastic piece removing the linkage to replace the seal.

And I need 2 of the small springs that keep the ball bearing against the selector rod. Any tips on the best place I can buy this stuff from.

Otherwise everything is going back together now and should be quite straight forward.


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[Mr Plums]

@NorthloopCup may be able to help, hes knows these gearboxes inside out.

 

[Mr Plums]

They all leak from the gearbox mate

My new one doesnt leak mate im well pleased, this one along with my original one that was on the arctic are the only 2 that havnt leaked out of about 6 ive had.

 

[David Stuart]

@NorthloopCup may be able to help, hes knows these gearboxes inside out.

Cheers. Just messaged him.


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[David Stuart]

I’m a good few months without doing much with this car. Mostly because I’ve been fannying about with the gearbox. But with some time off work this week and loads of work it’s back together. Here is my brother Robert giving it a kiss.

And now the engine and gearbox are back together.

Happy days. I then accidentally ordered pizza twice from two different takeaways. Ah well, first world problems.

Will be back tomorrow to fire the new sump on and get the lot in the car. Very excited.


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[David Stuart]

And it’s in.

Shiny new sump.

I am missing one sump bolt. The joys of project cars. If anyone local (central Scotland) has one spare give me a shout.


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[David Stuart]

And I should really change the title of this thread. This is now only car number 4 after selling this last week.

View attachment 1346294

I don’t think I will be buying another to be honest. Main reason for purchasing was because my dad seen them at a car show and liked the idea.

I picked it up for £350 as a project, spent time and a few hundred quid doing it up. Got its MOT but seen it was overheating.

It’s the 160 model so goes quite well but they are very rusty underneath and quite dangerous in the wet. The driving position is terrible as well. So after getting it roadworthy I’ve ended up letting it go for £350 for someone else to sort the overheating problem.


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And looking back at this post. This is now car number 4 with this now being car number 5. Really enjoying this wee classic French hot hatch.

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[imprezaworks]

That pug looks awesome

 

[David Stuart]

So I have the engine back together enough to start but I have a few issues.

I’m getting some back firing but that should be easy to sort.

More major issue is the oil leak. It’s coming from one of the camshaft seals so I suspect I have pinched one or put them too far in.

Also discovered one of the ballpoints dust cover is split. I was planning on putting two new arms on in future and powder coating the subframe. So went and bought the 2 new arms. I’ll power cost the subframe later when I know that car is done.

So back off with belts and do the cam seals. Can’t say I’m happy about it but what can you do. Probably my fault anyway.




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[David Stuart]

Tonight. New wishbone in drivers side.

Also fitted the quick shift and gear linkage. Fells good for less than £30 [emoji106]

Had to transfer this little rubber section from the old link. Or you could use washers to spacer it correctly. Sorry about the crap photo.

On with the cam seals at the weekend. [emoji85]


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[Clio_fool]

I've just read all this and have to say good effort with the DIY spannering! The turini's look great, but for a track car you'll want 15" wheels for better feel and cheaper sticky tyres.