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Covid182 the longest clutch change ever



Robbie Corbett

ClioSport Club Member
Weekend came and somehow (no idea how) the trolley worked, engine didn't fall over and ruin my month etc. Well dodgy moment getting it down a step on my own, managed to dead lift it down the step block end first (r****d) without destroying my back

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Note road covered in sand as I've been liberally spilling oil, power steering fluid, gearbox fluid etc everywhere like a right tool

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Angle block worked like a treat

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New top gearbox mount cleaned and painted

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While engine was out I managed to remove a few snapped bolts by welding new bolts onto them, obviously no pictures because I was deep in the welding zone (im such a s**t welder and was just so occupied trying to not weld the snapped bolts to the car haha)

Slowly discovering more shitty looking bolts which is hurting my inner fairy, also note the Dinitrol overspray on everything.... will need to clean this up with some thinners.

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Weekend over - I am unbelievably slow at this stuff and all of that was literally the whole weekend

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Robbie Corbett

ClioSport Club Member
Yes mate, let me dig it out!


Here you go, not described as OEM but clearly is! just had the Renault badge ground off. Makes sense as lots of the OEM stuff was made by SASIC I think.
 

Robbie Corbett

ClioSport Club Member
and the febi cames as an OEM part? Strange, as the others (mounts) were not so healthy as OEM

Not sure what you mean by not as healthy as OEM? The new part did have a slightly weird surface however was definitely healthier :)

This was 100% the OEM supplied part, same moulding flashing and part number moulded in just with the Renault badge and part of the number ground off by hand, probably due to some supplier contract or something.
 

Robbie Corbett

ClioSport Club Member
Just after I got the car I got annoyed with the terrible headlights, they were seriously milky etc. In winder I rubbed them down and lacquered them, wanting to speed the paint up I put the lights on, absolute disaster:

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So rubbed them down again and re did the clear, took lots of rubbing, this is after half an hour

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Finally have all the clear off, this is at 1500

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Re did the clear in very light coats thinking this could stop the odd cracking from before, which means is orange peel city
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Absolute ball bags did it again

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Using this w**k can of UPOL clear

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So many many hours later, lots more rubbing did it over again, because im a spastic I used the UPOL again just with even light coats so once again lots of peel - just to add I've sprayed a few cars before so I wasn't being a total moron.

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Some more rubbing (bored now)

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RichValver

ClioSport Club Member
  Clio 16v/172 daily
Nice thread this 👌🏼 just a tip, be careful with these pumps as iv fitted the same one and it's pulled my aux belt out of alignment. May want to double check it whilst your engine is still out 👍

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Robbie Corbett

ClioSport Club Member
Nice thread this 👌🏼 just a tip, be careful with these pumps as iv fitted the same one and it's pulled my aux belt out of alignment. May want to double check it whilst your engine is still out 👍

View attachment 1493462

Thanks mate, engine back in bay now 😂 However i did notice that they painted (liberally) the mating flange, so I removed all the paint (like nearly 1mm thick in places) with a blade and belt seems fine at the moment. I have had the engine running and so far so good but will 100% give it a good eyeballing! Cheers for the heads up.

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RichValver

ClioSport Club Member
  Clio 16v/172 daily
Thanks mate, engine back in bay now 😂 However i did notice that they painted (liberally) the mating flange, so I removed all the paint (like nearly 1mm thick in places) with a blade and belt seems fine at the moment. I have had the engine running and so far so good but will 100% give it a good eyeballing! Cheers for the heads up.

View attachment 1493463
Ahh that could be my issue then. I'm about a rib out with mine so sounds about right👌🏼
 

RichValver

ClioSport Club Member
  Clio 16v/172 daily
That sounds quite a bit out, wonder if they have done something odd when building the pump? I'll definitely take a good look at mine and will let you know if its the same, I don't fancy changing the pump in the car tbh
Yeah iv left mine as it's a ballache to remove again. It's trashed a tensioner and itl jump a rib from time to time so just worth double checking mate 👍
 

Robbie Corbett

ClioSport Club Member
So engines in, time to start spending some money on the front suspension!

Parts were beginning to stack up now, Mrs TouringRob was obviously well chuffed
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Here we have:
From Auto Doc:
SKF Wheel bearings
Febi top mount kit
elf Evo 900 engine oil
Tranself 75W-90
TRW Front caliper rebuild kit with pistons
ATE Superblue brake fluid (not bloody blue anymore!)
Outer CV joints
Air con condenser and dryer NRF because mine although working looks like the pits!
Febi bump stops

From RPD
Clutch cable
Oil filter
Pollen Filter
Front wishbones
60mm Cup shocks (pair)
Air con seal kit
Exhaust fitting kit
Various exhaust mounts and clamps
Wheel arch liner clips
Grill clips

Was feeling sore after buying that let alone fitting it - el'cheapo fun project was no longer looking that cheap!

So dragged out some of the front suspension gubbins

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Began the great strip down - ABS sensors are a dick

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That will by why I had a random ABS fault - amazed it coped so well tbh

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Give the bearings some grief

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Looks so easy but it was a bit of a chore

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Glad to say she popped out again - its a miracle she still does given that she must knooow what I'm doing while she's gone

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Then crack on with the Deox-C

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Which they say doesn't smell - but it seriously does.
 

Robbie Corbett

ClioSport Club Member
Next morning the box was full of dead rust water - tasted funny

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But parts looked great!

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It was at this point that I knew I had made a mistake as the new bearings slipped right in... BY HAND - fark. Bit of reading later and it turns out Deox-C also converts iron, so a high iron content low quality casting like the hub carriers were prime.

Very annoyed I bought some old 60mm hubs from a local chap and cleaned those up, short dip in weak Deox then continue.

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Calipers came out great though

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Took their insides out

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And forgetting that I had a sand blasting cab in my garage (happened) began to wire brush everything for a day straight

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Anti clunge hands
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Done for now

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Robbie Corbett

ClioSport Club Member
After wire brushing the lot I gave it a second dip, this time in weak citric acid which works just as well as Deox,

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Pressed in some new bearings

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And painted up the carriers/hubs
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However I really wasn't happy with the fit of the drive flanges, having also been given a violent bath so ordered up some new drive flanges and fitted them instead

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Pretty happy with how them came out, if I was doing it again I would have given everything a quick citric acid dip and then blasted them all, either zinc plating or epoxy painting them - however I'm sure these will last for a few years before reverting to their brown and shitty true states.

Next up is front stut building! Coming together fairly well now!
 
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Robbie Corbett

ClioSport Club Member
So its best to leave the bearings in while soaking in the deox? Since they'll just get new ones anyway.

Honestly, the absolute best thing to do (other than never doing anything ever) would be to take them and have them blasted. The Deox is fine for non structural or sheet metal parts but for me I won't use it again unless I have to for cast parts. Also there is a fair amount of work needed after still while blasting (especially if you pay someone who isn't you) is just a job done moment.

After blasting its cheap to have someone zinc plate everything - next car I do I'll do that, hindsight etc.
 

Rojer

ClioSport Club Member
Car looks great, man after my own heart.

I second the warning about power steering pumps the tolerances are 1mm. Engine dynamics wouldnt fit mine because it was out. You can adjust it with a hub puller if it's out, but definitely worth checking it!
 

Robbie Corbett

ClioSport Club Member
Car looks great, man after my own heart.

I second the warning about power steering pumps the tolerances are 1mm. Engine dynamics wouldnt fit mine because it was out. You can adjust it with a hub puller if it's out, but definitely worth checking it!

Thanks dude, I 'think' mine is alright however I really wish I had asked first as it would have been so much easier to check off the car!!!
 

Rojer

ClioSport Club Member
It would be a shame for the belt to come off and take the engine with it all because of a couple mm. If you're going to this effort makes sense to check it now.
 

Robbie Corbett

ClioSport Club Member
It would be a shame for the belt to come off and take the engine with it all because of a couple mm. If you're going to this effort makes sense to check it now.
I know mate - more importantly it might chip some paint and then it would be game over, not doing this again ffs haha. Before running the engine next I'll give it a good looking at. Thanks again for the heads up.
 

MarcB

ClioSport Club Member
  Too Many
Cleaning p0rn.

Love it, I dont have the motivation to do anything now a days.

Would love to pay someone to do that stuff
 

Robbie Corbett

ClioSport Club Member
Found one of the original springs had failed - was weirdly happy about this as I had bought a set of new Cook Sports to go in

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More illegal sink usage

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After a trip in Citric acid

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And some more wire brushing when sand blasting would have been 1000% easier and better

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Because there was some rust left in a few areas I treated them all over with FE123 which seems to work well and forms a hard layer to paint over

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Half way through 'doing its thing'

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Robbie Corbett

ClioSport Club Member
Then onto the fun part - its only fun because for once my hands weren't filthy after and the Cooksports look pretty


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Then outside to use the worlds oldest spring compressors

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Although after compressing the springs i'm not convinced they are needed with the cooksports....

Then a quick feed of the scrap man. Now lockdown really hit home because this lot sat here for over a week right in the middle of it all! Normally it would have been gone within the hour

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Louis

I Park Like a C**t
ClioSport Club Member
Then onto the fun part - its only fun because for once my hands weren't filthy after and the Cooksports look pretty


View attachment 1493563

Then outside to use the worlds oldest spring compressors

View attachment 1493564

Although after compressing the springs i'm not convinced they are needed with the cooksports....

Then a quick feed of the scrap man. Now lockdown really hit home because this lot sat here for over a week right in the middle of it all! Normally it would have been gone within the hour

View attachment 1493565
Haha nope, no spring compressors required with cooksports! Good to know for future reference anyway
 

Robbie Corbett

ClioSport Club Member
So that rust converter is basically the same as Kurust? It converts to a blue colour?

Somewhat, I think some are better than others. fe123 seems to form a very hard layer over the top of everything, I ground a few bits back to just to see what it had done and does seem to have worked well.

I get most of my rust fighting weapons from here:


And also

 

Robbie Corbett

ClioSport Club Member
Few small bay jobs before moving onto installing the front suspension

Got the inlet top half back in position

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New Renault oil filter on and HT leads cleaned up and back in place. Also hooked up the fuel rail and plugged most of the loom back in

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New expansion tank fitted and plumbed in the are so cheap and make such a positive difference to the bay

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Not pictured but have driveshaft back in and suspended on wire so I can fill the box back up

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Took a little while with the tiny pump but hardly spilled a drop (which is unusual for me!)

New clutch cable all hooked up - what a difference a new clutch and cable make to the pedal weight

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Found quote a few bolts that I will swap over to stainless as the project progresses.

Cheers for all the nice comments btw, really helps to keep enthusiasm etc up. Wasn't actually sure anyone would give a toss haha

Rob,
 

Robbie Corbett

ClioSport Club Member
Sadly I forgot to take a load of pictures of the arch clean up.

However the liners were removed, everything was scrubbed to death with traffic film remover and jet washed out. Any surface rust was ground back and treated and then the whole lot was Dinitrol coated. Luckily being a black car it doesn't look too out of place. In the past I have 2K sprayed inner arches and under the car but it makes driving them after horrible as your always conscious of the underside getting filthy (which is a stupid thing to worry about) - here I wont have an issue daily driving the car if needed.

Test fit up of disk and hub carrier etc

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Can you spot the bodge? After ordering the wrong thickness ABS sensor I lined them up perfectly and used loctite if either moves they will both be replaced with the correct width rings! But for now seems fine an didn't want to delay for a week just because of the ABS rings :(

Driveshafts painted up with new outer CV joints. Standard Reanult lower arms in. Spotted another bolt or three to replace 🤦‍♂️

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Camber bolts in

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Front calipers rebuilt and painted. Big Red seal kit, new pistons and stainless nipples

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Calipers back on with Mintex M1155 pads

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Robbie Corbett

ClioSport Club Member
I would encourage anyone with standard brake lines on to pull back the rubber and take a look at the ends. Mine were pretty bad! Never failed an MOT because the rubber covers the ends well - IMO it should have failed on these.

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Stainless goodridge lines on

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No ABS sensors yet and a few niggles to sort but felt like having wheels back on to check ride height. Seems a little high but expecting it to settle another inch when it starts being driven

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Powerflex top mount inserts installed

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Also installed powerflex dog bone but no pictures yet!
 


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