delayed acceleration clio mk1 1995 1.2

[havfunky]

hi guys.
i'm new to forum.
just bought a 1995 mk1 clio 1.2 in good condition (bodywork anyway!).
its done 100k miles. i know fairly little about cars, but more than the average 'point the thing in that direction and press go' type people.

my problem is this; when i put my foot down (fairly hard- nothing too crazy though) there seems to be a fair bit of lag between the foot going down and the car actually accelerating- yet the revs go up instantly as if it should be going quicker!

i wonder if it is the clutch? i was told that it had a new clutch just before i bought it- no proof though, but the guy seemed honest enough.

this is the first car i've owned and i want to make it last, so am thinking about getting it fully serviced, so will probably take it to a garage in the next week or so, but if any of you guys have any experience with this then please shout!! Also, i'm more than willing to get my hands dirty if you think its a diy job- i've got a haynes manual on order to help too!

thanks for your time and any advice/help.

joseph

 

[havfunky]

come on guys, surely someone on this forum can help me?!

 

[Russ_16v]

hi mate welcome

by the sounds of it you have a clutch problem, get a private road, when at a standstill put the car in 4th gear, and try to pull away quickly with about 3500 rpm, if it stalls right away your clutch 'should' be fine, if the revs hoot up, or take a while to drop down, then stall, then it is a clutch fault.

hope that helps

 

[steviet]

id say its youre clutch, if you can hear the revs increasing, but youre not accelerating, youre clutch could be slipping. try pulling away in 4th and see if it stalls straight away. If it doesnt then youll be needing a new clutch soon.

 

[havfunky]

sounds like i've been played by the guy who sold me the car then! my fault really for not test driving it before buying it.(had no tax). will try what you said at the weekend and go from there.
how much £££ are we talking to have this done(inc parts)? and where is the best place to buy renault clio parts for cheap? i live in london if that helps.

thanks again for the replys!

joseph

 

[havfunky]

but, what if it isn't the clutch? what else might it be?

 

[CMR]

If revs are rising and your not going anywhere its definitely the clutch.

Labour will set you back around £130~ at a reputable local garage, double that at Renault.
Prob £200 all in

 

[havfunky]

i tried starting the car in 4th gear and it stalls every time, so the clutch must be okay.

i replaced the spark plugs (NGK's) and things seem to go a little better. i have a k&n replacement air filter on order so hopefully that'll help, and when i've got some axle stands and some tools i'll try and do a oil change. hopefully that should get it running nicely. is there anything else i need to change on the car to make it run a bit smoother?

cheers!