gear changes in my clio 172 2003

[puncher]

hi,

im a proud owner of a clio sport 172 2003 model. as happy as i am with the car there is 1 thing in the 2 years that ive owned it that baffles me as to what is going on.

quite often when i redline 1st gear and clutch it to go to 2nd gear i often get a thud coming thru the drive train rather than a chirp from the tyres. sometimes i will get a chirp but more often than not it will be the thud .(bear in mind that this is all happenning with the traction control off of course).

its quite a big thud and i get the impression that its possibly the traction control kicking in on occassions. thats the initial feeliong anyway. i cant seem to find an answer to it as to why. does any1 else have the same problem or answer ?

Also i sometimes have the red line cut in at around 6,800 instead of the indicated 7,200 rpm. which is annoying when your in a close drag and your redline cuts in prematurely which loses you precious split seconds and momentum in the drag.

what could be causing this ? could it be from the oil in the engine being above maximu level ? as i have checked the oil a few times indicating the level is above maximum on the stick. i have it serviced by the dealer and i thought surely they wouldnt be that stupid to wrong such a simple job ???

 

[MarkCup]

You'll find that the rev limit is set lower when the engine is not yet fully up to temperature...so if you're bouncing off the limiter at 6,800rpm...go easy on the loud pedal until it's properly warmed through.

The thud? I get that when I f*** up my gear-changes, but when smooth, no problem. Erm, slow your changes down?

...and Welcome to the site

 

[puncher]

thanks mate...happy to be here.

yes i assmued it could be my gear change..but i cant see how a fast gear change can make the thud. its not like im crunching gears or anything. any other car ive owned the faster the gear change the harder the kick ! maybe these new hi tech cars need to be treated a little diffrently.

as for the red limiter. i figured your answer may be prob. although quite often the motor is warm anyway...may be its not warm enough for a hard run ?

possibly i was nursing the engine gently b4 i took it to the redline. it sucks wen it happens tho.

wot really pisses me off is wen u get a larger engined car rock up next to you who more often than not will leave me at the lights but you cant then ask him to come out for a drive thru the hills and blow him away in all round performance...which you damn well that in most cases you will !

cant wait for the next clio sport...prototype pics look awsome !

 

[Jo3y]

Hi mate and welcome, I was a little confused about when the rev limiter goes up to the full 7,200 to. It's not the water temp, which is displayed on the dashboard, it's the oil temp and the only way to make sure this is up to temp is to wait a good 10-15mins before canning it upsetting I know, just try keeping your eye out for the little green change gear light in the bottom right of your dash, works for me.

 

[Munson]

The thud might be the fronts tramping as they lose grip?

 

[clio__chris]

afaik the clio gearboxes dont like to be rushed

or maybe its the frenchness coming out in ur car....... putting its hands up and surrendering!

 

[puncher]

french car surrendering u reckon ? would you say they did in the formula 1 this year ? :nono:


its not the front wheels tramping bro...

i think the original reply in regards to a smoother gear change sounds like the most likely scenario. i will trial it and see what happens. sometime soon on an empty road and no one around

its a beautiful thing to have a car that you can have heaps of fun with out going over the speed limit.....around corners !!

love the way my clio handles the bends...its a gem !

 

[Ali]

1/2 temp on the gauge ain't even close to half temp in real life, you should neva bump the limiter when cold, look out for the shift light at 6.5k then you'll know to change before 6.8k...

 

[Dan@SJM]

mine doesnt have a shift light?

 

[Day]

mine doesnt have a shift light?

Early Mk1 172's did, later ones did not. All Mk2 172's and above do I think...

Renault Logic :S

 

[KDF]

Hi mate and welcome, I was a little confused about when the rev limiter goes up to the full 7,200 to. It's not the water temp, which is displayed on the dashboard, it's the oil temp and the only way to make sure this is up to temp is to wait a good 10-15mins before canning it upsetting I know, just try keeping your eye out for the little green change gear light in the bottom right of your dash, works for me.

According to one of the techies on here..(cant remeber which one) it IS done by water temp and not oil temp... which is weird.

 

[puncher]

i dont redline it when its cold bro ! not that silly. i usually wait for the temp gauage to reach normal , which according to my car is around 3/4.

and i dont recall having a shift light either. or at least i dont recall any lights coming on thats for sure. i will look out for it but im usually pretty aware of these things.

 

[Dan@SJM]

mines a 2001? and was bought in belgium but is a UK spec car if that makes a difference?

 

[Martin_172]

i usually wait for the temp gauage to reach normal , which according to my car is around 3/4.

u sure it should be that high, any clio ive been in doesnt matter if its a 1.2 or a 172 has been half way

 

[Dan@SJM]

so is it just a case of popping a bulb in it or is the wiring not actually there?

 

[edde]

The temerature sensors works of the coolent temperature thats a fact.
The oil temp will go up about a quick as the coolent temperature.

 

[edde]

Some cars don't have the shift light working no idea why its Renault although they all should.
Then again its just a warning light you just have to learn when to shift up without loooking it just comes on 300rpm before the redline.

 

[Dan@SJM]

it would be just nice to have it imo,I very rarely hiyt the limiter, but when im not racing it im always changing around 5500, when im racing it will rev pretty much to the limiter, but asisaid very rarely hit it.

 

[puncher]

temperATURE mark is around 3/4 mark maybe a touch under when fully warm. bearing in mind i live in austrlia if that makes any diffrence. could be type of coolant used maybe ?

seeing as we are on this subject.im baffled as to why renault australia recommends a 172 be serviced every 10,000 kms or 6 mnths. when any other reanult dealer anywhere else in the world services a 172 at 10,000 miles or i think around 2 years !

huge diffrence. dealer reckons its becoz of the harsher conditions here. but places like england would get alot colder which can effect engine wear possibly just the same as hot weather. i think its robbery the way they service so regularly here.

any other ozi owners out there noticed ?

as for the shift light not working, assuming im supposed to have 1. will have to look in2 that 1.

 

[portal172]

I'm from Australia. The temp should just go over half way, by a tiny bit.

I would get it checked mate.

 

[puncher]

thats probably where it is. somewhere in between half way and 3/4...il have a better look next time

hey are you happy with your air con in ur clio ? i find mine works over time ona hot day. not as instant as u might expect in coolong the interior as say a toyota camry for example.

where about in oz r u bro ?