Thanks, hoping it's covered as it was 6th gear that was replaced but I'll let you know.
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Thanks, hoping it's covered as it was 6th gear that was replaced but I'll let you know.
I'll be changing the discs soon anyway and I did spray the calipers with brake cleaner then gave them a quick wipe over.
It's reliable if you don't use 6th 😂 It's never in my ownership actually had a breakdown that meant I couldn't drive it where I wanted to go.
And I did all this because of the gearbox losing 4th gear in the first place!
Fingers crossed!
I've had the gearbox inspected by 3D Transmissions in Reading. It needs 6th gear pair, crown wheel, pinion shaft, 2nd gear synchro, and input bearing. The 6th gears on input and main have lost teeth which have then damaged the crown wheel and pinion shaft. I'm pissed off about the bearings though as I expected Agency to have changed them! :angry:
The parts are on backorder so it might take a while to get fixed. I'd get a second hand gearbox from Renparts but it's a false economy when the rebuild is only £200 more.
I'm going to uprate the clutch, RS Tuning say they can send my R26r clutch to be remade so it'll take more torque for £150.
I've also found out that there's a bit of a parts list building to get it back in top shape!
The hub bearings on passenger side have seized solid which is surprising I hadn't noticed an issue and they where changed only two or three years ago! Twist links, ball joints and bushes on lower arms are shot so I've decided to Powerflex everything as it's easy while the subframe is off.
It also needs a new radiator as one of the brackets which holds the intercooler has snapped. I'm going to change the coolant to Evans Waterless and tempted to fit a Laminova as well but I'm going to be spending as lot as it is lol
It is starting to test my patience this car, it's fantastic when it's working but I've only driven it for 5 out of the last 15 months!
The parts are on backorder so it might take a while to get fixed. I'd get a second hand gearbox from Renparts but it's a false economy when the rebuild is only £200 more.
I'm going to uprate the clutch, RS Tuning say they can send my R26r clutch to be remade so it'll take more torque for £150.
I've also found out that there's a bit of a parts list building to get it back in top shape!
The hub bearings on passenger side have seized solid which is surprising I hadn't noticed an issue and they where changed only two or three years ago! Twist links, ball joints and bushes on lower arms are shot so I've decided to Powerflex everything as it's easy while the subframe is off.
It also needs a new radiator as one of the brackets which holds the intercooler has snapped. I'm going to change the coolant to Evans Waterless and tempted to fit a Laminova as well but I'm going to be spending as lot as it is lol
It is starting to test my patience this car, it's fantastic when it's working but I've only driven it for 5 out of the last 15 months!
Stefan.
ClioSport Club Member
Bloody hell, sorry to see the bad luck continue
Hopefully be up together soon
Hopefully be up together soon
It's been sat in bits for over a month now sat looking sorry for itself but hopefully it'll be up and running by the end of the week :smile:
I collected the gearbox this evening. It's taken so long because the parts where on backorder and had to come from Renault France. Then they were stuck in France for a couple of weeks because Renault wouldn't send them!?
I'm very happy with work 3D Transmissions have done though as it looks almost new now and it's had 6th gear pair, crown wheel, pinion shaft, 2nd gear synchro, and all bearings and seals replaced.
While I've been waiting for the gearbox it's been getting a fortune spent on it in parts.
Subframe looked awful with new ball joints and twist links needed so I decided to get it stripped down so it could be smartened up and polybushed.
I've had a few bits powder coated with lower arms and arb in red and brackets that hold arb to subframe in silver. I haven't seen them yet but I'm expecting them to look great :grinning:
Two of the bolts that hold the cross member brace were missing so we've changed them all to be like this.
I cleaned up the subframe in preparation for painting.
Subframe after most the dirt was removed.
Here's the painted subframe.
The red arb and lower arms should look great against it :smiley:
Here's some of the parts I've acquired over the last month.
TRW twist links and ball joints from Mister Auto
Thanks to @Russ_16v for sorting out all my Powerflex bushes at a great price. I've known Russ for ages but it was first time I've used him for parts and I would recommend 100%.
Powerflex engine mounts
Powerflex arb and lower arm bushes, and hub bearings.
Powerflex rear beam bushes (probably not going to fit straight away)
Ordered a few bits off eBay to replace the missing rod on the xenon level sensor which attaches to the subframe.
I've also bought a new radiator (bracket that holds it to subframe had snapped off), radiator mounting bushes (also missing), and a nearside driveshaft (broken clip and lost grease).
R26r clutch is being replaced with new R26r clutch as it showed signs of wear and had hot spots. The old clutch will go off to be uprated like @Gray has had done. I hadn't felt my clutch slipping so I'm hoping I won't need it for a few years though!
I'm going to drop the gearbox off later today so hopefully it will all go back together ok and it'll pass it's MOT which expired yesterday.
Yesterday (Monday 7th December) it also turned 8 years old so Happy Birthday you expensive b*****d 😂
I collected the gearbox this evening. It's taken so long because the parts where on backorder and had to come from Renault France. Then they were stuck in France for a couple of weeks because Renault wouldn't send them!?
I'm very happy with work 3D Transmissions have done though as it looks almost new now and it's had 6th gear pair, crown wheel, pinion shaft, 2nd gear synchro, and all bearings and seals replaced.
While I've been waiting for the gearbox it's been getting a fortune spent on it in parts.
Subframe looked awful with new ball joints and twist links needed so I decided to get it stripped down so it could be smartened up and polybushed.
I've had a few bits powder coated with lower arms and arb in red and brackets that hold arb to subframe in silver. I haven't seen them yet but I'm expecting them to look great :grinning:
Two of the bolts that hold the cross member brace were missing so we've changed them all to be like this.
I cleaned up the subframe in preparation for painting.
Subframe after most the dirt was removed.
Here's the painted subframe.
The red arb and lower arms should look great against it :smiley:
Here's some of the parts I've acquired over the last month.
TRW twist links and ball joints from Mister Auto
Thanks to @Russ_16v for sorting out all my Powerflex bushes at a great price. I've known Russ for ages but it was first time I've used him for parts and I would recommend 100%.
Powerflex engine mounts
Powerflex arb and lower arm bushes, and hub bearings.
Powerflex rear beam bushes (probably not going to fit straight away)
Ordered a few bits off eBay to replace the missing rod on the xenon level sensor which attaches to the subframe.
I've also bought a new radiator (bracket that holds it to subframe had snapped off), radiator mounting bushes (also missing), and a nearside driveshaft (broken clip and lost grease).
R26r clutch is being replaced with new R26r clutch as it showed signs of wear and had hot spots. The old clutch will go off to be uprated like @Gray has had done. I hadn't felt my clutch slipping so I'm hoping I won't need it for a few years though!
I'm going to drop the gearbox off later today so hopefully it will all go back together ok and it'll pass it's MOT which expired yesterday.
Yesterday (Monday 7th December) it also turned 8 years old so Happy Birthday you expensive b*****d 😂
Stefan.
ClioSport Club Member
Wow some money pumped into this!!
Nice update
Nice update
Too much money so hopefully this is the last of it.
Fair play for seeing all this work through, you must have the patience of a saint.
I remember speaking to you at Bedford earlier in the year, not long after you had got the car back from its first rebuild. I had a black R26 at the time, and I ended up putting a rod through the block at the next trackday that I did after Bedford. I thought about getting a forged lump / better turbo, but instead I cut my losses and sold that for spares/repairs and got another 172 track car!
I remember speaking to you at Bedford earlier in the year, not long after you had got the car back from its first rebuild. I had a black R26 at the time, and I ended up putting a rod through the block at the next trackday that I did after Bedford. I thought about getting a forged lump / better turbo, but instead I cut my losses and sold that for spares/repairs and got another 172 track car!
Fletcher
ClioSport Club Member
And I thought I had a expensive month!
I remember your R26, shame the engine blew up as it was a quick car.
Well, I do always try to go one better than you :tonguewink:
Update - The Damage!
Thought I'd share the damage to the old engine and the good job I did breaking the gearbox!
These are the photos Dan@SJM sent me after I asked him to investigate the smoking turbo and inspect the engine.
The engine had spun a bearing sending swarf round the engine which damaged the hybrid turbo.
I then had it trailered up to RS Tuning thanks to tom172cup as I wanted mapping and engine all under one roof.
Further investigation by RS Tuning discovered that the cylinder head wasn't fit to reuse.
It was absolutely fucked!
RS Tuning suspected the rod caps had been mixed up causing tolerance issues. It also hadn't been built very well with bearings not being seated centrally on the crank etc.
I'm so glad I never got round to selling my original engine as only the Supertech valves were reusable and rest was scrap.
Now on to the gearbox damage. It needed a 6th gear pair, crown wheel and a pinion shaft as they were damaged. There was wear to the 2nd gear synchro and a couple of bearings so they were replaced along with rest of the bearings and seals.
It looks like another Agency Transmissions special as which I wouldn't expect to have to replace a synchro and bearings within 7000 miles of a rebuild. I know a few people who have had issues now so would not recommend them.
Damaged 6th gear pair. I was shocked at the damage as it hadn't been subjected to loads of torque when it failed.
Crown wheel damage
Pinion shaft damage
Looking at this positively it's going to come back better than ever. No corner is being cut so this should be the end of my bad luck.
Thought I'd share the damage to the old engine and the good job I did breaking the gearbox!
These are the photos Dan@SJM sent me after I asked him to investigate the smoking turbo and inspect the engine.
The engine had spun a bearing sending swarf round the engine which damaged the hybrid turbo.
I then had it trailered up to RS Tuning thanks to tom172cup as I wanted mapping and engine all under one roof.
Further investigation by RS Tuning discovered that the cylinder head wasn't fit to reuse.
It was absolutely fucked!
RS Tuning suspected the rod caps had been mixed up causing tolerance issues. It also hadn't been built very well with bearings not being seated centrally on the crank etc.
I'm so glad I never got round to selling my original engine as only the Supertech valves were reusable and rest was scrap.
Now on to the gearbox damage. It needed a 6th gear pair, crown wheel and a pinion shaft as they were damaged. There was wear to the 2nd gear synchro and a couple of bearings so they were replaced along with rest of the bearings and seals.
It looks like another Agency Transmissions special as which I wouldn't expect to have to replace a synchro and bearings within 7000 miles of a rebuild. I know a few people who have had issues now so would not recommend them.
Damaged 6th gear pair. I was shocked at the damage as it hadn't been subjected to loads of torque when it failed.
Crown wheel damage
Pinion shaft damage
Looking at this positively it's going to come back better than ever. No corner is being cut so this should be the end of my bad luck.
NorthloopCup
ClioSport Moderator
I'd say the damage to the bearings and everything else in the box came from the 6th gear failure mate.
Has it got an input shaft shim fitted?! :wink:
Has it got an input shaft shim fitted?! :wink:
One of the bearings was damaged but rest were described as noisy/sandy feeling.
Fletch mentioned your diagnosis, hope it's all coming back together ok.
NorthloopCup
ClioSport Moderator
That'll be from all the s**t that's passed through it.
Yeah I was quite surprised when it came apart tbh. It's damaged the input shaft bearing to the point that I'm amazed the rollers were still in place! If that had let go, the box would've been scrap. On the mainshaft, the part that the bearing runs on has failed - or at least 50% has. The case hardening has come off completely.
Well there's been a small miscommunication on the rebuild front, but we are now on track again. Diff goes tomorrow for the crownwheel to be fitted to the Quaife and I'll have it back by before Christmas. Rebuild ahoy during Christmas/New Year. :up:
Update - The Improvements
So that was the damage to gearbox and while it's been off being rebuilt I've been busy making improvements.
Powerflex gearbox and dogbone mounts ready to go back on the car.
Subframe painted black
ARB powdercoated red with Powerflex bushes installed.
Lower arms powdercoated red with TRW ball joints and Powerflex bushes
I'm very happy with how it all looks
Especially as the gearbox compliments it well having come back looking so good from 3D Transmissions.
Sorry to bash again but compare that to how it came back from Agency Transmissions. Obviously you don't judge a book by it's cover but the customer experience from 3D Transmissions has been much better.
It's all going back into car this week along with a new R26r clutch.
Hold up now is the hub bearings as we discovered on Friday the insert (bit on the right in photo) has worn too much causing a bit of play.
I've ordered the inserts from Mark Black along with new bolts he's developed with a grease nipple to help keep the bearings lubricated. The inserts have to be machined though so might not be with me this week.
I'm hoping that it will be back on the road by next Monday if not sooner :grinning:
It's not going to be driven much though as I've decided to keep the 172 as my daily driver. I have found dry storage for the R26 I can access 24/7 so it's going to be a weekend/trackday/Nurburgring car.
So that was the damage to gearbox and while it's been off being rebuilt I've been busy making improvements.
Powerflex gearbox and dogbone mounts ready to go back on the car.
Subframe painted black
ARB powdercoated red with Powerflex bushes installed.
Lower arms powdercoated red with TRW ball joints and Powerflex bushes
I'm very happy with how it all looks
Especially as the gearbox compliments it well having come back looking so good from 3D Transmissions.
Sorry to bash again but compare that to how it came back from Agency Transmissions. Obviously you don't judge a book by it's cover but the customer experience from 3D Transmissions has been much better.
It's all going back into car this week along with a new R26r clutch.
Hold up now is the hub bearings as we discovered on Friday the insert (bit on the right in photo) has worn too much causing a bit of play.
I've ordered the inserts from Mark Black along with new bolts he's developed with a grease nipple to help keep the bearings lubricated. The inserts have to be machined though so might not be with me this week.
I'm hoping that it will be back on the road by next Monday if not sooner :grinning:
It's not going to be driven much though as I've decided to keep the 172 as my daily driver. I have found dry storage for the R26 I can access 24/7 so it's going to be a weekend/trackday/Nurburgring car.
Glad to see this coming together, really feel for you with all the issues you've had.
Out of interest what sort of money did the box rebuild set you back? Mine is making noises on my MK3 RS and they havnt got worse but I'll probably get it rebuilt sooner rather than later so looking for a good solid place to send it to
Out of interest what sort of money did the box rebuild set you back? Mine is making noises on my MK3 RS and they havnt got worse but I'll probably get it rebuilt sooner rather than later so looking for a good solid place to send it to
Thanks Jamie.
Cost for rebuild excluding VAT was:
Parts £437
Labour £377
Bearings and Seals £178
That's good to hear then!
182cup & 172 racecar
Flippin heck Tim, this still an ongoing saga?
Gearbox, subframe etc is back in the car now.
I haven't got the car back yet though because I'm still waiting for parts to sort my hub bearings that I ordered from Mark Black.
I've got the R26 back home now :grinning:
Mark Black couldn't supply the parts I needed for the hubs so my mechanic machined the parts instead.
The gearbox feels great now and there's no vibration from the Powerflex bushes so I'm very happy.
The Pure Motorsport 10mm spacers on front make the wheels fill the arches much better.
Unfortunately their 18mm spacers for the rear don't fit. It looks like they haven't taken the hub nut covers into account as they make it sit proud of the disc by 3 or 4mm. I haven't decided if I'll have them machined to fit or return them for 10mm spacers instead.
I'll get some photos of how it looks once I've had a chance to clean it!
Next on to do list is get my spare set of R26 alloys refurbished for the R888R tyres to go on. I want something that stands out so thinking of red unless anyone has any good suggestions.
Mark Black couldn't supply the parts I needed for the hubs so my mechanic machined the parts instead.
The gearbox feels great now and there's no vibration from the Powerflex bushes so I'm very happy.
The Pure Motorsport 10mm spacers on front make the wheels fill the arches much better.
Unfortunately their 18mm spacers for the rear don't fit. It looks like they haven't taken the hub nut covers into account as they make it sit proud of the disc by 3 or 4mm. I haven't decided if I'll have them machined to fit or return them for 10mm spacers instead.
I'll get some photos of how it looks once I've had a chance to clean it!
Next on to do list is get my spare set of R26 alloys refurbished for the R888R tyres to go on. I want something that stands out so thinking of red unless anyone has any good suggestions.
That's probably a bit fancy for track wheels.
Yes, yours does look good with red wheels. Think I'd go for red that matches the Brembos.
I would like a set at some point. They're quite expensive though and I'd want to paint them anthracite.
Reason I'm using R26 alloys is three of them are my original wheels so I only needed to buy one more.
Yes, I'll be bringing it to the meets.
Christopher
ClioSport Club Member
Z4M
Long time no speak mate
Great build, I've seen bits hear and there, but reading it all took me a while! Amazing stuff.
Great build, I've seen bits hear and there, but reading it all took me a while! Amazing stuff.
Thanks Chris, hope the 200 is still going strong!
So I got the R26 back, used it to go to work the next day then on way home it developed a very bad misfire :angry:
Wiggling the coil pack wiring changed the engine note so there was a wiring issue. I went to remove the coil pack connectors and one was broken so that was another issue. Once the coils and plugs were removed I could there was also an issue coil on cylinder 1.
These are the old spark plugs, looks like water had got into plug hole for cylinder one.
View attachment IMG_8720_zpsus0qadfs.jpg
I purchased some Valeo green top coil packs to replace the old set (kept the three good ones as spares!).
View attachment IMG_8712_zpsrdf6u0uz.jpg
New spark plugs from Renault Parts Direct and managed to find new connectors for the coil packs after a bit of research.
Also bought some new wheel nuts for £13 off eBay as well because the nuts that come with the Ktec stud kit are really soft.
View attachment IMG_8718_zpserrhinj3.jpg
View attachment IMG_8719_zpsdguguzcd.jpg
I got the car back on Friday with the issues fixed, and the front and rear PMS spacers fitted. Rear spacers had to be machined so they would fit over the dust cap.
View attachment IMG_8678_zpsnx6ruloo.jpg
View attachment IMG_8679_zpsuzpad1gm.jpg
Yesterday I took it to Surrey Rolling Road for the meet I'd organised.
View attachment IMG_8756_zpsuvrzooci.jpg
View attachment IMG_8760_zpsygagzuiz.jpg
It made 329.9bhp and 360lbft which is identical to it's last run at RS Tuning. Graphs show comparison to the old forged engine before mapping.
View attachment IMG_8810_zpsezkthj9y.jpg
View attachment IMG_8811_zpsjkgmrm4u.jpg
Here's it on the dyno
I really like the stance now with the spacers and there's an added bonus that it straddles speed bumps perfectly now lol
I'm hoping I'll finally be able to get a few trackdays booked in now and go to Nurburgring either at Easter or in April.
I also still need to get my spare set of alloys refurbed and the R888R's fitted.
Wiggling the coil pack wiring changed the engine note so there was a wiring issue. I went to remove the coil pack connectors and one was broken so that was another issue. Once the coils and plugs were removed I could there was also an issue coil on cylinder 1.
These are the old spark plugs, looks like water had got into plug hole for cylinder one.
View attachment IMG_8720_zpsus0qadfs.jpg
I purchased some Valeo green top coil packs to replace the old set (kept the three good ones as spares!).
View attachment IMG_8712_zpsrdf6u0uz.jpg
New spark plugs from Renault Parts Direct and managed to find new connectors for the coil packs after a bit of research.
Also bought some new wheel nuts for £13 off eBay as well because the nuts that come with the Ktec stud kit are really soft.
View attachment IMG_8718_zpserrhinj3.jpg
View attachment IMG_8719_zpsdguguzcd.jpg
I got the car back on Friday with the issues fixed, and the front and rear PMS spacers fitted. Rear spacers had to be machined so they would fit over the dust cap.
View attachment IMG_8678_zpsnx6ruloo.jpg
View attachment IMG_8679_zpsuzpad1gm.jpg
Yesterday I took it to Surrey Rolling Road for the meet I'd organised.
View attachment IMG_8756_zpsuvrzooci.jpg
View attachment IMG_8760_zpsygagzuiz.jpg
It made 329.9bhp and 360lbft which is identical to it's last run at RS Tuning. Graphs show comparison to the old forged engine before mapping.
View attachment IMG_8810_zpsezkthj9y.jpg
View attachment IMG_8811_zpsjkgmrm4u.jpg
Here's it on the dyno
I really like the stance now with the spacers and there's an added bonus that it straddles speed bumps perfectly now lol
I'm hoping I'll finally be able to get a few trackdays booked in now and go to Nurburgring either at Easter or in April.
I also still need to get my spare set of alloys refurbed and the R888R's fitted.
February Update
I'm pleased with how it looks with the spacers.
Last Saturday I got two new AD08R tyres in 235 40 18 fitted.
And moved the 225 40 18 AD08R's to the rear.
The wider profile front tyres have really helped with getting the power down on to the road. It was torque steering and a bit of a handful when accelerating hard in 2nd and 3rd gear but now it just grips!
I decided to sell the Storm Grey 172 last Sunday as the maths for running a 172 and R26 just didn't add up.
It was a good little car and I got offered full asking price by several people within 24 hours of putting the sale advert up. I would have ended up running it into the ground though so I'm glad it went on Thursday so someone who'll fix the damage and get it back to it's best.
I had a couple of days off on Thursday and Friday so I decided to do something about fitting my AEM AFR gauge.
Decided to mount it under the radio along with my Scangauge which already occupies that space.
Mocked up a template using cardboard from a cereal box.
Transferred it to masking tape on a sheet of carbon fibre.
Cut out the outline and it was a perfect fit straight away, must have been beginners luck lol.
Cut out the hole and filed down edges for the Scangauge to fit snuggly.
Tricky part was the hole for the AFR gauge. There wasn't a hole saw the correct so I had to drill holes into the carbon fibre.
Then used these tools to file back until the right size and siliconed in the AFR gauge.
I'm pleased with the end result just need to wire the AFR gauge to a power source now.
On Friday I picked up my spare set of alloys from having a refurb in a subtle colour 😂
I decided to get my R888R tyres fitted straight away so managed to shove everything into the car.
I couldn't be bothered to fit them properly so this'll have to do for now but I think they'll look quite good as trackday wheels.
Keeping one in the boot as a spare and other three are in the garage.
Next on the to do list over the next year or so is to upgrade the fuel system (swirl pot etc) and get the paintwork sorted.
In the meantime though I'll be enjoying driving it daily, trackdays, and trips to the Nurburgring :smile:
I'm pleased with how it looks with the spacers.
Last Saturday I got two new AD08R tyres in 235 40 18 fitted.
And moved the 225 40 18 AD08R's to the rear.
The wider profile front tyres have really helped with getting the power down on to the road. It was torque steering and a bit of a handful when accelerating hard in 2nd and 3rd gear but now it just grips!
I decided to sell the Storm Grey 172 last Sunday as the maths for running a 172 and R26 just didn't add up.
It was a good little car and I got offered full asking price by several people within 24 hours of putting the sale advert up. I would have ended up running it into the ground though so I'm glad it went on Thursday so someone who'll fix the damage and get it back to it's best.
I had a couple of days off on Thursday and Friday so I decided to do something about fitting my AEM AFR gauge.
Decided to mount it under the radio along with my Scangauge which already occupies that space.
Mocked up a template using cardboard from a cereal box.
Transferred it to masking tape on a sheet of carbon fibre.
Cut out the outline and it was a perfect fit straight away, must have been beginners luck lol.
Cut out the hole and filed down edges for the Scangauge to fit snuggly.
Tricky part was the hole for the AFR gauge. There wasn't a hole saw the correct so I had to drill holes into the carbon fibre.
Then used these tools to file back until the right size and siliconed in the AFR gauge.
I'm pleased with the end result just need to wire the AFR gauge to a power source now.
On Friday I picked up my spare set of alloys from having a refurb in a subtle colour 😂
I decided to get my R888R tyres fitted straight away so managed to shove everything into the car.
I couldn't be bothered to fit them properly so this'll have to do for now but I think they'll look quite good as trackday wheels.
Keeping one in the boot as a spare and other three are in the garage.
Next on the to do list over the next year or so is to upgrade the fuel system (swirl pot etc) and get the paintwork sorted.
In the meantime though I'll be enjoying driving it daily, trackdays, and trips to the Nurburgring :smile:
Thanks, it's definitely tested my patience!
JamesBryan
ClioSport Club Member
Wheels and tyres look great!
Don't forgot to clean out the paint/powercoat from the wheel bolt tapers, stops them coming loose on track.
Don't forgot to clean out the paint/powercoat from the wheel bolt tapers, stops them coming loose on track.
