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Anyone want a Vel Shatis?


wuvvum

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Right, this bloody thing has been sat around for months now, and I really can't be arsed with it at the moment.  (How's that for an opening sales pitch?)

 

For those who don't know, it's a 3.0 DCi, with the infamous 3-litre V6 Isuzu diesel coupled to a 5-speed Aisin Warner autobox.  It's an Initiale spec, which means it's the posh one, all leather and wood and electric gizmos and built-in sat nav (which works, although it's 10 years out of date).

 

It still starts on the button (literally - I know this turn of phrase has featured in the "most hated stuff in adverts" thread), drives and stops.  It has a number of issues though.

 

It had a hole in the expansion tank and was pissing out coolant.  I tipped in a bottle of Radweld Plus which appears to have done the job, but there are air locks in the system and it needs bleeding thoroughly.  When I was using it on the road it used to overheat if thrashed - the heater would go cold at the same time, which again suggests airlocks - these engines are notorious for them.

 

It doesn't do the common thing these cars do of going into limp mode when the throttle is floored.  It does, however, often go into limp mode after a hot start, and sometimes requires several attempts to make it behave itself.

 

The locking button on the key card doesn't work, so it can't currently be locked.  Not too much of an issue in the arse end of Norfolk, but might be a pain elsewhere.  There's a few places which can repair these (it's the microswitch which packs up), but I only have the one card so the car would be immobilised until it came back.

 

The airbag light is on, and there's a warning which flashes up saying "sensor fault" - don't know if the two are related.  I read the codes and it said something about an open circuit on the side airbag on the driver's side - which could be a dodgy connection under the seat, something to which Renaults are quite prone, or it could be something more.

 

Since it's been stood up, the climate control has packed up.  I don't think it's the fuse as the backlight still comes on, I think it's the unit itself.  These are shared with the Laguna 2 and are consequently quite common and available on eBay for under 20 quid, but look to be more hassle to fit than I can be bothered with at the moment.  Anyway, this means the car has no heating or demisting - although the heated seats work so you don't completely freeze, in the front at least.  I have one of those plug-in ceramic heaters which I've, er, plugged in, but that is about as effective as a not particularly flatulent gnat breaking wind in the general direction of the windscreen.

 

Good bits now.  It's supremely comfortable, has plenty of power, electric everything, cruise control, speed limiter, superb stereo, etc. etc.  It drives fine, the only thing I can fault it on is a knock from the rear suspension over bumps (which could be a bush or, in typical modern Renault style, a broken coil spring).

 

If anyone wants it for £350 they can take it away.  Bring warm clothes and your breakdown card, I will supply a gallon of water just in case the radweld doesn't hold, and a cloth to wipe the windscreen.  If nobody wants it it can sit there until the weather warms up enough for me to be bothered to try and fix it - by which time the lack of heating won't be an issue, so I probably won't be bothered to try and fix it.  It's out of MOT; it's still taxed, obviously this is non-transferable but it'll get you home.

 

Here's some pictures:

 

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Oh yeah, it's in north east Norfolk.

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I've read loads Bol. Nobody has ever actually cured it completely and permanently. For some reason the same engine in the Signum and 9-5 never does it, something to do with the way Renault jigged the coolant system. Mine were always superb in traffic, would idle all day long just fine, but as soon as you push it or stay constantly above 55mph the gauge would just shoot right up. Most people sell them as head gasket failure, but that is generally only a side effect of the unknown original cause and letting the car overheat in the first place.

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This one will (would) manage to roll along at an indicated 70 on the flat without heating up - it wouldn't do much more than that though, and obviously up hills the cruising speed had to be commensurately lower.  It was perfectly useable for my 16-mile commute to work - a mix of single carriageway A-roads and town driving, so it never had reason to overheat, and it would cope with a burst of full throttle to get past a Tesco lorry or Ford Fusion - it was only sustained pressing on that bothered it.

 

I read somewhere that Renault later came up with a kit of metal plates that could be bolted to the engine and which were supposed to cure the problem - presumably by helping to dissipate the heat.  Sounds to me a bit like putting a sticking plaster on a severed artery though to be honest.  I did wonder whether fitting an ancillary electric water pump into the cooling system might help - it does seem to be a flow problem from what I can tell. 

 

I have heard some horror stories about this engine in Vectras, albeit not as frequently as in Renners.  I don't know whether this was because the GM cooling system was better designed, or just because the Vectra is a lighter car and therefore the engine isn't working as hard.  Who knows.

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This is most interesting, I love reading about incurable problems like these, can you link me up to any good threads about it Luke?

Hmmm....it's got me too. Same engine is OKish in other cars. Gotta be something stupid

like restricted air flow to an undersize rad.............??

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it has the symptoms of either a failed MAF or the EGR valve sticking open and the ECU putting it into limp mode ...

 

There is a workround for Mercedes diesels which involves a diode and a resistor, hacking the ecu and disconecting the EGR.  Something similar should work with a car such as this ...

 

I know these things are all foreign to the average shiteist but I feel we will be getting used to them as our choice of vehicles are from these new-fangled modern things.

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