The Epic Austrian owned R16 from Germany doing French things in a Parallel Universe near England Saga

[Junkman]

This is all beknownst to me. I do know the difference between voltage, current and power, believe it, or not.

 

But that gauge in the R16 dashboard, that was in the red since the car was picked up (see curlection section) is a V-O-L-T-M-E-T-E-R,

the reason for which only a few dead Frenchmen know. Note: I didn't put it there, they did! I would have put an ammeter there, like any

normal person.

However, after changing the battery, it went into the green for the first time since I have the car. This indicates two things:

 

- that the old battery was dying a slow death since June.

- that there is sod all wrong with the charging system.

[Eddie Honda]

However, after changing the battery, it went into the green for the first time since I have the car. This indicates two things:

 

- that the old battery was dying a slow death since June.

- that there is sod all wrong with the charging system.

 

Or it has co-incidentally been over a bump and started working for a change.

Or has secretly been worked on in your absence by French electrical elves (that weren't on strike).

[Junkman]

A bump is something you experience in newfangled tosh.

There is no such thing as bumps in the parallel R16 universe, so it must have been not unionised French elves.

[PhilA]

Renault kept up tradition and my GTA has a voltmeter also. I would have preferred an oil pressure gauge.

 

Phil

[Conrad D. Conelrad]

You can't beat an ammeter and a dynamo/weedy alternator. Like your own little landslide election swingometer. 

[chaseracer]

Or it has co-incidentally been over a bump and started working for a change.

Or has secretly been worked on in your absence by French electrical elves (that weren't on strike).

A bump is something you experience in newfangled tosh.

There is no such thing as bumps in the parallel R16 universe, so it must have been not unionised French elves.

 

POWER TO THE PEOPLE!!

 

But not old Frog chod, clearly... 

[Junkman]

Renault kept up tradition and my GTA has a voltmeter also. I would have preferred an oil pressure gauge.

 

Phil

 

Nah, oil pressure gauges only cause anxiety.

[PhilA]

The warning light sometimes doesn't come on though. I find worrying about that creates more tension than knowing a gauge might go to zero at any time.

 

Phil

[Junkman]

You have obviously never watched a P6 V8 OPG in heavy traffic, including light come onnage.

I'm too old for that kinda shit.

[PhilA]

Been there, done that. Oddly mine (well, the engine was from a P6B) never hit 0 in hot stationary traffic, even with the low idle from the automatic gears in Drive. Oil cooler helped.

 

Then again, if the gauge hit zero on the Renault it would likely launch a conrod into orbit, whereas gentle application of loud pedal in the P6 would cause the needle to come off zero and continue to operate happily.

 

Phil

[Junkman]

Then again, if the gauge hit zero on the Renault it would likely launch a conrod into orbit, whereas gentle application of loud pedal in the P6 would cause

the needle to come off zero and the temp gauge going into the red.

 

 

EFA

[Junkman]

The R16 has hitherto been plagued (since the day I bought it) with a slightly hunting idle and it occasionally has phases when it just stalls on tickover. Since it is always running fine when I have time to look into the issue, there is actually nothing I can do. I mean, I can't fix something that's actually working most of the time.

My reluctance to just rip the carby apart and give it a right old clean out is furthered by the fact that I own the only two existing examples in the world and no rebuild kits are available for them. (For those who think they are smarter than I am (there is always one), they are Solex EIE 70774, have fun)

 

However, something weird happened on the drive back from Glossop yesterday.

As the people who actually went there may have noticed, the weather conditions were slightly less than ideal. So on the way back, I hit a stretch of flooded road full pelt, since the advanced Cibie lighting technology employed did not allow for me to spot it in sufficient time to appropriately adjust velocity. After about 40 yards of what must have looked like an old super eight of Joginder Singh fording a river in Kenya and sure would have rendered any Rover P6 deadlined for at least three weeks and limping for half a year thereafter, the R16 eventually reached dry land and after the spray had settled ran noticeable better!

Tickover was silky smooth and totally stable for the first time in my ownership.

 

Shall I book this under R16 parallel universe and fill the dizzy with water?

[pshome]

French car that self repairs... i was hoping for something interesting to read over my third cup of morning coffee.

[richardthestag]

obvious hauntage coupled with car suffering home sicknesses and SAD

[dollywobbler]

Washed out the gremlins, clearly.

[320touring]

Ah, I may try this approach with every car I have!

 

Have a bonus picture of this prime piece of gallic glory..

[Junkman]

There has been a slight semi-FTP, which means a trip had been abandoned after a few miles and the car returned to home,

due to a non op heater in conjunction with the generic 'quelque chose est baisée' light illuminating.

 

Investigation revealed a heater pipe split at a jubilee clip, which has allowed coolant to escape in small quantities over

probably a lenghty period.

 

Although this would normally be a five minute repair by cutting off a few millimetres of the pipe and reattaching it, I decided

to do another flush of the cooling system due to still extensive silt deposit in the gherkins glass.

This time, I also took the radiator out, flushed it thoroughly, then filled it with boiling water and poured some caustic soda

into it, which yielded delightfully spectacular results and a lot more bog coming out.

 

Removal of the radiator requires removal of the electric fan first, then it's held in with two very prominently visible bolts.

However, reaching said bolts with tools is a different story altogether. One is right underneath a welded in bracket the

spare wheel rests on, so you can only turn it about 7°4'14" at a time, no mean feat considering the bolt is over two inches long.

Needless to say that the captive nuts those bolts bolt into aren't that captive anymore.

 

Anyway, all went back together, the split hose shortened appropriately, the cooling system filled with a healthy dose of antifreeze,

and the fascinating ritual of bleeding wizardry commenced.

However, the electric fan refused to do its fanning work (it should come on and go off twice as part of the bleeding ceremony).

A quick investigation revealed that one of the wires had come undone at the relay thanks to a hilariously lose pushfit connector.

 

Apparently all* is well** now.

[Junkman]

Today I addressed the vexatious issue of the erratic tickover and random stalling that has plagued the car ever since I have it.

It turned out that yet again the 1/2 inch inner diameter vacuum pipe had come adrift, leaving a hole the size of a pancake

at the carby flange. It's astonishing that the car was running at all, but that's French quality for you.

 

So after finally shelling out for a jubilee clip to permanently secure the pipe, the car is totally transformed.

While the tickover is now perfectly stable at a felt 50 RPM, smoothness and throttle response improved massively.

[vulgalour]

This vehicle has been surprisingly/disappointingly free of danger and fraught with nothing.

[Conrad D. Conelrad]

Hasn't it just? Even when that apocalyptic yellow light came on, it just drove back home so the leak could be fixed. 

[Junkman]

This vehicle has been surprisingly/disappointingly not a Rover P6 V8.

 

FTFY

[Junkman]

Today I just drove around randomly for three hours, since the weather was so good.

The car didn't put a foot wrong and performed like never before.

The coolant in the gherkin glass remained clear.

 

Note to self: Valvetrain clatter is much less pronounced if you put oil into the engine.

 

So all the car needed was clipping off the frayed end of a pipe, a jubilee clip, flushing

the cooling system and half a litre of oil.

Not bad going considering it already covered 5,000 km since the collection.

[320touring]

Excellent news!

[Junkman]

Oh, and I saw Cleon Fonte driving Glossopward in his BX.

What are the chances?

[Junkman]

Since when do you check the oil in Renaults?

[Cleon-Fonte]

Oh, and I saw Cleon Fonte driving Glossopward in his BX.

What are the chances?

 

I too was untertaking a post-fettling road test, and had just been pondering that an R16, with its lack of width and superior low-speed ride, would have been perfect for some of the roads I'd just been on, when what should appear but an R16 pelting it down the opposite carriageway.

[PhilA]

Since when do you check the oil in Renaults?

In my experience they don't stop running, they just get noisy.

 

Phil

[Sloth in a bowl]

Since when do you check the oil in Renaults?

 

After having had another glass of Cote du Rhone avec le jambon et fromage baguette and the car still sounds fucked?

[Tadhg Tiogar]

 

Oh, and I saw Cleon Fonte driving Glossopward in his BX.

What are the chances?

  I too was untertaking a post-fettling road test, and had just been pondering that an R16, with its lack of width and superior low-speed ride, would have been perfect for some of the roads I'd just been on, when what should appear but an R16 pelting it down the opposite carriageway.

What is it they say in novels? They passed, like ships in the night....

[Conrad D. Conelrad]

Panorama by Conrad Conelrad, on Flickr

 

You might need to zoom a bit, it's over 4000 pixels wide.