320touring's Exclusive Clio 172 - Unbroken brakes 03/03/19

[Exiled_Tat_Gatherer]

I have no experience of the F4R engine..... is it as revvy and lunatic as the F16i.e.? Had a Phase1 R19 16V I stupidly let go for spares a while back....... the engine was just phenomenal.

I introduced the GF (she's French) to the term WBOD - and one of these may be a nice introduction to her having s loon small motor. Helps that I can push the 'patriotic' angle

[320touring]

I have no experience of the F4R engine..... is it as revvy and lunatic as the F16i.e.? Had a Phase1 R19 16V I stupidly let go for spares a while back....... the engine was just phenomenal.

I introduced the GF (she's French) to the term WBOD - and one of these may be a nice introduction to her having s loon small motor. Helps that I can push the 'patriotic' angle

The dephaser pulley essentially makes it 2 engines in one.

Idle to 4000ish, it pulls like a big old 2v per cylinder (almost like a mini BMW M30). Lots of low end torque - at least comparatively for a 2.0 16v

 

Around 4500, the pulley changes the timing, and the car attempts to headbutt the horizon.

 

You can pootle about all day at 2000rpm happily keeping up with traffic (circa 65mph in top)

 

Or you can BANZAI the fuck out of every roundabout you can find:)

 

I love em!

[The Moog]

I definitely* dont want one of these ... goes back to santas list and amends accordingly 

[stephen01]

My little 1.2 was great  - felt simple enough and modern enough all in one -  it gave me a good 9 months service and never missed a beat. also saved me a bloody fortune on skips!! 

 

I'd say the clio is quite underrated in general TBH

[chaseracer]

Enthusiasm for these things is contagious...

[nacho man]

I friggin love thrashing the knackers off mine. Plus the handling is proper brilliant. Brakes are also bob on. Good Cars.

[320touring]

I got a new spring and 2 handbrake cables for this, and my brother came over to assist.

 

First up was the front spring.

 

Dugga dugga was applied

 

 

21mm took care of the bottom bolts

 

Then the top mount came off, and the new spring was fitted

[320touring]

Great success all round with the spring, so we packed up and defrosted over night.

 

Today was haunbrake cable day.

 

First we went to a car meet and froze ourselves until we could no longer feel.

 

We found the end where it goes to the lever, and managed to get the heat shield loose enough to get in

 

 

It was pretty obvious what bit had failed

 

 

The old one came out easily enough, and the new one was threaded in simply enough.

 

This is where the fun started.

 

We struggled to get the cable into the lever end, and even with it unhooked from the caliper arm , it wouldn't reach the locator on the end of the handbrake.

 

 

The cables are handed, and identified by different coloured locators. Black =LHS White =RHS

 

We pulled off the new cable and checked against the old one. It seems too short.

 

 

 

The RHS one should be longer, so we compared the new RHS to old LHS. it looked like it would just about make it - so it was also too short.

 

 

 

So, long story short - Both new cables are too short.

 

Back to the Factors I go (at least for a refund).

 

I have until Friday to get it back in for the free retest, and I'm working all week.

 

Thankfully the two old cables are out, so it is just a case of getting the correct cables and fitting.

 

Mildly* frustrating.

[Split_Pin]

Fine looking wee motor there, cant remember the last time I saw a phase 1 172

[CreepingJesus]

Fine looking wee motor there, cant remember the last time I saw a phase 1 172 that wasn't getting ragged round Maccy D's car park.

FTFY!

 

That's fucking weird with the handbrake cables. Must be shit manufacture, cos in my experience Renault handbrake cables are hard to get wrong, and vary little within a given model.

[dome]

I definitely* dont want one of these ... goes back to santas list and amends accordingly

If only you knew someone with 3 of the bloody things...

 

They are addictively fun, I loved mine and it got its arse kicked everyone I drove it. Part of the reason I sold it tbh.

 

S'funny, I remember driving a "warm" RSi when they were launched around 1999-1.6, 110bhp.

 

At the time I had a 205 1.9 GTi and the Clio felt huge compared to it. Nowadays they feel small.

 

I wonder how a 205 1.9 feels now?

[dome]

Oh and I can imagine the colour the air turned trying to get the handbrake cable to fit then discovering they're wrong. Have a beer, you'll need it after that...

[beko1987]

Just fit the cables from your 172 with the longest mot and worry about it in the summer, and park the donor in gear until then...

[320touring]

Just fit the cables from your 172 with the longest mot and worry about it in the summer, and park the donor in gear until then...

Feel free to come up and try to remove the fuckers:)

[beko1987]

I'll play the distance card on this one... I've got my own electronic handbrake mechanism to remove next weekend, ill swear a few times for you!

[cort16]

This never happens on overhaulin.

This happened to me with the cortina speedo. I connected at the gearbox then it was too short to reach the speedo . Frustrating when you only have so much time/warmth in your body.

[320touring]

So far it is looking like £94 for 2 cables delivered.

 

Fucking hell!

[bigfella2]

Are you replacing the back discs? Didn't you get some spare rear discs with the 172 with the busted gearbox?, or did I imagine that?

[320touring]

Are you replacing the back discs? Didn't you get some spare rear discs with the 172 with the busted gearbox?, or did I imagine that?

They don't have bearings in them.

 

I'm doing fuck all until I get the cable debacle sorted out:)

[cort16]

Fucking hell. I guess all the second hand ones will be borked?

[Split_Pin]

£94! Are they unique to the 172?

[320touring]

Yeah they are 172/182 specific as other clios have rear drums

 

I may have a breakthrough due to a chap with access to Renault part systems and motor factors databases.

 

I have replacement numbers to ask them to swap to

[Split_Pin]

Nichtmare ser

[320touring]

Nichtmare ser

I hope SP will take the (wrong) new ones back..

[Split_Pin]

I havent been back to that place since John left. Guy there argued with me about oil for my Astra, telling me I needed 5/40 because his computer said so. He became all condescending when still asked for (the correct) 10/40.

 

The fact that I also no longer get mates rates is absolutely nothing to do with it.........

[Parky]

I would be surprised if the rear discs weren't actually Megane front discs or something, because surely it would make economic sense for a sensible manufacturer to use something available off the shelf?

 

Did I say sensible in relation to Renault? The company for whom any year of Renault Five could have been one of four brake manufacturers, none of whom were compatible and mixed randomly per car?

 

Might be worth looking at ECP at the rear disc size (say 280mm) and then check similar year Renaults to see if any of them had 280mm discs. You never know.....

 

EDIT - just realised the in built bearings. That's going to put a spanner in the works for that idea....did find these though for £50

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/i/220415486100?chn=ps&dispctrl=1&adgroupid=45816556965&rlsatarget=pla-380878515761&abcId=1128936&adtype=pla&merchantid=7386024&poi=&googleloc=9045002&device=t&campaignid=856938665&crdt=0&ul_ref=http%253A%252F%252Frover.ebay.com%252Frover%252F1%252F710-134428-41853-0%252F2%253Fmpre%253Dhttps%25253A%25252F%25252Fwww.ebay.co.uk%25252Fi%25252F220415486100%25253Fchn%25253Dps%252526dispctrl%25253D1%2526itemid%253D220415486100%2526targetid%253D380878515761%2526device%253Dt%2526adtype%253Dpla%2526googleloc%253D9045002%2526poi%253D%2526campaignid%253D856938665%2526adgroupid%253D45816556965%2526rlsatarget%253Dpla-380878515761%2526abcId%253D1128936%2526merchantid%253D7386024%2526gclid%253DEAIaIQobChMIrO_T8Z7d1wIV6LztCh05iQHkEAQYAyABEgIU6_D_BwE%2526srcrot%253D710-134428-41853-0%2526rvr_id%253D1376015720274

[320touring]

Cheers, yeah am aware of the minted disc/bearing/pad combo- it's what's on my burd's Clio.

 

Iain, I didn't ken that chap had left-was he the young boy?

[SiC]

I would be surprised if the rear discs weren't actually Megane front discs or something, because surely it would make economic sense for a sensible manufacturer to use something available off the shelf?

 

Did I say sensible in relation to Renault? The company for whom any year of Renault Five could have been one of four brake manufacturers, none of whom were compatible and mixed randomly per car?

 

Might be worth looking at ECP at the rear disc size (say 280mm) and then check similar year Renaults to see if any of them had 280mm discs. You never know.....

 

EDIT - just realised the in built bearings. That's going to put a spanner in the works for that idea....did find these though for £50

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/i/220415486100?chn=ps&dispctrl=1&adgroupid=45816556965&rlsatarget=pla-380878515761&abcId=1128936&adtype=pla&merchantid=7386024&poi=&googleloc=9045002&device=t&campaignid=856938665&crdt=0&ul_ref=http%253A%252F%252Frover.ebay.com%252Frover%252F1%252F710-134428-41853-0%252F2%253Fmpre%253Dhttps%25253A%25252F%25252Fwww.ebay.co.uk%25252Fi%25252F220415486100%25253Fchn%25253Dps%252526dispctrl%25253D1%2526itemid%253D220415486100%2526targetid%253D380878515761%2526device%253Dt%2526adtype%253Dpla%2526googleloc%253D9045002%2526poi%253D%2526campaignid%253D856938665%2526adgroupid%253D45816556965%2526rlsatarget%253Dpla-380878515761%2526abcId%253D1128936%2526merchantid%253D7386024%2526gclid%253DEAIaIQobChMIrO_T8Z7d1wIV6LztCh05iQHkEAQYAyABEgIU6_D_BwE%2526srcrot%253D710-134428-41853-0%2526rvr_id%253D1376015720274

Those discs with rear bearings are very common on Megane and other Renault's. The later bearings also contain special parts to work as a reluctor type ring for the ABS. Clever way of cutting the number of parts and I guess cost.

 

It does mean that new discs becomes an expensive job.

[unclecalzone]

I use the mintex rear discs and bearings on mine. Apparently the bearing quality isn’t so good but for half the price of genuine I’ll , just change them when they need it.

Just a though clio dci 100s use a disc rear beam - could there be some parts sharing with the 1*2 there?

On a side note I always use Laguna front discs and pads on mine that generally work out a bit cheaper than items listed for the 1*2s but are exactly the same part numbers

[Split_Pin]

Cheers, yeah am aware of the minted disc/bearing/pad combo- it's what's on my burd's Clio.

 

Iain, I didn't ken that chap had left-was he the young boy?

Aye thats him, dark hair. Met him through Vauxhall circles many years ago. Sadly hes moved to Ford so I dont think he'll be serving my motoring needs for a while now. He was basically running the place for FA money. Never met someone with such an encyclopedic knowledge of car bits.