quicksilver Posted February 4, 2018 Author Share Posted February 4, 2018 So it turned out the wheel bearing had been delivered to a neighbour and he brought it over the other night. It's been fitted and this happened - outside for the first time since August. Still doesn't run but the brakes work and it's looking good. Anyone recognise the hubcaps? The year is 1978, right? HillmanImp, Mrs6C, dollywobbler and 33 others 36 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Asimo Posted February 4, 2018 Share Posted February 4, 2018 No one had brick paving in 1978. Still liking the paint scheme on the R6! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slowsilver Posted February 4, 2018 Share Posted February 4, 2018 Much as I like period authenticity I think replacing all the block paving with concrete slabs or (god forbid) gravel just for a photoshoot is a step too far. egg, Parky, SiC and 10 others 13 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skizzer Posted February 4, 2018 Share Posted February 4, 2018 Anyone recognise the hubcaps?They look very similar to the one that just fell off Panhard’s SEAT hearse, but that would be entirely too weird. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
500tops Posted February 4, 2018 Share Posted February 4, 2018 That Six is the sex! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dozeydustman Posted February 4, 2018 Share Posted February 4, 2018 Nice to see another wonderful little car saved Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quicksilver Posted February 4, 2018 Author Share Posted February 4, 2018 They look very similar to the one that just fell off Panhard’s SEAT hearse, but that would be entirely too weird.That would be weird but no, they're from something much closer to home both in terms of being French and its physical location. In other news, it rained this afternoon so the little Renault felt its first taste of raindrops in 24 years. It's safely back in the warm dry garage again now though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beko1987 Posted February 4, 2018 Share Posted February 4, 2018 In the flesh, Bob looks amazing! Eva nearly wet herself with excitement over him too! Hopefully the engine issues won't be too tricky and we can see Bob bumbling about after 26 years of slumber! Thanks for the lend of the spring compressors too Steve! Now I've got an excuse to come back soon! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beko1987 Posted February 4, 2018 Share Posted February 4, 2018 warm garageWhere was that then? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kinkersaab Posted February 4, 2018 Share Posted February 4, 2018 That colour scheme is so utterly shit and random, it somhow becomes utterly brilliant. If it were mine im not sure i could allow myself to change it, even if it would definitely improve it. Its fantastic. Datsuncog 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tadhg Tiogar Posted February 4, 2018 Share Posted February 4, 2018 ....Anyone recognise the hubcaps? They look similar to the ones I remember seeing on the Peugeot 104 decades ago. Also possibly the Renault 4. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slowsilver Posted February 5, 2018 Share Posted February 5, 2018 Anyone recognise the hubcaps? Now come along children, pay attention.You are not doing your history revision.I gave the answer to this puzzle several pages back.It is French but not a Renault or a Peugeot.It is the colour of a not quite ripe banana and just about as bent.It is (or was) two cylinders but ironically also six cylinder's. Mrs6C 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dozeydustman Posted February 5, 2018 Share Posted February 5, 2018 Now come along children, pay attention.You are not doing your history revision.I gave the answer to this puzzle several pages back.It is French but not a Renault or a Peugeot.It is the colour of a not quite ripe banana and just about as bent.It is (or was) two cylinders but ironically also six cylinder's. Visa mk2_craig and beko1987 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slowsilver Posted March 15, 2018 Share Posted March 15, 2018 UPDATE: Irresistible force + Immovable object = Broken Bob. Having finally got Bob to both steer and stop, the weather then turned to total crap, so no immediate further progress.Finally decided that the next step was to try to unseize the engine.Being French and backwards-engined there is no nice large crank pulley bolt to apply a big bar to.Tried yanking it with a tow rope while it was stationary in first gear with the clutch out, expecting either engine would turn or front wheels would be dragged locked up. Neither. Clutch must have slipped.Need a real heavy-duty "resistance is useless" solution.Don't really fancy towing it with the Maxi (which does have a towbar) or the Zafira (which doesn't) in case I break one of them as well, so contact the ever-helpful Mr. Six-cylinder, who fortunately only lives a few miles away, for help.He offers use of gargantuan unstoppable Range Rover thing as irresistible force.After waiting for a dry day with no rain/hail/snow/ice/plague/pestilence, Bob is dragged from garage, hitched up to said weapon of mass destruction with a steel tow rope, and dragged down the (fortunately empty) street.Letting the clutch out in first gear results in much clutch slippage and nothing else.Trying again in second gear results in car being dragged for about 100 yards with both front wheels locked solid.Car is turned round for repeat perfomance back towards home.Second gear engaged again, clutch released. Nothing happens.Try first gear again, clutch slips then wheels lock again.Oh dear. Looks like not only have we failed to get the engine to turn over but may have now also broken second gear.Net progress, backwards!More than somewhat disheartened, I was tempted to leave Bob outside, exposed to the elements, as a punishment, but finally decided to push him back into the garage, where he is now sitting on the naughty step, awaiting his fate.Next step will be to remove the cylinder head for further investigations, but not until motivation and warmer weather have returned.Many thanks to 6C for his time and the use of the tow vehicle, which didn't even seem to know it had Bob attached to the back and would probably have towed it indefinitely, even with both front wheels locked. Mega-barge! Pictures below: HillmanImp, Squire_Dawson, Conrad D. Conelrad and 12 others 15 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parky Posted March 15, 2018 Share Posted March 15, 2018 Oh dear! I assume you have tried Diesel in the bores and leaving it to soak in for a week to see if that helps to free up the pistons? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slowsilver Posted March 15, 2018 Share Posted March 15, 2018 Didn't try diesel, but the bores have been soaked regularly with penetrating oil through the plug holes since we got the car about 6 months ago. It may well be something more serious than just standing for many years as, according to some of the previous owner's friends that we have spoken to, it was put away in the garage because "something went wrong with it". He was presumably intending to fix it eventually but never got round to it. We know from previous receipts that it has already had one major engine rebuild, so could well now need another one. Investigations continue. Six-cylinder, Dick Longbridge and Junkman 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Longbridge Posted March 15, 2018 Share Posted March 15, 2018 Great to see an update, albeit a frustrating one. Not trying to be a wannabe mechanic, but I’ve never heard of trying to unseize a frozen motor by towing the car. It sounds pretty brutal tbh. On a positive though, it sounds like things were likely borked already... SiC 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tadhg Tiogar Posted March 15, 2018 Share Posted March 15, 2018 .... On a positive though, it sounds like things were likely borked already...Sounds like the gearbox is borked, just to complete the picture. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nigel bickle Posted March 15, 2018 Share Posted March 15, 2018 Fill it with diesel - to the brim ( seal dipstick etc). Leave a week, Drain via sump & remove spark plugs. Try easing it over on the starter, or crank nut, or alternator pulley ( if you hold belt v tight) It's probably rogered- so it's worth a go before consigning it scrap/ rebuild. Dick Longbridge, Skizzer and Zelandeth 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dollywobbler Posted March 15, 2018 Share Posted March 15, 2018 Ouch! That was wince-inducing reading. Needs something a bit weightier than penetrating oil down the bores. Diesel is a good recommendation if it's really stuck, but engine oil can be good too. Penetrating oil is just too thin. Still, sounds like it was pretty borked anyway. I'd be tempted to try and get another engine/gearbox if you can, so you can get it up and running and investigate problems at your leisure (by which I mean put the broken engine and gearbox to one side, promise to investigate one day and then trip over them in a few years having realised you've not done anything at all. That's how I do it). tooSavvy, Junkman, Skizzer and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quicksilver Posted May 2, 2018 Author Share Posted May 2, 2018 I suppose I should provide an update even though nothing has happened since the above fail. Bob is still sulking in the naughty corner and starting to revert to the state he was in when we found him. With much house decorating going on at the moment car stuff is on hold and Bob is starting to gather dust and become surrounded with tools and paint pots. The roof rack has been put to good use though as a drying stand for the freshly painted banisters. Hopefully once the house is looking spick and span again attention can turn back to the poor sad little Renault. Mrs6C 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vulgalour Posted May 2, 2018 Share Posted May 2, 2018 Bloody Renault 6 engines. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martc Posted May 2, 2018 Share Posted May 2, 2018 P1240436 broad.jpg That Renault 6 is either small or far away. (it's the picture of a Renault 6 being dwarfed by a ginormous Range Rover) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
320touring Posted May 2, 2018 Share Posted May 2, 2018 To a car, the r6 I have encountered (vicariously via shiters) have been recalcitrant little fuckers. The r16s (junkman and skizzer),however, have been nowt but delights... Junkman 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nigel bickle Posted May 2, 2018 Share Posted May 2, 2018 Rather than just leaving that motor sitting, brim it, with diesel. And I do mean , brim it, not just a dribble down the bores now. You tried to free off a frozen engine by towing, which, to me, is a brutal treatment. It didn't work, ( it was never going to, frankl) .You've turned a light seizure into a serious one I'm 90% certain you are going to need to strip it down, or replace it. Your only sensibly priced alternate is diesel. Lots of it, to the brim ( sealing all orifices) and at least a week to soak through. It might, only might, free it off. Otherwise, it's big hassle & plenty money., probably rendering it unviable. Talbot and Dick Longbridge 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slowsilver Posted May 13, 2018 Share Posted May 13, 2018 I finally got fed up with seeing this thing festering in the garage.So yesterday I pushed it out into the daylight and attempted to remove the cylinder head.After the usual compulsory removal of several non-related parts (including the gearchange and the accelerator cable) I managed to remove the rocker cover, to be greeted by this: If my memory serves me correctly these should be covered in oil, not rust.Maybe the engine was starved of oil originally, which led to it being taken off the road.This motor ain't turning over any time soon, if ever. Thinks (optimistically): Maybe it's only the rockers and valves that are seized. Let's take the rocker shaft off and see if the engine will turn.Every other pushrod engine I have had dealings with has had a seperate rocker shaft which can be unbolted from the cylinder head. Not this pile of French. The rocker shaft runs directly in the cylinder head and the only way to remove it is to remove the cylinder head, dismantle all the rocker arms, springs, et al, and slide it out from the end of the head. Never mind, let's remove the head anyway. At least then we can see the state of the pistons and bores. Only 12 bolts to undo. The 7 on the outside edge of the head are easy to get at and soon yield, but WAIT! The 5 bolts between the rockers cannot be accessed with a normal 14mm 1/2 drive socket because there is not enough clearance between the bolt flats and the pushrods. FFS! Check the HBOL. Quote: "IT IS ESSENTIAL THAT YOU HAVE THE CORRECT SOCKET WITH WHICH TO UNDO THESE BOLTS. There is only one socket which will enable you to undo all the cylinder head bolts on this engine. This is Renault part number Mot 23-12 384. It is a special 14mm socket with a 3/8 inch drive which has been machined very finely on the outside. Purchase this socket and special extension at the outset. There is no other way - you will break something, if only yourself, if you attempt this task without these tools" FFS again! Also from the Autobollox manual: "Wet or removable type cylinder liners are used in this engine and in consequence liner retaining clamps must be fitted whenever the cylinder head is removed, to maintain an effective bottom liner seal. These clamps may be purchased (Part No. MOT.12) or flat-shaped plates made up with distance pieces for fitting under the cylinder head studs." FFS yet again! This sac de merde has shown me no gratitude for my attempts to revive it from its 23-year sleep and my patience is wearing painfully thin. I am sorely tempted to remove and sell the new bits I have fitted and send the rest over the bridge. Even then, because even without holes in it it weighs about the same as a damp tea bag, it is pretty much worthless as scrap. And breathe out. johngarty and Coprolalia 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zelandeth Posted May 13, 2018 Share Posted May 13, 2018 Wow... Next thing I would probably do is pull the sump off and see what it looks like down there...if it's anything like the rockers, time to start looking for a replacement engine most likely... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christine Posted May 13, 2018 Share Posted May 13, 2018 Haynes goes on to say ... The sump can only be removed with finely machined 12mm Socket only available from Renault .....and then , only after the cylinder head socket has been purchased , will Renault sell you this tool .. catsinthewelder, Dick Longbridge, Paul Dupart and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sierraman Posted May 13, 2018 Share Posted May 13, 2018 That engine is fucked. Are the club able to point you in the direction of a better one. Wouldn't bale it, stick it on eBay. Even if its fucked it will sell. cobblers and adw1977 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Datsuncog Posted May 13, 2018 Share Posted May 13, 2018 "IT IS ESSENTIAL THAT YOU HAVE THE CORRECT SOCKET WITH WHICH TO UNDO THESE BOLTS. There is only one socket which will enable you to undo all the cylinder head bolts on this engine. This is Renault part number Mot 23-12 384. It is a special 14mm socket with a 3/8 inch drive which has been machined very finely on the outside. Purchase this socket and special extension at the outset. There is no other way - you will break something, if only yourself, if you attempt this task without these tools" Yow. That sounds pretty unequivocal. I suppose your best bet then is to tootle down to your local Renault dealer and ask them to fetch you part number Mot 23-12 384 off the shelf, then? ***Runs, hides*** Apologies, and in all seriousness that's a horrible thing to find under the rocker cover. I appreciate an engine swap is probably the last thing you want to be contemplating right now - but is this pretty much the same Cléon unit as found in 1980s R4s? Could the club assist? I've had my own Renault-related ups and downs over the past few weeks, so genuine sympathies here. Except in your case the consensus is "don't scrap it!", whereas in mine, "get the fuckers bridged" was the general (and ultimately correct) advice. I've a great deal of affection for the R6, but can appreciate it's not my knuckles getting skinned, nor my garage space being taken up... Slowsilver and beko1987 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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