My Mk1 Clio

[michael t]

Hi all,

 

It's been quite a while since I ventured on here to post anything. Not at all a reflection of this wonderful place, more on the general busy-ness of all things life.

For anybody who follows the mundane mutterings of CrapCarCollective you'll be well accustomed to the array of old shitters I've purchased over the last couple of years. My latest purchase however is considerably shitter than most. It is the 'infamous' Bray Clio. 

This little munter is well known to any Irish old car fanatics, especially those of a Dublin/Wicklow regionality. I first spotted it back in 2017 and immediately wanted it. The lack of wheel trims, the differing shades of blue, the dents, the scratches. Perfection.

I wandered past it again in 2021 and earlier this year which is when I decided to leave a note. I heard nothing back and with its NCT (Irish MOT) having expired in May I naturally feared the worst. That was until my phone rings in early October. It was a pleasant lady offering me the shiters chance of a lifetime. A shonky Renault Clio with more battle scars than Simon Weston? Yes bloody please!

A price was agreed, and I collected it last Sunday. The weather was rather fitting for such a momentously mediocre event, lashing rain and gusty winds. The drive home was exceptionally uneventful. The 1.2 petrol powerplant under the frontally hinged bonnet ushers it along adequately and it seems well able to keep up with modern motorway traffic albeit stunted by the hideous weather conditions.

The interior is relatively clean and almost everything seems to work. The radio head unit has been nicked as has the interior light lens in an apparent attempt to disable the immobiliser. Any old Clio owner will know to run for the hills if theirs is equipped with a sunroof. The ridiculous placement of the immobiliser until directly in front of it means that when they inevitably leak it does so directly into the electronic gizmos. Thankfully this particular example is without a sunroof which should prevent any moist electricals and all the fun* that brings. 

The interior door handles are cracked and so replacements will be needed. It has front electric windows. The time in which it takes to wind them back up can only be measured accurately with a calendar. The oil level dial on the dash works fine with the ignition on but dies once on the move (videos online suggest this is actually normal). The clutch is a little high, but the gear change is smooth. The seats are wonderfully comfortable and hold you securely whilst cornerning.

It failed its NCT on an exhaust leak and the airbag warning light which is constantly on. I also suspect another lighting issue, but the previous owner has misplaced the failure sheet.. It's booked in for a retest, but I may cancel and concentrate on getting it right during the winter. I'd hate to subject it salty roads. It deserves more.

Also, whilst driving home the indicators and hazards failed. There's no ticking noise or lights on the dash so I suspect a possible relay failure? Anybody got any ideas?

I'm a little busy with work at the moment so I'll try and post updates whenever possible. Let me know what you think!!

 

[320touring]

What a honey!

 

Lovely

[loserone]

Superb.  Glad to see you about again!

[bigfella2]

I think it a phase 2 MK1 that is, looks great, where did they all disappear to?

[stuboy]

hold out ya hand....................suitably grim

[jon.k]

I learned to drive in one of those, what a fun little car. Is it really fun over a back road or have I got severely rose-tinted specs?

[Carlosfandango]

Proper shite cracker. Love it. 
 

CFD 

[Noel Tidybeard]

oil level gauge only works before engine starts

[bigfella2]

1 hour ago, Nyphur said:

Mk1 Ph3 - curved headlights, boot mounted extra brake light and curvy "clio" rear badge give the game away

ETA - check the hazard light switch for the faulty indicators etc. Can't remember if it was the mk1 or m2 that it was a common fault on.

I didn't even know they did a phase 3 mk1. Just assumed it was phase 1 or 2.

[ETCHY]

Cool old thing. Can't remember last time i saw one on tbe road.

Good write up too thanks for that.

[michael t]

Thanks everyone for the comments. 

The weather here has been utterly appalling since I purchased it last Sunday. I've only really had an hour or two to take a better look at it. 

I briefly got the indicators/hazards working by jigging about a relay in the fuse box. They worked for about a day before dying again. I'm a complete car electrics novice but I'm pretty sure it's a dodgy relay as it ticks briefly before stopping. Does anybody know which relay controls the indicators/hazards?

The first video is also up on YouTube - 

 

More Clio ramblings to come over the weekend!

 

[michael t]

Update time, and it's not necessarily good news. Unless you hate old Clio's of course..

Before I go into any negativity here's the link to the collection calamity which actually turned out to be wonderfully straight forward and uneventful. 

 

Now the bad stuff. Ever since I purchased the little shitter the indicators have been faulty. They either work absolutely perfectly or not at all. Over recent weeks it's been 'not at all'. I figured it was likely a dodgy flasher relay and so I replaced it. Predictably this easy and cheap fix did nothing to solve the problem. I then disconnected the battery, reconnected it (positive first etc..) which has now rendered the car immobile. I suppose this serves me, a complete car electronics novice, right.

Does anybody have any idea what might be wrong? It tries to fire but just dies almost instantly. Hopefully the below video portrays this..

 

[CaptainBoom]

My vote would be a flat or dying battery. Especially if that car has stood for a while without being used.

Do you have a multimeter handy? 

[Mr Pastry]

Battery has to be the first thing to look at.  What happens if you try a jump start?

The other thing that comes to mind - and this may be a complete red herring - I had one of these (Mk1 Clio, not herring) and it had a factory-fitted immobiliser.  You had to put the key in and start it within, IIRC, 30? seconds of opening the door, otherwise it wouldn't start.   It's a thought anyway, but you don't seem to be getting any warning lights on the dash with ignition on, so that does suggest no juice from battery.

 

[mk2_craig]

Troubleshooting indicators  can be fun and games.  Poor earth somewhere, dodgy switch, loose connections in fuse box or on relay board, break in a wire, etc. Any evidence of an aftermarket alarm system with cables spliced into the original loom? Could be a source of problems. 

You might also have an iffy negative lead on the battery, dirty terminals or an insecure connector. Try a jump lead between battery and engine or body. If there's an earth between engine and body, have a look at that for continuity too.

Good luck!

[Missy Charm]

The bodywork looks rather like a Pepsi can some kids have played football with.  Well done!  Hope it continues to provide good service.  

[michael t]

Thanks everyone for the helpful comments. It turns out it was a flat battery. I really should've guessed so beforehand but it drove a good 60 miles home and didn't miss a beat so presumed the battery was fully charged. 

 

Anyhow I jump started it and BINGO! The Clio lives. The indicators still don't work and I've been chatting naff French via Google Translate on FB Marketplace to try and secure a replacement hazard relay. This is currently a 'work in progress'.

Here's a quick update on the state of Clio play...

 

[hairnet]

disapoint no lout' dubh or wicklaa accent

you didnt mention rewst in the first vid so no matter about the dents and general other stoof roigh' ?

(ironically as i read your final post ken docherty from ranelaaaaaaaa is on the telly  )

omg the DART (least it wasnt at night )

 

 

[matto]

On the Mk2 Clios the hazard light switch does all kind of funky stuff with electricity, maybe try disconnecting yours.

[Dirk Diggler]

You must be local to me; I've seen that car around for years

[michael t]

5 hours ago, Dirk Diggler said:

You must be local to me; I've seen that car around for years

I'm Louth. Where abouts are you?

[michael t]

19 hours ago, matto said:

On the Mk2 Clios the hazard light switch does all kind of funky stuff with electricity, maybe try disconnecting yours.

Yeah I've heard that's a common fault. It's my next port of call once I've re-tried the relay. Thanks for the heads up

[Dirk Diggler]

4 hours ago, michael t said:

I'm Louth. Where abouts are you?

Co. Wicklow; near Laragh but I travel this side of the country daily; was that parked Newcourt Rd. Bray lately?

[michael t]

On 11/16/2022 at 4:33 PM, Dirk Diggler said:

Co. Wicklow; near Laragh but I travel this side of the country daily; was that parked Newcourt Rd. Bray lately?

ahh! Not that I'm aware of. It lived on Quinsborough Road in Bray since about 2013/14

[michael t]

Calamitous Clio update time. It's positive and negative.

The good news - I managed to bring it for a quick drive at the weekend to get its battery charged and automotive blood warm. Thankfully it drives fantastically and is extremely comfortable. You sink into the seats and they provide plenty of comfort and support. The gearbox is silky smooth although the clutch is rather high which can take a little getting used to. All the interior electronics seem to work and the heater is akin to a mini furnace. The front electric windows are pathetically slow to go back up and so perhaps the mechanisms need lubrication or the motors are knackered. It breaks well and turns tightly.

The bad news - The indicators are still dodgy. A replacement (used but identical) flasher relay hasn't fixed the issue. As some on here have suggested suspicion now falls on the hazard switch and indicators stalks/units. I'll now attempt to source and replace these. Cars eh!

 

Here's the latest update video...