Hello from the Shire (Gloucestershire)

[adeyspec]

Hello all, thought id pop up and say hi. Just purchased a 126 bis, not really sure why though im a renault nut normally. 12's have popped up on my radar a few times over the years but never got one untill one was for sale locally last week. Anyway heres a couple of my previous retros and the 126. Its by no means mint and has had a poor spray job. Needs some work for a really bad vibration and a real issue selecting revers and sometimes 4th. I was told it was the engine mounts and that they were making the engine lean so hard to get in gear. Not sure how true that is though......?

[adeyspec]

the le car 2 turbo

[adeyspec]

the bis

[stuey]

welcome to the forum, some nice cars you have there (love that renault) the mounts can contribute to the issue as can the linkcage if its worn or doents have the correct shouldered bolts, id start with those and see if it resolves the issue.

[adeyspec]

ive done a quick visual of the mounts and they look ok. not sure what im looking at with the linkage though. When i drive it i have to push down past the lock out to get 3rd and 4th. ive ordered membership and a manual through thte shop so will have to wait till that turns up i guess. Not sure what shouldered bolts you are referring too?struggling to find much detailed info with pics for the bis on google

[ChrisRLewis]

Welcome to the Club126UK forum 
Because you are a subscriber member you will find that you now have access to the manuals section which is located at the bottom of the home page. The gear linkages and setup are the same for the aircooled and watercooled models, so you may have to cross reference to find the information that you are after.

[drcdb15]

I was told it was the engine mounts and that they were making the engine lean so hard to get in gear. Not sure how true that is though......?

Welcome to the forum 

A couple of points about the engine mounts: I haven't followed things in detail on here as I haven't had a problem in my Fiat, but I *have* had engine mount problems in the past - with a Renault, as it happens (Espace) and with a rather meaty Ford V6 lump. My advice is, don't waste your time on *anything* else until you are 100% certain the engine mounts are OK. Doing a simple visual check tells you almost nothing. In my Ford case, there was even some uncertainty how many mounts were supposed to be there !! The only real way to be certain that the mounts are OK is to replace them. This not only takes them out of the equation, it also gives you a firm baseline for *everything* else.

What is the point of spending time and effort on aligning this that and the other if you're not sure that the foundations are fixed?

Several folks on here have had problems traced finally to the mounts deteriorating - it's obviosuly an age thing, as most cars will still be on their original mounts which are now variously 20-40 years old - no wonder they're giving up the ghost! And they may do this by the rubber becoming no longer bonded to the steel, or by the rubber being soaked in oil for decades and going spongey, or by physical damage in some way... in other words, it comes back to: there's no way to really be sure what the mount is like, so be certain by renewing them.

As well as consulting the manuals for your particular car, it would be time very well spent trawling through this forum to glean the hard won experience of others, who describe symptoms and tricks in replacement. I well remember the disgust and surprise someone expressed when he found that the mounting clearances on each side of the engine/gearbox were different - the engine was not as 'centrally' mounted as the manual (and Fiat!) would have you believe! Question is, then, what to do about it? And the answers will be here on the forum.

Happy reading!

[adeyspec]

Thanks for the warm welcome,

I will take a look through all the manuals and see what i can find. I work well with pictures for reference rather just the written word so that will be a great help. Easier to actually make sense of the great wealth of info on the forum also as ill know what everyone is talking about.

I already have the rear mount on the way but the engineer in me leans towards a flywheel issue for the amount of cyclic/roatational vibration i have going on. Though at this stage it could quite easily be a multi compounded issue. I will work through things methodically and eliminate as many issues as possible as i go. I will probablay pull the lump and do all the mounts whilst checking over the flywheel and possibly fitting a clutch while im at it. Other than the gearstick miss alignment issue and the vibration she actually runs really well in the short time ive driven hopefully not too much else rears its head

[drcdb15]

I can't comment on your particular symptoms of course, but my Espace problem made its presence felt by loud thumps every time I tried to accelerate, or when the engine ran a bit fast - turned out the torque the engine developed was sufficient to lift the whole engine/gearbox assembly upwards, off the failed mount - rather than holding the engine up, as is the commonly supposed role for an engine mount, under acceleration my mount was actually holding the engine DOWN - or not, as it transpired!

[Pete126]

  to the club Adey,
You could be right with the vibration diagnosis if someone before you has changed the clutch they could have bolted the flywheel on in the wrong position as its weighted on one side

[adeyspec]

well so say the engine had a refresh in the last year including piston rings, a pair of rods, shells, new water pump and fuel pump and a gasket set. Again could of been just told that but im sure that would of included taking the flywheel off so logically if its been out its quite likely its been put back wrong.

From what i can tell it looks quite basic down there so i think i could have it all out and checked over re torqued and back in, in a day (he says whilst touching wood)

really appreciate all the help guys (y)

[MikeL]

Hi. I just noticed your Dauphine, I'm also own one, mine has original body and paint, very non-original engine & box and somewhat quicker than it was back in the day! I'm just starting to get to grips with the 126 world, I'm looking for an early car at the moment. Regards,

[adeyspec]

Hi. I just noticed your Dauphine, I'm also own one, mine has original body and paint, very non-original engine & box and somewhat quicker than it was back in the day! I'm just starting to get to grips with the 126 world, I'm looking for an early car at the moment. Regards,

what engine have you swapped into it? do you have any pics?

[adeyspec]

vibration was the flywheel in the end also. The car has just got back to a usable state, a fair chunk lower and rolling on some 7 inch with gotti split rims. Not to everyones taste.

[MikeL]

Hi. I just noticed your Dauphine, I'm also own one, mine has original body and paint, very non-original engine & box and somewhat quicker than it was back in the day! I'm just starting to get to grips with the 126 world, I'm looking for an early car at the moment. Regards,

what engine have you swapped into it? do you have any pics?

Renault 5 Turbo mated to an Alpine box.