Fuego frogs4ever weblog

In case it is of benefit or interest to other Fuego owners, or prospective owners, I've decided to create this thread to document progress or otherwise with my newly acquired '84 Renault Fuego GTX 5 speed.

Starting from begining, the story goes like this:

My '76 Peugeot 504 needs a trip to the bodyworks to get my new rear panel welded into place to replace the existing severely rusted panel. Interestingly that is the only serious rust on the car. Anyway, I thought that while I'm at it, I might as well take the oportunity to attend to some spots of surface rust under the doors and a few dents here and there, and get the whole thing painted in one go.

Obviously this work involves the the car being garaged for a while and since it is summer (good time to do bodywork) and the rego was just about to run out, I figured there is no time like the present to get things in motion.

Since the Pug was my daily driver, I began a search for a replacement 'knockabout' to get around in while the work on the Pug was in progress.

First car I looked at was Pug 604, but decided that one was not for me. Next, saw a Renault Fuego advertised in the Trading Post for $1450 which was said to be in "very good condition" and drives "extremely well". Sounded too good to be true, but no harm in looking. So off I went to check it out.

Details of the inspection and test drive can be found here:

http://www.aussiefrogs.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3233

Seemed like a pretty decent car for the money, particularly given that it's straight, virtually rust free, mostly original and there is evidence of recent expenditure of a fair swag of money. But clearly a few more hundred dollars needed to be spent on it to ensure safe, reliable transport so I made an offer of $1200 which was accepted.

As this thread progresses, please feel free to post comments or questions regarding work I've done on my car. However, for more general Fuego issues which are not mentioned here, it would be best to either search for existing threads on the topic in question or start another thread, since I do not claim to be any kind of expert on Fuegos. This is not my first Renault, but it is my first Fuego so I'm on a steep learning curve for now.

More to come later as time permits...

After a closer inspection on Sunday, I have found that the gearbox mount is fine, left and front mounts are fine, only the front is stuffed.

The following bits were ordered on Monday:

* Camshaft belt, since I don't know when it was last changed;
* Nylon bush to replace worn rubber selector shaft rear bush;
* Rocker cover gasket, as I intended to replace this when adjusting the tappets;
* Front engine mount;
* Aircon belt in case I decide to see if the aircon is workable;
* RHS steering rack boot;
* Exhaust manifold gasket and flange gasket - there is a typical hairline crack in the manifold which will necessitate removal and welding at a convienient time;
* Purflux air filter.

Also filled with Premium Unleaded.

It's now Thursday and the parts are not here yet, so being my usual impatient self, I went ahead yesterday and set the rocker clearances, without bothering to replace the gasket. Interesting to note that the valve springs are single type only (not the double valve springs I've become acustomed to in R16's and the 504!). Clearances are set cold to exhaust .25 mm, inlet .1 mm, on Dave Cavanaugh's recommendation, confirmed by a Fuego manual scanned on the www. Still waiting on a Haynes manual. All of the inlets were originally found to be too loose, two exhausts were too tight and two were loose. Motor runs quieter now, as one would expect. Pleasingly, there are no audible sounds below the cylinder head, so I presume the bottom end is in good condition.

While under the bonnet, I decided to do something about a radiator fan which was not functioning due to being fouled by a metal radiator support rod. This need to be bent forwards, which was not possible without removing the grill. I found that to remove the grill, it is necessary to first remove the fibreglass bumper/spoiler (surprisingly easy) and the headlight wipers.

Also vacuumed accumulated debris from the air cleaner drum and ventilation box and degreased, cleaned and lubricated sundry bits and pieces.

All of the above work took about 4 to 5 hours in total, and none of it was very difficult.

BUGGER!

Saddly I must report that my shiney new Fuego has had its first, and hopefully last, view from the tray of a tow truck.



During our usual Sunday afternoon doddle around town getting lunch, coffee, visiting rellies etc, that dreadful gear shift was getting worse and worse. First the usual difficulty in selecting second become extreme, and the usual extreme difficulty in selecting reverse become an imposibility, and next to go was first gear....



But this time, something underneath had obviously disconnected itself as the gear lever was just floating around with nowhere to go.



Pushed the car back from the intersection to a parking space which by a nice stroke of luck had its meter stuck on 45 minutes, which was handy as the car was most likey to be there until Monday mid morning. Had a look underneath, and just as I suspected, one of the linkages was just hanging there. One of its little ball joint thingys had popped out from its socket. Tried to get it all back together, but it wasn't going to happen.

Car now safely back home thanks to friendly tow truck driver.

Looks like I'll be needed either a completely new linkage arrangement or at least a full set of bushs/rubber/nylon bits and pieces to get it all working properly again, as my inspection a few days ago revealed that they were all pretty worn.

Going to have to get something done soon before She Who Must Be Obeyed completely looses faith in my new toy.

Have now spoken to guru Dave at French Connection.

Fellow Fuego Froggers, do you want the good or the bad news first?

Lets get the bad news out of the way I hear you all say....

Ok the bad news is that, according to Dave, the parts supply to fix these problems dried up long ago since this is such a common problem with Fuegos.

Now for the good news...

Long suffering Dave has kindly offered to investigate and estimate on completely refurbishing an old gear linkage system using non-original parts adapted to fit, with the new ball joints welded on if necessary.

Another problem I've noticed is that, where the selector shaft goes into the back of the gearbox, there is quite a bit of side to side play and the oil seal is history. So, presuming there was once a bush in there, I've also asked Dave to quote on supplying a second hand gearbox rear casing with a new rear-most selector shaft bush (if applicable) and seal adapted to fit. These parts are also no longer available so he will be seeing what can be done in the way of substitution.

For the time being at least, I'm back to the trusty 504 for daily transport. At least I won't have to worry about hoons pulling up beside me at the lights and giving me THE NOD. It's very imbarrasing trying to drag someone at the lights in a Fuego with a dodgy gearshift and broken engine mount.... Much easier to take them by surprise in well tuned but sedate looking 504 with an "automatique" badge on the back. Bit of a sleeper, the old 504.

HELP

STILL NO REVERSE GEAR!!!

Time for an update.

A good second hand gear linkage arrived from Dave a few days ago, partially reconditioned using the bits he had available. This combined with a set of bushes and rubber grommet thingies from Carrevelle has enabled me to build up a nice tight, good as new, lingage system. Replacement of the "ball joints" was not necessary in the end. It turns out that there is actually only one propper ball joint, which was in fine condition, the other two are just little thimble sized cups, which are as good as new when the nylon bush on the male part of the joint is replaced, which I've done. I also greased all of the joints before assembly.

Fitted the above and WOW - nice light, snappy gear shift, no problems whatsoever in selecting any of the forward gears. But alas, STILL NO REVERSE.


Does this mean that there is a problem in the gearbox????? If so, is it common, and what can be done about it?

By the way, while under the car, I also replaced the broken front engine mount, with a new one which I had filled with black RTV silicone a few weeks ago to strengthen it. The mount is hollow and very flimsy looking, that's why I filled it with the silicone stuff. Not a terribly difficult job, though spanner movement is restricted for the upper mount nut so a fair bit of time is required to tighten that one. All up, about 1 hour to remove and replace the mount. There definitely seems to be less drivetrain slop with the new mount in place - previously quite noticeable when alternating between throttle on/off.

Hi

reverse gear can be difficult to locate, but I am sure that you have carefully tried all points - it is "normally" gated just halfway below the first gear position and hard left at that point rather than lower bottom left as you might expect,

There is a remote possibility that one of the selector levers may not be operating correctly, I think that they have a locking device ( I will check on a gearbox and post later) that may cause problems if not secured.

The other thing that may cause problems is if the system has been abused something may be bent or out of line, again a remote possibility.

On the front engine mount. Mistarenno has fitted a neat conversion that is made up one end of a torsion bar suspension link. the link is cut about 2 inches long and the shank portion threaded and it is then mounted on a chassis plate and there is a spigot which is also threaded that is mounted on a plate from the engine. the spigot engages with the rubber linkage and is secured on the other side with a nut and washer and thge whole unit is neat and functional and holds everything in its place preventing forwards, sideways or vertical movement.

He has had the conversion in place for some time, and it appears to be working well. He has promised to put a pic on the site that will probaby exaplain the construction better than my inadequate words.

I don't know if he adapted the mounting plates from existing or had them made up especially for the job.

PS we just had over four inches of rain in two hours last night and I was up sandbagging around my workshop to prevent flooding and finding some roof leaks under the extreme rain here and there in the house.. looks like our drought has broken!!

Some of my neighbours werent so lucky as all their gravel driveways were washed out in the street, blocked main drains which then flooded the more low lying houses and garages and flattened fences.

Ken.

GEAR SHIFT FIXED !!!

At last, the saga is over.

The part pictured below was cracked at the point where it bolts on to the back of the gearbox. This was allowing it to twist when working against the extra spring loading of gearbox's reverse gear selectors. Ordered a good second hand one from French Connection. Fitted a new nylon bush and rubber spacer to it, greased, fitted, and all is now well with the gearshift. Quite a decent shift infact. All of that dreadful side to side play is now gone and the gear locations are predictable and reasonably precise.



Took her to work last night and a was a pleasure to drive, except for the lack of heating on the late drive home. First rain for ages. Heater slider knob is missing for some reason so can't even attempt to operate the heater. Will investigate another time. Not a high priority as it's mostly very warm down here now and will be until late Autumn.

Next task will be the cam belt, since I don't know when it was last done. Yes I know I should do it straight away, but having had a good preview of the old belt when changing the engine mount, I'm reasonably confident that the existing belt is not very old, so that job might be put off for a few days or weeks while I simply enjoy driving a Fuego with a gearsift.

Front tires are worn out. Will need replacing before some long trips early in the new year.

Today I popped into Bob Jane to find out what options they have available for my 14" alloy rims (which appear to be OEM's off a Lancia). Of the several 195/60 R14's available, the guy at the counter seemed most enthusiastic about Yokohama A539's which they are offering for $134 each. The price compares very favourably with other name-brand tires in the same size and a quick search revealed that fellow froggers think that in the 'H' speed rating versions they are a good tire.

Any experiences and opinions folks? If so, please post...

Can only make a statement about Yokohamas. I put them (sorry, forget the number) on my 5 GT Turbo, because for the closest rolling diameter they were the only or the best of very few tyres to fit at 15". 195/45R15 I think. Maybe now theres a newer Michelin in Oz since Renault has returned. Anyway.. they run nicely.. seem to grip well in all conditions.

Hi
Interested in your log and am hoping that this post bumps it up the list so that it doesn't get lost in the fog.
Got yarning to a bloke at a swapmeet recently who was having trouble believing that I should be interested in Renno's - up shot of conversation was that he offered me a Fuego for $100. Hasn't moved in 6-7 years since a mate left it at his place (had bought another car was going to restore etc.). As he said it was driven there so presumably you can drive it away!

Spoke with Dave C. and he mentioned possible cambelt and front mount problems so I am not too sure about the drive it away option but felt it was too good an opportunity to play with something other than 16's. If nothing else it will give me something to use those dollars that I now waste on things like food and daily living!
At this stage all i know about the machine is the it is red -haven't seen it yet but now the festive season is reaching an end I should be able to do something about.

Good for you Ron

Come join the Fuego enthusiasts at Aussie frogs - and if you need another red Fuego I have a 1982 model in running order (unreg.). I will have to get rid of this one very soon, its a pity to tear it down for spare parts and junk the remainder. And I know the previous owner would rather see it back on the road.

Melbourne phone # is 9457 1985

Ken

Thanks for the interest guys.

Sorry I havn't posted for a while. I went ahead and got the 195/60 R14 Yokomama A539's fitted to the front (rears still OK). Now that they've had time to settle in, I can report that they are a nice comfy tire, quiet on the road and soak up sharp bumps better than the old Bridgestones, though I don't think they've got as much outright grip in the dry. Haven't had enough rain down here lately to be able to comment on wet performance. The really peculiar thing however, which I didn't expect at all, is that the new tires have almost eliminated the pesky bump steer that I initially suspected could be due to worn rear suspension bushes. The new front tires are closer to the original TRX's, in radius and width, than the old Bridgestone 185/60's, and perhaps this is important for suspension geometry on Feugos, hence the improved directional stability with the "correct" tire size??? The other thing I've noticed is that the steering is substantially lighter at parking speeds than it was before, yet has more weight than before at highway speeds. The steering is now very nice indeed. If all Feugo's were like mine, I can't imagine why anyone would want power steering.

Checked the fuel consumption at the last fill. 11 litres of PULP per 100 km for a mixture of outer suburban, freeway and some city crawling. I'm hoping for a slight improvement in consumption when I change the oil from the current 20W-50 to 5W-40 synthetic. Even though I'm told these cars will run happily on standard ULP, I intend to always run it on PULP, so I'm considering finding a workaround to advance the electronic ignition timing a few degrees, in the interests of extracting the full fuel economy and performance benefits from the PULP.

More to come when time permits. Must eat now, then off to work, in the Fuego of course...

:renplak:

Tired

After having read all the Posts on this Topic, I am reminded of why my Fuego sits in the garage unregistered (but not unloved!), because I got tired of working on her!
One day, when I have the finances, the time and the enthusiasm, I will again rebuild her.
Oh yes! Rebuild her I will!