new fuego owner

F

fuego scott

New member
Tadpole
Joined
Jun 10, 2004
Messages
14
Location
Perth western australia
Hi, Im new to this group and I have just bought an 85 fuego gtx off a friend of my girlfriend to use as a daily work driver. It was 400 bucks and is in pretty good nick. it has a few small probs, nothing major.

The clutch pedal is stiff and only just disengages when you push it in.

The speedo is stuck on 70 kph.

Any ideas on these probs? maybe someone has had it before.

It has a lumpy idle

Ive only driven it once and can say that I was very impressed!!! It drives heaps better than my last car (An EF fairmont).

I live in perth and would like to get in touch with any fuego owners over here.
 
fuego scott said:
Hi, Im new to this group and I have just bought an 85 fuego gtx off a friend of my girlfriend to use as a daily work driver. It was 400 bucks and is in pretty good nick. it has a few small probs, nothing major.

The clutch pedal is stiff and only just disengages when you push it in.

The speedo is stuck on 70 kph.

Any ideas on these probs? maybe someone has had it before.

It has a lumpy idle

Ive only driven it once and can say that I was very impressed!!! It drives heaps better than my last car (An EF fairmont).

I live in perth and would like to get in touch with any fuego owners over here.
Click to expand...

Firstly, welcome to the Forum...

The clutch pivots may require a lube (or a new cable at worst).

The clutch is easily adjustable and can be done by undoing the adjuster lock nut (located on the firewall next to the Brake Master cylinder) and screwing the other nut in.

I personally just pull the cable forwards (away from the firewall) and tighten the adjuster nut as far as I can by hand. There is supposed to be some free play but I have always adjusted (and checked) mine this way, and I'm still on my original clutch after 220,000K's so it should suffice...

The speedo and tacho needles do warp on Fuegos and start touching the gauge face. This may be your problem. They are easily replaced, but it may not help if it has stuffed the gauge.......

Just hunt a semi decent one down from a wrecker and replace the needles....I used Volvo 240 needles on mine....

The idle can be adjusted but this involves a couple of adjustments.

If you do a keyword search in the Renault section you should find it (it was in the last 6 months)

If ya cant find it, I'll post it again.....

It does not suprise me that it drives heaps better than your Falcon.....just wait till you throw it at a couple of corners.....You will wonder how you ever lived with the Falcon... :D

Hope that helps,

Happy Fuegoing.....
 
Scott

Welcome to the world of fuego enjoyment. Plenty of good advice around this site and Fuego owners willing to help each other :)

If you do a site search there are plenty of posts about common Fuego fixes and things you can easily do yourself to make your ownership both pleasant and inexpensive.

The most likely culprit for the hard clutch operation is a cable that is binding and new cables are obtainable from Caravelle in Melbourne. Worst case scenario is that the clutch itself may be worn out and require replacing. In any case as you only paid $400 for the car you have a margin for some expenditure to bring it up to top mechanical condition.

Get out around you local Pick a Part or car wreckers and see if you can pick up a spare set of instruments at a reasonable price. Then follow the Haynes Manual instructions to change them over. Ask for further advice here as there are other members (Haakon for instance) who have tinkered/fixed speedos etc. Mistarenno has previously posted good advice on tuning Fuego carbies etc.

Good luck :) and keep in touch

Ken
 
Hi there & welcome aboard. I dont own a Fuego ATM but I used to own 2 Fuegos about 8 yrs ago, a dk blue 85 GTX & a silver/grey 83' GTX in Perth. If you are ater parts here your best bet is Renwreck in Maddington, 2a Malcolm Rd Maddington 94598188, if its servicing & repairs your best bet would be Mark @ Euromotive, 9/83 Hector St, Ossie Park 94468890. Perth seems to have more than its fair share of Fuegos so parts shouldnt be a problem. Is yours still on the ultra expensive Michelin tyres? Most around Perth I have noticed have gone to non standard rims because of this. Both my Fuegos were very reliable & I drove them hard & were great value for money at the time. Handled great & was a great country car too, bloody comfortable seats from memory! As far as clubs go you could try the Special Interest Vehicle Association (SIVA) on 9332 1740. They have quite a few Fuego's in there from memory. Anyway good luck with the car. At $400 you cant go wrong! :cheers:
 
VK Commodore speedo needles are a good fit as well (very similar style needle).
The clutch I would say needs an adjust and lube, and then maybe a new cable - no big deal either way.

Lumpy idle is very standard on these things - make sure ALL the emmision control stuff is hooked up correctly and working (a few little coolant temp senstive valve and solenoids and vacuam hosing to check). Then try a clean and tune of the carb (making sure plugs and leads, valve clearances are good). Beyond that a reco carby (throttle butterfly spindle bushes) will be in order.

Also makke sure the timing belt is fresh :wink2:
 
Thanks for your info. My car still has the odd ball size tyres but the owner before me has just fitted new ones. Where can you get diff size rims to fit from? I am allready aware of the SIVA car club as a work mate is a member. I have been to a few of there outings. Do you know where i can get a workshop manual for it? I have already fixed the stuck speedo neddle and the clutch cable is adjusted and lubricated. It drives awesome now and yes the seats are extremely comfy!
 
fuego scott said:
Just wodering how often should the timing belt be done? 100 thou like most other cars? How hard is it to check the condition of the one fitted?
Click to expand...

110K km or 8 years, whichever comes first. The rule to follow with cam belts is - if in doubt, change it :wink2: . They are very cheap.

Fuegos look really good with R25 alloys, and the 195/55 15 tyre size is ideal. But if you have new TRXs (they would have cost the previous owner around $1000..) you may never need tyres again - they last forever.
 
Haakon said:
...if you have new TRXs (they would have cost the previous owner around $1000..) you may never need tyres again - they last forever.
Click to expand...
....or until they go rock hard and you understeer into a tree in the wet at 40 kmh...

Sorry, some people think the TRX's are great, but from my (admitedly limited) experience with them they are absolute garbage.

The tyre technology has come so far in the 20 years since the TRX was designed. You are basically fiting 1980 technology, and paying through the pants for it.

The best thing about the TRX is the mileage you get. As Haakon stipulated, you may never have to change them again (they often get 100,000k + :eek: )

The worst things about them are:

1. Noisy
2. Poor grip (wet or dry) compared to even a cheap modern tyre of comparable size.
3. They last so long that the rubber cures making them even more diabolical in the wet....

Have you ever noticed that most (nearly all) Fuegos you see in the wreckers have front end damage?

IMO this is because the drivers get caught out by the tyres and generally understeer of the road/into something solid.

The TRX may be OK when brand new. but if they last for more than 2 years, I'd replace them regardless of tread wear as the rubber will have gone off from being exposed to water and UV.

I have 205/45 R16's on mine and they are an off the shelf wheel and tyre. As Haakon said, the R25 wheel will fit straight on and (from memory) according to the cross reference book that I looked up at tyrepower, a 205 55 R15 is recommended (you might wanna double check as what Haakon said also sems feasible).

If you want the car to ride the same as it does now (maybe a little better in fact), I would recommend you hunt down a set of 14 inch alloy wheels and run a 195/60 R14. These are cheap, and allow a large selection of tyres. Regardless of what wheel you decide on, you should be able to buy them from any wheel and tyre store as they are a standard 100 pcd fitment.

Any of these wheels and tyres will absolutely transform your car into a smile enducing corner carving machine.

NOTE: I would only put on 16's if you want Go Kart handling at all costs. It rides better than most cars with 45 profile tyres but you do notice a difference. Not uncomfortable, just not as comfortable.
 
U have to get ur self a set of 16" rims,

When i got my fuego it had the TRXs on it and they really did suck! Leaving my house there is a corner and every time i went around that corner the things squealed like it was going out of fashion, now with the new 16" rims and 2nd hand tyres i can hammer the corner as fast as i want and u barely hear any noise, and i actually go in the direction i want not in the direction of the "most accomadating" telephone poll.

Also as to ride, its still perfect, i got a lift in a friends moded prelude and the fuego would beat it pants down, its even more friendly to the prosterior than my fathers mercedes sedan.

Yeah u can get 14" or 15" but do some looking around and get ur self a nice set of 16" they look great on a fuego.

I got my new 16" rims with 2nd hand rubber for $650 for the lot.

Sooo............Have FUN
 
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