Dear ALL,

My partner has a 1.7 Monaco with a Weber 32 carburetor.

The car broke down over 4 weeks ago now, it sounded like it was running on three cylinders, lots of smoke coming out of the exhaust and when the spark plugs were removed they are covered in oil, BUT it had very good compression!!!!!!
So I changed the head for a re-con one and have given it a full service, NOW when I start her up again it still smokes a little and when driven smokes a lot! When the accelerator is pressed the car holds back then accelerates with a lot of smoke, when the engine is turned off the engine keeps on running???

Please can some engine nut help me, I am at my wits end with this.

PS I have checked the timing!

Much appreciated.

Feel free to e-mail me direct.

Sounds like your R9 needs what is known as a ring job.
Compression measures your compression rings, but the oil control rings do also get quite worn over time, or even carboned up.

Pull the head, and the pan off, pop your pistons, give the cylinders a light hone, using a "Flexhone" and a drill, install new rings onto your pistons, a new head gasket, and a little silicone sealer on your oil pan, and the engine will run like new.
When I am in there, I also like to replace the bigend bearings. But if they look fine, leave em be.

Just always remember, never mix up the pistons or bearings.

Cyl 1 piston goes back in cyl 1, cyl 2 piston goes back into cyl 2, etc.

Hope this helps.

Rob
1987 Renault Alliance 1.7 litre
5 speed JB3 trans.

Toronto, Ontario
Canada

Hi,
It sounds no good.Your engine still running when you turn it off.It,s a bad symptom.What is the behaviour of the temperature gauge?It sounds like overheating.
Let me know some details, so I will help.
I will think about this.
Regards Tisho.

Gents thanks for responding.


I forgot to mention that there is smoke popping out of top of the carburetor when I am trying starting it, it’s a bit like a steam engine!

The temperature is normal.

Perhaps rob has hit it on the head with the piston rings, although surly the compression test would have indicated this? As all of the pistons compression are the same.

Its my partners car, and she recently told me that the car broke down after approximately 2 miles after driving off a petrol filling station – which got me thinking she as put diesel in it!!!!! But last night I drained the carb of fuel and the relevant pipes then I by-passed the tank via a jerry can of unleaded fuel, this did not help.

I really am very puzzled and confused to want to do next. So any ideas you may have would be helpful.

PS I am in the UK, unsure if my Renault 5 is the same car type as yours i.e. R9/11??
But I am sure it’s the same engine.

Thanks again.

Sorry my last post doesn’t make much sense! Speed typing at work therefore I seem to have left out words, etc.

To summarize the problems / symptoms are: -

The car doesn’t start very easy – full choke and a lot of throttle required, when trying to start the engine smoke will violently fire out the top of the carburetor!

The car when started smoke pours out from the exhaust – white in colour but if thrashed / push the accelerator hard to the floor the smoke turns black!

Petrol or possible oil accumulates in the pistons – resulting in the spark plugs being covered in oily crap!

When the car is warmed up and the ignition key is turned off it will continue to run very roughly with no sign of it stopping!


To summarize want I have done so far: -

Used a re-con cylinder head.

Full gasket set replaced, oil, manifolds, head, etc.

New spark plugs, HT leads, Cam belt, drive belt, oil filter, oil, coolant, air filter, etc.

Cleaned out the Weber 32 DRT carb, check floats, needles etc.

So far I have come up with, it could be diesel in the tank – but I have cleaned all fuel lines/carb and replaced the fuel. Did'nt help

OR

As Rob mentioned the piston rings / Oil thingies.

Any more things I should check would be much appreciated.

Hi Charlie,
It is most clear now. All this sound like something wrong with your carb, bad proportion or it is not clear. You have to clean the carb. Put a special attention to fuel-forcing pump and it,s membrane .Check it,s L shape pipe which must spray immediately fuel into carb chamber when you push a gas pedal. I don’t have the same engine but collect a lot of experience with R,s. Long time ago I have got the same problem on my R9 1.108ccm.A lot of smoke, bad working engine ,black and oily sparkplugs/cause of bad burning/ and wet fuel filter when the engine sneezing. I though that something very bad happened with my engine, but when I measure the compression it was O.K.I clear all carb and stay surprised of things that I found inside !!! I put all back together and ADJUST THE PROPORTION OF AIR AND FUEL. Everything it is o.k. now and the consumption is very low. Wish you luck.
Regards.
Tisho.
P.S. I read that you always clean your carb , but sorry for this advice.
I still think of engine keeps on running. This is a overheating symptom !!! Are you shure that your temp. gauge shows the real temperature.
I still thinking.
Bye.

Hi folks!

I've been looking at all of the thinking made so far by you great people, and wanted to add a litle bit...
I may be completely away from the problem but I'll try anyhow...
Smoke poping out of the carb reminded me of a problem I've had with my 1.7 engine (R5) - even though it's injection it still has a kind of a carb since it's single point - when I wanted to wash the engine. Stupid guy at the garage got the distributor (if that's the name in english-where spark plug cables start) wet.
My point is: is there any posibility that, along the way, something got wrong with the whole ignition system, because if its poping smoke out of the carb, than something is definetly wrong with that - either because of the electric part of the ignition process or just somthing on the fuel side (wrong fuel - could be; dirty carb - can be; etc...).
I don't thing it's THAT serious, even though it might look that way, since the 1,7L engine in all of its versions is one of the best engines Renault have ever built...

Regards
Goran

Hi Charlie,
Dont give up!!!
I think a lot about your problem.Did you solve it?
First sorry about my bad english.
Now let me explain what the all symptoms says.The black and oily sparkplugs is reason of bad burning.The disel in your tank or carb cant damage anything.Something different is hapened.All this after filling at the gas station is only coincidance, I hope.I think that the distributor bar of the distributor cap is turn on it,s opposite side.This will explain the flames in your carb and unstable working of the engine.There is a sparking and ignition when the inlet valves are open.The flames of burnt fuel goes back through the carb.The engine works like only 3 cylinders and smoking cause of bad burning.So many words and only one thing that you can try.Just turn the distribute bar of the distributor/electrical/on it,s oposite side/180 degrees/.Check the joint between this bar and the distributor bar of the valves of your engine.May be it is wear out.
The both are connect with some kind of groove, you know,but you are clever man.So I wish you luck and keep my fingers crossed about your lovely car.
Best regards from sunny Bulgaria.
Tisho/R9 1.108ccm. owner/

Dear All,

Cheers for the responses - I will take all of them into account, especially the distributor and the carb cleaning.

I can’t up-date this message for a week as I am on leave as from today – this is my work computer! I can’t work all day on a computer then go home to one!


I will check/replace those parts over this weekend and will up-date my forum message on the 7/07/03.

Thanks again.

Check the connection between engine and mainfold.
Maybe it leak a air in cyl. Then your mixture is not corect.

A thousand apologies!

The Renault 5 1.7 now runs very healthy and fast, after I completely drained the diesel from the fuel tank!!!!! Bloody women !!!!!

Any road at least it now has had a full major service.

Thanks for trying to help.

gents as none of you have responed to my last message, i take it that your think i am stupid ? or you can't be botherd to reply,

regards.

just like me.

Charlie, don't EVER think you are stupid. doing more to a car than just filling it up every 300 miles is more than most people will ever achieve in their life. Why would you be stupid trying to find out why the car runs badly while somebody else (*frowningatyourgirlfriend*) messed it up!

perhaps the only "stupid" thing would have been to have it towed to the dealer and get screwed big time because they would replace everything but the ashtray.

consider
- what you learned (!!!!)
- the money you saved
- the stories you can tell at the pub now
- that you, and you alone fixed it
- that other people might have been/acted equally, or more, "stupid" than you in this situation

so why not just drop this and say congratulations that the car is running well again. have your girlfriend give you a massage for fixing her car.

cheers,

Alex

Hey Charlie,
Congratulations!!!It is good that the problem was not so serious.I wish you nice travels around your country.
Keep the woman far away from gas stations,or lock hardly the fuel tank cap:)
Tisho.

Good Morning Gentleman

I think you might have taken my stupid remark a bit to seriously but its hard to understand peoples intentions when reading messages and not hearing the tone of there voice, you're right I have learned more about that engine/car than before and to tell the truth I quite enjoyed working on it,

It’s a shame I cant up load any photos of the car, plus I used to have an awesome Renault 5 turbo, which I know you will like, I fact love.



Cheers