Head scratching over Renault Clio - any modern mechanics out there?

[Colin Lindsay]

Only slightly Triumph-related, this one! I’ve been using a 2001 Renault Clio 1.2 16v for the last week after a friend reported a slight rhythmic shudder as it drove; last Thursday it suddenly developed a heavy shudder, loss of power at lower revs, and a flashing engine management light. I gave it the once over and was able to see gas puffing out around one of the spark plugs. 

After buying what appeared to be an inordinate amount of specialised tools - long thin plug wrench, torx bits, hex sockets, all sizes that none of my kits have, I was able to remove the whole manifold assembly and gain access to a few parts that required cleaning; plugs out and replaced and a new ignition coil pack and leads. Started up and the shuddering is still there, if not worse. The entire car vibrates at idle.

It has all the symptoms of being a cylinder down, but also has the symptoms of being out of firing order. On turning the key there seems to be slight resistance, then it fires and at higher revs, say over 2000 rpm runs as normal. The errant plug - No 4 - was loose and has now been replaced, and the replacement tightened as normal.

Not one web forum I’ve been on has told me how to read the ignition lead sequence from the coil pack end - they’re all in a row and unnumbered. 

Before I start on compression tests or suspecting a faulty replacement coil pack, does anyone know how to tell which lead is which? 

 

Firing order is 1 3 4 2 taken from the flywheel end, but in what order do the ignition leads leave the coil pack? They’re all the same length so no help there. Photo of coil pack attached - there are no numbers anywhere to show any order. I fitted them using the old pack as a guide, which had different lead lengths depending on the cylinder they went to, but there may be a variation I can’t find.

Any ideas?

[mishmosh]

We had similar on a 52 clio 1200. Its likely to be a sensor. Remove every plug. Wd40 and try again.

Mostly now sorted.

[Pete Lewis]

Colin,   on some 1 and 4 fire at the same time ......same for 2-3   

    sorry not really useful !!!!

 

if it has an EGR valve it probably needs a clean , could be stuck open 

 

             Pete

[JohnD]

43

12

 

See: http://www.renaultforums.co.uk/showthread.php?t=132497

John

[Colin Lindsay]

43

12

is for the earlier cars, where the coil pack is square, later cars have them all in a line… hence the photo of the one I bought. No-one seems to list the lead order where they exit the coil pack. Clios use the ‘waste spark’ system where the plugs spark twice per cycle instead of once; on the exhaust stroke it makes no difference, but it means they can be 180 degrees out and still work…. unlike Triumphs. It’s now revving very high when started with the orange coil light showing, that wasn’t before… I think I’ve REALLY broken it this time.

[s.leah]

If you could get hold of something that can read ODBCII it should help, it will at least give you any fault codes. Connector is under the ashtray. (on a 2005 which is more or less the same..)

Is it the 1200 model? I could pop the bonnet on mine tonight and see if I can tell where the leads go.

[shag.e]

Have you had the computer reset? Serves anyone right for buying one of these Gallic travesties. I know that with certain stuff, the fault has to be cleared from the memory before it stops playing up. Have a look on the net, you can buy a diagnostics package for VERY little money which is downloaded to the 'phone, and they ship a lead out too. Best of luck.

[Pete Lewis]

unless you buy old  classic or some aged design to suit india or africa that has no bells and whistles its pretty impossible to find a semi modern car without a brain to download/update, to hide faults in  since the  mid 90s

doesnt matter what make its got a little box of planned obsolescence fitted somewhere

 

and can be useful on trucks we could download what gear what revs, how long , speeds, temperatures hours at different revs, clutch duration , air pressures ,

gps and far more and that was in 2000. very useful when you have an exploded twin plate clutch

so they work for the good and the bad 

 

Pete 

[Colin Lindsay]

Ok so got an OBD reader, tells me that there’s a misfire in one cylinder THEN says” cylinder not specified…”! I KNOW THAT!!!

In any case now replacing the injectors as one of the plugs is shiny clean and looks like it has never fired since fitted earlier in the week, so possibly no fuel getting to it.

I think ‘Gallic Travesty’ is perfect, shag.e. but needs must; it can be parked anywhere and if it’s stolen… they’ll probably take pity and leave it back only cleaner and possibly roadworthy… 

[Colin Lindsay]

Latest update: replaced all four injectors, no change….  replaced the old coil pack and this appeared to work, so cleared the fault codes and away we went; just back from a two mile drive with only a slight misfire at idle.

Looks like the replacement coil pack was faulty out of the box, which didn’t help at all…. £35 down the tubes!