When to change air intake hose to summer?

[jjad]

Hello,

with the recent hot spell, I changed the air intake hose to the air filter from the winter setting (warm air) to the summer setting by clipping the hose to the inner wing. This was fine but it has got colder again and the 4 sounded rough. I put the hose back on the winter setting and now it runs fine.

What I would like to know is what temperature do people change over from winter setting to summer setting? (I don't have a handbook and Haynes doesn't seem to mention when is best to do it)

Thanks for any advice!

 

[claude van rouge]

Our handbook (1989) says to change the air intake position when the ambient temperature reaches +5°C - but this seems to be a little cool to me.

Perhaps, as you have discovered, trial and error is the best way to set it!

 

[malcolm]

The R4 does seem to have some real sensitivity to intake air temperature. The handbook I recall reading once suggested that temperatures should reach a sustained 10 degrees before switching to the summer setting.

KangooKris's advice is good - do what suits your car. Once you get to know it you'll have a good idea about what it does and doesn't like, though it hasn't got that cold recently. Might be worth tweeking the mixture screw in the carburettor outwards by 1/4 turn and setting the intake to summer like everyone else.

The unofficial guide to mixture screw setting is screw it all the way in, then out by 1.5 turns. That rule has worked on all of my GTLs, and generally if that didn't work the vacuum advance mechanism was broken or the points needed replacing or timing setting. People fiddle with their Renaults so it's worth a chack to see where you are with yours.

 

[jjad]

Thanks for the advice!

Thanks Clementine and KangooKris,

I was surprised how sensitive the engine is to the air intake temp. Apparently the car is set up to run lean, so maybe this exacerbates the problem?

Thanks for the advice on the mixture setting, not sure if I will fiddle around with it now that it runs so well again - I'm no mechanic!

Thanks again!