Frederick the Frog and the Art of Renault 4 Maintenance

Clementine is joined in the garage by Frederick the Frog to demonstrate how to resolve common Renault 4 problems (without spending money). Discuss these technical tips in the Renault Forum.

Oil change

How to do an oil change
Frederick's guide to changing the engine oil and filter.

   
Oil sludge

Why oil changes are important
Fredrick the Frog finds an unloved Renault 4 engine.

   
Front suspension lower balljoint

Front suspension lower balljoint
Frederick decides a creaking sound is caused by a lower balljoint and tries to replace it with a new one bought on eBay.

   
clutch seizing

Clutch seizing
The Renault 4 clutch should be light and smooth in operation, but seizes up after many years of use. Frederick shows how to un-seize the clutch without taking anything apart.

   
Brake Discs

Front Brake Discs
Frederick fits new brake discs and pads.

   
Replacing distributor points

Replacing the points
In a Femsa distributor from a Renault 4 GTL.

Dampers (shock absorbers)
Most dampers supplied for the Renault 4 don't work properly. Find out why and how to select good dampers.

   
Starter motor repairs

Starter motor
Does your Renault 4 turn over very slowly on the starter motor? If so your problem might be dirt in the solenoid. Frederick the Frog explains how to fix it.

   
Battery swap

Battery
Was it the battery after all? Save money by fitting a cheaper battery from a Mini.

   
RHD HEadlamp conversion

Headlamps
Renault only supply headlamps for left hand drive R4s. Frederick the frog shows how you convert them to right hand drive.

   
Frederick's grinder

Frederick's angle grinder (RIP)
Frederick's angle grinder passed away today giving him another opportunity to take something apart.

   
Brake shoes

Rear Brake Shoes
Bendix and Girling rear shoes together with some wheel bearing action.

   
Frederick and the lathe

Gordini Wheel Nuts
Frederick does some cool things with a lathe.


Serious Technical Stuff:

Rear suspension Jig

Rear Suspension Jig
A positioning jig for rear chassis welding repairs. Don't leave home without one!

Torsion bar tool

Torsion Bar Unloading Tool
A tool to unload the tension from front torsion bars prior to removal or adjustment.

Chassis Jig

Building a full chassis jig
The chassis jig will be used in the Gordini project - lots of rust in the chassis to repair on that one.

Frederick's Renault 4 Workshop
Frederick the Frog
 
Image of flower
Yellow Renault 4
 
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