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Agreed. If you follow the accelerator linkage to the carburettor you'll find a screw adjuster. Turn it a quarter turn clockwise at a time and take the car for a run over the same route each time & see if it still stalls. Remember the engine has to warm up fully and the choke should be fully "in"...

In my former employment, which ended in 2022, just after Brexit, we ran an unofficial "book" on which country would be the next to leave the E.U. Sweden was thought to be the most likely (non-adoption of the Euro, a certain independence of thought on many matters etc.) although I suspect the joy...

Your car appears to be suffering from what we "old school" mechanics call "vapour lock". The Renault 4 was built when petrol had lead added and this is no longer the case. One of the effects of this is that unleaded petrol has more volatility than is did previously, which causes it to vaporise...

[Irony switch ON] My sympathy has just been reduced.... I thought you'd broken down in le Massif Central, miles from anywhere, alone, no food, no beer, wine or baguettes, struggling to connect to l'internet by using a mobile 'phone with rapidly depleting batteries, your family and friends...

Those points don't look very clean, suggesting excessive arcing, caused, inter alia by a failed or failing condenser. If that picture is with the points open the gap looks too small as well, although the picture mightn't be showing that properly.

For once (and it's not often...) I agree with every word of the Haynes book. You won't be able to test a condenser unless you've access to some sophisticated electronic equipment. Assuming you haven't, change the condenser. The condenser acts like a cushion; imagine a railway engine shunting...

CONDENSER! Substitute another one, check the condition and gap of the points and replace if necessary. A failing condenser causes rapid wear of the points and so it's worth repairing/replacing them at the same time.

That negative wire looks too thin and (although it's difficult to be sure, because of the angle of the picture) not properly routed. It looks too close to the fan, but, as I say, that might be an optical illusion.

The earth strap from the gearbox to the battery should be a very thick wire that can carry a huge amperage. Some cars have a braided strip fitted.

The following might help identify the problem: switch on the main beam headlights and then operate the starter. The headlights should go dim. If they don't, no power is reaching the starter motor. If they do go dim, power IS reaching the starter motor, but it's not spinning. To start, I'd look...

If you don't know how to set the timing I'll give you a method of roughly tuning it. Underneath the distributor is a circular clamp, that secures the position of the distributor once the timing is correctly set and I expect it's this clamp that's somehow become loose in the past. Once you have...

May I ask some questions before suggesting any help? 1/ Does the engine turn over? By this I mean is the block seized or not? 2/ Is the engine mounted in a car or is it free-standing? 3/ (not directly relevant to the engine...) where in Hampshire are you (and, presumably, the engine)?

The thick black lead connects to the large central terminal in the middle of the picture. The other end of this lead should be connected directly to the positive terminal of the battery. The thinner lead, also with a "O" terminal, should also be connected to the same terminal. This lead carries...

I've sent you a personal message.

I'll be seeing the guy who does my welding jobs on Monday. He's based in the Barnet area but keeps talking of retirement.... I'll post a comment here after buying him a pint or 12, in an effort to delay his decision!

The M.O.T. has a minimum wattage for headlamp bulbs of 30 watts, although I never removed a bulb to check this! I did once test an ancient Skoda and subsequently discovered its main & dipped beam were 35 watts-blimey, those lights were dim! I don't think there's a maximum wattage, but I'll check...

I've been running my classic exclusively on Esso 99 octane since the introduction of E10 petrol. Apparently (and I cannot confirm this categorically) Esso 99 is better for classic cars, as it actually contains no ethanol, although, for legal reasons, Esso are obliged to advertise it as "E5" The...

Trés atmospheric!

Sam, whereabouts in London are you? Depending on your location I may be able either to recommend a garage or offer assistance myself.

One presumes you also paid Cornish Import Tax as the items passed over the Tamar..... LOL!