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Perhaps use some very fine sand paper, to make the terminals shiny before they're reconnected, as well.

Every make of car would be different, but as a rule the wishbones are good points to use. Do NOT use the steering rods or the driveshafts, as you'd bend the former and damage the latter! A front crossmember would also be a suitable point, although bear in mind that the forks of the A frame must...

Yes, D.G. is right about the 750Kg rule, and that the a trailer that has brakes they must be in working order, but the way I interpreted it when I was towing was that the trailer may well have brakes, and that they're in working order, but that doesn't mean they have to be in use when the...

A Frames are a bit of a grey area as far as as the law goes. I had one for 20 years when working as a mechanic and used it for recovery work with a Subaru Forester 4x4 with roof beacon lights and I always wore a hi-vis jacket (or gilet, if in France....). I was never stopped by the "boys in...

One would be the rear brakes locking up too easily when one brakes strongly. Another (if the limiter fails to let any fluid through) would be no braking at the rear of the car at all, which could have catastrophic consequences, as all the braking efficiency would be on the front wheels. A M.O.T...

I've read your latest report with interest and am of the opinion that the cooling system needs to be flushed thoroughly before investigating any electrical systems. Air locks, blockages and non-functioning thermostats would cause some or all of your symptoms. Flushing the system's not difficult...

Your car's behaviour is NOT normal, particularly as it sports an alternator! Alternators supply HUGE amounts of current and are particularly good at charging the battery even when the engine's on tick-over, so something's wrong. Try the following: 1/ Check the voltage at the battery when the...

Yes, there are a number of possibilities: 1/ The car's battery is not in the best of health. In very cold weather the chemical reaction within the battery that generates the electricity slows down and the battery therefore produces less power. In these circumstances when the car's running the...

I would add that one should use a soft-headed hammer to dislodge the cylinders and liners. A piece of wood's useful too, as it can prevent any damaging "jolts" hitting them Another thing that might help is to use the connecting rod to see if the piston can be twisted in the liner, which might...

Yes, the capacitor is often over-looked as a cause of erratically running engines. Worth investigating and testing by substitution with a known good capacitor. It's an easy swap, too.

When you say the car has "electric ignition" do you mean you've fitted an electronic ignition system? If you haven't, and the car still has the conventional ignition system, with points, it might be worth fitting a new capacitor. The symptoms you describe mirror a "dying" capacitor, which works...

WHAT A COINCIDENCE! I'm currently reading a "Motoring Which" from April 1964 that covers the Renault Estafette camper van conversion! it's compared with the B.M.C. Bluebird, a Ford Thames Airborne, the Bedford Romany, an Commer and the V.W. Devonette. Odd to think the Renault Estafette was...

Indeed it does! When I worked as a mechanic we reckoned the smell was akin to a child's vomit-horrible! Engine oil just smells like...old oil!

Glad to have been of assistance!

This was the "drastic" action to which I alluded..... Yup, if you can't shift the detritus by flushing then it looks like it's a "heads off" job. The advice included in the above post regarding securing the liners in place is vital and I'd recommend a careful reading of everything before...

You could try reverse flushing the block, by connecting a hose pipe to the drain screw and pushing water through backwards. Some pressure from the hose might help, too. Another option would be adding some bicarbonate of soda , which might help shift any debris that's stuck inside the block...

Perfect, just perfect!

If your exhaust's producing too much unburnt fuel either the mixture's too rich or the sparking plugs aren't fully burning the fuel that is being pumped into the engine. Do you need to use the choke to start the car when it's cold-really cold-as it would be on a morning after the car's stood in...

A Quote from the 1963"Motoring Which" report on the Renault 4l mentioned "the alarming angles the car's suspension produced when cornering hard"....maybe your car felt the need to relive the experience......?

Fit a new spark plug and then see if there's a spark. Now do the same to all the leads and confirm the new spark plug produces a spark when connected to all four leads. If so, your leads are good and your plugs will need cleaning or changing. As to the colour of the old plugs, it looks like the...