A few words of comfort please ...

[Bertl]

... before I start ripping everything apart.
I'm trying to figure out the poor running above 90 km/h of my '78 GTL. I've read some of the threads relating to carb/fuel filter cleaning and decided to give it a go.

Now just to get things right ... I found what seems to be a 3rd party petrol filter, it sits on the right hand inner wing.

It appears to be half full/half empty even with the motor running depending on your philosophical school.

 

[Bertl]

Following the top tube from the filter is next ... (I hope so) the fuel pump. Is that correct? It's located on the right side of the motor block.

 

[Bertl]

Once again following the tube leaving the presumed fuel pump at the top, tubes (rubber and metal) are led across the rocker cover into the carb (a Solex 32 SEIA). The tube I'm talking about is the one entering the carb from the right hand side in this picture, the one with the screw of the clamp visible.
Can I expect to find a gauze filter where the tube enters the carb that can be cleaned? What other cleaning options do I have with this carb?

How do I get the fuel filter to fill up if that is necessary.

Thanks for your thoughts
Robert

 

[malcolm]

They are normally half full

But they aren't normally positioned before the fuel pump, and normally they are mounted horizontally. Being sited before the fuel pump might cause fuel delivery problems. Here's a photo of a more traditional location between pump and carb modelled by the lovely Ornella.

 

[malcolm]

The brass union on the carburettor where the fuel pipe joins on should unscrew. There'll be a gauze filter behind that might need pulling out with long nosed pliers if it's gummed up.

Is the choke opening fully when the lever is pushed in? Looks a little closed in the photo.

Also does the throttle open fully on that car?

 

[ggcton]

Fuel delivery

I have been having similar problems with my 84 GTL.
To my surprise I found the vertical metal pipe between the pump and the Carb was 80% blocked.
Gary

 

[beagle]

How can a car with an engine as clean as that have anything wrong with it! Good luck

 

[Bertl]

OK, first results, thanks for your input so far.
I will save swapping the fuel filter to a better position for next week when I can get a fuel hose.
I checked the brass union at the carb, and there is no gauze, I went in with needle nosed tweezers as far as I could, but no joy.
The vertical pipe is definitively something to check.
The mechanic who works for the Munich Renault club "RenaultZeros" (sounds like Rhinoceros) said, the SEIA carbs were a bugger to adjust.
I might be in the game for the infamous "Henessey kit", but I'll check the fuel path first.

Robert

 

[angel]

On half the R4s I have met the fuel filter is located before the fuel pump, and there is absolutely no difference in their performance (except of course when the filter is blocked...). I think it is better as the filter stops dirt from entering the fuel pump too.
Furthermore Bertl's filter holding plate seems very original to me (I have never seen a fuel filter on the inner wing, though).

 

[Bertl]

Hi angel, I don't think the whole setup is original. Somewhere in its 31+ year life one of the previous owners decided to change the right hand wing layout to accomodate a few goodies ...

- a transistorized ignition (not that I notice any difference)
- electrical windshield washer pump with matching bottle
- and the aforementioned fuel filter. It looks very clean, but I'll swap it anyway.

Robert

 

[Pavel]

... a few goodies ...

- a transistorized ignition (not that I notice any difference)
...
Robert

Hi Robert, what a nice transistor ignition you used there in your engine? Is there a transistor in the Darlington stage for the points unloading in the black box?
Pavel

 

[Bertl]

Well, Pavel ... here we have the expression "böhmische Dörfer", "bohemian villages" for things we don't understand.
I bought the car the way it is, and so, unfortunately I don't know anything about the function or construction of the transistorized ignition. If I flip the switch, nothing much happens. I can't even tell when it's running on the tranistorized or the normal ignition. I'll take a closeup shot of the unit when I get home.

Robert

 

[Pavel]

Well, Pavel ... here we have the expression "böhmische Dörfer", "bohemian villages" for things we don't understand.
Robert

Haha, we use the expression "a spain village" in the same situation . What say Spaniards, when they don´t understand something?

 

[Bertl]

As promised, here's a closeup of the transistor box. I have re-typed the transistor's specs as the flash makes it hard to read it.
Just a thought - these look like massive cooling fins. They should get REALLY warm if James was running on the transistorized ignition, shouldn't they? (Hidden by the cooling fins on the right hand side you can see the switch for the gadget).

Robert

 

[jjad]

Yes, you're right: that is a large heat sink to dissipate the heat generated by the transistors which are acting as a power amplifier.

 

[Bertl]

OK, folks,
as fiddling (tm) seems to provoke a few results, I'll charge ahead. Here are a few missing bits of info and my next plans.

@malcolm
You were asking, if the choke flap was opening completely. It is, I just had the choke pulled out a bit when the picture was taken.
I have ordered a carb rep set from "www.reno4er.de". When I pull apart the carb, I'll check the range of the throttle (ISTR your thread about that carb).

I replaced the fuel filter (Mann WK 42/1) and have done some superficial cleaning of the carb through the air intake. This has given a somewhat nicer running, so I think the problem is dirt related.

Today I'll blow through the vertical fuel pipe with carb cleaner, and as soon as my carb repair kit arrives I'll give the solex a thorough cleaning, replace jets and gaskets.

Robert