About to get my first Renault 4, asking for advice!

[Zaliago]

Hello Everyone!
I've been looking for a place to ask for advice before (possibly) buying a Renault 4 of my own , and I figured this may just be the best one.

You see, I'm not very experienced with cars in general, especially classics. I always had a fascination with older cars, but I never really had much of a chance to drive one, let alone own one.
But recently I saw an offer for a trully stunning R4 in my country (Attached in the photo), and for a decent price too! (22k PLN, so a little over 5k Euro)
And aside from the fact that the engine seems to leak quite a bit and a bump on the side, the car seems to be in a really good state.

But again, I'm not a super experienced driver/owner, so I wanted to ask for advice since I really, really do want to take good care of this car (if the deal does go through, that is).

So, is there anything I should look out for? Or something specific I should ask the owner about?
And also just, well, what should I expect? How much maintenance does a car like R4 need? And should I prepare in advance (like getting parts or specific products)?

Any help is greatly appreaciated!

 

[jjad]

Chassis rust is the biggest problem with the Renault 4. Take a look at this page for what to look out for: https://www.renault4.co.uk/buyers-guide.htm

Good luck!

 

[benchseat]

Following on from my previous post elsewhere : given the presence of the starting-handle hole in the bumper, this car is almost certainly equipped with an early-style gearbox. This requires care when changing from 1st to 2nd (or vice versa) otherwise the gearbox can be ruined. The technique is called ‘double-declutch’. If you buy this vehicle read up about this online and practice carefully.

As ‘jjad’ says : chassis rust is the killer. There were, I believe, 800,000 R4s imported into the UK : our dreadful weather has finished-off virtually all of them. Look very carefully at the rear axle mountings coming off the rear chassis. If these break it is very difficult to repair them.

Those points apart, R4s are pretty well foolproof. This Forum is a good place to get specific advice.

 

[malcolm]

The early 4 speed had a starter handle hole too. The bonnet on the car is shaped to fit the later front crossmember which was fitted to accommodate the extra length of the 4 speed. That one should be '68 to '73 with an 850cc engine, 4 speed dogleg first gearbox, and nice seats. They are my preferred Renault 4.

 

[Zaliago]

Following on from my previous post elsewhere : given the presence of the starting-handle hole in the bumper, this car is almost certainly equipped with an early-style gearbox. This requires care when changing from 1st to 2nd (or vice versa) otherwise the gearbox can be ruined. The technique is called ‘double-declutch’. If you buy this vehicle read up about this online and practice carefully.

Thanks a lot! I'll definietly practise it once I get my hands on it!

 

[Zaliago]

The early 4 speed had a starter handle hole too. The bonnet on the car is shaped to fit the later front crossmember which was fitted to accommodate the extra length of the 4 speed. That one should be '67 to '73 with an 850cc engine, 4 speed dogleg first gearbox, and nice seats. They are my preferred Renault 4.

Amazing deduction! It's a '73 845cc engine, and the seats are very nice indeed, they're part of the reason why I like it so much.
I did also see that you had a simmilar one when I was doing research, so I'm glad I'm not the only one who enjoyes them a lot hah

Also, fun fact, it's classified as an Antique Car, hence the yellow licence plate, meaning ~90% of the parts are original, at least in theory.
In practise they aren't super precise with the counting, but still, most of it should be genuine, which is really neat.

 

[Andy McGhee]

If the chassis is as good as the interior, looks like a great find!
It'd be a good idea to get hold of both the Haynes and Autobooks manuals - they're extremely useful for the earlier cars:

Renault R4 Manual for sale | eBay

Find great deals on eBay for Renault R4 Manual. Shop with confidence.

www.ebay.co.uk

This site is excellent too: https://www.la4ldesylvie.fr/

There are still a lot of parts around if you know where to look - particularly if you start with a part number, and the plate numbers under the bonnet.

It'd be worth checking out the source of the oil leak.

Does the current owner have a dog?

Best of luck with it!

 

[Zaliago]

This site is excellent too: https://www.la4ldesylvie.fr/

Thanks a lot!

It'd be worth checking out the source of the oil leak.

Yeah I'll ask the owner about it, but I talked with my brother who's a self-taught mechanic and he said it's likely the shaft seal, since the listing mentioned leaking from the shaft-side.
Unless there just is a hole in the engine, which I hope isn't the case

Does the current owner have a dog?

Oh, does that matter? I mean, there wasn't any mention of animal damage etc. on the listing, but I imagine this may be important in a different way, yes?

 

[Andy McGhee]

I was looking at the steering wheel - it looks a bit gnawed (unless it's the photo..)

 

[Zaliago]

I was looking at the steering wheel - it looks a bit gnawed (unless it's the photo..)

Ahh yeah I see it too now
I assume it may just be the texture of the plastic? But the photos are not sharp enough to tell frankly so I can't be sure

 

[Andy McGhee]

Some useful websites for parts:

Palace de l'ancienne

www.palace-de-lancienne.com

4L-LAND

www.4l-land.com

Parts and accessories for old cars | Melun Retro Passion

Specialist in the sale of car parts and accessories for vintage cars from 1900 to 1980. Specialist Renault 4L R4. Online order. Secure payment.

www.melun-retro-passion.com

Véhicules Anciens - Pièces Renault 4L et Estafette en France

Véhicules Anciens - Pièces Renault 4L et Estafette en France, découvrez nos pièces en France pour vos anciens véhicules de collection !

vehicules-anciens.fr

Pièces détachées Renault 4 R4 4L, Pièces de 4L, Retro 4L - 4L Parts

Trouvez la pièce détachée parfaite pour votre Renault 4L chez 4L PARTS, le leader de la vente en ligne spécialisé dans les pièces pour R4 4L.

www.4lparts.com

Repuestos y piezas autos Renault clasicos - piezasautosclasicos

Encuentra las mejores piezas y repuestos para autos clásicos Renault. Calidad garantizada en autopartes para modelos antiguos. Envíos rápidos y seguros. ¡Compra ahora!

piezasautosclasicos.com

Autogrossist Stony Renault i Christiansfeld | Reservedele til veteranbiler

www.renaultdele.dk

https://www.leboncoin.fr/recherche?text=renault+4l&kst=k&pi=6817e8be-ddf8-40fd-8a4d-e7e2b276b7b8

And, of course, French, German and Spanish eBay

 

[Zaliago]

Okey so, Update for the engine leak- It seems like the problem isn't the seal, but the Grease Cord (I hope that's how you translate it-) and it can't really be replaced without taking the engine out
The owner had it repaired once before, but it seems like it wasn't done well and so the car started leaking quite badly again.

Still, it seems like an easy enough repair? I assume a knowleagable enough mechanic could get it done without too much of an issue, I hope.
The car will need a tow truck though, since refilling oil every 20-or-so minutes for 500km doesn't sound too great.

Freankly it all seams quite straightforward, but at the same time I can't help but be a bit nervous.
Like, a part of me is afraid that because this car has so much history and love put inside of it, that even when I do buy it, I won't feel like it's truly my own?
And if I would want to do anything with the car, be it a new paintjob or some slight alterations, I'd mean erasing that history and love.

Parhaps I'm just overthinking it and in reality it won't be so bad, but I was curious if any of you also had simmilar worries while buying your own R4's

 

[Andy McGhee]

Could you tell us what the Polish term for the place the oil is leaking from is? 'Grease cord' is likely to be an example of L1 transfer.
Is there oil on the cylinder head? Could it be the rocker cover gasket?
Is the leaking coming from between the engine block and the sump (oil pan)? If so, is it the sump gasket?
Have you looked to see if there's oil coming from the sump (oil pan) plug?

 

[jcarruthers2]

Hi

Is the leak coming from the:

uszczelka glowicy cylndrow
(cylinder head gasket)

Or

uszczelka miski olejowej?
(sump gasket)

Or more likely the:

uszczelka pokrywy lanncucha rozrzadu?
(timing chain cover gasket)

which would require taking the engine out.

 

[Zaliago]

Could you tell us what the Polish term for the place the oil is leaking from is? 'Grease cord' is likely to be an example of L1 transfer.

I didn't ask for the exact place, but from what I got it's somewhere around the gearbox/shaft?
I mostly just wanted to know which part would need replacing.

Also, from what I gathered the "Grease cord (or Tallow Cord)" is essencially just the seal for the shaft (or a pump?) that a bunch of older car used to use, so there's that I suppose?
I wish I could give more details, but again, the car is 500km away so I only know what the owner mentioned in our brief phone call and I don't want to bother him too much right now.

If it's helpful in any way, the polish term for the cord is "Sznur Łojowy" and it looks like that

 

[Andy McGhee]

Is the oil that's leaking engine oil or gearbox oil? Gearbox oil has a very distinctive smell.

 

[André4Renaults]

Gearbox oil has a very distinctive smell.

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!

 

[Zaliago]

Is the oil that's leaking engine oil or gearbox oil? Gearbox oil has a very distinctive smell.

I wish I could tell you but no matter how distinctive the smell is, I can't smell it from across the country-
I'll remember to ask the owner once I get in contact with him again though

 

[angel]

There are no oil seals on these engines, neither conventional nor rope ones as on your picture. There is a slinger and a series of ridges cut at an angle, immediately in front of the front main bearing that encourage the oil to be thrown back as the crankshaft is rotating. Leaks from the flywheel end of the crankshaft are either due to sump overfilling, or sludge build up on the crankshaft front end. Or more serious reasons like worn main or thrust bearings, of course.
Black dashboard and steering wheel indicates a post-1973 car so the bumper with the starting handle hole (pre-71) may had been fitted later. Would be nice to see the oval plate to check production year.