Renault 4 1108cc SEV Marchal electronic ignition

[ecurb.renots]

Does anyone know of an electronic ignition kit to fit the SEV Marchal distributor fitted to my 1982 1108cc Renault 4 or has anyone modified another kit to fit.

 

[Andy McGhee]

Hi
I may be wrong, but your distributor looks like a Femsa rather than a SEV Marchal. I haven't seen under-the-cap electronic ignition units for these, but they may well exist (probably worth keeping an eye on Spanish eBay). Most people I've come across with Femsa distributors have been quite keen to replace them with Ducelliers, which are much easier to maintain!
This link might be interesting:

https://www.r4-4l.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=42446

For a remote unit:

http://la4ldesylvie.fr/index.php?op...un-allumage-transistorise&catid=18&Itemid=101

and there are always similar units on eBay.

A few photos:

From left to right: Femsa, SEV Marchal, Ducellier


Femsa - quite fiddly to change the points on these!


Later SEV Marchal with cassette points - very smooth and reliable.


Ducellier (not externally adjustable)

A brand-new Ducellier would make a big difference - the Valeo points last for ages!

 

[ecurb.renots]

Many thanks Andy for your response, i have checked and you are quite right it is a Femsa, I will go through the details on the links you have provided and decide which way is right fo rme to go. The car is a daily driver and while it starts and runs well, it has only just reached 100K KM, my memory of constant point adjustment on BLMC A series engines makes me want to go EI.

 

[Andy McGhee]

You're very welcome!
Just one other thought - if the curve on your distributor is R244D61, you might find a Ducellier with externally-adjustable points, as in the photo below. I think they're less under-cap EI-friendly than the normal Ducelliers, but they make any points adjustment very easy, and are extremely reliable. I don't know what the scrapyard situation in France is like these days, but it's worth having a look under the bonnet of early 5s. The early GTLs with the 810-19 engine had this type of distributor.
Good luck!

 

[Johanka]

Hi, I have just successfully fitted a new distributor cap and rotor arm to my 1981 R4 GTL. I am writing to say what a great help Andy’s article (above, 29 June 2018) was in helping me identify the correct distributor. Many thanks Andy for your comprehensive article. Also thanks to this forum I found a good supplier of all the parts I needed (Franzose.de).
My lumpy car now runs smoothly again…

 

[Andy McGhee]

Hi, I have just successfully fitted a new distributor cap and rotor arm to my 1981 R4 GTL. I am writing to say what a great help Andy’s article (above, 29 June 2018) was in helping me identify the correct distributor. Many thanks Andy for your comprehensive article. Also thanks to this forum I found a good supplier of all the parts I needed (Franzose.de).
My lumpy car now runs smoothly again…

Hi Johanka
Thanks for your post - very kind! I'm glad you found the bits you needed, and that the R4 is running well again.
I've had some great times travelling around the Czech Republic in the F6!

 

[Sage103]

I have a Femsa distributor on my GTL and I went for a Gammatronix system, based on a recommendation on this forum, and it delivered an immediate and (so far) a lasting improvement on the car’s power (!) delivery. Very easy to install.

Incidentally I have never experienced any difficulty in setting the points but maybe that’s because I’m old enough to remember when all cars had points which seemed to need constant adjustment.