First100 miles:beginning of the end or end of the beginning?

All out for repairs .Rear grot mostly and a few curious fixes including sponges up the tunnel ......Easy fix,you just need bigger balls Greg ...

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Thanks for photos. Every mm is important.... even my untrained eye can now see "some" corrosion on the turrets.

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Turrets and arch pocket repairs in progress .Not much left of the pockets .

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She's back with me after much RATS fettling, driving well and looking forward to
first foray on to track.

She got some much needed love today with a rare appearance of the polish. .

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aaaaaarrrrrrgggggghhhhh! Coolant hose in engine bay just let go! All part of the Alpine experience I guess. Who wants to point me in the direction of the best replacement hoses ?

One day I'll get to the track. Not sure how many miles I managed this time though as the speedo decided to give up again. It was lazy on the way back from Notts but this morning just nothing. Can't figure out why. Have had the car up on stands and but not moved anything significant. Only other possibility is water ingress somewhere, either from too much washing or the rainwater that's finding itself in the drivers footwell!

Anyone got a list of places to check for speedo connection issues?

aaaaaarrrrrrgggggghhhhh! Coolant hose in engine bay just let go! All part of the Alpine experience I guess. Who wants to point me in the direction of the best replacement hoses ?

One day I'll get to the track. Not sure how many miles I managed this time though as the speedo decided to give up again. It was lazy on the way back from Notts but this morning just nothing. Can't figure out why. Have had the car up on stands and but not moved anything significant. Only other possibility is water ingress somewhere, either from too much washing or the rainwater that's finding itself in the drivers footwell!

Anyone got a list of places to check for speedo connection issues?

Best thing to check first on the speedo is the connector from the gearbox in the RHS inner rear wing (easier than getting into the dashboard and is normally the source of the trouble for me). There are 3 large connectors here but you'll see the lead from the gearbox and I often find a spray of WD-40 and then something to seal it once it's dried off (e.g. Damp Start silicone spray) helps for a good while. Frequent use of the car is also the best way to keep the speedo working.

As for hoses, I've previously managed to get them from a Renault dealer (probably difficult now), a Samco kit from the club and also Simon Auto in Germany (via website) seems to have all the hoses and is pretty quick.

Jon

[BIG_MVS]

Bad luck Greg, we have seen this before though after a long lay up. It will get better keep the faith.

If it helps I have some second hand hoses available, not ideal and I guess new would be better but I can post them quickly so would get you out of a pickle. PM me if interested.

Other option (depending where the hose is split) is self amalgamating tape. Works extremely well - but you really have to take the hose off so you can stretch it and get the tension when you apply.

I wouldn't say it's a long term fix but it might just get you up and running whilst you wait for a new hose and I think some people (Simon Taylor) might even have left it on permanently.

It's autumn, it's raining and you might just want to wait. On the other hand if you're keen to carry on with the shakedown then it might get you out sooner.

Thanks guys. Self amalgamating is on it's way while I try and chose the correct hose kit to replace the ageing rubber..... I wish I'd done this at the same time as the stainless pipes, water pump and rad ..... but hindsight is a wonderful thing!!

Which hose is it?

My advice with the tape - remove the hose and follow the instructions. You need to stretch it to about twice it's length as you wrap the hose so it activates and is trying to constrict the hose.

It's not difficult but near impossible in my experience in situ.

It's amazing stuff. You'll notice it get hot as it reacts and binds to itself. Once it's reacted it's there for good and you can't really remove it other than with a Stanley knife.

Good luck.

Which hose is it?

My advice with the tape - remove the hose and follow the instructions. You need to stretch it to about twice it's length as you wrap the hose so it activates and is trying to constrict the hose.

It's not difficult but near impossible in my experience in situ.

It's amazing stuff. You'll notice it get hot as it reacts and binds to itself. Once it's reacted it's there for good and you can't really remove it other than with a Stanley knife.

Good luck.

Sound advice. It's one of the main hoses in the engine bay, lower one from the pump to the stainless tunnel pipes. Will definitely need removing for a proper fix. Might be tempted to tape similar location on other main pipes too, just at the union with the pipes....... in fact, wouldn't it be cheaper to just amalgamate all the pipes than buy a samco kit???

Speaking of hose kits, the simon auto one looks comprehensive with around 18 hoses and looks to be about £320 shipped.

http://www.simon-auto.de/alpine/englisc ... schlaeuche

Other options are mecaparts 11 piece kit probably around £200 shipped

http://www.mecaparts.com/PhotosPieces/MP0750.jpg

or (possibly the same)

http://www.alpinerenaulttuning.co.uk/in ... cts_id=237

Anyone with direct experience of any of these options who can report good / bad or otherwise?

Cheers

I've used a bit of a mix of hoses:
- top coolant hose in the engine bay with a standard Renault one from a local Renault dealer in about 2001 and it's still just fine. (needed it ASAP).

- the two hoses to the radiator as part of a radiator refurb with standard Renault hoses that I got from Simon Auto over 7 years ago and they are fine still.

- the auxiliary hoses (all the small ones in the engine bay) with a Samco kit purchased from the club. All seem good still.

Jon

Back up and running, not giving up yet. Simon auto hose kit arrived today, very impressed with the service.

Next little glitch to fix.... reverse lights. A friend followed me today for a short while and noticed the reversing lights were flickering on whilst driving. Seemed to be moreso when cornering. Any clues where to look first? Somewhere near the gear shift or nearer the gearbox?

https://youtu.be/sYcd5MTj4jY
Cheers

LHS of the gearbox there is a switch ,two wires .Most likely they need a wiggle as may be touching,disconnected when the lump came out .Bit of a squeeze/pain to get at tho,you'll need to get the car up pretty high so might be worth popping it on a local ramp/MOT station.
Spare wheel ....yes I know will try and get to the PO today .

LHS of the gearbox there is a switch ,two wires .Most likely they need a wiggle as may be touching,disconnected when the lump came out .Bit of a squeeze/pain to get at tho,you'll need to get the car up pretty high so might be worth popping it on a local ramp/MOT station.
Spare wheel ....yes I know will try and get to the PO today .

Why does it need to go so high? Is it so one can get a straight arm up a small gap? (no fnars intended)

So I guess it would be a waste of time trying from some little wheel ramps then.