GT problems?

[Aterro]

New poster! (less than 10 posts)

Hi,

ive not even bought my GT yet, and I've spoken to the owner after winning it via ebay and he's listed some little issues ( not stated in listed but heyho)

He stated

" it can be erratic sometimes"
He's got the fuel pump on a switch..
Fan on a switch...

The above doesn't bother me to be honest.
But it maybe it could affect why its running abit lumpy.
He stated " it runs lumpy sometimes" and he thinks its a timing issue....
I presume the timing on a GT is electronic???
How can you adjust the timing?

He does also state it needs a " tune" so i presume so this also could be the problem...

For me to do a tune, id run a wideband sensor such as LC-1(innovate) and then check afr ratio and adjust carb to suit correct figures... is that the best way for a home mechanic?

Ive never had a "carb injection " car before so I'm totally new to this, and my knowledge is limited :laugh:

He also stated, when warm it can be hard to start, it doesn't have the Perc fan, so i presume this is just a general 5 issue and the above issues aren't helping it....


Just general advice on making sure the engine is ok is good too really? is there anything i can check when next to the car ( prior to purchase) to diagnosis the possible issues???

Thanks everyone!!:agree:

[rabbitstew]

New poster! (less than 10 posts)

Hi,

ive not even bought my GT yet, and I've spoken to the owner after winning it via ebay and he's listed some little issues ( not stated in listed but heyho)

He stated

" it can be erratic sometimes"
He's got the fuel pump on a switch..
Fan on a switch...

The above doesn't bother me to be honest.
But it maybe it could affect why its running abit lumpy.
He stated " it runs lumpy sometimes" and he thinks its a timing issue....
I presume the timing on a GT is electronic???
How can you adjust the timing?

He does also state it needs a " tune" so i presume so this also could be the problem...

For me to do a tune, id run a wideband sensor such as LC-1(innovate) and then check afr ratio and adjust carb to suit correct figures... is that the best way for a home mechanic?

Ive never had a "carb injection " car before so I'm totally new to this, and my knowledge is limited :laugh:

He also stated, when warm it can be hard to start, it doesn't have the Perc fan, so i presume this is just a general 5 issue and the above issues aren't helping it....


Just general advice on making sure the engine is ok is good too really? is there anything i can check when next to the car ( prior to purchase) to diagnosis the possible issues???

Thanks everyone!!:agree:

Hi

Sounds like the fuel pump relay may have a problem, hense he has wired it to a switch. You can easily check the wiring on this and fix. I wouldnt have thought this would cause any problems.

Lots of people wire the fan to a switch or even direct to the ignition so its on permanently when the engines running. Most people wire a switch along side the normal thermo sensor so if your in traffic you can switch the fan on. Not really needed to be honest, you can get a replacement low temp sensor for the rad for about £15 and if the wiring/relay is working it should just cut the fan on when the temp gets to the first dash on the temp gauage. It certainly shouldnt hit the 2nd (2/3rds) mark.

The GTT is quite old school so you have a carb, no injection. The carb is easy to tune and setup - theres a guide on here. If its not been messed with it should be fine. Personally I wouldnt bother with an AFR meter if your going to keep the car standard(ish), but they arnt expensive and a handy device to have. The AEM one is very popular.

They have a dizzy & leads/plugs, so id be replacing them as part of a service, along with filters, oil etc. That should help it run better.

Normally lumpy idle is down to the breather pipes. Theres loads of these around the carb, sometimes people put them on wrong etc. Also the AEI (ignition unit) can become faulty. Older cars had this unit above the turbo in the engine bay and it was prone to heat problems. Newer cars have the unit inside the bulk head next to the battery in a black plastic casing.

Lots of people ditch the perc fan, and the reason renault put the the perc fan in is to help hot starting. So thats probably why its not easily starting once hot.

Hope that helps a bit. For me, how the seller acts and what they know about the car would tell me more about what the cars like and its history. If they know lots and are an enthusiast then chances are the cars okay. If they dont really know what day of the week it is, then id be walking.

Hope that helps.

[Trevhib]

Good advice :)

Let's be honest here though. The seller doesn't know much about GTT's, that much is obvious. It could well be that he's not been able or bothered to fix the running issues, neither possibilities instil much confidence. The fact he didn't mention on the advert that the car sometimes runs erratic and lumpy lends weight to these things. How often is sometimes? What does erratic mean? Lumpy in what way? Timing issues can destroy engines very quickly, if there is a suspicion that there's a timing problem, why has it not been investigated?

The cooling on a GTT works perfectly if it's been maintained properly and the fuel pump wiring and relay is not that complicated a circuit. Both are common problems and both are usually easy to fix. What are we saying here then, that these things have been allowed to fall into disrepair?

That said, most GTT's need tweaking/fiddling with to get right (and there's always something to do on them), so a few problems will give you an opportunity to get to know and love the car and indeed you can use the wealth of information on the RTOC site and from the membership to help you out :agree: :cool:

My advice would be to expect problems so that you're not disappointed and don't drive the car hard until you've gone over it for yourself and given it a good service.

[JRP]

Just be prepared for some graft, but the issues could be as simple as shit in the carb.

The other things are easy fixes.

Clean that carb out.

[rabbitstew]

Just remembered another reason for lumpy running. "back in the day" when I was first on the scene a popular mod was to remove the thermo sensor & flap inside the stock intercooler and glue a bit of plastic inside instead to effectively free flow the intercooler, so cold air would always get to the carb.

I remember on my car one day it started running like a sack of brown stuff and it turned out my glued in intercooler flap had disintegrated and blown out with the boost pressure, sending bits of plastic into the carb & into the engine.....

Now adays after market alloy intercoolers are cheap as chips so I doubt if many people are bothering to mess about with the stock intercooler - but you never know, maybe a previous owner did it.

[Matt_S]

The dizzy could be 180degrees out. That would make it run lumpy too.

I'd start with a full service and static tune.

[Trevhib]

The dizzy could be 180degrees out. That would make it run lumpy too.

Exactly, or one tooth out, which was what killed one of my engines decades ago. :agree:

[Aterro]

New poster! (less than 10 posts)

Wow, abundience of replies!

Thanks everyone.

It has a ali cooler and rad setup already, regarding the blocking on standard unit.

Any enlightenment on what a static tune is?

If I wanted to up The boost to max 15 psi, would I run standard jets?

I'll give it the following after purchase
New plugs
Ht leads
Dizzy -do you just take the cap off and turn it if it's 180 degrees out?
Take carb off -check condition- clean or rebuild.
Oil and filter -10w-40 or 10w60??

Seller seems a good guy via phone call, so touchwood!

[rabbitstew]

New poster! (less than 10 posts)

Oil and filter -10w-40 or 10w60??


I use 10/40 but some people recommend 10/60 as it seems to give you a bit higher oil pressure. Use the genuine renault oil filter is the recomendation.

[Dawsie]

I'm selling an anti perc fan if you want one?

[Matt_S]

Static tune, i.e. Check timing, dizzy, tappets, carb etc

Then set up the idle etc in the carb.

[Trevhib]

New poster! (less than 10 posts)

If I wanted to up The boost to max 15 psi, would I run standard jets?

Dizzy -do you just take the cap off and turn it if it's 180 degrees out?

Seller seems a good guy via phone call, so touchwood!

Boost - people do that and often get away with it. That would be the maximum you'd want to go, for various reasons. The better way to do it (for both your car's health and performance), is to get a set of jets (of various sizes), an AFR gauge, one of these mini drills: http://www.rtoc.org/boards/showthread.php?t=37656 and get it running correctly by reading up on the carb article/thread discussions :agree:

Dizzy - Search the forum for instructions on how to check the timing and how to adjust/align the dizzy gear if it needs it. One example: http://www.rtoc.org/boards/showthread.php?t=24327

Seller - Best of luck. Keep us informed! :)