R5GTT Project - Off the road since Sept 1998

[tubbyG]

Hi Steve, the R5 ypu have is stunning. well done on all the hard work and getting to the end after what sounds like a hard slog. Where did you source the gear lever return spring and clips. i have been trying to source. Thanks Dougie

The spring and clip for the gear lever were still available from renault last year, have a look on this thread for part no's

https://www.rtoc.org/boards/showthrea...elector+spring

[Lowiepete]

Dougie, give this a try...

Renault 7701468199- SPRING G/SHAFT

The fiver postage on top will keep you weeping

Regards,
Steve

[dmiller1]

thanks Steve, parts ordered today.

[dmiller1]

Hello all thought id let you know that i Got my ordered refunded as no suppliers have this item left. Finally found it on the french Amazon site. Delivered to me for 17 quid. if you are struggling for parts might be worth a look.
https://www.amazon.fr
cheers Dougie

[Lowiepete]

Hello Folks,

Access to the PDF brochure for the new Alpine A110 came through today and
a fair bit makes very interesting viewing, especially the power diagrams!

However, once in the "stable" I'll have a rather interesting dilemma. It is known
that owners of "projects seen to completion" do tend to be quite easily
persuaded to sell their rejuvenated steed, usually in pursuit of other challenges.
With the value of the OE standard R5GTT cars rising by 86% in the past 12
months alone (that's roughly £7k to £12k) it looks like I'll have one appreciating
vehicle keeping company with another doing its depreciation thing. Whether
one will balance the other is moot.

So to the dilemma. With two pretty toys to choose from and no projects that
worry the heck outta my brain, which one will have to go first, before the
boredom sets in?

Regards,
Steve

[Lowiepete]

...on the outside at least

Hello Folks,

I'm pleased to report that the tailgate is now all spic and span and complete
with its spoiler and insignia in place...





The first clean of 2018. Even though it has its own cover, it was surprising
just what muck came off. The ADS Octagon Kit surface has had time to fully
harden and it was rejecting the ONR with all it could muster. The smoothness
and slickness had to be felt to be believed.







Regards,
Steve

[Matt Cole]

Stunning!

[Lowiepete]

...with more questions than answers.

So, beginning with the sales blurb translated from the French site...

This AEI is mounted in place of the origin! No beam modification or
fixation is required.

It allows to:

• Adjust your mapping in advance to improve the performance of your engine
• Reliabilize your engine with a very fast reaction compared to a RE209 ... but
  especially more membrane capsule!
  
• Programme a breaker (avoid over-speed!)
  
• Programme Over-boost protection
  
• Improve startups thanks to an increased lead in the start-up phase
  
• Improve stability of idle speed
  
• Improve the flexibility of the engine, you will not recognise your GT!

The gain in torque and power is immediate compared to a RE209, RE208 or
RE037.

Thanks to its contemporary technology, integrated into the original case, this
AEI will give your GT a driving behaviour that's right up to date! You can set
your lead by connecting a laptop to your AEI, and change all the settings
related to this AEI live. The influence of the advance being decisive for the
performance of your engine, you are finally able to adjust your lead to ignition
based on your engine preparation.

Does your GT have trouble starting? Give it a helping hand by increasing
the lead at startup! The engine clicks at high speed? Calm down in this area,
without losing elsewhere! Do you ride at petrol competition or E85? Exploit
the potential of this fuel with the lead you need ... This is just a glimpse of
what this AEI can do.

There is no more option like the antecedent versions, everything is integrated
basic in the AEI, you just have to connect and exploit or not these possibilities:

Entrance Water temperature:
If you install a T ° probe on your cylinder head (closing plate), you give your
AEI the possibility to program a specific cold advance during the warm-up of
your engine. In the same spirit, you can program a switch controlled by the T°
of water: Your GT is cold, avoid destructive over-revs. Also, in case of
overheating, you can decrease the advance to avoid rattling ...

Entry Lambda AFR sensor or Narrowband:
Do you have an AFR wealth display? a simple lambda probe? Improve your
fuel settings, by logging all engine parameters at the same time on your AEI:
Speed, Pressure, AFR.

Programming Output:
Want to control an instrument with the AEI according to the conditions of
regime, pressure, or temperature? The possibilities are wide, but imagine, be
able to drive a boost solenoid valve, control a WMI, trigger a fan, a shift-light, ...

We ask for a box AEI in advance to the order, with imperatively all the
connectors in the 3 taken, and with a functional coil. The state of the
membrane is not important. The capsule and the case should not be broken
(to make you an AEI in perfect condition).

The AEI is provided with an advance map identical to the 209 or on demand
with an improved engine mapping. A PC + Software communication cord are
also included in the delivery.

So, here it is...



I think the first surprise is that the 3.5mm stereo plug leads to a really old-
fashioned (VGA?) connector. Not found one of those on a laptop for a while.
So, first question is: Is there an alternate lead with a suitable USB connector
and if so, what are the specs..?

Next question is what software gives me access to all the potential controls
that are described in the blurb?

Does it really mean that I need to visit my nearest rolling-road outfit to be
able to realise most of it? I bought this AEI to be able to provide a certain
amount of future-proofing for the car, not least in allowing the engine to be
freed from its lumpy-running past.

That connector seems to indicate that I might need to preserve a laptop in
aspic alongside the car. Please, someone educate me in this sorcery

Regards,
Steve

[markg]

That's a db9 serial connector not a vga. No doubt Amazon or eBay will have a cheap usb to serial adapter.

[Matty]

An RS232 to USB connector should plug straight into that.

I have found that some RS232 to USB leads don't work, but others do.

I just had this with my ecu, I think it's more to do with the driver that gets installed with the cable.

I bought one from Maplins last week and works fine.

[Lowiepete]

I just had this with my ecu, I think it's more to do with the driver that gets installed with the cable.

My question from there is that if I can get the serial port set up, is the control
software already on the AEI?

Regards,
Steve

[Ian S]

A stand alone ECU is hardware, it contains firmware, the computer contains software.

Your PC will probably not know what the device is nor what to do with it.

Does the manufacturer not supply the software?

[Matt Cole]

It appears that ecu is plug and play Steve. I would try it on before doing anything else. As Ian says, you should have some software to load onto your laptop. The ecu would need to connect to the laptop so you can see what's installed via the software.

Great find by the way. Any links to the website?

[Lowiepete]

Any links to the website?

Link to Seb's Gontier Racing site

There's still some research to go with this new toy. However, I am counting upon
it to "future-proof" the control of the engine. The translation of what attracted me
is shown above...

Regards,
Steve

[Ian S]

It's advantages:
Plug and play into the 5GTT, no wiring or plugs to be changed.
Same map as 209, or better, not sure what he saying.

Disadvantages:
For the cost of it, I'd rather have a proper standalone ECU that could also do EFI, and was a known item for mapping, such as the Adaptronic. And that more features cold be added to, such as wideband lambda, narrow band is a bit pointless really.

[Lowiepete]

Well, it's the plug & play aspect that I see as a route into "future-proofing"
what goes on under the bonnet. I am assured by Seb that this unit povides
a much more fuel-efficient engine (at standard boost, which I'm perfectly
happy with) but without the need of going to EFI. Adding the latter only
brings electrical / electronic complications and is not subtle enough to hide
its non-standard presence below an opened bonnet.

Just the way that the "noise" of an irregular idle is removed assures me that
stresses on the engine will be put to better use as the smooth and improved
acceleration happens. The engine was in quite remarkable condition when it
was overhauled, so helping to improve its running via this simple route will
definitely benefit future keepers, if not its present one. Doesn't that go some
way toward achieving a level of future-proofing?

All that said, I'm glad I got in early as I too would baulk at the current retail
price the unit has crept to

Regards,
Steve

[Ian S]

You can't future proof it. In London in 3 years, they are banning non Euro 4 cars, that mean any petrol car older than Jan 2006. Fitting that mappable ignition doesn't make it comply with Euro 4 emissions requirements.

You wont get an improvements in acceleration or smoothness if it has the OE map, which said it comes with. It'll need remapping to tweek it.

My car didn't have an irregular idle once I fixed Renaults laughably poor electrics. Irregular idle can be related to the failing OE Renix units, mine did it and required replacement.

More fuel efficient means he's advanced the timing a bit to use more of the fuel, but that can lead to pinking. And I found that it can run a bit lumpy and weak if lean, but that was adjusting the fuel, which this unit can't do. To really get fuel efficiency you need EFI and a lot of sensors and good flow and mix and burn.

If the carb is not working fully, mappable ignition is not going to fix it.

His suggestion that his map is far superior to Renaults map for the standard car can't be more than a sales pitch as Renault will have spent a lot of money on those aspects of the original car.

This device is about changing the OE ignition map to get better out of more boost and a few modifications and is exactly what the modified car needs.

It's limited in that it only measures revs and manifold pressure. There's not a great deal that can be done with that.

A better solution is to use something that also reads:
coolant temperature,
inlet air temperature,
wide band lambda,
throttle position,
other stuff.

[Lowiepete]

You can't future proof it. In London in 3 years, they are banning non Euro 4 cars, that mean any petrol car older than Jan 2006. Fitting that mappable ignition doesn't make it comply with Euro 4 emissions requirements.

Being 120 miles away in the Suffolk countryside and the car only visiting
London once in my ownership, this presents no threat during my lifetime
and probably well into the lives of future owners.

My car didn't have an irregular idle once I fixed Renaults laughably poor electrics. Irregular idle can be related to the failing OE Renix units, mine did it and required replacement.

Kinda proves my point. With all new electrics to and from the Renix after
the resto, I have no change to the irregular idle found before this stage.
I have no idea if brand new ones are available, though used ones do fetch
stupid money, and I mean stupid for a piece of ancient technology with no
warranty that could break down the very next day. So, the cost difference
toward an upgrade that can be tweaked makes it less of a hurtful spend.

I'll report further once the day of fitting is decided.

Regards,
Steve

[Ian S]

Well, they'll extend that to other city's, then larger towns. Villages and rural areas eventually as they are saying they are ceasing combustion engine by 2040, if not sooner. 22 years probably is a long time but hopefully then I'll still be alive, having fun, and driving.

By fixed I didn't mean change corroded OE for new OE, I meant change for a much better way of moving current around the car. Joining the wires from and to different places. Doing it much better than Renault did. Which is more proof that for something that is going to be used, not a museum piece, sticking with OE is wrong.

[Lowiepete]

Hello Folks,

Not long back from the car's first 2018 outing for a PH visit to a Lotus & Aston
dealer just outside Norwich. Some very interesting cars in their workshop!
Recent MOT passed with no advisories and some rather nice compliments
from the examiner.

The value of the R5 from April 2017 to March 2018 has increased by a little
under 50% which I find quite unbelievable. The 80 odd percentile increase of
the 12 months previous was a tad overdue, mostly because spares are either
hard to secure, or really expensive and often both!

These are live auction results, presumably of standard spec cars, rather than
some of the dodgy specimens found elsewhere on-line. So a few pictures with
which to renew my agreed value amount which this year is £16k - it's just
nuts and I fully expect it to reach £20k well before its 30th birthday.















Yet another day when I got seriously asked to sell it. These are getting a tad
too frequent

Regards,
Steve

[Matt Cole]

The question is Steve, how much would you sell it For? 😁

[Lowiepete]

The question is Steve, how much would you sell it For? 😁

At the moment, I could not part with it unless you stole it - and you'd need
to kill me to get past its immobiliser and alarms, both of which have been
very cunningly integrated into its looms. So, you'd need to come up with a
proper life-changing amount.

All these monetary values really become meaningless when you attempt to
assess the sheer fun these cars provide. You should know..!

Regards,
Steve

[Lowiepete]

Hello Folks,

Well, the snag list is slowly becoming a blank sheet of paper, so time to add
some finishing touches. I had planned to cut a sheet of proprietary matting to
the original shape and paint it black. Problem was the horrid creasing that
simply refused to go away, no matter what.

Then, on eBay came the opportunity of buying a new and exact replica, but
made in modern materials. A quick phone call to Karl and we came to the
conclusion that as everything else is so tidy under there, the new mat would
be a much tidier option than our home-made affair, even if we could remove
most of the creases.

So, a large amount of money, produces an equally large box, containing a
very smart looking mat. As with the side panels, there have been a couple
or three sound-deadening panels stuck in the "voids" which should help the
engine sound to become less rattly. Yeah, I know, without a pic, it didn't
happen...



Regards,
Steve

[Matt Cole]

Makes a huge difference Pete. Looks great! I take it that the mat is a reproduction item?

[Lowiepete]

Makes a huge difference Pete. Looks great! I take it that the mat is a reproduction item?

Then, on eBay came the opportunity of buying a new and exact replica, but
made in modern materials.

Wot he said ^^^

Regards,
Steve