MatraSport Forum
Each model => Murena => Topic started by: davidewanprice on May 29, 2007, 11:03:50 pm
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Having taken a look in to why my headlights are shaking while I drive I decided to look at the lights themselves! OH dear! The left light (glass) wobbles a good 3mm+. After removing the black plasic cover, all the adjustment screws seem seized! Now I知 thinking I知 going to do them properly but this I知 sure will take time and care or else they値l just be even worse.
So first I need to work out how the keep them raised without using all my fuel and/or battery life. Secondly I ask for your experiences so I can do a good job. I知 sure its many years since anyone looked at that these on my car. Plus its MOT day soon, If anyone has had a good look round in this area, got drawings, advise, anything, id be really happy to see and hear all about it.
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Bagheeras used part of the chassis as a vacuum tank which was as well protected as the rest of the metalwork - so I ran mine for a while with the lights in the up position. It was just a case of disconnecting the wires to the vacuum pressure switch unit.
I would try it with my murena but the rocker cover is off at the moment.
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Hey David.
If you take a look underneath the front of your car, you will find a rod, connection the two headlight mechanisms.
In each end of this rod, there is a bracket of some sort... you can raise the lamps by pulling/jacking here.
Its hard to explain, but have a look.. you really cant miss it :)
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Most Murenas also should be equipped with an emergency cable (connected to the left side of the actuating rod), with a small handle near the steering-column, intended to lift the headlights manually. (Mine has rusted away though)
Nomatter how you lift them, the linkage itself should be able to lock itself once open - if you give it a little nudge (or support it with a little piece of wood or something).
The disintegrated headlamp brackets was btw the reason I fitted Golf C2 headlamp units on my car. The only visible difference being that the glass is very slightly less curved than the originals.
/Lennart
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... and now Lennart brought up the subject of fitting non-original headlamps, here's a description of what I have done:
http://dinsen.net/murena/electrics/headlights
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Thanks chaps, i may have a look tomorrow if the weather is ok, david
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Continuing the possabilities of non original headlights how about a modern 4 headlight layout as on this MR2, I don't think it would detract from the looks of the murena.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v29/anglais17/MR2/quadlights.jpg)
This is not my car but I have measured the headlight pods on both my murena and my MR2 and they are so close this must be possible.
The advantages are modern powerful lights, a lower profile which will cause less aerodynamic drag and cost (this conversion was done with scrap yard parts costing ｣10.00)
PS Michal, my daughter taught me how to upload the photos.
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Isn't there a murena with something similar in Denmark?..
I don't think it suits the car..... and I can't see why one should bother (except to get better illumination.... a minor detail :D ) after all.. you will only use the pop-ups when its dark.. and then they will be ON, thus blinding anyone looking at them... so whats the point ? :D
.... but thats just my opinion. :)
ps: Gizmo.. that Honda 550... wouldn't happen to be one of the old cb550 fours would it?
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Krede, you have a valid point but do any pop up's look nice when raised, I don't think so.
ps: Gizmo.. that Honda 550... wouldn't happen to be one of the old cb550 fours would it?
Yes it would.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v29/anglais17/Honda%20CB550F/honda_1.jpg)
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WEEEEHHHHHHHHHH!!! :)
You have some nice toys mate !
I had a 500 four as my first (and so far only) bike.... basically the same !!.. But with four exhaust pipes.(yes Anders. it even matched my Murena as engine noise goes... like a spitfire going DOWN! :))
Now, a guy from work has a 550 , but it has 4-1 exhaust.. like the 400.
I know the cb750 also had 4-4 , but did the 550 come with anything else then 4-1?
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Isn't there a murena with something similar in Denmark?..
Yes there is (click it):
(http://www.matrasport.dk/Gallery1/Events/20060902_DK/Small/0902-155828.jpg) (http://www.matrasport.dk/Gallery1/Events/20060902_DK/Med/0902-155828.html)
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I know the cb750 also had 4-4 , but did the 550 come with anything else then 4-1?
Both the 550 and 750 had 4 into 1 (F models) or 4 into 4 (K models).
My mid life crisis in the early eighties resulted in me buying a Honda CBX 1000 (one of the many things I should not have sold).
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v29/anglais17/things%20I%20should%20not%20have%20sold/cbx_2.jpg)
However I think we are digressing from the purpose of this forum.
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Isn't there a murena with something similar in Denmark?..
Yes there is (click it):
(http://www.matrasport.dk/Gallery1/Events/20060902_DK/Small/0902-155828.jpg) (http://www.matrasport.dk/Gallery1/Events/20060902_DK/Med/0902-155828.html)
I have seen those before ;D
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y96/matramurena/koplamp.jpg)
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but do any pop up's look nice when raised
It is of course a matter of taste, but I actually like the Murenas "wide open eyes", when the headlights are up. I know its probably not doing much good for aerodynamics, but thats not the point here :-)
/Lennart
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I agree with Lennart, I rather like the way the big popup headlights look with the rest of the car. Little boys also like them ;)
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I know its probably not doing much good for aerodynamics, but thats not the point here :-)
You shouldn't be driving that fast at night anyway!!
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I'd not seen these conversions before and unlike some modifications i can see why, but ideally i'd like to keep it looking original, i do think it looks ok but I guess I致e got used to it looking a certain way... even if its un-aerodynamic.. Now here a though, has anyone considered ditching the pop up lights and creating a glass panel, eg Alpine GTA.... guess the profile of the bonnet is too shallow..
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I agree with Lennart, I rather like the way the big popup headlights look with the rest of the car. Little boys also like them ;)
(http://www.adriaan-homepage.nl/foto_nieuw/352_prelude3_gr.jpg)
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I prefer the standard murena lights but if I still had a Bagheera I would be interested in the conversion.... i never liked the concave Renault 12 light units.
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You shouldn't be driving that fast at night anyway!!
Indeed, but I've actually heard about owners who test their top speed at night, headlamps down to get that last speed ...
Argument goes: "At night there is less traffic, i.e. safe to some extent"
(no names mentioned)
/Lennart
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Ind had mine up to 180 km/h.....It had more in it im sure but i lacked the moral fiber to push it any further :D
My ears were bleeding afterwards though... ;)
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Ind had mine up to 180 km/h.....It had more in it im sure but i lacked the moral fiber to push it any further :D
My ears were bleeding afterwards though... ;)
Is that all! :-) I've had mine flat out and since I also have a high 5th gear it pulls a genuine 218 kph. The car felt fine but a little 'light'. It was a totally empty motorway and I wouldn't normally take it above 180 kph at which it still feels firmly on the road.
However, back to the actual topic - as long as there is no vacuum in the system which will want to pull the headlamps down when they are switched off, you can simply pull the headlamps up with the emergency cable on the left of the steering column. If you haven't seen it, now is the time to find it, rather than having to try when you need it on a dark night at the roadside! If you do need to pull them up when the engine is running and therefore there is vacuum trying to pull them down, you will need to disconnect the vacuum pipe to the servo, and block it off. So carry a suitable plug.
Roy
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a genuine 218 kph.
Now Roy, was this with headlamps up or down ? :-)
In my Murena I have only done slightly over 200kph, in my Peug 406 Coupe I recently did a bit over 240kph (both GPS measurements in Germany btw). Both cars felt comfortably solid at their respective speed.
The Murena wasn't at it terminal velocity, the Peug was flat out, but still with aircon and not with folded sidemirrors. I'm not THAT mad :-)
I must admit that for 200+ kph cruise, I'd prefer the Peug406C with its Brembo brakes and surefooted track, the Murena *is* a lighter car, and thus much more entertaining at lower speeds though.
/Lennart
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Mine seems to start to jerk at +180 kph, like it wants to go on but cant? up to that point its pulling well.... that cant be its max can it?
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Mine seems to start to jerk at +180 kph, like it wants to go on but cant? up to that point its pulling well.... that cant be its max can it?
No, and since it has been modified, I would say that like many, the fuel mixture is not right. Many have never been set up properly, which can itself lead to engine damage. A standard 2.2 Murena new could do 200kph (125mph) and mine did just that when it was new. :-) (well you always want to do it once to see if its true don't you!) However, after modifying I have found many are too weak at the top end and cannot do much over around 160-170 kph. This is partly because many twin side draught carbs. supplied in the U.K. came from a company that doesn't seem to know much about tuning in my experience. I have not seen one car from them or engine modified by them that has been right.
There can be a number of reasons for your cars behaviour, but it may well be too weak, and if it is, don't push it, because weak mixtures burn hot and can burn holes in pistons, as well as damage valves...
Roy
P.S. to answer Lennart, the lamps have to be down as the drag from them up, knocks about 20 kph off the top speed!