MatraSport Forum

Wanted clutch hydraulics (master/slave/pipe asembly) new or used in UK.  Renault prices are just riduculous. Meanwhile I am trying to engineer a cable clutch. If it works I may try to market it. Renault need to wake up to fair prices for parts. They have a bad reputation for prices in the UK, maybe in Denmark too ?

In the UK the most common car in scrap yards are french cars sometimes only 5 years old because they are so expensive to repair. This is bad environmental policy by renault too.

Try www.gsfcarparts.com (http://www.gsfcarparts.com)

Matra preferred hydraulic operation and converted the Murena's Citroen gearbox from cable to hydraulic clutch. I had a CX Turbo with the same box and the clutch cable snapped ???

Apparently Renault now have a policy of changing the complete clutch - master, slave, full clutch and flywheel - when any one component fails to ensure that the job is completed in one hit.

This is the same Renault that yesterday told me that if they dropped my engine to change the timing belt they wouldn't change the spark plugs - they'd have it back again in another 20k miles to drop the engine again to change the plugs. I hope they don't give Alonso this much grief.

Needless to say my Espace won't be going to Renault for its timing belt, but it's still going to cost me over 1000GBP  as the whole kit of belt + wearing parts + new modified waterpump is over 500GBP alone >:(

Drop the engine to change the plugs???????

Yes! I thought you were used to french cars??????????

I am but I thought the difficult to work on french cars died out in the 70s.

Is it a big job to drop the engine on an Espace?

Given that the engine is a three litre V6 and probably weighs in good excess of 150 kgs, plus you have the automatic gearbox that I know weighs 95 kgs, I'd say YES it is a big job. Added to the complexity is that you cannot suspend the engine from above because the hood is too small. So I've been told that the right way to do it is to put the car on a lift, undo most engine suspension so that you can do the last ones from the top, then lower the car down onto a pallet or something that can support the drivetrain from below, and then - when you have undone the last bolts - lift the car off the engine and gearbox.

But then it's easy! - and you'll replace the timing belt at the same time, change gearbox oil, upgrade water pump, replace the radiator (which will most likely be destroyed in the process anyway), etc...

I know it sounds crazy, but the Espace V6 is a dream to drive and apart from this expensive (!) service that you need to have done every four years, it's virtually problem free. So all in all it's not that bad after all ;) I have one!

All that just to change the plugs??

Hope they are long lasting ones.

Indeed they are, they last almost indefinetely, but you replace them at 120.000 kms anyway. I have never heard about ignition problems on that engine due to worn plugs, but it's not unusual to have the coils blow - they are easy to replace, though, as they are sitting on top of the foremost cylinder bank.