Chugging Clio...

Mr Jones

Mr Jones

Mr Jones

Soldato
Joined
16 May 2006
Posts
11,334
Location
Dubai
Well, I've recently got a car.
YAY to my first car that I've managed to afford since passing my drivers licence over 3 years ago. Car is in good condition, done over 65K for an '52 plate. Been on the road since 2003 according to the slip.

Anyway, the car developed an issue of 'chugging'. Whenever the car is on neutral, say when I'm waiting at the lights, I can feel the car 'beating'. This came to me as a coil pack issue. Drove in to my local garage, the mechnic gave the same diagnosis and changed all 4 of them and voila, the car drove smooth as a baby's bottom.

2 Days later, after about 10mins drive and onto the A road, passed 60mph on 5th gear, I felt the car lacked power and started to chug. Cue the return of the chugging!!! ARGH.

This time however, the chugging is minimal, a lowered 'heartbeat' when the car engine warmed up. Back to the garage yesterday. The mechanic looked and found no fault in the coil pack and have come to a conclusion that it's very likely to be the car computer misfiring the packs - looking to get the car tuned tomorrow morning.

Anyone have had experience like mine? Did it solve the issue or does this sound like there's something worst to come? I just want to have my car smooth for my A to B car ride...

Edit: It's a Renault Clio 1.4 Expression if it's of any help.
 
an 1/8 of coke in with the petrol, that should see the heart beat raised :)
 
Brother had a 1.6 02 plate clio and it went though coil packs seemingly monthly, he was getting them off ebay though. what make were fitted?
 
Honestly, I didn't check the make. This garage is well recommended by people round here, does the job and good customer service, so I trusted the change and didn't bothered asking the make.

How long as a set of coil pack last on car anyway? Monthly sounds REALLY extreme!
 
TDC sensor seems to be a common culprit for hunting on idle as far as the 1*2s are concerned, along with a coked up TB and/or ICV.

I very much doubt it is the "car computer misfiring the coilpacks", but if the coilpacks have been breaking down and you've been getting a weak spark, it might be worth cleaning the plugs up.

Personally, I'd take it to someone who knows the cars like a Renault dealer or specialist, even if it is only for diagnosis.
 
with the meganes, u can disconnect the battery, and then it will put the the ecu into limp mode and has to relearn everything
 
daveydave said:
Don't do the above unless you like throwing money away...
Click to expand...

One could argue aimlessly changing parts based on guesses, much less guesses on internet forums could end up throwing more money away on sensors that are not required.

Paying expensive rates for someone to do the job quickly and efficiently is much better than cheap rates on someone that takes twice as long and more parts to get to the route of the problem.
 
MikeHiow - I am speaking from experience here...so to the OP by all means take it to Renault, in my experience the chaps in their dealerships know their cars as well as I know the inner workings of the starship enterprise. My point being the parts in question are relatively cheap and easily changed by a novice at a fraction of the cost the OP will more than certainly sink if handed over to Renault.

...you can lead a horse to water right.

But thanks for your post - it really helped with the OP's original question...oh no wait it was just conjecture.
 
Haze said:
with the meganes, u can disconnect the battery, and then it will put the the ecu into limp mode and has to relearn everything
Click to expand...

That's not limp mode. Taking the power away restores the ecu to factory settings, so to speak, by removing gathered data from sensors meaning the ecu only works from "new" data.

Limp mode is when the car detects there is something wrong with the car and makes it run on very low power/revs so that you can crawl home without causing damage
 
daveydave said:
MikeHiow - I am speaking from experience here...so to the OP by all means take it to Renault, in my experience the chaps in their dealerships know their cars as well as I know the inner workings of the starship enterprise. My point being the parts in question are relatively cheap and easily changed by a novice at a fraction of the cost the OP will more than certainly sink if handed over to Renault.

...you can lead a horse to water right.

But thanks for your post - it really helped with the OP's original question...oh no wait it was just conjecture.
Click to expand...

If the OP was in a position to be diagnosing it himself, he wouldn't have taken it to a garage in the first place.

Suggesting he should let people try and diagnose the issue over the internet because Renault dealers do not have a clue is quite frankly comical. But yes, you probably know better than the people that work with these cars all day everyday because you owned one once. :rolleyes:
 
Woah guys, hold your horses...

I was asking people from their personal experiences, see if there's any major difference to what my mechanic have diagnosed. With regards to taking to Renault, based on my previous trading with Ford Dealers, original parts and 'specific' services comes at extra cost compared to a good experienced and trust worthy mechanic.

Lucky for me, so far the car is running smooth after the retune. There is however a possibility to change a 'part' (which controls the firing mechanism, the name slipped my mind). £20 for the parts and no labour from my local (a 5mins job for him) when the part comes in next tues, seems pretty fair.

Drove my car about this evening, smooth as it should be. Who knows, the problem might resurface again like before, 2 days later... :/
 
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