After 27 years I finally got my dad's car I took to prom. LOTS of questions

[BDA]

Congratulations on your successes! It sounds like you have a lot of work yet to do on the wiring. The blinkers and the emergency flashers are pretty separate - different switches and flashers. It's not likely that it's the flashers, but you could swap them and see if the problem follows. They are on the back of the dash at the bottom on the driver's side. Given your recent wiring tribulations, it seems more likely that it's another wiring issue.

[HelpMyLotus]

This isn't good...The transmission is doing some weird stuff.  When you let off the gas, or downshift and engine brake, the trans makes a howl or whine like a bearing is worn.  What I don't understand is why a bearing would only make noise then?  On acceleration it's quiet.

Yesterday things went downhill.  I can't get the car easily into first gear.  The only way I can is if I push in the direction, start to let out the clutch, it will grind, then it will go into gear.  I messed with the linkage but that isn't it.

Is the synchro gone?  Is there an end bearing gone? 

What are the numbers for the trans?  It's a 5 speed in a TCS.

How costly would a rebuild be?

What level of skill is the removal or rebuild? 

How readily available are the parts?

[4129R]

The whine happens on over-run as the thrust on the end bearing is at a different end of the gearbox on acceleration than on over-run.

Been there, done that many years ago, but cannot remember which car. 

[jbcollier]

STOP driving the car!  Something has come loose and may well be causing damage.

Noise on coast/drive is usually related to the ring/pinion gears.  The fact you can't readily select first may mean that the bearing locating the pinion is failing and allowing the shaft to move.  You need to pull the transaxle and strip it to find out what's up.  If you have never done gearbox/diff/transaxle work before, I'm not sure I would recommend doing the work yourself.  That said, it is all in the Renault manuals and not difficult.  It's just that you don't know what you are looking at and may not be able to spot the problem(s).

Your questions:

- Doesn't sound like a synchro.
- Could be an "end" bearing.
- 365
- Depends on what is needed.  Parts are not cheap.
- It's not skill necessarily, it's experience.
- For 365s?  Pretty good as they were also used in Alpine A110s which are very well supported.  Meca Parts in France carries all/most of what you might need.

[HelpMyLotus]

Though the car wasn't driven to prom as in my youth, I did get a chance to roll it out of the garage and get pictures of my daughter with it for her prom.  She didn't go with a guy (which is fine with me!) but she did have 3 great friends with her. 

[BDA]

Pretty girl!


Nice car! When are you getting it back on the road?

[4129R]

Lovely photo, very pretty frock and daughter, but be careful about any metal scratching the paintwork.

The odd ring, belt buckle, etc can cause scratches, and are a bitch to get out.

Did she get "noticed" with her arrival?

[HelpMyLotus]

Update on my rear end noises.  So I happened to be under the car and noticed a shiny section of drive shaft.  I also noticed a worn spot on the muffler.  I found the two had been making contact when I drive.  I lifted the muffler slightly and MOST of the noise I was hearing went away.  I suspect the combination of deceleration/engine shift/body roll was causing the two to make the noise.  It still has a sound when I engine brake but I don't think the trans is about to blow.  I plan to drain and fill it soon.  I'll see what particles show up.  With such a shoddy shift linkage (even when improved since 1989) a missed shift happens on occasion.  I have a feeling a portion of a tooth may have caused my 1st gear issue.