Another 46 to 47 project!

[jbcollier]

Disconnect the cable.  Move the clutch pedal by hand.  Free and easy to move?  Or, is the pedal partially seized and hard to move?

[TurboFource]

Was the positioning of the clutch arm to shaft correct when it was welded?
If not, maybe it could be past “center” and not want to return

[DreamsOfA47]

Well y'all, it appears that the clutch issues have now been solved. I took JB's advice and examined the pedal box again and I was able to determine that when the clutch pedal was depressed, the pedal assembly was rotating and twisting toward the driver instead of the cable being pulled. That was causing the both cable to not fully engage the clutch and also causing the pedal shafts to bind prevention the pedal from returning all the way even though the assembly was recently cleaned and lubed.  The cause of the twisting issue was the inner pedal mount twisting and allowing the pedals to twist. Interestingly, the inner mount seems to have been designed to have something of large diameter (maybe the shaft, maybe a locating pin) passing through the frame and then also being secured by a small off-centre bolt passing through the frame side. On my assembly there wasn't anything protruding to pass through the lower, larger hole so the assembly was only held in by the smaller bolt. I fixed this issue by tapping the pedal shaft for a 9/16-12 bolt and passing that through the frame with some large washers to serve as the locating device. Now it all works great! I'm thinking of also adding a U-bolt passing over the pedal shafts and through the body to help secure it as well.

The next major project is going to installing and wiring the new radiator fan, but I've encountered a new problem...

The passenger door is now stuck shut and I can't manage to get it open! I was attempting to swap out the push-button with one that has a key for the lock but now the door is shut and I can't get the latch assembly to rotate!! I've tried briefly to get inside the door and twist the latch assembly from inside but I can't get it too rotate. Now I have to figure that out! Any advice for me on that front? Anyone else with an S1 encounter something similar with the stype of latch set-up?

[jbcollier]

You going to have to use a flashlight inside the driver’s door to see what’s up.  You should still be able to open the door using the inside latch.  Something is holding it up.  You should be able to spot it by comparing the two sides.

[DreamsOfA47]

JB that's where I planned on starting today. Hopefully I can make some progress!

A random cooling system question: when the thermostats fail on the S1 and S2 Renault engines, do they fail open or closed?

[jbcollier]

Thermostats are operated by heating wax which opens the thermostat by pushing against a closing spring.  That’s why thermostats usually default to the closed position when they fail.

[DreamsOfA47]

That’s what I believed to be the case. Thanks for the clarification!

I know grounds are hard to find on these mainly fibreglass cars, but has anyone had an issue with the frame not providing a proper ground even when sanded down and cleaned or any potential insulator? I’m trying to wire up my radiator fan but I can’t find a suitable ground anywhere

[jbcollier]

Is the battery grounded to the chassis?  I imagine it must or nothing would work.

[DreamsOfA47]

The battery is actually ground to the gearbox and that seems to be a properly functioning ground with no issues. I still haven't made any progress given the recent wet weather in Cali so instead of trying to get the fan going I've been messing with some aftermarket gauges and getting parts together to rebuild a crusty Weber 32/346 DGAV I have laying around. That's the same carburetor currently on the car but I want to rebuild one and slap the refreshed one on. Does anyone with a Renault powered car use the DGV? If so have you messed with the jetting or found any tips, tricks or configurations that make it any higher performance than stock?

[Richard48Y]

Um, I think the transmission would be a poor ground point.
Unless it is grounded to the chassis by a cable it sits in rubber mounts that isolate it.
I suppose that if the mounts are tired they might make contact with the chassis.
Poor grounds are the bane of Lucas electrics.

[DreamsOfA47]

Richard you make an excellent point, however the battery and everything else in the engine compartment actually do seem to ground well. It's the grounds in the front compartment that seem to be giving me trouble in regards to the radiator fan. What makes that even more strange to me is the fact that I'm trying to ground that to the factory grounding location!

[jbcollier]

Battery is grounded to the engine/tranny unit because of the large starting current.  However, there is also a ground strap from the engine/tranny unit to the chassis, usually at one of the engine mounts.

[DreamsOfA47]

Alright y'all, once again the rad fan wiring has my beyond stumped...

I still can't get the fan to work!! At this I'm using JB's pin map
purple to 30
double green to 85
black&red/black to 86
black (fan power) to 87

With that wiring set up I cant get it to work. The fan is ground to the front frame T as the new relay doesn't ground to itself as the old one did. Can anyone see what I'm doing wrong?

If I wanted to bypass the thermo switch what would I need to change?

For testing purposes only I wired the rad fan to the heater fan circuit and it turns on with the switch so I'm beyond stumped again. It seems I've hit a wall and can NOT figure this out.
For reference this is the diagram I've been suing for my S2 harness http://www.lotus-europa.com/manuals/misc/electrical/s2-diagc.gif

[GavinT]

The fan is ground to the front frame T as the new relay doesn't ground to itself as the old one did. Can anyone see what I'm doing wrong?

Is the front frame a valid ground point? Have you tested this?
I ask because you said somewhere up thread that you don't have a ground strap between the engine and the chassis.

If I wanted to bypass the thermo switch what would I need to change?

Just connect the two wires that go to the thermo switch.
If everything else is correct, the fan should run.

[DreamsOfA47]

So if I’m bypassing the thermo switch than the double black should just go to the relay? To where does it go; on 86 with the red & black wires? Or does the ground from the fan go directly to those double black wires?

The front frame ground appears to be working for the headlights so I can’t imagine why it wouldn’t work for the fan. I also do have a ground strap from engine to frame so I may have mistyped that earlier.