Renault 4CV - living with an old car is rarely straightforward ...
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- čas přidán 1. 05. 2023
- Updates on the Renault 4CV are the main subject of today's Old Classic Car upload, including beneath-the-bonnet fettling, driving impressions on a very pleasant and sunny day, a "failure to proceed" moment, followed by an emergency pie purchase.
For more videos about goings-on with our classic cars here at OCC HQ (Renault 4CV, Ford Anglia, Dodges etc) plus show visits etc, please take a look around the rest of the channel. Likes, subs, comments and joiners welcomed as always, thanks!
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Im 66 and I only remember seeing one ot these in Ireland. The man who owned it was the foreman in an engineering works where I lived. I was no more than 4 years old but remember the car very well.
Loved seeing the video which stirred up memories of the 4cv that my dad owned in the sixties, he didn't usually have a car bur received a tax refund, I recall his story of taking it for petrol when the attendant pulled the whole engine cover off, dad always described the gear lever as like knitting needle, unfortunately my dad didn't keep the car long, I lost my dad three weeks ago, he was 85, this video really bring back happy memories, thanks for all f your videos, wouldn't miss them
Sorry to hear about your dad, thanks so much for watching this and the other stuff on the channel!
A lovely classic, glorious scenery, and pies all in one episode! Who could ask for more? 😊
Thanks Gryf!
I remember from our holiday trip in 1975 to Sousse in Tunisia, Renault 4CVs rolled like taxis. We managed to fit 6 people in the back seat and 2 in the front passenger seat when we were going home to the hotel after a night out at the disco. We were young and thin at the time.
My late wife had a little Simca with a small 4 cylinder labeled "Flash" engine. She gave me a Saturday afternoon course on stick stick driving and that sufficed till after we married I flew back to Chicago and drove that little beast back to Detroit which certainly firmed up the technique she had imparted.
I love the 4CV, remember seeing these around in the late 50’s and into the 60’s.
I love watching your driving videos. Sitting here in Australia, it is great to see the back roads and lanes and the lovely towns of England.
Thanks Stefan, I always try and include the scenery whenever it and the weather suits
@@oldclassiccarUK Very enjoyable.
Those pies looked gorgeous 😊
Indeed they are :)
What a beautiful car a beetle they should have gone to speck savers greetings from Scotland 🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧
That's a great drive round in a lovely little car and a great looking pie as a treat, what's not too like!!! Cheers Bob
I’m not a fan of French cars,but kudos to the French in their engineering and practicality in design.
I like the car! It has great styling. The size of the wheels and tires is better than most cars, not so little.
Thanks yes I agree the wheels are one of its most distinctive features, later examples had a much plainer wheel and lost something I think. Thanks for watching!
People calling the 4cv a Beetle, I overhead a youngish dad assuring his child that my 103e was an Austin Seven!
I'm impressed that he'd even heard of an Austin 7 so that's something I suppose. Identifying car shapes, especially small cars, that first saw light of day in the 1930s can be fraught sometimes as they often look very similar.
Got one as plastic kit ,still not made up after about 40 yrs , can't rush into these things !
Thanks for another great video,I was hooked and wanted to see more! I always like your fettling videos as I was a mechanic in my younger days and can identify with you overcoming problems. Hope to see some action with the other projects in due course.
Thanks Peter, plenty more stuff planned
Nice video and I do appreciate your sympathetic approach. I've had my 1951 French-build RHD 4CV in Australia since 1966. They are sweet cars kept in their comfort zone. Mine has been 'bush' and driven half way across the country but the traffic makes that too dangerous now. Strange carburettor - I'd expect a Solex with an automatic choke. The car is a late-1956-1957 model by the way.
I find they don't overheat or have fuel vaporisation issues unless the ambient temperature is well over 35 degrees.
By and large they are super-reliable once sorted out.
Cool little car. I like it.
Great video, loved seeing the sights!
Thanks Jim
Nice quick cold start fire which indicates all is in good order. 👍
I really do love this little car, it is what I can only describe as cute. Starts on the button and drives very well and ideal for just pottering around.. It looks nothing like a Beetle even in the slightest of ways. It does put me in mine of a 1950's Fiat 500 C. I do relish a artisan pork pie with a little mustard but I would have to have 2. As you say not an easy video to make solo but you will burn off the calorie intake from the pork pie.
Morning Vince, fortunately for my waistline these pies are infrequent indulgences (not that you might think so!)
@@oldclassiccarUK 😂
Great way to start the day - sun is actually shining here today as well (on the rare occasion) so will be doing a similar post winter shake-down after a spring service before Autumn returns tomorrow 😁👍
Have to make the most of these rare sunny days!!!
I ran a 1961 4CVback in the 80s as my every day car. I remember once getting asked if I had some how managed to weld the front of a Morris Minor onto the back of a Beetle! That might have been interesting, as I'd have had 2 engines!!
I now have a 1949 760, one of, if not the oldest surviving British built models. Mine has semaphore indicators and teeny tiny rear lights. It also has the choke and starter on the floor, and seat adjustment is by 2 big wing nuts under the front of each seat. Doesn't start as easily as yours does though. I find it very comfortable and that it handles bumps and pot holes very well.
And if I want a change, I also have a 1985 CX 2500 Pallas auto. And for really special occasions, a 1973 sm.
Interesting, I find mine doesn't run the potholes too well but the book does say run the tyres at low pressures which is probably the reason
@@oldclassiccarUK I only got mine back from a full, bare metal re-build las summer, and I drove it 160 miles home. One surprise I got was just how comfortable it is. That drive took me practically all day, (M-ways avoided,) with lots of stops for constant checking, and I didn't feel any discomfort at all. And then as I said, I was surprised how well it handled all of the bumps/pot holes. I had expected a ,lot of crashing/banging, but there was hardly any. She likes a little nod, of course!
Being a 760, she only has 17hp, not the heady 21hp that you have to play with! As a result, now I'm back in hilly Durham,, I have to try and plan drives that avoid some of the bigger hills, as she isn't so keen on those.
I am planning an expedition back to the West Country, where she spent her youth. It wouldn't be a blast down the M6/M5 of course. I'd break it up into manageable legs for her. And then, after that, despite owning her for the past 30 years, I would be looking to pass her on. To be honest, now that I have finally had her restored, to as original condition as possible, she is a little too nice for me really.
LG.
Really enjoy your videos. Impressed by your car knowledge, especially about usa models.
Thanks Bob
Did this platform possibly morph into what was offered in usa as the Daphine? Stirs an old man's pleasant memories. Thank you sir!
Hi yes I think it did go on to be re-developed into what became the Dauphine, thanks for watching.
I always loved how Renault simply moved this powertrain to the front to create the Renault 4, and the 5 that followed from it. It's fairly well known that the 4CV was built under license by Hino in Japan who developed it into the slightly bigger Contessa (along the lines of, but distinct from and in the latter case more stylish than) the Dauphine and R8/10 before being taken over by Toyota and redirected to focus on medium/heavy trucks - but the first few generations of Toyota Tercel had longitudinal engines and a layout more like the R5 than the Fiat 128 setup the rest of the world followed. The last remnant of Hino car "DNA"?
It's interesting how these things develop over time, there's a photo of a Hino 4CV on the main OCC site: www.oldclassiccar.co.uk/4cv.htm
What a smashing little car, and such fabulous condition. Lovely day for a potter around, and an ideal excuse to hunt out a pork pie - you can't beat proper 'home made' ones. There is a Cider Farm in Somerset where we get them, when my sisters and I meet up every year for a week together - almost that time again this year - YAY. Thanks for your videos Rick, take care 🙂
Cider plus pork pie (swoon!)
What a great little car, to my mind It looks like a cross between a Morris Minor and a Beetle, thanks for another interesting vid.
The Panhard Dyna X also has a similar shape to our 4CV, we hope to have the Renault at a show tomorrow all being well
Your 4CV is such a lovely classic. Perhaps a baguette would have been more appropriate than a pork pie?! 😊
We did a baguette stop as part of an early 4CV vid, although I don't rule out another in future!! :)
That is a great car badge, it looks good on the car.
Thanks Allan!
fuel flow: check that the air-inlet pinhole in the filler cap is clear. you are very welcome
Iconic runabout only surpassed by the Topolino. Would gladly swap my Charleston with a 4cv called "wrinkle bum" in Denmark. The pie looks delicious.
Beautiful ride and description of the little 4CV. And beautiful color too, I think the ”traditional” green was from some wartime paint reserves. Much more to discover here, so you have a new subscriber! 🏆
Thanks for joining the channel!
@@oldclassiccarUK Great work, very interesting videos!
I like the sound in first gear
Cracking little car, quite a few here in France still in use on Sundays. I agree fuel evap is most likely the culprit, possibly cured by re routing from atop the cylinder head. A great video, but i am a little shocked by the pornographic content referencing Pork Pies. Not available here in France, withdrawal symptoms have set in and are causing havoc with taste buds and memory bank. Great video!
I was talking to someone a few months back who has a 4CV apparently, although I've yet to see it, perhaps it'll turn up at a meet later in the year (fingers crossed). Sorry for reminding you of our local cuisine options :)
Hi, I served my my apprenticeship with a Renault dealer back in the sixties and seventies and clearly remember working on these little 750s, and of course other models such as the Dauphine and R8 models. If I remember correctly, there was very little difference between the early and late models apart from cosmetic changes. Every thing else including engine spec, brakes and suspension was the same.
AFAIK the very first examples had a slightly larger engine, but after that yes changes were cosmetic I think, the main visual one being the switch to plain wheels in the late 50s
Great for quiet lanes like that but frustrating in busy traffic if you get a queue of cars behind you. Hope you can get it running reliably.
I regularly catch up with vehicles around here that are slower than me in the Renault, eg farm vehicles, slow coaches in Honda Civics, groups of bicycles, and the occasional steam roller, so it's not a major worry really. Thanks for watching.
A fine little car!
Thanks!
Really cute car with "character"!. Certainly a Dauphine predecessor
Very true, put it into photoshop and stretch it a little - et voila!
Nice 👍
Thanks!
It's not hard to see the similarities to the Beetle or even the Moggie, however the little Citroen is so stylish in comparison with great detailing. I love it.
Thanks Ian, yes at a glance I can see how it might look Beetle-like
It’s a Renault !
Pretty little car. I thought it resembled a Morris Minor more than a VW beetle.
The fuel filler location would seem to be a bit chancy, with the location of the battery and the possibility of a spark. At least the exhaust manifold is on the opposite side, along with the carburetor. Great little car...I've always liked them. There's nothing like Gallic quirkiness.
Fortunately it's quite economical so doesn't need topping up very often ... thanks for watching!
Pretty car!
I've owned a number of French cars but the modern ones just aren't like these classic beauties.
I do quite like the Alpine sports car though.
I agree, the modern Alpine is a nice car and not too big either
24:26 driving to Café René? 😋👍
There is a Parisian-themed cafe not far from us, although I don't think I'm able to park right outside it
How much cc is your engine? Love the car❤️
Hi Paul, it's 748cc, thanks for watching
Terribly disappointed that you didn't start the engine by hand.
Check out the video I did about the uses of a starting handle with our old Anglia
Great fun. What is that square plate held on by four bolts at the back of the cylinder head?
To be honest I'm not sure!!
It must be the prettiest small saloon in the world which hasn't really aged. A family friend that the local Renault franchise and I remember a trip as a boy in one with him. But due to it's practicability, easily worked on body that comes so easily, and with a drop head potential, not to mention its reliability and phenomenal suspension. I refer CVs. That said, again a great video for which I thank you.
Rob
Thanks for watching, I'd definitely like to own an old-ish 2CV too one day
Although not going to the fair you did meet a pie-man. And though a good pie it wasn't kosher or halal neither.
This may or may not be helpful, but I had a Rover P6B which suffered from fuel vapourisation and failure to proceed under only moderately warm conditions. It took a while to track the reason down, but it turned out that the fuel/reserve tap was out of adjustment. The constriction in the fuel flow that this created was enough that the suction from the pump in warm conditions would vapourise the fuel in the line. Correct adjustment of the tap totally cured the problem. So in your case, given that you also have muck in the fuel, I wonder if you have a degrading and somewhat constricted rubber fuel hose (perhaps due to ingesting some ethanol laced fuel)? Cheers.
Thanks Peter, I'll bear that in mind when I next have a tinker with it, I don't think it's anything too serious
Thank you for a great day out with you and your French fancy , felt I sitting next to you . I had a A35 van the fuel used toe evaporate on a hot day , I put exhaust tape round the pipe near the manifold, which did the trick. 😅
I owned a brand new 1974 Renault 12 for a few years. It was the first car I bought and owned after college. I liked the 4 speed, comfy seats and handling of the car, especially in the Pennsylvania winters. I did not like replacing burnt valves every year due to the new unleaded fuel and the air pump for emissions providing air right at the exhaust valves. I bought the car at the local AMC dealer who did well by me as it also needed half-shafts every 25,000 miles. I used the car in my job every day and put thousands of miles on the clock every month. I sold it on after needing to use the bus to get to work for a few months due to the distributor falling apart and no parts availability in my new state of Ohio. Nor the best experience with a new car, but I do have a fondness for a Renault Caravelle.
Interesting that anybody could confuse the 4CV with a Beetle! But then again, quite a lot of people can only name one rear engine car...
I found that after taking the Estelle on a good run down the motorway, opening the engine lid during rest-stops helped with the fuel vaporisation. I guess modern fuels are far more volatile than these cars were designed to use.
I'm not a massive french-car enthusiast, but anything with the engine in the boot sparks my interest, and it is nice to see how you are getting on with this little beauty!
Thanks Gord, modern French cars hold no interest for me (especially after having an appalling Clio hire car a few years back), but the detailing on these oldies really appeals
The boiling point of petrol is 95-degrees C, if the vapour cannot be bled out naturally, then a vapour lock can occur, I have experienced this in my Austin 7 Ruby and it does not have to be that hot outdoors! Did you look at the new fuel filter to see if this was full or empty when it happened? That would give an indicator if the fuel was vapourising at the fuel pump (that was where mine was happening), or at the carburettor.
The problem with my car seemed to be as a result of a silicone gasket between the block & the crankcase - silicone was the cure-all for oil leaks on Austin 7 engines, but with a fuel pump mounted on the crankcase, the cooling effect from the cast-iron block was sufficiently reduced to allow the temperature of the fuel pump to rise to the fuel's boiling point. The silicone being a blocker to heat transfer.
Replacing the silicone gasket with a traditional paper gasket seems to have worked, on the hottest days of 2022, there were no problems, previously, a bit of sitting in traffic on days not really that hot, fuel vapourised. A damp chamois leather kept in the car to wrap around the fuel pump provided respite and had previously been used on a couple of occasions!
The fuel pump may not be operating at its best, and you have a track record of fuel pump issues!
Interested to hear more on the problem and its resolution!
Thanks for sharing, although I note you did not share the pie!🥮
Interesting stuff, thanks Gary. The filter was pretty empty and took a while to fill up even after much manual pumping with the priming lever, which isn't normally the case. I hadn't considered the mounting of the fuel pump so I'll check that out, yes fuel pumps are the bane of my life at the moment ...
I had a quick look, there's a black painted metal spacer (1/4" thick approx) between the pump and the block, but I couldn't see what type of gasket is present so I'll pull it off sometime soon and have a look.
As a Danish boy in the early sixties, my neighbor across the road had one of these small and - extremely cute, small cars. Suicide doors in front but also with doors in the back, it was a French VW, "the peoples car", but with a better function! But by that time Citroen also made the extremely basic and practical Citroen 2CV, which was technically much more advanced and futuristic, but looked much more strange.
Interesting, yes the 2CV was a big rival to the 4CV, thanks for watching
You may be pulling a vacuum in the fuel tank causing fuel starvation, the tank vent may be blocked, great video.
Yep I think I'll check that too, thanks for watching
You do realise that opening up the points gap affects the timing...................... ??
The 4cv is a lovely little car , nothing like a beetle .
Yep enjoy the weather while it lasts I really hope its not like this all summer.
I can't help thinking the 4 cv looks like it should have had running boards.
I know in reality running boards wouldn't work , but you know what I mean.👍
Old French cars yes all of the newer stuff no.
I am vegetarian so no you didn't tempt me! One thing I keep forgetting to mention Rick is that there are battery isolation switches available, simply twist to make contact. I think I saw one on a car in a recent video you did. It does save you having to keep connecting the battery. Anyway my thoughts on the test run. I think there is a problem with fuel vapour. The tank is quite close to the little engine and seems to get warm? I wonder if there's a way to insulate the tank with a fire retardant material? As long as it didn't show too much I think it would help. This will sound obvious but the fuel does not have far to travel so no long fuel lines to get clogged up. 'Beer goggles' is probably the right term but to be fair how many 4CV's do you see on British roads? Nice video Rick and I won't be offended if you disregard any of my suggestions.👍👍
Yes I could fit an isolation switch, the big green truck has a pair for both electrical systems on it, maybe one day!
A young lady took her vintage car to the garage not running right, mechanic had a look at it and fixed it, she said how, he said shit in the carburettor, she said how often do I do that?
Please, keep bimbling about in French cars. I love it. I daily a Citroen DS 21 here in the States and quite enjoy the attention satisfaction of driving a French car. Not to be a crank, but do you honestly need to lock up a car such as this? If it were nicked, you would only need to peer out from a high vantage point to see the perp. The security is assured by its' quirkiness. And, what is the proper spelling of, 'bonnie'? You use it and I love it. Happy bimbling! ('Not certain of that spelling, either.)
Mrs OCC is a big fan of the Citroen DS, French cars of that era certainly have a charm all of their own
I believe that cars in France drive on the right-hand side of the road, and have the steering wheel on the left side of the car. Why does this car have the steering wheel on the right side of the car?
You are correct, this is a UK-assembled car (at Renault's facility in Acton, London) sold new to the UK market
@@oldclassiccarUK Thanks, Old Classic Car. Wonderful video, and channel. Thanks
If it was assembled in the UK then it should have standard bolts?? Powell's pies.. ha ha .. Some day I'll be doing a video on the 5ton wagon.. football player on training wheels ..
What 5 ton wagon are you videoing? not sure I understand the football reference!??!???
The reference is something big with small wheels that the bulk of the item towers over .. football players appear to have a towering top over look ,, the 5ton has a short wheel base .. completely over done ,,, huge running gear for a 1/2 wagon body
61 years ago when I was 19 I had one. A policeman standing on a footpath pulled me over for taking off at high speed in a built up area. I actually went to court. The magistrate asked the police what type of car I was driving. The mumbled reply had to be repeated . The magistrate couldn’t help but smile and had difficulty in stopping himself from laughing out loud. 😅
I do love the car, but filling it with petrol that close to a hot engine would give me a moment or two of nrevousness.
unintellgible
The irony is strong here ("unintellgible"), I assume you mean unintelligible but it's not clear