1975 Renault 6TL

[Zelandeth]

Given the state of what's in there and the relatively low cost of fuel lines I'd suggest just replacing the lines off the bat. It's not a huge car and it looks like there's only one fuel line there rather than a flow and return, so really not a huge amount of hose to deal with really.

Even if you do get them clear, there's likely to be crusty deposits in there which are liable to flake off over time and find their way into the most inconvenient possible bits of the carb and/or fuel pump - most likely at the most inconvenient possible moment. At the very least I'd suggest putting another filter at the other end of the line before the fuel pump to protect that.

At least if they're changed you know then it's one component that you can cross off the list of things which can be causing you problems later.

[vulgalour]

One of the problems is the route the fuel line takes, for the most part it's hidden between the body and chassis. There's no space to put a filter at the back so having one on the in tank pick-up is vital. At the front, there's barely any space to put one between the hard line in the inner arch and the fuel pump the other side of the chassis, it's a very compact system. I think once the fuel hose is blown through it'll be okay, one advantage of its location is that it is protected from the usual problems metal fuel lines face and I think the sediment is in the tank rather than the whole inside of the line. So, new filter on the sender and another filter on a loop of fuel line in the inner arch and I should be golden. For all it looks bad, much of this little car is suprisingly solid, especially unusual for a 70s Frenchie.

Right then, I had a go at cleaning up the sender to see if it was salvagable and I think it is. Once it had dried out, most of the grime was quite powdery, sandy stuff and could be literally brushed off with an old toothbrush and no cleaning agent. There is some surface corrosion to the mild steel components but nothing terminal. The tattered remains of the old filter bag completely disintegrated so I need to find a replacement but other than that, it's all good. The blockage in the pick pipe was quite minor too and cleaned out with welding wire, I then ran some water through it to check it was flowing freely, which it is, followed by some WD40 to make sure it was all dried out. The rubber sealing ring is still supple so should be reusable and the float is free moving and submerging it in water didn't result in any bubbles coming out or water going in so I assume they're both good. The float arm moves very freely now too. Usefully, the little square of orange you can see to the side is a removable panel that slides out of the main body of the sender so you can clean out all the sediment from inside it.




The float tang and the resistance wires (at least I assume that's what they're called) are all in surprisingly good shape with no corrosion to speak of and what corrosion you can see in there is just on the steel backing plate and looks worse than it is because of the flash and things still being a bit wet.


This stands a fighting chance of working I'd say, which I wasn't expecting when I pulled it out of the tank. I'll get the multimeter on it tomorrow (it's not here at the house) to see if it is actually doing what it should. If it works, the only thing I'll need to find is a small replacement filter for the pick-up pipe.

[vulgalour]

Right chaps, important update.


It ran.


Then it didn't. The problem is the carburettor. I've got fuel, spark, compression and combustion and the car will run but only if you put fuel directly in the carb, bypassing the important twiddly bits of the carb. I do have a rebuilt kit coming in the post so I can get the carburettor sorted out properly. Until then, I'm bolting stuff back on because, fundamentally, it is all working now.

Apart from the fuel gauge.

[Hell Razor5543]

Yay(ish)! That says the engine is happy (OK, it wasn't under load). That should mean she will be on the road before the end of the year!

[CitroJim]

Brilliant news! I'm delighted

[demag]

Old fuel blocking the jets?

Sent from my Wileyfox Swift using Tapatalk

[vulgalour]

Report in full then on this.

I knew it couldn't be much stopping the car running so before Mike got back from the unit with extra tools, I hooked up a jerry can of fuel by the front wheel below the pump to see if the pump could pump fuel and it can, very well. I double checked for spark at the spark plugs which I'm getting and I already knew I was getting decent compression. All the ingredients were in place so it should run.

After a few attempts to start fuel had got all the way up to the carb but it clearly wasn't getting further. When Mike returned, we blew the main fuel line through that runs the length of the sill and it spat a few bits of sandy stuff out and then just fuel vapour so that's probably clear now. I'd also got the top off the carb and found the float was free moving and still being a float and there was very little by way of sediment in the float chamber. The fuel passages I could get to without fully dismantling the carb off the car were a bit gummed up and I cleaned out what I could so fuel flow into the float chamber was now very good, but fuel flow out of it wasn't happening at all. That, we decided, was the cause of the problem.

So, we put some accelerant down the intake and attempt to start the car, which happened surprisingly willingly. However, it's virtually impossible to run a car like that so we very soon didn't have a running car again. It was, however, a moment of great joy to know that it does work and should work very well once the carb is completely cleaned up and rebuilt properly.

That means my next job is to refit the front sheet metal, put the steering rack on and connect anything that still needs connecting so the car is ready to go once the rebuild kit arrives. It's a really good place to feel like I'm at after a very long and frustrating slog.

[vulgalour]

Let's have some more good news.

Tyres - Full set of five, brand new, arriving from the UK.
Radiator - the German company I ordered from have found an alternative supplier when the one they had listed wasn't in stock and a new one is being delivered.
Rear screen demister switch - also in the post, coming from Spain
Carburettor rebuild kit - also in the post, coming from Croatia
New choke stop/arm - mine is pretty mangled, doesn't really work. One in the post from the Netherlands.

Everything is due to be here between the 8th and the 20th

The only thing I haven't decided on yet is the best solution for the in-tank filter. The next few days are predicted to be quite mild, for the time of year, so I should be able to crack on with quite a bit now.

[Hell Razor5543]

So, you will be treating yourself to a Merry Christmas and taking her out for her first run on the 25th then?

[vulgalour]

Ah well, that depends. I could be at the opposite end of the country if my Rover is fixed. Currently, I've got three cars and they're all broken, the Rover being my daily.

[ekjdm14]

Fantastic news (of sorts) at least any niggling doubts about big mechanical/electrical problems can be put to bed at last & no matter how much is on the to-do list the first firing of an engine, no matter how short, always gives a warm "on the home straight" glow... Even if the weather does turn again you can bask in that while finishing things off.

Can I recommend that, if possible, you strip the carb as fully as you can & once you've cleaned as much out as humanly possible by means of soft wire/air/solvent etc, treat it to an ultrasonic bath. Metal plating, electronic repair places etc, even jewellers should have a decent sized tank if they'll let you use it. Even if you can only get hold of a small home kit, the amount of unseen crud they can seek out is amazing. When I had bikes Yamaha XJ750's used to be plagued by poor running/hard starting and mine was no different until I stripped the carbs and gave them a buzz in an ultrasonic tank. Back together and float bowls primed it fired first ask & idled better than it ever had, even before balancing the carbs properly so I'd 100% recommend ultrasonic cleaning if there's bits you can't physically get to or see in the carb.

Best of luck getting all cars sorted soon. Is the rover getting an MLS gasket and all the associated kit? should be good to see us all out with that done!

[vulgalour]

Definitely cleanliness is key with the carb, Mike does excellent work on this front so I will be leaving it in his capable hands, I think.

---

Since I'm waiting on parts and had lots to do I didn't fancy tackling that fuel tank today. Instead, I just cracked on and got a lot sorted out. It rained last night so I was delighted to discover my headlining wasn't wet at all at the windscreen edge.




Then I just went through and bolt all the bits and pieces back together. The engine bay is a terrible looking thing, it's a right mess as standard and there's not really any way to tidy it up. Everything is back in place, even the radiator, so that I have my garage back.




That took less time than expected, especially with it being such a mild day today, so I got on and started fitting the exhaust. You don't even need to jack up the car or take off a wheel to do this which is incredibly satisfying. Front silencer in.


I haven't got the exhaust paste at home so the main pipe isn't connected yet. Popped the clamp on just so it's all in place ready to go later this week.


There's one hanger under the passenger door.


Another under the boot.


To hold up the back box, there's one hanger under the rear end. I couldn't get this to come undone as I don't have a socket or spanner large enough or anything strong enough to grip the rubber part while I undo the nut from the captive bolt.


Rear mud guards went back in. These did such a good job of keeping all the mud out of the upper reaches of the rear bodywork I thought it would be daft not to reinstall them. They're a previous owner made thing I think and just push into place and hold with friction for the most part.




I'd already refitted the face and bonnet so there wasn't much else to do. Decided to clean out all the dust and bits of rust flakes and stuff from the car being full of old parts and the like. I also removed the boot liners so they wouldn't trap what little water is coming in through the side windows and aren't at risk of being damaged. I leave the parcel shelf dropped because I don't want any more water getting on it through the rear screen which I really need to remove and reseal.


There was a lot less water coming in through the doors than usual after last night's rain so I think the seals are sort of filling out the spaces they need to now. Still not perfect, but much better. Mopped out what little water there was and all the rest of the scaff before putting the back seat up again.




In the front I tidied up and vacuumed out the talcum powder now its done its job. I am missing the return spring for the throttle pedal but I can get a new throttle cable with the spring and other fittings from Italy which might be a good idea given the condition of my current cable.


There's hardly anything left to go back on. Some side trim, the mud flaps, the front undertray and the back box. Other than that, there's a few jubilee clips to refresh and the parts I've ordered to arrive.


So yeah. Nearly there now. Just niggles to work through and parts to arrive. The front suspension has even settled nicely now the engine has been in the car for a bit.

[ekjdm14]

Brilliant, it's really coming together now. Silicone sealant is much nicer to use and more effective than exhaust paste by the way

[Hell Razor5543]

That is an incredible looking car (yes, I know she looks tatty, but she also looks ready for the road, and THAT is what I mean).

[vulgalour]

It's not bad is it? Especially when you consider this is where I started: