Clio 182 Exhaust sound

[lucky13]

Hi Everyone,

I have just recently bought a clio 182, i believe it is the full fat addition as it has the front splitter, larger spoiler and anthracite wheels so i assume it also has the cup suspension.

Anyway i have been searching the forums just to check a few things and have sort of found out some of the answers i need, i was just needing some conformation.

My throttle pedal goes all the way down very smoothly until about 2 cm from the floor, there is then a bit of resistance and then it will go further. From searching it seems this is standard however i couldn't make out at which point is full throttle and what exactly the point of this was?

Secondly (which i couldn't find anything on.) I have a K tec Janspeed exhaust on the car which it came with. I had an issue with a metallic type noise around 2.5k rpm, i found that this was likely to be the heat shield. I put the car up on ramps and found the shield had pushed through two of the mount holes and was resonating at that RPM. Some bigger washers fixed this for now so that has gone.

However what i wanted to check was the sound of the car. I hear a loud burble when pulling off until about 2k RPM which completely vanishes after that and the car goes alot quieter. Also upon full/ hard acceleration the car seems to make a whistling type noise until it gets to about 3-4k, at which point it completely vanishes. Is this normal??

So in short the exhaust sounds rather loud in the cabin at very low pull away speeds which go's past about 2k RPM and also upon hard acceleration it whistles but sounds perfectly fine after around 3-4k RPM.

Hope someone can give some input as to if this is standard or maybe a problem?

Thanks in advance for any help

 

[Brett]

The step in the thottle pedal is the override switch for the speed limiter. Full throttle is achieved before this click.

The whistle will probably be a very slight exhaust blow. Mine does it really badly, I need to get that sorted.

 

[lucky13]

Thanks for the quick reply. I gave it a quick look over on the back end of the exhaust system and it seems all ok. The cat area seems rusty but this seems to be normal from what i have read. Are there any common places for the exhaust to start blowing and is a visual inspection the best way to try and find out where?

 

[Andyk1801]

My 172 has a cat back power flow exhaust on and that burbles up to about 2-2.5k and then goes a bit quieter... Until about 4.5k then it gets loud again... Has it had all the silencers taken out?

 

[lucky13]

I dont really know to be honest what is in or not in it! It just seems a bit strange that it sounds a lot deeper and louder in the cabin and then go's to what you would expect for the rpm once it gets to around 2k. I would prefer it to not be as loud right down low as it sounds as though upon speeding up it will be ridiculously loud but as said and like yours the noise vanishes, but of course then gets to a nice sound and volume as you go up the revs higher.

 

[lucky13]

Just been out again and from listening more carefully i think the whistle noise is through the entire rev range but only under high/full throttle. Im guessing it must be blowing somewhere? Im sure i have read somewhere that Janspeed exhausts have a lifetime guarantee? Would i be best to look around the cat area?

 

[tonyd106]

Its probably the cat mate, i have the same problem.

 

[Andyk1801]

Could the whistling sound be one I the pulleys?

 

[lucky13]

i doubt it is the pulleys as the aux belt, cam belt, all tensioners etc have all been done only a few months ago by a Renault sport specialist.

When you say its the cat do you mean it is the cat that is the problem with yours? or the manifold to cat /// cat to centre section seals? I would hope its not the cat itself as it sounds its quite an expensive repair! i looked at the springs on the cat and the bolts look like they are just in but not in great condition, are the springs supposed to be under high tension as they dont look like they are?

Thanks

 

[yellow_chris]

i have the same problem with the whistle... ive been all over my exhaust, taking it apart..new sealant in the joints,new manifold to cat gasket kit (from renault so its not cheap s**t) and i still have this whistle!!! its driving me mad. the car sounds like it is blowing from somewhere but i cant find where

 

[MartinR]

I had a really high pitched whistling sound for a couple of weeks then it turned to a failed dephaser noise and it turned out the bearing in the water pump had failed

 

[yellow_chris]

thats not worrying at all :O lol... was this noise constantly there?

 

[MartinR]

No the whistle was for the first 15mins on cold start up then turned to a clumpy noise

 

[yellow_chris]

ahh thats ok then... mine is fine on cold start to warm..no noise at all, doesnt even sound like the exhaust is blowing till your moving (hence why i changed the manifold to cat gasket) il keep hunting though, manifold gasket is the next attempt

 

[MartinR]

does it stop as soon as you lift off? what sort of speeds does it come on

 

[lucky13]

Just taken it to the garage to get it checked over as i had done it myself but couldn't see much. They confirmed there are no leaks.The strange part is that you can rev the car when its not moving and it sounds fine. However when it is moving its very obvious. The man from the garage came for a ride and said it does sound like a blowing exhaust but said they couldn't see anything or hear it when it was on the ramps. The only thing he suggested was to change the donought looking gasket thingy by the cat as it may move when driving causing it to leak out.

I also wrote whistle earlier, it sounds whitsley but also a bit like a strimmer type noise, its just a very strange one! under constant speed the sound also completely go's

 

[MartinR]

Windscreen rubber!!

 

[lucky13]

yes it stops when you lift off as well as when the car isnt accelerating. So holding the car at 50mph it sounds normal, although if it is blowing then maybe its just that its not loud enough to hear?
I dont think it is the windscreen rubber as you can be doing 60mph and it still will be normal if you are cruising. The mechanics even said they are sure the noise is from the exhaust in some form lol. With the windows up it can be hard to hear it but with them down its very easy to tell and in built up areas where the sound can reflect it sounds ridiculous. Maybe this is just the sound of the janspeed? i doubt it though as it isnt a nice noise lol

 

[mantis946]

It could either be the windscreen rubber or the cat/manifold joint.

When the car's on the go and you accelerate, the movement in the engine could be causing a connecting point to open up (Perhaps why it can't be heard when tested, as the car wouldn't have been in gear)

I would recommend some black silicone exhaust sealant on the connecting points

 

[lucky13]

It could either be the windscreen rubber or the cat/manifold joint.

When the car's on the go and you accelerate, the movement in the engine could be causing a connecting point to open up (Perhaps why it can't be heard when tested, as the car wouldn't have been in gear)

I would recommend some black silicone exhaust sealant on the connecting points

Yes that does make sense.

I ordered a 182 manifold to cat fitting kit off K Tec racing which i hope will also help the problem. For the sealant would this be ok?
http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/..._productId_173139_langId_-1_categoryId_255217

and when you say connecting points does that mean its best to put it on both sides of the cat or are the problems only likely to be manifold side?

Thank you for your help, i think the in gear and engine movement theory sound right- It is 99% an exhaust noise and the sound is as if its blowing.

 

[mantis946]

Try this stuff

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Loctite-Superflex-Sealant-Black-Waterproof-Windscreen-/140499129701?pt=UK_Body_Shop_Supplies_Paint&hash=item20b6669565#ht_1979wt_1051

Use it to seal the connection from the cat to the middle section - I don't believe the manifold side will require any sealant as the kit should sort that for you.

p.s The stuff smells pretty bad!

 

[lucky13]

Try this stuff

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Loctite-Superflex-Sealant-Black-Waterproof-Windscreen-/140499129701?pt=UK_Body_Shop_Supplies_Paint&hash=item20b6669565#ht_1979wt_1051

Use it to seal the connection from the cat to the middle section - I don't believe the manifold side will require any sealant as the kit should sort that for you.

p.s The stuff smells pretty bad!

Ok nice one, thanks. Just got under the car to spray some of the nuts with WD 40 so they are lose ready for when the gasket kit comes and i thought i would just feel if there is any blowing there. Started the car up and put my hand and could feel some hot fumes on the cat to centre section. There seems to be two joins though. The place i can feel it is in the join with the really long bolt (to the right) on this picture i took:

[/IMG]


Can anyone confirm to me what i should do to fix this? I have bought the silicone gasket stuff, do i undo this nut on that join, remove the clip and put some on then re do it all up tight? Is the join to the left also a dodgy area?

Sorry for all the questions its just i want to do it once and do it right.

Finally looking at the manifold to cat area, there didnt seem to be any gases escaping while the car was sat on the drive, however this may change when it is going so hopefully the new gasket kit can solve this. I was just abit worried by the amount or rust and degradation in this area though. Will my kit replace these parts? im a little unsure as to the parts there at the moment as i haven't fiddled with it yet! Anyway here is another pic just to show what it looks like and what you guys think as to it:

[/IMG]


Once again sorry if there are a lot of questions but i really would like to get help from you people as you all know the cars so well and i really want to get it right the first time and not be messing about or fixing something in the wrong manner.

Thanks again for your help

 

[si_hartlepool]

I think i've got the same problem here.

Sounds rattly and blowy when accelerating however as soon as you lift off it goes. It doesn't do it when stationary and reving the engine. I've had the car sealed at the cat to centre box so i can rule that out. My cat to manifold join looks like the above (very corroded).

I know it's not heat sheilds because i spent ages underneath the car rattling the sheilds and replacing the washers etc.

I'm quite tempted to invest in the fixing kit for the manifold-cat.

Let me know how you get on please Lucky.

Cheers!!

 

[lucky13]

I think i've got the same problem here.

Sounds rattly and blowy when accelerating however as soon as you lift off it goes. It doesn't do it when stationary and reving the engine. I've had the car sealed at the cat to centre box so i can rule that out. My cat to manifold join looks like the above (very corroded).

I know it's not heat sheilds because i spent ages underneath the car rattling the sheilds and replacing the washers etc.

I'm quite tempted to invest in the fixing kit for the manifold-cat.

Let me know how you get on please Lucky.

Cheers!!

OK just an update. As said i could feel a slight blowing coming from the cat to centre section. So i thought i would fix this first. I undid the clamps and found that maybe the main problem was that the whole exhaust system was a bit to far back which meant it was hard for the centre section to seal to the back of the cat. The clamps to the left of the cat back clamp seem to have some sort of adapter type part, this was already slightly loose so i assume that as it is loose, while driving the adapter had been pushed futher into the exahust, making a gap inbetween the cat back and the centre exhaust section.

So i undid this adapter part and with a bit of WD40 and various ways of trying to pull it out i managed to make the 2-3mm gap disappear. I obviously then re did up this clamp nice and tight. I had already undone the cat back to centre exhaust clamp by this point and thought i might as well also get in some of the high temp silicone as although the problem had probably been removed there is no point in not doing it as an extra.

So i did everything up round there nice and tight so thats going well now, no leaks, however as i thought the manifold to cat area is still dodgy, the car is sounding a lot better already and i shall go about putting on the kit tomorrow.

I will let you know how it go's, i was abit worried about the corrosion look though but from looking it up i think mine isnt actually as corroded as i thought, just has a coating of rust. Here is a manifold to cat kit fitting guide i found with some picutre which may be helpful to you as well if you havent seen it!

http://www.cliosport.net/forum/show...gt-Cat-Fitting-Kit-Help-Order-of-nuts-washers

So tomorrow i shall have a go at fitting it and hopefully the blowing shall be gone! Next job is to sort the mounts out as the exhaust hangs abit strange,the centre one also seems to be abit broken as one side of the 2 sides of rubber holding it up has broken, i put some zip ties in there for now to help hold it but i dont know how that will last....


sorry for all the explaining as it probably is quite straightforward to everyone but it may help some other new person who is abit stuck as to whats going on!

Thanks!

 

[si_hartlepool]

Spot on that mate.

I'm going to have a go with a new gasket and kit i think.

Let me know if you get any further anyway

 

[lucky13]

Spot on that mate.

I'm going to have a go with a new gasket and kit i think.

Let me know if you get any further anyway

sorry completely lost the thread! I fitted it and it is now working fine. I compared my old gasket to my new one when put inside the cat and the old gasket would completely sink in, the new one however protrudes abit so it was clear to see that the old one had worn out. Just an additional check that may help is that i could not see any spacing between my manifold to cat joint; which i thought was a good sign, however from seeing other peoples new gasket kits and my own on it becomes clear that a small gap exists between the two which is filled by the gasket and so actually indicates a better seal.

My old join also would leak a little bit of liquid (im guessing fuel) when it was cold and started which it has now stopped doing. so as a few things to look for if you think you have a blowing exhaust and you believe it is the manifold to cat gasket in my opinion are:

1. Can you feel blow at the joint (after a while of hearing it blow i could feel it and it was very feint yet made a disgusting noise when moving
2. Does it leak any liquid when cold?
3. Can you see spacing between the manifold to cat join? Im not sure if its a sure sign but i could not see a gap with my old worn gasket as it sits to far within the cat and so didnt create a good seal, with my new kit on i do have a slight gap and have seen this on other photos of a new kit.

SO if you can feel a blow or it leaks liquid or there seems to be no sign of a gasket parting the join or any combination and you have a blowing sound exhaust then it's highly likely that the manifold to cat join is your problem which would mean you would need to buy a new manifold to cat join kit.

Also a word of advice - above i mentioned the blow on the join further back and how the adapter seemed too seated in. This was actually a cause of the manifold to cat join gasket being wrecked i believe . Hence meaning that there is play throughout the exhaust as a once tight gasket had worn leaving space between parts.
This space had been removed at the manifold to cat join in my case i belive and had opened up the part behind which i said i also fixed. When i added the new gasket kit i found that the adapter needed to go back to its original position as the new gasket as mentioned above protruded further out.

So basically im saying if you have the problem and suspect the manifold to cat join then worry about that first as it may solve the issue behind as it would have in my case without me fiddling! I had to un fiddle it to make the exhaust fit when the new kit came!

Finally to take this job on yourself i think is relatively simple but i would recommend either ramps or the car being jacked up first of all. Also a good idea would be to WD-40 the bolts and nuts on the manifold to cat join, the cat to centre join and the other clamp in this area. Obviously to fit this kit you need to take the cat out which involves taking off all clamps on both sides of it, i put a ramp underneath the cat to just hold it when it came loose but you dont have to do this. Also you must remeber to hit the old washer type things that go into the manifold part out. If they are anything like mine they will be very rusted and corroded in and for me they took nearly an hour to get out!! I used a screwdriver and a hammer to hit them but didnt have much room under the car so you can probably do it quicker!

Sorry if i am stating the obvious but the manifold flange should look like this: (sorry for bad drawing)

[/IMG]

I thought at first that it was a complete circle on the edges encasing the screw but this is not the case. I had mistaken this for corrosion and thought i had some big problems.... luckily only the washer cup type insert things were corroding abit and the new kit includes new ones


Sorry if parts of this dont make great sense or i sound like im stating the obvious but they were all questions i wanted the answer to when i was struggling. I wrote this quick so yeh hope its understandable, if you are confused by anything just let me know and im sure i can clarify!

 

[KevF182]

Good on you for taking the time to write it up

It's water that was dripping out the joint, not fuel. Your checks for leak-finding seem logical. I've done my cat gasket and fettled with the joint to the system and still have a very slight leak when warming up. Miles better than before though.

 

[lucky13]

Yeh mine may leak very slightly when cold, not sure as its certainly not clearly noticeable. And when the car is warm it certainly is working 100% so its good

I think its mainly down to quite a poor design really, not sure what they were thinking when they made just about the whole exhaust system to be honest. Mounts suck, stock exhaust disintegrates and the cat to manifold join seems to be dodgy on a lot of peoples cars!

 

[si_hartlepool]

I've finally took the plunge and bought the gasket kit!

I'll have a go on saturday and report back. Thanks for taking the time to write this up, i'm sure it will help.

 

[lucky13]

I've finally took the plunge and bought the gasket kit!

I'll have a go on saturday and report back. Thanks for taking the time to write this up, i'm sure it will help.

no problem! not sure if i have wrote it above but if you have any trouble getting the old cup washer type things out which corrode badly by just benging them out (Like i did) then i would recommend just getting a flat head screwdriver and putting it on the side of the cup washer bit (so screwdriver head is 90degrees round from the direction of the exhaust system) and just getting a hammer on the end of the screwdriver effectively squashing and breaking the cup. I finally worked out to do this after trying to bash them out square on for about an hour.....

Hope that makes sense, not sure if it does but basically break the ring rather than hit it out properly if you find they are seized and corroded in and wont budge!

 

[si_hartlepool]

no problem! not sure if i have wrote it above but if you have any trouble getting the old cup washer type things out which corrode badly by just benging them out (Like i did) then i would recommend just getting a flat head screwdriver and putting it on the side of the cup washer bit (so screwdriver head is 90degrees round from the direction of the exhaust system) and just getting a hammer on the end of the screwdriver effectively squashing and breaking the cup. I finally worked out to do this after trying to bash them out square on for about an hour.....

Hope that makes sense, not sure if it does but basically break the ring rather than hit it out properly if you find they are seized and corroded in and wont budge!

Will do mate! I'm sure i'll find a way to get them off (famous last words).

 

[not normal dan]

Nice write up

 

[si_hartlepool]

Changed mine today...took about an hour. I took loads of pictures so i'll start a thread with a guide in it!

Thanks for the advice getting the cups out of the manifold btw

 

[lucky13]

Changed mine today...took about an hour. I took loads of pictures so i'll start a thread with a guide in it!

Thanks for the advice getting the cups out of the manifold btw

no problem mate, im guessing yours were stuck in as well or did they just pop out?

A proper guide sounds a great idea and is definitely needed as i see that this comes up all the time and seems to be a common problem, pictures would definitely be useful as some parts are difficult to describe without them!

I think a common misconception that occurs which i also had is that the manifold is actually not corroded away and that it is just the cups, under my car when i first looked my first thought was that this was going to be an expensive job to sort if the manifold is on the way out!

 

[si_hartlepool]

Yeah mine were corroded as well. i've put the guide up if you're curious what mine looked like

 

[Sam Andrews]

Hi guys,

I have looked for this kit online but I can't see any that are sold with the flange/grommet/gasket thing that lucky13 drew so excellently above.

Are there kits that come with this or does it just need to be made up (hence the drawing)?

Thanks in advance


Sam

 

[si_hartlepool]

Sam...contact Tom from West Renault on here and ask for the kit. It comes with everything you need

 

[Sam Andrews]

Thanks Si,

Feel free to call me thick, but how would I go about getting hold of this Tom on here?

 

[si_hartlepool]

Via private message 'Wests Renault'
Phone - 01223 370707
Email - thomas.parnham@westsgroup.co.uk At the service centre 13 Swanns Road, Cambridge, CB5 8JZ

I doubt you will get discount though because your not a paid up member.

I higly recomend you become a paid member though. It's helped me loads.

And if you pay for membership you'll have access to a guide i've written for fitting the kit you want to buy + Loads more guides etc.

 

[Addicted]

I get the whistle about 5-7k revs, not sure what it is but have been told numerous times its normal so just kind of ignore it.

It hasn't meant any loss in power as I was the second highest figure in a Rolling Road day with ~18 Clios

Could be the same one? Mine sounds like inlet whisle to be honest