The life of... SharkyUK's Trophy

[SharkyUK]

Thanks for taking me out on Tuesday evening, I did feel a bit awkward asking after having only met you for about 5 mins haha!

But wow! Very much worth it. It really is a special car and a credit to you (and Fred), I hope you get the issue sorted and can enjoy that noise fully!

No need to feel awkward young fella me lad! I was more than happy to take you out in it. I'm glad you enjoyed it and it was good to meet and chat with you. As for the issue... see below

Was great to finally see the car and meet you in person Andy. Such an epic car i'm very jealous indeed!

Likewise mate - it was good to meet you, too. I was somewhat jealous of YOUR chariot! It was awesome. Thanks for the kind words regarding the Trophy. I am very happy with it indeed.

Hopefully the issue is sorted now. Weve just been for a blast where we got up to 69mph and it seamed fine. Hopefully Andy will update us after hs drive home.

Mightly impressed with the engine, very smooth and proper noise. NA FTW!!

A massive, MASSIVE thanks to you mate for generously giving up your evening, taking a look at the car and also picking up the gearbox fluid. I was/am extremely grateful and also enjoyed having some time to chat with you as well. Having not long arrived home from Jay's (naturally taking the scenic route) I am happy to report that the third gear remained engaged each and every time. Whether accelerating hard (up to 69mph) or cornering hard (at 69mph) it was fine. It's got a long drive tomorrow - so will get another good test - but, touch wood, it's looking a lot healthier

Thanks for joining me for a short ride; I'm glad you liked it and I totally agree... proper noise!!! Thanks mate.

 

[SharkyUK]

Just a cheeky little picture from ClioSport Saturday 2014. It's not everyday I get to park next to Trophy #1

To be honest, it was a bit embarrassing being parked up in the middle with pristine clean and waxed cars all around me. I rolled up in a dirty car still in 'track' mode from the Llandow event mid-week! I will get a chance to clean it properly at some point...

 

[Mr R.]

Great to meet you Andy, your car sounded awesome.

 

[SharkyUK]

Great to meet you Andy, your car sounded awesome.

Likewise sir! Your Clio is certainly a car I would love to see again in the future and another opportunity to chat would be a fine thing, too. All the best

 

[Thrust-Rated]

Was good to have a look at the car yesterday and have a chat
It's a very tidy build too!
The car gets used, don't worry about it not being 'clean'

 

[Mikeyjp]

who owns number 1

 

[George182]

who owns number 1

Renault do.

 

[SharkyUK]

Was good to have a look at the car yesterday and have a chat
It's a very tidy build too!
The car gets used, don't worry about it not being 'clean'

Enjoyed chatting with you mate, thanks for your time and kind words about the car. You probably know the T better than I do!

"Driven, not detailed..."

who owns number 1

Not me

Renault do.

Indeedy I wonder what mileage is on #1...

 

[Sunglasses_Ron]

Really nice to finally meet you and see the car mate.

I was glad your car was positioned where it was as like Scott's car I knew there would be a lot of interest in it.

Hope you enjoyed the day mate

 

[Dr HMS Derv Destroyer]

really like it mate!

engine bay is nice a meaningful, loving the less is more look about it all.

 

[SharkyUK]

Really nice to finally meet you and see the car mate.

I was glad your car was positioned where it was as like Scott's car I knew there would be a lot of interest in it.

Hope you enjoyed the day mate

Likewise kind sir - it was great to meet you and thanks for the kind words regarding the Trophy. Thanks for your work (along with the rest of the team) in organising and running the event and for having my car in such a good location. I was genuinely surprised at the interest it had throughout the day and, being honest, a little embarrassed that I hadn't had the time to clean it up a bit! Especially when parked within yards probably the best / mintest Clio I have ever had the pleasure of seeing. My only disappointment is that I didn't get chance to have a good old chinwag with you, but I appreciate you were busy and breaking up fights, etc!!!

I did indeed enjoy the day - thank you.

really like it mate!

engine bay is nice a meaningful, loving the less is more look about it all.

Haha, thanks Derv! It was good to meet you and I'm glad you were able to make it down. I do like the look of the bay to be honest. Fred has done a top job on the build and Dan has done a top job in moving a few bits around for me. Thanks for the chat

 

[SharkyUK]

It looks like the Trophy won't be making the Scotland Tour I've been planning with friends in my car club over the last or so... gutted.

The third gear problem is back (the very same one that struck at Llandow). As soon as I engage in some enthusiastic driving it will simply not stay in 3rd gear; it smoothly slides out into neutral. No clunking, no grinding, no nothing. I need to get it to Fred@BTM so he can take a look. I don't think it's serious as the gearbox is as sweet as otherwise

 

[Fred@BTM]

bet its those w**k engine mounts!

 

[SharkyUK]

Could be mate. I'll try and pop over at a convenient moment.

 

[Toastfrenzy]

No solid mounts or old well used one's?

 

[SharkyUK]

No solid mounts or old well used one's?

It's running K-Tec (Vibratech?) uprated mounts and the gearbox / dogbone mount. They were installed when I had the old DTH ITB setup.

 

[S Marsh]

Its got to be all those solid mounts you have. I read in an earlier post that your rear view mirror vibrates so much its a blur. Go back to the normal engine mounts like Freds says.

I own a Trophy with 36k on the clock and will eventually need the SACHs refurbished. When I was getting my cam belt changed by Fred last Saturday I thought one had gone. Turned out that it was ok but very very dirty. Anyway I asked Fred to get a quote from Renault Wolverhampton. Maybe we could get a group buy or something if people are interested as I've heard they are £2000 each!!! I thought they was under £1000 each.

If people are interested including, yourself Sharky, then maybe we could get a second pair as I'm keeping my Trophy for ever.

 

[davo172]

who owns number 1

Renault do.

And its the one of the worst examples you will see ! big front end crash repair looks like it had panels fitted in the dark on a rainy night !!

 

[davo172]

.

 

[davo172]

Its got to be all those solid mounts you have. I read in an earlier post that your rear view mirror vibrates so much its a blur. Go back to the normal engine mounts like Freds says.

I own a Trophy with 36k on the clock and will eventually need the SACHs refurbished. When I was getting my cam belt changed by Fred last Saturday I thought one had gone. Turned out that it was ok but very very dirty. Anyway I asked Fred to get a quote from Renault Wolverhampton. Maybe we could get a group buy or something if people are interested as I've heard they are £2000 each!!! I thought they was under £1000 each.

If people are interested including, yourself Sharky, then maybe we could get a second pair as I'm keeping my Trophy for ever.

Is yours S111VRR just seen your location . ?

 

[Mikeyjp]

I own a Trophy with 36k on the clock and will eventually need the SACHs refurbished. When I was getting my cam belt changed by Fred last Saturday I thought one had gone. Turned out that it was ok but very very dirty. Anyway I asked Fred to get a quote from Renault Wolverhampton. Maybe we could get a group buy or something if people are interested as I've heard they are £2000 each!!! I thought they was under £1000 each.

If people are interested including, yourself Sharky, then maybe we could get a second pair as I'm keeping my Trophy for ever.

Is yours S111VRR just seen your location . ?[/QUOTE]

i also thought they were under £1000 each, strange

 

[SharkyUK]

Its got to be all those solid mounts you have. I read in an earlier post that your rear view mirror vibrates so much its a blur. Go back to the normal engine mounts like Freds says.

I own a Trophy with 36k on the clock and will eventually need the SACHs refurbished. When I was getting my cam belt changed by Fred last Saturday I thought one had gone. Turned out that it was ok but very very dirty. Anyway I asked Fred to get a quote from Renault Wolverhampton. Maybe we could get a group buy or something if people are interested as I've heard they are £2000 each!!! I thought they was under £1000 each.

If people are interested including, yourself Sharky, then maybe we could get a second pair as I'm keeping my Trophy for ever.

It could be the mounts, I don't really know. It's a shame if it is the mounts to blame because they made a nice difference to the dynamics under hard acceleration. I'll let Fred@BTM take a look and see what he says; I value his opinion and recommendations. As for the issue of vibration through the car, to be fair, it isn't so bad once the car has warmed up; it's just a bit noisy and clunky whilst doing so. Especially with the engine internals upgrade. As I said, I'll let Fred take a look because he absolutely adores my car and knows it more intimately than anyone else on the planet!

I don't think I'll be investing in a second pair of Sachs mate. I was quoted circa £3,200 for a new pair and I'm not prepared to spend that on spare ornaments! LOL! I'd rather just drive it and get them rebuilt as and when necessary. Whilst they are being rebuilt a (MUCH) cheaper pair of 182 Cup shocks will do the job temporarily. If it were a show car I would consider a second pair but I bought this one to be enjoyed And that's what I'm going to do! It's good to hear you are planning on keeping your Trophy, too. Such fantastic cars if you are really into your driving.

 

[neil a]

Strange one why would the mounts only cause 3rd gear jump out ? I could see that happening with worn standard mounts if the engine was moving and not letting it engage properly.

 

[Fred@BTM]

it could also be the spring on the bottom of the selector has worn out, it'll be something daft

 

[Dan@SJM]

I don't think it's the mounts IMO.

It could be the spring as said by Fred, as when we were at Llandow I was underneath using the selector, and 3rd just doesn't feel right when slotting it in.

 

[S Marsh]

I live in the Capital of the Black Country by Dudley. My cars reg is LY05 RDU and its number 45.

Sorry this is in response to davo172

 

[S Marsh]

Having all that vibration can't be good for the engine in the long run. It may cause components to fail due to fatigue with all that cycles of vibration or shift the load to the next weakest link.

I'm not saying solid engines mounts are rubbish. For sprinting, track days etc. Yes ok, but for heavy road use with our shite road conditions I would think putting some degree of damping in there.

 

[Chip-mk1]

The engine still vibrates just as much on standard mounts, but the vibrations just don't make it to the rest of the car where you feel them. So I don't think any engine component will wear faster on firmer mounts. Which components specifically are you thinking of?

 

[S Marsh]

I know the engine will still vibrate but by have stiffer engine mounts, you have a stiffer system. This will change the natural frequencies of the engine and change where they occur during the rev range. Engines normally have a frequency very low down in the rev range; when you start the car up the engine will wobble like mad until it gets to idle. The engine has thus driven through it's first mode and as you won't be driving around at say 400 rpm, then the engine is in no danger. The designers of the engine will make sure the next mode is in a rev range beyond what you will be driving in, e.g. 11000 rpm and the next one might be at 15000rpm. By changing the stiffness of the system, you could by accident change where the first or second mode will occur. For example lets say the first mode has changed from 400 rpm to say 2000rpm. 2000 rpm is a zone where the engine will most likely experience during everyday driving. By having these modes of resonance in your driving range, the engine will experience large amplitudes at these modes of vibration c**til you rev harder and move out of the mode frequency), which could cause increased wear of parts and hence failure (most likely bearings). I'm not saying I am definetly right here but I'm just saying for an everyday car having such a stiff system is not worth the hassle.

 

[S Marsh]

Like I say I don't know if I am right but I've found this if you find this stuff interesting, which explains what I'm trying to say better.

http://blog.design-point.com/blog/2013/march/the-importance-of-frequency-analysis.aspx#.VAI7_fldWSo

and like I said before, if Sharky cannot see out his rear view mirror then there must be some excessive vibration going on there.

 

[SharkyUK]

Strange one why would the mounts only cause 3rd gear jump out ? I could see that happening with worn standard mounts if the engine was moving and not letting it engage properly.

I would be inclined to agree, but my lack of knowledge in all things gearbox and mounts means my statement probably doesn't count for much!

it could also be the spring on the bottom of the selector has worn out, it'll be something daft

It could be the spring as said by Fred, as when we were at Llandow I was underneath using the selector, and 3rd just doesn't feel right when slotting it in.

Having had a quick tug under the car the other night, it does seem somewhat easy to practically pull the gear out of third (if that makes sense) after slotting it home. On a couple of the extremely steep hills near where I live/work, I have engaged third gear as I've gone downhill (to avoid gathering too much speed) and it's slid out. I can make it happen at will simply by applying a good chunk of loud pedal whilst exiting a corner.

I'm not saying I am definetly right here but I'm just saying for an everyday car having such a stiff system is not worth the hassle.

Fair and valid points mate. For me though, it is worth the hassle. I absolutely LOVE driving and the way the car is setup. Those who have driven it (when it's not been poorly!) have commented how well it drives. Sure, it's raw for an everyday car but I'm the only one who drives it. My good lady has her own modified car to enjoy and we have no kids. The cars are our kids!

...and like I said before, if Sharky cannot see out his rear view mirror then there must be some excessive vibration going on there.

The extra vibration is largely at cold start mate. The components in the engine don't really like cold start so it's only whilst I'm waiting for the car to warm up when the vibration is at it's worst. Once warmed up, it's not so bad. It's kinda strange sitting in a Clio, waiting for it to warm up, and the whole car is rocking in time to the lumpy idle as if it were some Aussie V8 supercar or something! LOL!

 

[davo172]

Whats the latest mate ?

 

[SharkyUK]

Whats the latest mate ?

Still needs the various issues fixing and brake caliper seized on. I'm sick of it at the moment.

 

[Cub.]

Still needs the various issues fixing and brake caliper seized on. I'm sick of it at the moment.

 

[George182]

I have some callipers sitting in the garage - I'd be happy to send you them if it helps mate.

 

[SharkyUK]

I have some callipers sitting in the garage - I'd be happy to send you them if it helps mate.

Thanks for the offer mate - give me a day or two to think about it as I might use it as an excuse to upgrade them (admittedly earlier than planned). How much would you want for them? Mind you, there's another issue that needs addressing swiftly after today's 'adventure'

 

[SharkyUK]

So yeah... pretty much f**ked off with the car at the moment. I'm sick of the sight of it. It now also looks like a bearing or two are on the way out and then this happened today as well. Just give me a break!!!!

 

[Stefan.]

Wow

This is the devils car alright!! Madness to think of the constant niggles with it!

 

[welshname]

Please tell me that's only coolant.

Just spotted the rag on the header. At least it's not a massive problem.

 

[Fletcher]

Oh no