GTA atmo carburettors and water pump

Two years ago my GTA atmo started to cut out at junctions. Chris Rabbets recommended replacing the single choke carb. Only rebuilt ones were available, so he fitted one from Simon Auto. No cutting out problems since.

Just taken my car out of winter hibernation and done about 50 miles, including a motorway run. Some of the time there is a problem when accelerating. At about 3500rpm (when the twin choke carb kicks in?) it really hesitates and the needle on the rev counter fluctuates. I know these carbs are known to play up at about 60k (it's done 66k!). I wonder if the twin choke carb is the problem? It drives normally below 3500rpm. Does anyone have any ideas?

Water pump - I'm thinking about changing it purely for age reasons. Are Renault ones still available? If not, what are the best quality suitable ones?

Thanks

Andy, it could be fuel starvation ....... when was the last time you changed the fuel filter ..... also check the electrical connections to the pump, make sure they are clean and tight.
The twin choke carb is operated by vacuum ..... check that all the vacuum pipes are in place around the carbs, in fact check all pipe work even around the distributor, and the two small vacuum pipes attached to the thermal valve at the front of the single carb ..... you may need a mirror to see these small pipes.
This pic might help.

Thanks, John.

I think I've had the fuel filter changed in the last 3 or 4 years (say 6k miles).

I will check all the pipework etc at the weekend.

I had a split in a vacuum hose to the secondary carb which caused some hesitation...the split was at one end so just trimmed it and reseated it. Hopefully something similar for you..and not something else with the vacuum circuit.
..though it's interesting you mentioned it was only sometimes hesitant..John mentioned some other areas to check...

I had a split in a vacuum hose to the secondary carb which caused some hesitation...the split was at one end so just trimmed it and reseated it. Hopefully something similar for you..and not something else with the vacuum circuit.
..though it's interesting you mentioned it was only sometimes hesitant..John mentioned some other areas to check...

Thanks, Dave.

Does have any recommendations for replacing the water pump?

[mettersl]

I don't know if Renault have them (77 01463246 ) but they are 269 euro exchange at simon auto. Plus quite reasonable postage but should include vat.
If you find them cheaper, please let me know, as I may need one,one on german ebay311310659324
or
http://www.allcarpartsfast.co.uk/renaul ... -pump-r25/

But they don't always have what they claim to....espace Mk3 1997 3.0 engine cross matches to this pump.
Cheers
Lee

Espace pump needs modification as it has a different sensor port on the LHS that the atmo doesn't use and the turbo ECU sensor doesn't fit .I modify the pumps to either plug the hole or adapt for ECU sensor .It's not as straightforward as that sounds though as the Espace sensor port is a press fit and 90 degree take-off ....

Thanks, guys. I will give my friendly local Renault dealer a try first! Will let you know.

[mettersl]

You might want to call them to save a trip, I looked it up on the parts system and its shown as" not being marketed" in the UK.

Good call - thanks.

Had a good look around the carbs and distributor. Couldn't see any loose connections or split hoses etc. The main body of the twin choke carb seemed 'oily' (leaked petrol and dirt mixed?) in a few places, especially on the offside. When I looked inside the grey plastic cover at the front of the carb, it was 'oily' in there too.

it really hesitates and the needle on the rev counter fluctuates.

Just re-read your original post and the above quote makes me wonder if there is an electrical problem rather than a carburetor one. As the Alp has been laid up all winter, all the connections should be checked as well as the distributor cap and rotor, plug leads ....... or coil possibly breaking down etc, etc.
I have had plug lead connection to the actual plug come loose ..... it is not obvious, as you can't see if the lead is actually clipped to the plug top and not just resting on the top. I have found that the plug to lead metal connections are very tight and sometimes don't clip over the plug top properly and as you push down on the big rubber cover, the lead is forced back up the rubber cover so the metal connector is just sitting on top of the plug which can cause erratic running. What I now do is before attaching the lead to the plug, I push the lead through the big rubber cover until it is showing, I then clip the metal connector to the plug, then slide the rubber cover down the lead till it sits in its rightful place.
Once fitted, I give the lead a good tug, if they are correctly clipped on, they are very hard to pull off.
And just going back to your above quote, the rev counter is driven from the coil so there could be a loose connection there.
Hope this helps .... a bit.

Thanks, John. I will check.

I checked water pump availability at Renault. The parts guy said the pump was for both turbo and atmo (not sure if that's correct or not). Anyway, it's no longer available!

[mettersl]

Parts book that I have says the atmo is a different number to the Turbo, but it could be out of date. Turbo is 60 00 007 682.
Simon Autos also have two different part numbers, but it looks like Clee is right and something close is the best you'll get and it then needs some modifications to get it 100% right.
The cars are 26+ years old, so I guess you can't blame Renault, at least we have a spares network available, at a price, through Simon Autos and others.
What are you planning to do? Leave it and watch for leaks or fit a new one (in which cases hoses and front to rear pipes and maybe a heater matrix would be a good plan too, but that's probably £1000+.
I'm curious as I have a long out of use Atmo that is being restored at Rats.

I agree about parts availability.

15 of the 17 hoses (except two heater hoses) were replaced with Simon Auto ones in October as one of the original ones failed. I was just thinking that a 26 year old water pump may be asking for trouble and after having a hose fail, I want to feel really confident with the cooling system. Expansion tank and cap (both Renault) are new and the type D is fresh. Radiator is a Paul Sage one 14 years old (just over 20k of dry use), so may be something to change before too long.