Morning all, Straight to the point; I find sometimes the throttle can be a bit jerky when coming back on the power, even lightly having left the car rolling in gear for a bit (ie. going downhill, just letting the engine slightly brake the car). It can make it a little difficult to drive particularly quickly, as it is hard to gently feed in the power on or after the apex of a corner… I also find the revs to be a bit slow to respond sometimes when changing gear. When I change up a gear, I put my toe in on the throttle to where I would expect the revs to naturally catch the next gear smoothly, but there is less torque/power available at that position than predicted, which makes it jerky... Finally, and this has only happened once; I was pulling away from traffic lights last night and the car popped when I was on about 1/3 throttle in 2[SUP]nd[/SUP] gear… It didn’t seem to hesitate, just made a small pop from the exhaust… The car idles fine, so I’m fairly sure it’s not injector related…. The car is shortly due the 6 year service, which does include the plugs amongst other things; I was wondering if anyone has any thoughts on the above, or if it’s just ‘how they are’? I’m not overly concerned with the above; they don’t really affect the drive, I’m just aware of them, and would rather seek advice on now rather than these symptoms be precursors to larger problems down the line! Advice appreciated! Cheers Ed
I am sure someone will come along to give you more technical answers..but I know the throttle pedal is a drive-by-wire number in the mk2 Meg. This may give you a slightly different 'feel' to a traditional cable throttle. The pops from your exhaust could be a few things. It might be a sign that your injectors are getting a little dirty, in which case I think either LiquidF1 or InjectorTune can get them cleaned at a cheap price. The plugs get changed every 30k miles or so, and it wouldn't hurt to change them at the next service if you are concerned. All in all, doesn't sound all that bad to be fair!
Thanks Ewan! I was aware the pedal was drive-by-wire; it is a new thing for me, as all my previous cars have been cable throttle. The other thing I suppose is my previous two cars were both revvy n/a engines, and both had lightened flywheels on them, so the combination that and the cable throttle made the it easy to make precise up and downshifts... I'll speak to LiquidF1 about injectors; I'm planning on a trip down to him in May anyway so might be sensible to get them looked at. The car has only just ticked over 31k a couple of weeks ago, but I'm sure the plugs were changed in the previous owners time... Either way they're already on the to do list for my 6 year service in a few weeks' time. And yes, I'm a bit of a car hypochondriac, but I can't stand the idea of buying a performance car and then not being able to enjoy the full performance because something isn't right
Yeah, the standard flywheel is pretty heavy on the meg. It does make the throttle response a little laggy, but you should get better fuel economy with it :/ I am much the same, I like to keep my car in good condition and probably treat it a bit too well! Just a heads up, make sure you buy the OEM plugs for the meg. Ads@Renault will do you a good price, think they are £20-£30 for a set.
Oh, and when the car is warm and idling, does it have a bit of lumpy idle sound? Rev counter shouldn't wobble but if you stand out the back can you hear a bit of a wobble? If yes, then your injectors need cleaned Very common problem with the meg, so nothing too much to worry about. Cleaning them on my car made the throttle response (and power) much smoother and better, as well as improving the fuel economy no end!
Hi ewan, sorry for the delay in responding; I'll be going up to Mark Black for the 6 year service so the plugs will definitely be genuine When the car is warm and idling it certainly sounds fine, and doesn't feel lumpy or vibrational when in the car.... In terms of fuel economy; I'm getting 34mpg generally when taking it easy to and from work. My last few tanks with some mixed driving have been approx 29mpg, which I didn't think was too bad given the performance available!
what kind of state is your upper engine mount in Ed? mine had about collapsed in on itself and made for a real pause in the power delivery when going through the gear due to having to wait for the engine to settle back down after the jerk of off and on power. a fresh oem mount made a big improvement. Dave
Haha thanks Ewan! Dave that's a good point. The car has only just ticked over 32k but I know the previous owner used to track it occasionally so it may have worn. Is there any way to tell beyond the pause before power delivery?
Mine was done by 15k ed so you could well need a new mount in that respect. Under the bonnet you can get to it once youve removed a bit of casing. Anyone on here got a picture or guide?? Dave