technique
This section contains articles relating to repairs, maintenance, specifications, technical advice and problems. You can send your own information here to help build a database of useful tips and contacts (see below). As you may be aware, I myself just drive the car and hope it works and there's little I can tell you personally, so any info you can add to these pages will be welcome.
Select one of the articles from the table below:
| name of article | description | contributor |
| tech spec | some general information about the R4 | Peter Gumbrell |
| stop the rot! | a collection of photos detailing the extreme amount of anti-corrosion measures taken on my second R4 by the previous owner | Lee Hewitt / Peter Gumbrell |
| 1986 GTL restoration project | a set of pictures showing the progress in rebuilding this car | Andrew McGraa |
| body preparation and exterior trim repainting | thinking of attending to the rust on your R4 but don't know how? this article, the first of a 2-part tutorial, explains some of the basics, complete with many photos of the restoration of my second R4 | Peter Gumbrell |
| final body preparation and respraying | in this second part of the tutorial, learn about the final stages of preparation and the car's full respray, with some photos | Peter Gumbrell |
| tech spec for late model TL, GTL and 4x4 | some useful specifications for 1990-1992 models taken from a French brochure (in French language) | Pascal Koroneos |
| another GTL restoration project | a further attempt at salvaging an R4 by removing the chassis | Andrew McGraa |
| restoration of a 1973 Renault 4LC (R1125), Portugal | a huge set of pictures (nearly 200) showing the progress of restoring João Seabra's "Laranja Mecânica" | João Seabra |
| preparation report for repainting a 1976 R1123 | first instalment of an article detailing the jobs required prior to repainting an old 70s classic | Cláudio Nogueira |
| R4 chassis repairs | photos and information detailing the restoration of the underside of an early Renault 4 | David Gamlin |
| GTL transformation | a set of twenty photos from Slovenia showing the transformation of a white GTL into a highly tuned orange model | Miha Trkman |
| red revival | the restoration of Aliza, a red TL belonging to an enthusiast in Israel | Dan Junger |
If you have any information you'd like to add to these pages, send me an email with the word technique in the subject header. The address can be found in the 'contact me' section. You can also place a message regarding information, advice, contacts etc, free of charge in the classifieds section.
The following persons are available to answer questions you may have regarding technical issues and advice. Where possible, I have indicated any specialist areas of information which they can deal with. I am grateful to those people who are willing to lend their time and share their knowledge.
| name and country | specialist areas | email address (replace ' at ' with '@') |
| Andrew McGraa (UK) | can provide help with all Renault models from the 80s and 90s | andrew.mcgraa at btinternet.com |
| Fernando Palma (Portugal) | can offer information in English, French and Spanish | fernandojrpalma at clix.pt |
| João Seabra (Portugal) | can offer information in French, Italian and Spanish | jseabra at oninet.pt |
| Bruce Pennell (UK) | R4GTL front suspension, brakes, seats etc. / importing LHD models to UK; English & French speaking | bruceorbren at onetel.net.uk |
| Daniel Roth (Switzerland) | knows about the R4 and its history - has done lots of restoration work | droth at suedostschweiz.ch |
| Agelos Markadonatos (Greece) | has been involved in R4 repair and restoration for several years | angelr4 at yahoo.com |
| Clementine The Cat (UK) | all-round R4 restorer with particular experience in chassis / suspension salvation, also known as Malcolm Vardy | clementine at renault4.co.uk |
If you would like to add your own name to this list, send me an email and I'll reply to you soon (address in the 'contact me' section).
Here's an introduction including some general information I've garnered about the R4.
 |  | First of all, when it comes to technical knowledge, the initial point of reference will be the handbook that comes with your vehicle. In the case of most R4s, it'll look something like this lovely pink thing, though perhaps not as battered as my copy, and contains basic advice and specifications. |
However, it is not particularly advanced and would be of little value to the more experienced mechanic, except as a basic reference. It is common for many owners to not possess this book, either because it's been lost or not provided by a previous owner. Further information can be obtained from a trusted workshop manual, such as the one shown at the top of this page, and it is always a good idea to acquire one of these, as it covers a whole range of issues from changing a wheel or topping up the oil, to releasing the pressure regulating valve assembly securing nuts. For your convenience, I've listed some general information about the R4 below. This has been compiled from various sources.
| engine | ||||||
| vehicle
model oval plate number | Basic/TL 1123 | GTL 1128 | F4 Van 2106 | F4 Van 210B/239B | F6/Pickup 2370/3C 2370 | F4/F6 210B-239B/2370 |
| engine
type (inline four, OHV) |
800
05 B1B | 688 12 C1E 14 |
800
05 B1B | C1E 18 | C1E 18 | C1E 14 |
| cubic capacity | 845 | 1108 | 845 | 1108 | 1108 | 1108 |
| bore and stroke (mm) | 58x80 | 70x72 | 58x80 | 70x72 | 70x72 | 70x72 |
| compression ratio | 8:1 | 9.5:1 | 8:1 | 8.3:1 | 8.3:1 | 9.5:1 |
| capacities (litres) | ||||
| engine (type) capacity |
(680/800) 2.5 | (688) 3.0 | (oil filter) 0.25 |
|
| gearbox
(type) capacity |
(313) 0.7 | (328) 0.85 | (334) 1.15 | (354) 1.8 |
| cooling
system capacity | (680
engine) 4.8 | (688
engine) 6.0 | (800
engine) 5.5 | |
| fuel
tank capacity | (up
to 1974) 26.5 | (1975
on) 34 | ||
| dimensions (mm) | ||||
| vehicle model | Basic/TL | GTL | F4 | F6 |
| length | 3,668 | 3,668 | 3,653 | 3,853 |
| width | 1,485 | 1,509 | 1,500 | 1,532 |
| height (empty) | 1,550 | 1,550 | 1,710 | 1,720 |
| wheelbase (left) | 2,401 | 2,401 | 2,401 | 2,521 |
| wheelbase (right) | 2,449 | 2,449 | 2,449 | 2,569 |
| track (front) | 1,280 | 1,280 | 1,280 | 1,280 |
| track (rear) | 1,244 | 1,248 | 1,244 | 1,248 |
| ground clearance (laden) under anti-roll bar | 0,175 | 0,175 | 0,140 | 0,140 |
| rear door width | 0,950 | 0,950 | 1,000 | 1,016 |
| rear door height | 0,860 | 0,860 | 0,938 | 0,920 |
| rear loading height with roof flap open | - | - | 1,120 | 1,120 |
| loading length (seat folded) | 1,090 | 1,035 | 1,090 | - |
| loading length (seat removed) | - | - | 1,300 | 1,490 |
| loading height | - | - | 1,150 | 1,200 |
| turning circle diameter (between kerbs) | 9,750 | 9,750 | 9,750 | 10,150 |
| turning circle diameter (between walls) | 10,100 | 10,100 | 10,100 | 10,750 |
| weights (kg) *with side windows | |||||
| vehicle
model (oval plate number) | Basic/TL | GTL | F4 (2106) | F4 (210B-239B) | F6 |
| kerb weight | 665
(basic) 695 (TL) | 720 | 680 710* | 700 725* | 750 780* |
| max permissible weight | 1025 | 1050 | 1105 | 1150 1165* | 1220 |
| max front axle load | 500 | 520 | 520 | 520 540* | 570 |
| max rear axle load | 570 | 570 | 650 | 650 670* | 700 |
| max roofrack load | 60 | 60 | 60 | 60 | 60 |
| tyre inflation pressures (when cold) | |||
| vehicle model | Basic/TL/GTL | F4 | F6 |
| normal use (front) | 1.4 / 20 | 1.4 / 20 | 1.5 / 21 |
| normal use (rear) | 1.7 / 24 | 1.8 / 26 | 2.0 / 28 |
| fully laden/motorway use (front) | 1.5 / 21 | 1.5 / 21 | 1.6 / 23 |
| fully laden/motorway use (rear) | 1.8 / 26 | 2.0 / 28 | 2.2 / 31 |
| Note: the GTL models have a heavier engine and as such, tend to exert more pressure on the front wheels (sometimes creating a slight drooping appearance at the front of the car). In addition, modern tyres are usually made to higher specifications than they were many years ago when these inflation pressures were recommended. Consequently, you may find that the front tyres of your R4 look under-inflated using the figures above. It may be worth increasing them from the quoted 20/21 figure up to around 24/25, as with the rear tyres. However, doing so could have unpredictable results and is entirely at your own risk! | |||
Please note there may be discrepancies in some of the above statistics for very early or specialist models (such as 747cc and other less common engine types, Rodeo, Plein Air etc.) If anybody can supply all the information for these models, in either metric or imperial, I will be grateful.
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