Montanas Deep Black 197

Hi all,

After my recent wanted ad and first post about going from an E46 to 197,and armed with the knowledge about gearbox issues, blowing manifold flexi's, clunking steering and the importance of a cambelt change, i finally made the plunge and picked this up on Monday 8)

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Black wasnt my first choice, i think it looks understated on first glance (especially with the silver speedlines) but looking at the paintwork it has lovely metallic flecks.

Bank holiday monday came and i didnt waste any time with my new car ritual of a basic service;
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Changed engine oil, filter, pollen filter, air filter and gearbox oil and had a good check of the suspension, brakes and underneath (always a nervous time for a new owner). Didnt get chance to use my antifreeze tester as i shattered the glass when trying to set it up (cut my finger good too!).

First impressions - its a very different place to be than the old E46 (to be expected), reminds me very much of my old 182 / 172 (which is a good thing).

No major plans, but after having a good look around it on Monday i have drawn up a list;

1. Brembos - these seem 'grabby' at slow speeds, i am thinking there is a siezed piston somewhere (the brakes are very good). The discs and pads are in good order, i have ordered some replacement pins and new brembo stickers. Thinking of re-painting in yellow as they are currently a flaky black

2.Replace air box as its currently drilled. Had a price from Renault of £71 inc vat - if anyone has one drop me a pm.

3. Have a blow behind the centre silencer (looks like the original 1 piece system is still on) along with a fubar'd center rubber mount. Plan to replace the mount (ordered one today) and unsure what to do about the blow (read the threads about cutting it out and replacing with straight pipe - unsure at the moment). May also fit exhaust tips to the rear. Any tips on which ones to get?

4. Full polish and wax, as being black has some swirling etc. I am no detailer but happy to give my DAS6 a whirl to tidy things up, Poorboys black hole and some Collinite to finish.

5. Grilles / Diffuser - these have been painted black (which i can understand) but the finish isn't the best, so will probably get these re-done.

Comments welcome :tongueout:roud:
 
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:welcome: along..
looks like you know what the next step is..good thing you have changed the gearbox oil..have the same one in and can only recommend..
you can get some tips from ebay..like most of us did..
cool looking car and them silver speed lines..dont see that often
 
Looks really good mate. Silver speedlines, not very common!

Renault wolverhampton might do you a cheaper airbox, drop them a thread in there section.


Cant go wrong with PB black hole, awesome stuff!
 
:welcome: along..
looks like you know what the next step is..good thing you have changed the gearbox oil..have the same one in and can only recommend..
you can get some tips from ebay..like most of us did..
cool looking car and them silver speed lines..dont see that often

Cheers, what size do i need ?

Looks really good mate. Silver speedlines, not very common!

Renault wolverhampton might do you a cheaper airbox, drop them a thread in there section.


Cant go wrong with PB black hole, awesome stuff!

Yeah dropped RW a PM yesterday, will see what they come back with.

Very nice mate, not see speedline in sliver before. Get it tyres dressing to looks better!

They were originally black but have been refurbed in silver, I love a bit of tyre gel (Megs) and will get some on when i clean it, pics above were just after picking it up.
 
As mentioned ive never seen silver speedlines on a road car and ive seen alot of clios haha. Nice! I like it other than the headlights, they're so white/silver against the black!
 
Did a few minor jobs on the 197 earlier.

Removed the airbox as I wanted to grease the gear linkage on top of the gearbox. It's a bit clunky going in reverse.

All greased up!

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The greasing made an instant difference in the smoothness of engaging reverse.

Next job was to clean the throttle body , I didn't fully remove it from the engine due to the connector being stubborn , managed to give it a good clean though.

BEFORE
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AFTER
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Throttle body and airbox back in no issues , however I cannot fathom how to get the battery surround back in place , the space is so tight ! Any tips ?

My brembo pins & stickers have arrived , so next job is to get them stripped , cleaned and lubed up :smile:
 
Done a few jobs on the 197 over the past few days.

Job 1 - Replaced the drilled airbox lid with a non-drilled item, cheers [MENTION=52258]Wells[/MENTION]
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Job 2 - Replaced the engine mount (torque arm) with a Powerflex item, a slight increase in vibration but its not an issue. Cured the jerk i was getting when releasing the throttle.
The retaining collar was stubborn to remove and i managed to scratch my Renault Sport engine emblem in the process, which didnt make me best pleased! No pictures of this as it was getting dark.

Job 3 - Replace the knackered exhaust middle mount, the old versus new is really night and day, looks like they revised the part too as the rubber on the new one is much tougher than the original one.
Old vs new one side
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Old vs new other side
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Fitted
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Job 4 - replace the passenger side courtesy light (as it was missing) - easy 1 minute job.
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Job 5 - Fit my exhaust tips (aka pea shooters), as recommended by [MENTION=41063]Pav[/MENTION] - cheers, much needed i think.
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Remaining job is service and paint the Brembos, happy with progress so far though. I will have to make a decision on the exhaust soonish as its blowing at the middle box and looks like its been repaired below (its blowing at the top of the picture where there is no extra weld). Dont particularly want much more noise but due to £££ may have to cut the middle box out to eliminate the blow , we will see
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The 197 is so much different to my previous E46 however it just begs to be driven and it holds the road brilliantly. My OH did comment how the drive is pretty stiff, which it is considering its on (probably tired) OE suspension.
 
good progress there mate..like what the car is becoming..those engine mounts need replacing now and then..
glad you happy with the tips..did you use 1 clamp on each or did you fit 2??
any reasons you swapped them air filter lids over??
 
good progress there mate..like what the car is becoming..those engine mounts need replacing now and then..
glad you happy with the tips..did you use 1 clamp on each or did you fit 2??
any reasons you swapped them air filter lids over??
I used one clamp on each, space was pretty tight , I felt it didn't need 2 as they were a snug fit anyway.

Swapped the airbox lid as I wasn't too keen on the extra noise knowing that I also had the blow on the middle pipe.
 
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Hi mate where did u get the new middle exhaust mount from if you dont mind me asking as mine is just about knackered
Yeah it's a Renault item, part number 206515699R. £8.23 plus vat. There is a bolt too which I bought and didn't need and that was £5.17 plus vat.
 
Small update. Due to the shocking weather we have had recently noticed my passenger footwell was wet after heavy rain on friday - after a bit of research realised it was due to blocked drain plugs under the scuttle panel.

Removed the scuttle panel and low & behold they were housing a small pool of water at either side of the engine bay.

Passenger side
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Driver side
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Doing some unblocking
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The pokey stick used
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All better and drained
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Followed up the unblocking with a good swill of boiling water down each side.

Took the oppourtunity to remove the plugs and give them a good clean up (it was needed) - good to see they are the correct type.
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