This is a common problem with poorly maintained or overhauled rear calipers, and happens to many
little used cars. The subject however is too complex for an answer here. You can download my brake
booklet for a complete guide to the braking system and how to overhaul them properly, here:
Brake Booklet (includes part numbers - N.B.: you can get some spares through Renault - email me)
You could use the following numbers for cross-reference if you cannot obtain those brands.
-
Djet:
- Front: EBC DP150 (same as Renault R16 front '65-'67)
- Rear: EBC DP118 (same as Renault R10 rear '62-'75)
M530: - Front: EBC DP112 (Ferodo FDB21 or Mintex 1009 - same as Fiat 850 '68-'73)
- Rear: EBC DP130 (Ferodo FDB22 or Mintex 1008 - same as Autobianchi A111 '69-'73)
Bagheera (and Rancho front): - Front: EBC DP2104 (Ferodo FDB2 or Mintex MDB1002) Girling calipers.
- Rear: EBC DP2189 (Ferodo FDB106 or Mintex MDB1065)
Murena: - Front: EBC DP2317 (Ferodo FDB 235(A) or Mintex MDB1112)
- Rear: EBC DP2189 (Ferodo FDB 106(A) or Mintex MDB1065)
Although the Murena front and rear pads look similar, the rears must not be used in the
front. See this comparison image for why they will mount incorrectly.
Correct new Murena brake discs are 11mm thick. If you have a scored disc, the repair thickness is 10mm
and the minimum thickness is 9mm. Anything else is incorrect. You have to remove the hubs front or rear
to replace any disc as they are mounted to the rear of the hubs!
-
Espace 1 & 2:
- Front: Ferodo FDB 845 (for Lucas Girling calipers) or EBC DP2426
- Front: Ferodo FDB 393 (for DBA Bendix calipers) or EBC DP2545
- Rear: Ferodo FDB 114 (for those with rear discs - Quadra and V6)
(there is no EBC Greenstuff equivalent for the rear)
19mm and the minimum thickness is 18mm. Anything else is incorrect. These are mounted on the outside
of the front hubs.
For Bagheera, Murena and Espace rear calipers:
If you are not familiar with modern braking systems and particularly the rear calipers combined with
handbrakes, you may be unaware that you cannot simply push the pistons back in, when you want to fit
new pads. These pistons have to be screwed back in, because of the internal mechanism for self adjustment.
The technique requires initially pushing hard whilst rotating the piston clockwise, and once the piston has
started screwing back down the thread, maintain light pressure to screw fully in. The slot across the piston
face is for the tool to rotate it, and when the piston is fully in, this slot must be horizontal with the small
groove above the slot. This position is to allow any air in the fluid to be bled out, when bleeding the brakes.
The May 1977 Chrysler UK brochure and card shows four exterior colours for the Bagheera S. They were
Terre de Feu (rose metallic) and Orange Vulcain (non-metallic) with brown/white check seating and trim plus
Blanc Neve (non-metallic white) with green/white trim and Gris Electric (grey metallic) with blue/white interior.
Blanc Neve is Nitrolac 3321, Orange Vulcain is Nitrolac 3362, Terre de Feu is Verilac 8360 and Gris Electric
is Verilac 8361. Cars were offered at £5370.30 incl. taxes for a standard LHD car. RHD conversions were
approximately £600 extra.
A special edition Courrèges model was possibly the first mono-colour car being finished all over in a satin
white including exterior mirrors, wipers, wheels etc. The 'leather look' interior was actually stitched vinyl.
They were produced in 5 colours originally with brown interiors: a check pattern cloth seating in 1.6 models,
and a plain colour buttoned style velour material in 2.2 models. The letter codes are Talbot paint codes.
They were: Platine (gold) (PFV), Corail (rose) (PNW), Vert Hudson (dark green) (PJV) and Bordeaux (red)
metallic colours plus Blanc Neve (white) (PWY) with brown/white check (1.6) or brown/honey velour interiors.
For 1982 models the Bordeaux colour was dropped and they added Rouge Mephisto (red) (PSX) non-metallic
and Titane (silver) (PKY) metallic with grey/white check or black/grey velour trim, which was also now the
interior colour for the white cars. Later still they dropped the Platine and Corail colours, and added the non-
metallic Jaune Mimosa (yellow) (PCX), plus two metallics: Cannelle (bronze) (PVV) and Bleu Colombia. The
blue is a puzzle since the name Colombia is not listed in the Talbot codes of that period and the colour has
a Verilac label (metallic) yet a Nitrolac type number (normally non-metallic). Does anyone have a complete
original label from which they can supply a copy? There were a few cars sprayed Black (PXY) to special
order. Finally, 'S' models were only available in Red, White, Blue or Silver all with black/grey interiors.
Paint manufacturer codes were - Nitrolac (non-metallics): 3321 white, 3401 red, 3403 black, and 3405 yellow;
and Verilac (metallics): 8391 Green, 8392 Corail, 8393 Platine, 8403 Titane, 8404 Cannelle, 8405 Bordeaux, and
Bleu Colombia 3404. The bronze 2.2 cars had a brown/black diagonal striped velour trim as did the 1983
green 2.2 cars. The blue and yellow 2.2 cars, like the '83 2.2 red, white and silver cars, had a grey/black
diagonal striped velour, in place of the plain buttoned velour.
Back to top
Both my dip and main beam come on together. What is wrong?
The Bagheera and Murena headlamp lift/lower mechanisms are vacuum operated and are very similar, but the
Bagheera used a rear chassis cross-tube as a vacuum reservoir whilst the Murena has a proper reservoir tank (in
ABS plastic). In all other respects they are virtually the same. There is a bar linking the two headlamps so both
must go up or down together and you will not get 'one up, one down' like you used to see with Lotus Elans!
There is an emergency manual cable to pull the lamp pods up in case of system failure, but this will only work if
the vacuum is not trying to pull them down! If this is the case, then you must disconnect the vacuum pipe from
the operating valve and block it off. The cable is near the left of the steering column under the dash, although
not all Bagheera have this emergency cable. Also note that Murena have a headlamp raised/bonnet release
interlock. This (if it is working!) is to stop you opening the bonnet whilst the headlamps are up, as the bonnet
would foul the headlamp pod inner edges as you lifted it, causing paint and body damage. If your interlock is
not working please be aware of this point.
Since the vacuum is taken from the inlet manifold, if there is an air leak anywhere in the system the engine will
also run poorly owing to the leak causing a weak mixture. This can happen particularly on Bagheera owing to
corrosion around the end caps of the cross-tube reservoir, but it can also leak at the operating valve, the servo, or
any of the rubber joints, especially if these are still original! (look for splits or cracks in the rubber). To check if
the system is air tight, try switching the lights on a day or two after the engine was last run. If there is no
vacuum left in the system to lift the lights, there is a leak. If the headlights only lift when the engine is running,
you definitely have a leak! If the light pods seem very loose or bounce slightly (from closed) when the car goes
over bumps I would suspect you have a broken ball socket somewhere in the linkage. Check the short links to
each headlamp and the sockets on the servo and rod. The sockets are plastic and may have cracked. The lift/lower
double acting servo is mounted under the front left on the chassis near the front wheel. The operating valve is
mounted in the front compartment under the bonnet, in the centre rear on a Bagheera, and on the left on a
Murena (which can be under a cover) and is a white plastic valve with operating solenoid on one end. This often
leaks but may only need stripping, cleaning, and reassembling. However, never oil the operating pin as this will
only cause dirt to stick to it and make it worse. It should be clean, dry and free to move in the solenoid/valve.
If you have both dip and main beams coming on together, you probably have a diode shorted out. The headlamp
pods have to be up for both beams, so the lift/lower solenoid needs to be operated for both switch positions, yet
they must be electrically separated to prevent any backfeed from one circuit to the other. The diodes provide the
answer. If both beams are operating together, the most obvious cause is a failed diode so check these first.
