IT RUNS! Renault Fuego is Alive Again... Sort of! Now WHAT?!?

#2 IN FUEGO SERIES: This quirky little 1982 Renault Fuego RUNS again! BUT this just exposed a whole new set of problems. What did we find and see what happens to vintage cars when they get forgotten in a garage and never driven. ➡️🎥 FIRST FUEGO VIDEO: • Why Won't This Fabulou...
CITROËN VIDEO #1: • OOH LA LA, I bought Ho...
CITROËN VIDEO #2: • My '69 Citroën DS can ...
CITROËN VIDEO #3: • $4K in parts finally a...
CITROËN VIDEO #4: • What's up with the '69...
CITROËN VIDEO #5: • Road Test Time! Finall...
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#carrepair #carwizard #carmechanic #autorepairshop #automobile #cars #car #fuego #renault #renaultcars #80scars

[@TheSaabClinicUK]

The Fuego oil pressure gauge is also Oil Level. When you turn the ignition on it should be maxxed out indicating the oil level is ok. Then once started it becomes oil pressure reading. (ive owned 2 Fuego's)

[@yngveamundsen5184]

Yea, this is a common feature on French cars from that time, I had the same function on my Citroën BX 19 GTI 16Vs.

[@gillesherambourg1499]

Indeed it is an oil level gauge, not oil pressure

[@NeedsmoreCowbell72]

Same as on my Renault 21 TXI and 25 GTX as well as my Peugeot 306 GTI-6 and 406 coupe.

[@davewitthaus1445]

Correct. I bought a Fuego new in ‘82. The oil level guage was very uncommon back then. It was fairly accurate, but still checking the dipstick is a must. (My current BMW does not have a dipstick, just a set of bars that show oil level. I’ve had the car for quite awhile, with no problems, but it still scares me not to be able to look at the oil/ oil level.)

[@CheapBastard1988]

​@@yngveamundsen5184Those are cool cars, but very rare these days.

[@16Tango]

Last year my 16 year old son found a $500 86 SAAB 900 Turbo that didn't run but looked nice and was rust free for the most part. He really wanted it for his first car so I told him we would buy it but that I was not going to rehab it on my own, he had to put as much work into it as I did and that it was going to take some time. We bought the car and it took us about 8 months of working weekends to get it running and driving. There were a few times when my son got depressed the car was taking so long but now we are down to a handful of electrical things and he has been driving it and it was a great experience working and hanging out with him.

[@t.h.9187]

Cool! I have some Saab 900 Turbo, but one 4-Door Sedan from 82 I forgot about and parked it in my barn. My 18 year old doughter asked me, If we could bring this thing back to life. We worked on it last sommer and it is now her first car!

[@Justin-v5m9z]

You would think it would take less time to put it all back together No no that is mistake 🎉

[@christopherclarke5978]

The European Fuego looked alot nicer on the front end with flush headlights and nice bumpers

[@organiccold]

Yes indeed

[@dosgos]

I thought Renault did a nice job with both headlight schemes.

[@21Piloteer]

@JosefSučmadik It's still a POS.

[@MrDuncl]

Fun fact: In the U.K. there are 300 times more Jaguar E Types on the road than Fuegos. Go back to 1995 and there were three times as many Fuegos as E Types. Of course the E type is considered to be a classic worth restoring while the Fuego was something you traded in for a Toyota Celica when you could afford it.

[@cancracker]

Definitely needs to go back to euro spec

[@elgener4l]

Where i live (Argentina) the Fuego and the Peugeot 505 (that you have on the back) flooded the streets in the mid 80s and 90s. There are still a lot of them still running and are considered "classics"

[@richcoleman469]

@@elgener4l I had a Honda, Fiat, 3 Peugeots, Dodge Coronado, Fairlane and a Hyundai H1 over.my 26 years in Argentina. Saludos

[@youtuber5709]

Yes and the Argentinian and the French versions look a lot better than than the US versions .

[@11sfr]

They were built in Córdoba until 1993, some 6 years after production stopped in France, last factory in the world that built new Fuegos

[@cliclactube]

I'm french, living in France, and i don't remember the last time i've seen a Fuego on the road ... they're pretty rare these days ! Well done Wizzard ;)

[@davidhunt240]

@@cliclactube I guess it depends on where you are in France. Fuegos rusted out really quickly, a trait shared with the R18. South of France, there are probably quite a few around. Northern/central France the road salt would have killed the unprepared cars. The engines are good, but noisy.

[@ormstownsown]

On Renaults of this period the oil needle shows the engine oil level when the ignition is on but the engine is off. It shows the oil pressure when the engine is running. So your gauge is working correctly.

[@module79l28]

Not only of that period, my father had a '95 Laguna 2.0S with it and I believe they still used it well into the 2000's. I hope the Wizard reads your comment because it would be one less "problem" to deal with.

[@stacymcmahon453]

But it went all the way to the left when he started the engine. So he has no oil pressure?

[@Google_Is_Evil]

On the Fuego, it was only on the GTS. It was on slightly later models that this became more common. Nevertheless, you got it right for this car.

[@davidburrus9813]

My high school French teacher had one of these. As an aspiring teenage car enthusiast I asked her how she liked it. "I think they drank too much wine when they built mine." She had a lot of problems with it. This was 1986 or 1987. Love your channel, Car Wizard!

[@pfsantos007]

Dear Dad's: Take care of your cars. Cover them as needed, care for them, start them up. Maintain them. If you're not willing to do that, sell them to someone who will, or scrap them. Save your kids the trouble fixing something that may not be worth it except for sentimental reasons. - Regards, a Dad.

[@poireauer6517]

Great advice ! 👍👍

[@module79l28]

*Dads. Plurals have no apostrophe. 😉

[@jethrox827]

Thanks for the advice dude I'll make sure my built Evo 9 has fresh e85 and track wrap is in perfect condition, meanwhile I'll continue to help my son's do their oil changes and ongoing maintenance as they continue to sleep in, change jobs and complain about not having enough money 👍

[@watchinyoutube8919]

​@@module79l28"dear dad is"

[@This_man500]

If only my dad listened to this. I blew 2 or 3k getting his truck back up to it and I'm not done.

[@johanprins4415]

The first time I saw the Fuego was at an air show in the Netherlands where it was dropped from a helicopter as an introductory stunt. I thought the model awesome, but eventually, when I was old enough, I bought a Saab 9000, which I still drive.

[@MarcsGarage]

All Renaults up to the 90s when you start the car the oil pressure gauge goes all the way up or left as you said and then down to show you there is oil on it . It is like a check level . I love your channel ❤

[@tonerotonero1375]

French viewer here. Even in its home country, the fuego is getting rare. We see some during the nice summer season getting driven outside. These are now collectibles with its sibling, the renault 18. I think the bumpers and a couple of details, typical to this American version are even more rare to find .

[@dosgos]

Some great French engineering and design. Hope your auto industry rebounds.

[@enricomercado4671]

My father's Renault 17 Gordini coupe had a similar retractable fabric roof that can be covered with a factory included fiberglass rigid roof panel for quieter driving. I still remember him sometimes taking the Gordini out to pick me and my brothers from school, with its fabric roof drawn open. It was like having an open panoramic sunroof. My classmates thought it was the coolest car they ever saw back then!

[@themagus5906]

In the 70s in college my friend had a R17 Gordini. We used to throw beer bottles out of the roof at night while he was driving and smoking pot from a cigarette-holder. That car sucked. LMAO sorry! We usually rode around in our buddies' pro-street cars.

[@JeanpierreBeaufils]

Les Renault 17 Gordini sont très rares aujourd 'hui et très chères. Vos parents avaient de vraies raretés même à l'époque.

[@20CentMotors]

I tried one of those out from a used car lot. It was fun to drive but mostly I liked the mod design. I did not buy it, but I'm glad I looked.

[@organiccold]

Thats the oil level, not the oil pressure, is working ok. Is showing full when the ignition is on. And those US headlights look awful on it..but well i still like it 😂

[@JohnnyBfromPeoria]

Correct!

[@piet-heins.2708]

Not to mention the bumpers… :-(

[@bt6850]

Yes I owned one in Australia, oil level only but does not show pressure. My tach and Speedo used to sit in same position with ignition on (probably to let you know they’re operational) but would then move when engine running.

[@markmowbray1769]

Lights and numbers, shame. Great car.

[@dannork1240]

I still think these are fantastic looking cars. I nearly bought a triple black one in the late 80’s when it was just a used car and thinking “where am I gonna get parts” so I can’t imagine finding parts 35 years later…

[@davejones8612]

Wow, remember these. I had a Renault 18 Turbo, a 4 door saloon which basically had the same running gear as the Fuego, but a different body shell; in fact, I think the Fuego came after the 18 turbo. These were launched in 1979 and at the time, I think it was the first standard production, turbocharged 4 door saloon you could buy and for 1979, 120 bhp and 0-60mph in 8.5 seconds on virtually any car, was massive. They were way more advanced than any average car; fast, comfortable, reliable, had electric windows/central locking/power steering and plenty of non stop turbo power, all from just under a 1.6 litre OHV pushrod engine. My mate ran his with the temperature gauge off the clock going up a steep hill, as the fan relay had packed up and when we stopped, you could hear the water boiling in the engine block. I though it would be knackered, but we let it cool down a bit, carried on and it never blew the head gasket, in fact it never gave any mechanical trouble, ever. The only thing they would do was eat spark plugs if you didn't get the correct, temperature rated plugs. The only other car that came close for speed/refinement (for more money though) was a Saab 99 turbo, but the Renault 18 Turbo (and thus the Fuego) out accelerated the Saab in the 50-80mph bracket. I know, because mine was timed against a Saab 99 on a private race track, which was featured in Classic and Sports car magazine in the 1990's. Being a British model in the 1980's/90's, it was not fuel injected and did not have a cat like the U.S. versions, as we didn't have such restrictions back then. I bet the cat muffles the power, cancelling out any gain from fuel injection and making it similar performance to the Carburettor version. I have known 2 other 18 turbos/owners and they (and mine) all ended up with clutch failure above 80,000 miles, so seems to be a weak point; all 3 of them, the clutch pedal just locked solid and would not depress, although could still get gears and be driven without using the clutch pedal, so I don't know what sort of failure that is.???

[@BlackLines]

My dad has a 1984 Fuego Turbo in storage in black, with black interior (with red and grey stripes). It's a lovely car, big grey "turbo" sign down the bottom of the doors, and yellow fog lights.

[@antoniovillanueva308]

I knew a guy that kept one of these in his backyard to keep his Audi 100 from getting lonely.

[@indolentcheese]

There has never been any car designed, built or sold that will not turn into a money pit if you keep it long enough. Even the original Ford Model T which they built millions of will swallow up tons of money if you try to restore one let alone some obscure car built in Lower Slobbovia in the 1980's.

[@spikespa5208]

Haven't heard about Lower Slobbovia in decades. Not since their trade war with Elbonia in the '70s.

[@DSperation]

The speedo and tacho needles will have warped outwards and pressed against the clear plastic of the instrument cluster. Common problem on Renaults of that era, happened to my dad's 5 and 18. Glue a piece of wire or a cocktail stick on the back of them.

[@jeanmarcsilah6575]

The gauge is not for oil pressure it's for the level off the oil! I used to have many Fuegos when i was young ! Here in France this cars are actually kind off expensives and rare! Bonne journée from France

[@CarWizard]

Thanks!!

[@2rueblue]

It's amazing Bob found a rust free model, even back in their day they were rust buckets good looking card but the arse just rusted out of them over here in Scotland it's a shame as French cars are pretty advanced sadly they waited too long to address the rust issues. Love the show and also your other channel "can you believe that" all the very best from Scotland

[@noelmaguire8016]

Hi, FYI Renault fitted a oil level sensor to the dipstick cars of that era so you didn't have to lift the hood to check the oil level. I used to work on them with my cousin I'd do the mechanical repairs and an he did the bodywork. He had an approved auto body repair shop for insurance work. (sadly he passed away a few years ago.) I ran my own repair shop (one man show) and closed down when computers started being fitted to cars as the cost of buying equipment and renting software was too costly. I had a hard enough job getting paid for my time and having to put up my rates to cover the additional costs was a non starter, customers just would pay the extra. So I went into the taxi business. I still keep my hand on the spanners with my hobby of restoring vintage a classic tractors.

[@alaricjeard269]

The oil indicator on theses old Renault is actualy on oil level indicator, not a oil presure indicator :) And it only work when engine is not runing, so everythink is ok here.

[@swkohnle08]

Brings back memories. In 1984, I bought a brand-new 1984 Fuego from a local AMC dealer in New Hampshire. I loved it at the time. In 1986, I had an accident with it damaging the front end and left front fender. The car sat at the body shop for six months waiting for body and suspension parts from France to repair it. My insurance company did cover the damage, but I had to rent a car for six months and that was back in the 1980's. I cannot image what sourcing Fuego parts today would be like. I miss that old Fuego as I had a lot of fun driving it as a daily driver. I sold the car in a private sale in 1989 as car dealerships refused to take Renaults in trade even when trying to purchase a new car. AMC/Renault as a brand was done by 1987 in the US. Fuego, Alliance, Encores were all hard to get rid of in the late 1980's and 1990's. The Fuego was a fun car to drive back in the 1980's.

[@johnkendrick7304]

When you look under the hood to that Renault, that thing was really ahead of its time when you think about it

[@ben7020]

Absolutely, I was thinking that myself and comparing to 1986 RB Nissan stuff.

[@FransvandenBergeMuziekschuur]

I live in Europe. Even here it is very hard to find a Fuego with a turbo engine. Very very rare.

[@Nickos1b]

I concur, it is extremely rare. I wonder if it is somehow similar to the Renault 11 as it looks somewhat similar.

[@chrisraines5967]

It’s called a webasto sunroof Wizard. A lot of uk cars had them. For the rare days the sun shined!

[@feedingravens]

That is interesting. The only association I have to Webasto is that it was the leading manufacturer of add-on car heaters, with a clock mechanism to warm up engine and interior in the morning. I remember the cars then had a small additional exhaust and you could hear the burner working. With the winters getting warmer and more and more garage space, that it an ever-dwindling market... Googling it, I also learned that sunroofs are a major product of them (as your comment implies). And that Webasto's main location is right around the corner for me.

[@pavelpauliepetras]

@@feedingravens Webasto is doing a lot of things and one of them is roof structure (for cabrios f.e.), even on some current BMWs, they deliver glass roofs. On my E36 323ti compact (in US was sold only 318ti version) I have open air (california) roof from Webasto. System is very similar to this one on Fuego. And wind noise reduction is surprisingly good

[@robertlipham834]

This is a real trip down memory lane. My parents went from a “77” thunderbird with I believe a 400 cubic inch to a Renault Encore. It was so weak that we had to turn off the air like hitting a NOS button to pass someone on a two way road. My dad of course wanted the Fuego but my mom vetoed that for the more “family” Encore. Love the content…👍🏻

[@crittercherry3800]

I wish I had looked at the A/C button like that back then. It would have made the embarrassing need for more power almost palatable. My first car was an '84 Mitsubishi Colt with a NA 1.4 liter making a mighty 51 hp. Most all of those came with an extra shifter to alter the power ratio. It was needed.

[@facundosimes6805]

Hey CarWizard! These were quite popular back home in Argentina, especially the 2.2litre 4cil “GTX” top of the line version, red paint and sporty red leather seats! It was kinda the DeLorean for the bachelors at the time❤🎉

[@galeng73]

On top of all the degredation that happens due to sitting idle, your barn-find treasure was parked for a reason. Most of the time, it wasn't put in the barn and forgotten. It was put in the barn and left there because it was broken.

[@joeboucher2430]

Wizard that's not an oil pressure gauge it's an oil level gauge. My spouses Renault Alliance also had one. It only works when the car is cold and not running but it was the best thing about the car.

[@LI-FLKayakFisherman]

My father bought every one he could because he felt the seats were the most comfortable of any car. He paid next to nothing for most of them. He kept them running by scavenging parts among his collection. No one wanted to work on them and he had the patience to troubleshoot the various problems. When he passed in 2002 we had to dispose of at least five, three were turbos and as I recall we ended up taking them to the junkyard because there was no market for them.

[@fortheloveofnoise]

Too bad I was 7 in 2002, I woulda took um all

[@cryo4o]

My grandfather had one of those. I forgot such cars existed… amazing find man !

[@miguelsmith9622]

After they are done, the car needs the euro headlights, that will change completely the look of it

[@plunder1956]

Perhaps they were more popular in Europe, I remember seeing them in London. Many other Renault designs were very popular in Britain in the 90s

[@martindeewan686]

I find it funny in USA that car is somehow rare, I saw one here in Buenos Aires today, it was very popular here 35 years ago and there are a lot still working fine.

[@MrDuncl]

There are now 300 times more Jaguar E Types than Renault Fuegos here in the U.K. Between 1994 and 2004 the number of Fuegos dropped from 5415 to 100. Almost certainly due to failing annual safety inspections when the rust got too bad.

[@markkussusa]

Isn't the fuego just a variant of the Renault 18? We used to have a 505 when I was a kid... The older version of the one you've got sitting there. Such a spacious car. Learned to drive on it, and took it into town whenever, with my dad's driver license (proof that it wasn't stolen. You know most cops posted at major crossroads, and you tip them when money's not tight. Take care of 'em, they take care of you. It takes a village!) Then we had a 3 door R-5. Cute lil' beast. Intuitive. Responsive. Tight in turns. Lots of teen love adventures. Good times!

[@HowardLeVert]

I always called them the "18 Coupé"!

[@futurepath]

Apparently, to save money, the rpm gage is connected directly to the speedometer in the back with a belt. So get this up to speed and you should see the rpm come up

[@rustychrome]

Those had some funky radiator hoses with built in air vent valves to burp any air pockets. You can see one of them in the video.

[@nzrhysco]

The plastic gauge needles have warped from the heat. Very easy to remove the cluster and the cover to replace. Take note that they never pointed to "0" even when new. Check some old photos for correct positions.

[@nzrhysco]

@@realcarwizard_Tele.gr.a-m you're welcome. Be careful if you do remove the clear plastic cover to get to the needles - it can crack if you're rough. The needle should look like it's "resting" on the top of the "0" on the speedo & tacho.

[@richardcorner9262]

Peugeot,Renault, Citroen you are now the French wizard

[@guzzijack9714]

Apparently Hoovie has been pronouncing "weeeezard" correctly all along.

[@o.c.smithiii2626]

Magicien des voitures

[@guzzijack9714]

@@o.c.smithiii2626 Merci.

[@gearjunkie3402]

I worked at an AMC dealer and did a lot of work on these. Also worked on DeLorean, Jeep, Chrysler, Datsun/Nissan ,Toyota , Chevy, etc.

[@cliftonsheldon9134]

The seats are awesome!

[@joevenuti1201]

My dad had one of those... the turbo lag on that 1.6 liter turbo was RIDICULOUS. The plumbing for the intake charge went an absurd distance to the little intercooler and then back to the intake plenum. Just a stupid placement.

[@bryancohn9406]

There are engine codes in Renault, Peugeot, Citroen and other cars pre-OBDI, it has to do with the ignition light flashing in certain cycles. You might see it flash 3 times then pause then once more or flash 4 times, etc. etc. Those flashes correspond to a code that will be noted in the repair manual and since you mentioned having the manual........The Michelin TRX tires come from Coker Tire and they used to be damn expensive. I believe those are 360mm size, the other size being the larger 390mm as used on some early Fox body Mustangs, Peugeot, Renault, BMW and so on. Brakes will be shared with other Renault and European cars most likely. For example the calipers used on the Peugeot 505 are shared with Porsche 944's when they are vented rotors up front. I am sure the Fuego is similar in that it shares brake parts with other cars.

[@TheJosephhomere13]

This was my dad’s first car (before coming to America) these cars are much older than me but he spoke about it fondly.

[@tjroelsma]

If I'm not mistaken it has the magnesium wheels. Those are tricky: torque to spec, drive a couple of miles to warm them up and then torque to spec again. Forget the second step and the wheel(s) WILL come off.

[@steveshoemaker6347]

Thank you David......From an Old F-4 Phantom pilot Shoe🇺🇸

[@raydemos1181]

A friend of mine had a AMC ranault Dashier in the 1980s

[@PieterBreda]

When I'm in the deep south France, I occasionally see one. Cars are as a general rule not a status symbol in France. They mostly keep their cars until they are completely rusted through and broken.

[@HowardLeVert]

The sound of that running takes me back to the mid-80s when I owned a Renault 18. Two things come to mind with this car - one, it looks to be sitting rather high and two, it would be interesting to compare a European Fuego Turbo with this US-spec one.

[@davidjones332]

I'm not certain, but they may have had to jack the suspension up to meet US bumper-height regs. that certainly happened to some other imported cars.

[@DucatiPaso750]

I'm interested in how this Fuego turns out. I was a huge fan of Renault 12s and 18s from the 1980s when I lived in Mexico.

[@davidhunt240]

The R12 was very moddable, a Douvrin (J type) engine with some Gordini bits, all round discs and suspension mods made for a very fast and nimble car, all with 12TS insurance. Left Escort RS2000s for dead 😝 good fun car until it got hit by a truck whilst parked next to a wall (eek!) I got into building a R21 Quadra after that. Fun times! Although I wouldn't touch a Renault these days.

[@petersteen4014]

My champagne gold '83 GTS was a steal at AUD$11000 [US$6500] and drove beautifully. The normally-aspirated, two liter engine only baulked at cold starts when the PRV alliance at the time gave this Fuego an abomination of Volvo's idea of a carburetor. Two years later, after 50000 kilometers, an AUD sale price of $10900 was still impressive !

[@markthomas4372]

As an old minitrucker, that sliding ragtop is pretty cool. But, you know it leaks like crazy

[@svbarr]

I knew a guy in So Cal who bought a new Renault LE CAR new. The thing was such a dog and had so many problems he took it to a pro body shop and had LE TURD stenciled where LE CAR had been - same color/graphic, etc... he drove it for a few years and people would laugh out loud when they saw it drive by. Hell hath no fury like a new car buyer scorned...

[@robertmoffett3486]

Well at least it was good for something. As I remember, they didn't misrepresent what it was. The name almost said it all, which wasn't much. His correction was perfect

[@dB_944]

This episode was on fire!! 🔥🔥🔥

[@o.c.smithiii2626]

Good one!

[@markredf150]

"This place doesn't seem to have a temperature!" - Ron White

[@johnross775]

Good stuff as always ty.

[@jeffreymoorbeck5039]

Great video, Wizard. So many people underestimate the cost and amount of labor involved in restoration. You see so many youtube videos where they get a vehicle running but then stop and don't go into what more is involved to make sure it is safe and dependable.

[@gregedmand9939]

A garage like Omega, pays huge monthly premiums for liability insurance. If they allow something on the road that can't be certified to meet the local safety standards and someone gets hurt or worse: it will literally put them out of business. Because after paying out damages, the insurer will either refuse to cover Omega in the future or raise premiums high enough to push them away. I don't blame him in the least for turning away 99% of old cars people want restored on the cheap. Especially cars that have already had one or more sets of unknown hands working on it.

[@johnboynb]

I knew a guy who LOVED these cars. Back in the 1900's he had 2 of them (he was single), and he had owned 3 before that. I seemed to remember that he had a hard time getting parts then too.

[@jaybeemhardscrote7466]

Back in the 1900s?? Weird way of saying that

[@RogerStephensTheWrenchMonkey]

Nice to see a Fuego again. Used to live in England. Had many Citroens, Renaults and Peugeots over the years. My favourite was the Citroen CX Familial 8 seater.

[@carlnilssonyoung8961]

as an ex owner of this fun little sport car, i'm so happy u made it reborn. the roof rail is very easy to derail indeed. i bought it in quebec in 1989 very good in snow with winter tires. just the electrical stuffs n gear box are prone to problems.

[@Terramoto73]

These Renaults were everywhere in Venezuela, in the 80s and 90s. Fast little cars.

[@edwardnizza9620]

That oil gauge on the lower part of the dash is actually, believe it or not, the oil level. I had one of these cars back in 1989.

[@Google_Is_Evil]

The oil thing in the dash showing super high without the engine running is the "oil level gauge". It is supposed to display the oil level in the engine so you don't have to get out, open the hood and dipstick the oil. Special feature only on the GTS.

[@remipersonne1375]

Hello Wizard ! You have a calm voice that is pleasant to listen to, and it is truly a pleasure to follow your videos! And thank you also to your associate :)

[@chrisjeanneret5091]

My Dad had an '82 non-turbo. All that turbo plumbing looks frightening. I remember reading somewhere a description of Renault as the GM of France. Probably fair in the 80's (I own a '03 Saturn which has been a decent car).

[@nicosuj]

With that Renault Fuego and the Peugeot 506 there, makes me travel to 90s Argentina (Those fuego where everywhere, in worse condition that these)

[@fscottgray9784]

I bought one of these new when they first came out. I ama big guy and it had good room and was fun to drive. Manual with the 1.6 turbo. After I had a a few years my dad loved it so much he bought it for his motorhome car. I remember one road running at 80 mph to Reno I got 39 mpg. It got great gas mileage. It never gave me any problems but after it was sold toa third owner the turbo went out.

[@license2kilttheplaidlad640]

Idle issue may be an " Idle air stabilizer" which may have perplexed the previous owner and become the root cause of the missing vacuum lines.

[@leonm6969]

They sold the fuego in the states?? Never knew that!

[@briandurning9211]

Thanks for the update! I appreciate you setting expectations for people who dream of bringing something back to life but discover that it can be a money pit.

[@Jetes233]

The first car I owned. Electrical always on and off but I loved that car.

[@etechjd8260]

From France: my father bought an R18 at the time .....ran....and sold it quickly for a Ford Taunus and never looked back. From memory a friend of mine ( young driver) had a Fuego ( derived from the R 18 ) and had a few problems. From my personal experience I had a Renault Espace and it was really good , reaching 300 K miles. So I guess you need to be a bit of a mechanic and patience but it could be good fun to own this rare car.

[@thomaswarner3060]

I worked at a very busy Shell station in the 80's/90's. A car exactly like that, burning oil, abruptly swung into the first parking spot near the road, the owner came in for oil, shortly after walking back to the car, it was on FUEGO. That was one of three car fires at this station in a 5 year period.

[@enricomercado4671]

I think the Fuego used the same platform as the Alliance, as also sold by AMC back then. Parts for the Alliance might be easier to find, as they sold much more of them than the Fuego.

[@Hugo_Rocker]

I had a friend in college who had one of these. I am 6'2 and fit just fine. I think the seat goes up and down , much like a Saab.

[@daviddennis8310]

David, ohms are a measure of resistance, instead of saying it has the same ohm reading, you should say it has the same measure of resistance as the original. Nerdy, I know, but it is more specific. BTW, big fan of you and your channel.

[@zaphodbeeblebrox6627]

Hi wizard, I recently had to scrap a perfectly good Renault 9 sedan in London due to ULEZ ( ultra low emission zone). My car came from the same era as this Fuego and I can tell you that on Renault models of this era the oil gauge does this. When you turn on the ignition it gives you an oil level indication via a sensor in the sump. It went across to the right to say it's fully topped up, then when you start the car it goes back to zero. Sometimes that gauge may have another function, but in this case I think it's just an automatic dip stick.

[@DrDiplMed]

The 2.2 was the better engine and the better car. I was a test driver / technician at AMC-Jeep-Renault in the mid 80s. I had an '84 2.2 manual trans and the worst thing that ever happened was a bad coil; 1-2 synchros wore out pretty fast). Many smaller easy to fix issues (alternator brushes, having to shim the rear taillamp assemblies with clear tap to enable contact with the copper paint & bulbs, stuffing dumb-dumb into the A-pillars at the plenum, pipe cleaners & wire to clear sunroof drains, etc., etc.). It was an exec's car that I bought for almost nothing, drive for many miles, sold to another test technician who drove it many more miles. Generally a very comfortable, capable car for the time.

[@Thedaleb1]

I had a 1980 Mk1 scirocco when I was a senior in high school (class of 88), it was metallic grey with a red Interior . I put a monza exhaust on it with two chrome tips that pointed up at an angle it was cool. I ruined the motor because I was 18.

[@jordanrudler2120]

The oil gauge can do both oil level and oil pressure. The indicator shows the oil level when the ignition is on but the engine is off, And when the engine is on it should show the oil pressure unless the vehicle is not equipped with an oil pressure sensor

[@dodgeplow]

The Wizard's shop doesn't work on older, hard-to-find-parts-for, cars. He's told us several times.

[@timmccabe8555]

I had the same issue trying to fit into the Fuego with the sunroof, my head didn't completely stick out, but the top of the roof was at about nose level. Our coveralls were bright orange back then, so you felt like a giant road pylon when you were road testing the car. One of those vacuum solenoids on the Firewall is actually a pressure sensor (for boost) and controls the fan on the intercooler. I don't remember which one (it's been almost 4 decades since I worked at Renault :) ), but you can get catastrophic engine damage if the fan does not work.

[@ignacioibarra5770]

My father in Argentina had 3 of those, really nice car

[@ThePauljamin]

je confirme ,je suis de France et j'ai exactement le même model , en phase 2 , 136A toute option couleur "sépia", et les pièces sont introuvables !

[@carlcarlamos9055]

Wow, Bob got one with all the options, hence all the complications. My Mother-In-Law had one the same color. No turbo,or TRX tires and wheels,or roof hatch. Unfortunately hers had the automatic transmission. When I came on the scene, they had recovered the car from a transmission shop that had it for about a year or year and a half, and had gone out of business. Evidently, in all that time, it was only collecting dust. The problem was the transmission was electrically controlled. Not electronically, electrically. The cover for the electrics was plastic which was old, brittle, cracked, and might have been missing some pieces. Basically cleaning all the connections put it back in working order, but not perfect. A little attention to the cover and pm to the engine, and it was a driver again. This was about 26 years ago, and you were on your own then, so Bob had better make some friends in South America or France. Thanks much for the video. Take care. P.S. Your shop looks uncharacteristically empty.

[@jdear97]

I had a 96 VW Cabrio that I took off the road in 2014 when it stopped running. I made a repair by replaceing the top end and the timing belt, found a bad coil. Got it running and found bad O2 sensors. Stripped out the O2 sensor and it sat again. Went to get it running again and needed to replace the Fuel Pump and sending unit. Got it running and had a bunch of codes I couldn't get cleared. Sat for another year and the brakes seized up. After 10 years, I decided to just let it go. Bought a running driving VW Beetle Cabriolet, It still needs work, but it is running and I get to enjoy it. I would have loved to get the Cabrio going, but it was going to take way too much to make it safe to drive.

[@AnonyMous-lk2ns]

I see that early-80s Imperial in the background. I loved that design (although I know that's probably a minority opinion). Are you going to do a video on that one?

[@markeissler9255]

Very interesting video. I was working at the AMC Engine Plant in Kenosha, Wisconsin in the mid / late 1980's. Renault had invested heavily in AMC prior to me joining the company. (The facility performed final assembly on the AMC Alliance.) One of our executives had chosen the Feugo as his assigned car. I had to go to a supplier in the area and I drove his Fuego for the trip. That was fun a car to drive! It was my first experience with a turbo charged car. I know others have criticized the car's looks, but I think it still looks pretty good.

[@SummitHill79]

Hey, I’ve got a 1998 Mercedes SLK that had been in storage with 1K miles on the clock in AZ until 3 summers ago. After updating all fluids and tires, it now has 15K miles on the odo. Nothing is leaking. It runs and drives spectacularly.

[@paulf4424]

There's actually workshop manuals still available through Haynes in the UK or on PDF.

[@liesdevos4651]

For me it is so incredible I can watch a Fuego in the US ! My swimming trainer had this car, I remember to be so impressed with electric windows, at that time in France it was pretty rare !

[@Hamsteak]

It's colder at the Car Wizards shop than it is here inSouthernn Ontario ❄️🌨🥶🥶

[@Russellhawker]

That's great. Dad had a metallic blue Fuego 2.0 GTX. I thought it was awesome at the time (1984 aged 14). But later he said it was an absolute nightmare. The sunroof and rear hatch he couldn't stop leaking, nor could Renault. Endless problems with the electrics. So he replaced it with a new VW Scirocco. Unfortunately he test drove a model without a sunroof, then ordered it with a sunroof. At 6'3" he couldn't fit in.

[@o.c.smithiii2626]

In High School, my buddies and I used to visit the local showrooms and check out the new cars. We had a dealer that had one just like that. I remember sitting in one, and noticing it was an awkward car to get into, and it felt flimsy. I’m quite surprised that one of those survived in such awesome shape. Back then, I wasn’t too far from average height and weight. I can’t imagine a large feller trying to squeeze in and out of one of those. Good luck sorting that French Rube Goldberg device that controls the engine. If you are lucky enough that your shop manuals have vacuum routing, might as well fire the parts cannon at those vacuum lines(at least the tubing) - then chasing gremlins might be semi manageable.

[@alexanderstefanov6474]

This was the first Renault that got a model name instead of a number

[@stephenholland5930]

Apart from the Dauphine and Caravelle of course...

[@scotttucker8127]

What an octopus nightmare of a car in the engine bay

[@heiner71]

You should google pictures of the modern Ford Bronco engine bay

[@scotttucker8127]

@heiner71 I wouldn't touch a Ford vehicle with a 10-foot Pole right now of any of their new vehicles

[@peterbutlien1335]

The worst part about spending lots of money getting everything working is that in the end, you have a working Renault.

[@svetoslavivanov7905]

Which is shit in the beginning

[@crittercherry3800]

I get nostalgia and all but I agree about spending that kind of money on a more special car. A safer car. Something that didn't have such an anemic engine.

[@spikespa5208]

The French don't copy anyone. And no one copies tne French.

[@cedhome7945]

Only just better than walking and nobody wants to seal it

[@CedricFlavien-bd8vc]

Renault is verry safety cars , look Renault espace vs Land rover discovery crash, and little Renault modus vs Big Volvo 940 crash,, Renault is juste easy and safe cars , but beauty or ugly

[@gearjunkie3402]

One place we get fuel tanks in New York is called the tank bank. They have a website. Sending units, filler necks etc.

[@darrenschmitz2712]

Good idea to test brakes for a car that has been off the road for a while. I had just gotten a 69' Vette running again after being 10 years off the road and idled to end of the driveway for a test drive. I figured I should test the brakes, they were rock hard for the moment and then went to floor, found later all the seals blew out! I then idled back into the garage for all new brakes thankful this didn't happen on the road.

[@boyddubard4197]

The Fuego is a US emissions legal Renault 18. I had one back in Spain 30 years ago. Any UK auto parts store will have oem parts.