The Safrane.Info Forum!

thanks! I have checked the pipes, they are visible without taking off the plastic cover. both look like they have already been shortened, incoming one even has 2 clamps (type with screw which I think are not correct for this use) on it, but it is still leaking. have you replaced them maybe? I would do it for the peace of mind.

-24°C here and my Saf is coping with it nicely :) The heater is having hard time keeping the rear windows clear unless at full blow. I like studded winter tyres, and the Saf has my first studless ones. I hate them, but when it's cold and dry, they're ok on snow. Although it's cold, the conditions are pretty weird since there's no ice on the roads because it's been so dry so i haven't really gotten a chance to try flying my new french spaceship sideways

Well if you've found they are leaking then that is your petrol smell in the cabin.

It is possible that someone else has cut the pipe and replaced the clamps - or just put another clamp on hoping that would solve it - it is a common problem on the safrane (and possibly other cars). I also used a screw type clamp and it has worked well. When I had the engine out I did replace both of the fuel pipes so that it was a proper job instead of a bodge but again i still used the screw on clamps.

As for the fuel pipe being short, you may find that if yours is too short you will be forced to replace it. It joins onto another fuel connector just above the front subframe so you don't need to replace a pipe to the back of the car, just a short bit thats about 1.5 feet long... but with the engine and subframe in the way it can be a bit fiddly - not impossible though. Some people would say you should clamp the fuel line by the filter to stop petrol pouring out over you when you replace it. Be careful though as the fuel pipe on each side of the fuel filter is reinforced and difficult to replace - infact you may want to just run the engine until it runs out of petrol. The clips onto the filter are also special renault clips so the pipes to not pull off the filter like they do the engine - so do not break them. I think I'd opt to turn on the ignition and let the pump empty the tank into a jerry can - it might take a few minutes but its probably the safer bet.

Please don't lol.. they have terrible grip on ice... though i've never bought winter tyres etc and always used what the car came with... but after loosing grip in two safranes that was enough to convince me.

Almost -28°C this morning. I could keep my windows clear but my feet could have been warmer. It doesn't seem to blow well to the footwells. Don't know if the clutch on my 2.5 manual is hydraulic or operated by cable but it took almost 2 seconds for the pedal to get up so there was no chance for rapid accelerations :D

Stupid me teasing the poor Saf that way while i have other options too...

I have already observed the length of incoming pipe and its joint, but I couldn't figure out if the return pipe is the same? I couldn't feel the connector with my fingers. I guess I will have to pay someone to change them anyway, I can't do it myself in this weather without a garage or something.



with my new winter tyres I didn't notice any problems in snow. ofcourse, it is heavy car, especially the nose, but it can be controlled, it is not unpredictable. without studded tyres (which are banned here) ice represents the problem for any car.



clutch is hydraulic. I had the same problem with clutch, it turned out to be worn out master and slave cylinders. model year '96 2.5 20v has different cylinders and clutch itself than later models, so it was a lot of hassle to source one locally, unlike the newer type which is readily available.

Yes (from memory) it is the same. I think i replaced both as i bought two lots of fuel injection tubing thinking one wouldn't be long enough... only to discover i needed a short length and one piece would do both pipes.



I didn't say snow, I said ICE. Snow is one thing.. and yes I'll agree you can regain control in snow without much hassle. Ice is completely different. Trust me, I lost grip of our safrane on ice, I tried absolutely everything (except reverse) and driving at a slow speed of just 20mph I travelled approx 40 - 50 metres with ZERO control only to see the safrane go straight into the front end of a Volvo 740. Your 2.5 car is a heavy manual. Ours is an even heavier automatic (which I've driven 18 miles to / from work in snow previously so no comments about the auto please). Trust me when I say the safrane does not handle ice well because this is what happens when you loose it (and this was the road i lived in so i knew the area very well).















Luckily we had another safrane the same colour which did not pass its MOT (safety test) so i stripped it and rebuilt the crashed one - which was a better car anyway:



Finished - after three days (my first serious bit of car work):



Snow mode or not out of three safranes, i've found all of them handle badly on ice.

There's so many kinds of ice. Even with nordic winter tyres there isn't much grip on conditions where there's only a very thin layer of ice on asphalt like in your pictures. But when the layer is thick enough, the studs bite in good and you get grip. The temperature and humidity also have a factor, because they make the surface of the ice different.

In a good winter there's winter conditions, and i mean more winter than those pictures, for about 3-4 months up here. That makes winter driving pretty casual for us :)
In cities and main roads they use salt(water) to melt the ice, but that loses effect at around -7. And below that the grip is anyways much better.

Heavy FWD cars can be tricky on ice and snow, but with some left-foot braking they can be fun too. Nothing beats a good old-fashioned RWD car in winter conditions. Ten years ago i had a '77 Escort Estate as a daily driver for two years straight. That was something else! :D

I lost grip with my R4 on icy part of curvy mountain road and almost got killed. it ended up with front wheels on the road and rear wheels hanging over a steep slope. luckily I was driving slow before losing control... however ice is really uncommon here, and I wouldn't drive on it anyway, I am not that sure in my driving capabilities.

but you said it can be controlled and predicted? lol!

As much as i think the safrane is a great car, i do not trust them on ice.