hard to start first thing

[tasmanisle]

Hi, I am having trouble starting my 2CV, it will not fire at all until I drop a minute amount of fuel down the carb, it then fires immediately and will continue to start first hit all day. the next morning, I have to go through the same ritual, seems like a possible fault is the fuel must be draining from the carburetor and by the time it pumps back up to the float bowl, the battery is tired and it will not start. Is this a common problem?:confused:
Rob

[petermelb]

its not a common problem, try fitting a new fuel pump, or it could be the coil being damp, try changing the coil for a dry spare just before starting

another thing to try is a little aerostart before starting

[petitepoupee]

I’m not suggesting this is Rob’s problem, but I was having starting trouble recently. Thought it was fuel at first but priming did no good. Then pulled a plug (looked good) and checked to see if there was spark: there was. What the hell, I fitted new plugs anyway and hey presto – alles gut! I can’t figure out why that remedied it, but who cares anyway.
BTW Dolly has the 123 ignition kit fitted.

[tasmanisle]

Thanks for the advise, it has a new fuel pump and new coil,if I put a little bit of fuel in the base of the aircleaner it will start immediately, from then on it fires on the key for the rest of the day. park it overnight and the problem is there again for the first start of the day. It is just the inconvenience of taking the aircleaner off and dripping a little fuel onto the base. Maybe a new battery could help, give it a bit of spark as the battery tends to wind down quickly if I try to start it without the fuel tickle. It still has a French battery, no idea how old.

[petermelb]

its easy enough to check the battery, either take it to a battery retailer for a load test, or check it with a voltmeter, it should read around 12.5 to 13v, then try starting the car and watch the voltage as the starter turns, if it drops below around 9v you need a new battery

[tasmanisle]

Hi,
thanks for the advice, it is only 6volt so it does not have any grunt to begin with, I will have the battery tested, will put it on a battery load tester and see what happens
Rob

[ayjay]

the back draining of carburetter fuel indeed its a common fault of 2cv,s, including mine
when at rest the fuel in the carburetter bowl back-drains back down the fuel line gradually,
it takes a minuit or two of engine cranking to re-fill the bowl,
theres a non-return fitment that can be fitted into the rubber fuel pipe to eliminate this problem

[ayjay]

[tasmanisle]

Thanks for the advice, a trip to Repco is in order, I will fit it and let you know the result
Rob

[ayjay]

thanks for the reply tasman!
i,m a pom,(uk newbie) but know quite a lot about these wondeful 2cv,s
i and my brother strip them, then put them back together, and know about the bits by doing so–
lets get this forum alive again!
2cv,s are becoming very valuable world wide

[ayjay]

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