Down to my last used Jonny. Only the Anglia 105E left.

[Pillock]

I guess part of the "got to overtake, got to cut you up" mentality is probably because they don't know what it is.... is it like one of them Axiam things, is it a pure electric car built by a load of GSCE Students in a shed in Warrington, are you pedalling it etc... I reckon they assume you're going slowly like an Invacar and have to get around you.

[Snipes]

Have driven into SE London over the past 3 weeks for work I've decided people are just selfish twats.

[Pillock]

To be fair, when I drive in London I'm a selfish twat otherwise I wouldn't get anywhere. Even the police will cut you up if you hesitate.

[jonny69]

Roighty. This hasn't seen a lot of use since I changed jobs last year - in fact it sat unused for many months because I didn't have time to look at a couple of little issues. The main one was why it was cutting out from time to time and why it was sometimes so hard to start. It wasn't ignition, because I'd put a new 123-Ignition electronic ignition module and coil in and the old ones were actually working perfectly. Last thing I checked was the fuel pump which pumped a bit weakly but was ok. It did have a big divot worn on the lever that operates it, however, and the new pump pumps a lot better. It hasn't cut out since, doesn't seem to pink under load at high revs anymore and hasn't shown any of the signs of cutting out again. FINALLY!

So that brings us up to two weeks ago. MOT ran out in April but it needed a couple of things looking at before the MOT and a new set of tyres. I was on factory shutdown for two weeks and set a day aside to get this sorted. Back lights were playing up again (which was a dead bulb), it needed a little bit of welding on the panel under the seats, make up some new wiper blades and basically a good check over. I also decided to drop it down a bit to cheer myself up:

All was good until the MOT tester lifted the car to full suspension drop and started moving the hubs around, at which point the CV boots popped off. I can see why Citroen changed the design of those because the early ones are, quite frankly, crap.

The Anglia also needed a little time spent. A couple of months ago I pulled the engine out to change the clutch bearing, only to then find out the 105-Speed bearing on the modified bearing carrier wasn't a standard size, so it had to go back in temporarily while I figured out what bearing I needed.

All back together now. With the Inshite also serviced, that's three legal and working cars. I believe that's a record for me.

[Bfg]

.

nice going..

 

do you notice any detrimental effect now the you've lowered the Ami ?

 

Glad you got the cutting out sorted .. its just so darn annoying when it does that.   I still haven't got my Ami to tick over without choke for a long time. Those darn inlet manifolds I guess are condensing the fuel vapours before they get into the engine. Perhaps they too large a diameter and so the flow rate is too slow.    

 

I didn't know the ..f ..f ..f ..Ford Anglia had a one piece bonnet with wings and grille panel, so either I'm dumber than even I thought, or the wings and all else unbolt as an assembly, or that's a grp one ?

[spartacus]

I've just seen one of those Citroens near Sheffield, was that you?

[jonny69]

do you notice any detrimental effect now the you've lowered the Ami ?

Yeah it doesn't drive very well low. Looks cool but you've got to be He Man to turn the steering and it's too low to carry a passenger and still actually drive

 

I didn't know the ..f ..f ..f ..Ford Anglia had a one piece bonnet with wings and grille panel, so either I'm dumber than even I thought, or the wings and all else unbolt as an assembly, or that's a grp one ?

They didn't come from the factory like that. I restored this over a decade ago and it was very rotten. Good wings and front panel were too expensive to justify when Anglias were still fairly worthless back then!

 

I've just seen one of those Citroens near Sheffield, was that you?

Not me, I'm down south.

[jonny69]

Oh, and it's nowhere near as shiny as it looks in the photo. That's iPhone photo processing at work

[jonny69]

[Ami] I didn't want to get too ahead of myself by posting this earlier, because jinxing, but if my 57 mile each way commute wasn't ridiculous enough, it just got a bit more ridiculous this morning.

 

And there was other French rubbish on the roads.

[forddeliveryboy]

Proper cool car - weighing it down with more batteries would be a bit of a shame, but improving battery technology so twice the kWhs for the same mass = good. Bet there's a very knowledgeable number of enthusiasts out there.

[jonny69]

Insight: Seem to have managed 78mpg this week. I think the wind has been on my side or something.

 

@FDB yes, modern battery tech would significantly increase the capacity. This is a NiMH pack so moving to Li Ion or LiPo would be even more than double the capacity. For reference though, 'weighing it down' relates to like 10kg of extra batteries which is a little over 1% of the car's weight. I could better offset that by putting my own fat arse on a diet

[Asimo]

I don't think much would be gained by extra capacity batteries unless you want to drive aggressively on hilly roads. I have never "run out of battery" just by driving, (even though the drive battery is 17 years old and presumably of less capacity than when new) although I occasionally get denied battery when the car is "re-calibrating" the battery pack so I know how relatively gutless it feels without electric boost.

 

Now, if it was possible to use electric drive alone, then extra battery would be really usefull!

[GoGently]

I know where one of these is for sale year 2000 so does  that mean road tax 150 How much would you buy one for?

[jonny69]

I know where one of these is for sale year 2000 so does that mean road tax 150 How much would you buy one for?

I can't remember if it's pre-2000 or pre-2001 for tax. Got a feeling it might be pre-2001.

 

I guess you've got to weigh up what your annual mileage is going to be if it's going to justify the tax. I estimated if my new tyres (£200) made about +5mpg difference then they'd pay for themselves in petrol in about 17,000 miles. So if this does 10mpg better than your current car, then it'll pay for the £150 tax in about 6500-7000 miles. I do way more than that, so the tax is more than lost in the other costs.

 

I think £3500 gets you an ok one with high mileage and potentially tired battery, £4000 gets you a good one, £4500 gets a really nice example or near-mint import. They hold their value - exempt from depreciation.

[jonny69]

Sunny day at work shot.

 

 

Quick sum up of the last month since the MOT. Done about 360 miles commuting, 120 miles to and from Goodwood and about another 80 bumbling around. I think I can safely say the running problems were that dying fuel pump because it hasn't missed a beat since I changed it. Fuel consumption has improved too and, I haven't popped a plug out to have a look, but I'd bet they don't look like it has been running lean/hot any more.

[jonny69]

Also, last week I thought it had gone a bit of a long way on not really enough petrol. That tank came out at 52mpg, which I thought must be a mistake, and the one I just refilled was 51mpg. So that's a humble apology aimed at bfg, DW and forddeliveryboy for poo pooing their mpg claims, because it was clearly the fault of the dying fuel pump.

[dollywobbler]

Good stuff! Glad it's running well. You got spotted on the motorway at some point recently, but I can't remember where the post ended up. Somewhere on Facebook.

[jonny69]

Good stuff! Glad it's running well. You got spotted on the motorway at some point recently, but I can't remember where the post ended up. Somewhere on Facebook.

 

Ah cool. If you happen to spot it again, sling a screenie up on here! I had a bit of a Facebook meltdown last year (as you probably noticed) and cut down my number of friends, groups and 'likes' right down.

[Asimo]

I pay roadtax on my 2000, free if it was 2 years younger! Imports also pay tax, whatever year they were made.

[Cavcraft]

Jonny

[jonny69]

Cheers man, that's worked a treat! I asked Cav to merge my two threads since I cross-post so much. All my bogging turds all in one place.

[Ghosty]

Jonny

 

 

Ed Balls

 

Seriously though, I read the last page and it didn't quite make sense. I see why now though!

[jonny69]

Right, feels like quite a while since I last turned a spanner of any kind. Both cars decided to kark it at the end of September and I've only just got around to starting to deal with them. Ami decided it needed its mystery fuelling problem to come back, no surprise there, and the Anglia developed a weepy rear brake seal.

 

Anglia was an easy fix this afternoon with a replacement rear cylinder. I last changed these around 15 years ago, so I can't moan too much. I was going to do both sides but it was chuffing cold out with the wind and I've still got a bit of lurgy. I'll do the other one next time the sun is out. In the meantime, it's fuelled up and fluids checked ready for return to work on Monday.

 

Ami is on the 'to do' list. I put it up for sale at the end of the summer and then it decided to go unreliable again, so it's fucked me again for selling it on. I'm just going to put a 6V electric pump in it and be done with. Most of the remanufactured parts I've bought recently seem to be complete dogshit and Citroen fuel pumps are no exception.

[jonny69]

The Insight is up for sale if anyone is interested: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2005-Mk1-Honda-Insight-1-0-CVT-Auto-Hybrid/132495888593

 

In shite news, the Anglia passed its MOT a few weeks ago and looks a bit happier now it lives in a garage. The Ami hasn't moved due to various other things taking priority so I've got on the waiting list for another garage. If I can stash it away until the summer (when I'll have a bit more time on my hands) it'll prevent at least a bit of the winter weather continuing to kill it.

[jonny69]

Insight still not sold. Not sure where else to put it. Autotrader, Retro Japanese classifieds? Any suggestions? PLEASE BUY IT.

 

Also an Ami/2CV fuel pump question which I haven't found an answer for and dollywobbler doesn't know. May be one for FDB or Bfg. Mechanical fuel pump on mine has basically packed up and hardly pumps. I have a 6V inline pump but I'm going to try a new mechanical one first. There's what looks like an early style pump with a priming lever, but are all other 2CV pumps the same? I can't tell from the pics if the little pump lever is the same. Are there good brands and bad brands to go for? I can't remember what the one was I put on which solved my fuelling issues, but it has only lasted about 1000 miles.

[Dirk Diggler]

Your eBay advert is too honest; if you think a 'reset' will fix it, get it done; otherwise people read it the same as most adverts; 'just needs a service / coil pack / a good run;' it's the sort of honest advert that reads well here but rings too many alarm bells anywhere else

[vulgalour]

Have you spoken to https://www.franzose.de/en/Citroen-2CV/AMI6-8/ They were really helpful when I had the Renault 6 and are quite knowledgable on the vagaries of old Citroens so even if they don't have what you're after they may well know the answer.

[Bfg]

.

I'm sorry but I can't give you an exact answer re. the Ami-6 fuel pump because I've never owned that model, however I do know that the early cars had a priming lever whereas the later did not.  And also that on some cars the top (diaphragm) had to be turned around for fitting clearance. This is just a matter of removing the (8 ?) screws around the diaphragm, re-positioning the top, and then (evenly) replacing the screws again. 

 

One might hope that the bolt pattern for each pump is the same, and the actuating levers are the same ..but I would not rely on logical assumptions. I'd ask someone like Roy at ECAS, a decent independent A-series garage, or other Ami-6 owners via the club.   

 

I recall many years ago I had issues with the pump on one particular car (most likely a Dyane or Ami-8 engined) and I first checked the diaphragm was not perished or holed (it wasn't), but then decided it could do with a little extra lift, so didn't refit the two gaskets when refitting the pump to the engine (just using a light smear of gasket goo to keep the oil in the engine) ..just 0.25 - 0.5mm extra lift possibly, but I don't recall an issue thereafter.    

 

I wonder though if the issue is not with the fuel pump but the steel tank, with bits of rust or crud (from storage during restoration) in it ?  The fuel pick-up-pipe / sender unit has a gauze filter on the bottom of it.  These seem to somehow get torn through the years. Might I recommend you lift out the sender to check that first. Then having removed the pipe from the pump, to blow through the front to rear pipe to ensure it is clear.  If the filter is damaged then you can easily cobble to use an in-line filter instead of the gauze.

 

On my own Ami I have an in-line non-return valve and filter just before the pump to prevent back siphoning of fuel to the low-positioned tank. This helps prevent the fuel pump working dry. 

 

Hope in someway that helps,

Bfg   

[dollywobbler]

Be aware that ECAS is closed for a few days due to illness.

 

Have to agree with Dirk on the Insight. People don't want to spend a few grand on a car that might be fixed with something simple, or might not. They're not that rare that someone would be willing to chance it on a car that has tech they may be suspicious of already.

[jonny69]

Cheers all. It's looking more like I'll have to re-tax and insure the Insight and get it over to Honda then.

 

Bfg, good shout regarding pulling out the sender. The tank is nice and clean from what I remember, but it's nice and easy to access so worth another look. Might as well pull the pump apart while I'm at it. Saturday's job maybe. Seem to remember the pump is a bit of a bastard to get off though...