The new adventures of Brownnova. Abject failure.

24,316 · February 25

3 hours ago, mercedade said:

Hey, snap! 🙃

Makes a helluva noise when it goes! I was lucky mine stayed attached to the HT lead each time.

23,767 · February 25

21 hours ago, brownnova said:

As detailed on the Cannock-fest thread, after 150 trouble free miles on Saturday, about 15 miles from home I was belting along the dual carriageway up a hill when there was an almighty bang, and I lost most of the (admittedly small amount of) power.

A side of the road investigation revealed a popped out spark plug. My hands also bear the marks still that spark plugs get very hot!

Reinsertion got me a further three miles and off the dual carriageway. Another reinsertion and call for tools from the wife and another three miles achieved. Post tools this pattern continued. Until such a time as reinsertion simply wasn’t yielding any kind of running any more.

With great regret a lift on the big orange taxi was arranged for the first time in my ownership.

Feeling pretty sure that the threads have stripped in the block. I changed the plugs about a year ago.

Couple of choices here, some kind of helicoil/retapped thread etc seems the most obvious choice. But… Daisy has always leaked a bit of oil, but this year this leak has got noticeably worse. So I’m wondering if this is a nudge to give the engine a bit of professional attention or indeed whether to pop one of the blocks from a project car in temporarily.

Either way the MoT runs out today, so it’s SORN’d and the plan is to do a couple of small jobs to the green one to make it roadworthy for the last few months of its MoT ticket. Takes the pressure off to worry about the yellow for now.

You’ve got other cars so can think about it without pressure. I’ve not seen it done successfully but apparently a get you home repair used to be a bit of foil from a kitkat or cigarette paper wrapped round the plug.

the original engine in this current 2cv leaked oil, and then a lot of oil. The joint between the two halves and I put another engine in - probably 20years ago now.

25,713 · February 25

22 hours ago, brownnova said:

...I’m wondering if this is a nudge to give the engine a bit of professional attention or indeed whether to pop one of the blocks from a project car in temporarily...

If you have a spare engine, the easiest solution is to swap it in. The race mechs can do it in 10 minutes... 😉

6,574 · February 25

If you have a pair of side cutters, snipping the crush washer off the spark plug can give you a couple more turns of thread.

24,316 · February 26

3 hours ago, chaseracer said:

~~The race mechs~~ Brownnova can do it in 10 ~~minutes~~ months

More likely.

25,713 · February 26

A visit from several shiters would sort that. Name the day!

26,684 · February 26

55 minutes ago, chaseracer said:

A visit from several shiters would sort that. Name the day!

But they've all got to travel and turn up in the same 2cv including all tools and parts needed 😂

23,767 · February 26

20 hours ago, chaseracer said:

If you have a spare engine, the easiest solution is to swap it in. The race mechs can do it in 10 minutes... 😉

my mechanic friend says he had a race with Pete sparrow and beat him and the team - 7mins!

5,297 · February 26

Shirley the answer is simple, get an engine upgrade! Like @chaseracer's

12,275 · February 27

Saw a buff/camo flat green 2cv, coming through Ashington, yesterday morning...

Didn't catch plate 😕

🚙💨

24,316 · February 27

On 26/02/2025 at 22:57, Floatylight said:

Shirley the answer is simple, get an engine upgrade! Like @chaseracer's

This thought had crossed the mind… I stop having to pay nursery fees soon 🤣

19,604 · February 28

dont you have 3 others???

pillage!!!!!!!!

March 4

I used to commute in my 2cv on M1 in the 90s and lost power just before tibshelf services, my spark plug blew out but only after the leaking ignition gasses melted the threads so helicoil option wouldnt work, fitted 2nd hand head.

24,316 · March 7

Following the FTP the 2CV has just sat on the drive till I had some time to investigate, finding myself with some time today (I’d already cleared veg beds and painted the hall to earn brownie points), I thought I’d have a look..

De wing and see if a better angle results in better spark plug thread adhesion…

That’ll be a no. So a brand new plug from stock was tried and simply no bite from the thread.

To me that hole looks like it may have been re-threaded before, the other side isn’t as silvery. Looks like I’ll try buying a rethread kit, but I doubt the success,

Plus, yes, that’s a lot of “rust protection spray” that the engine has lost there. Snapped manifold stud too… might be time for some proper work there.

Attention turned to having at least one 2CV on the road.

Not having been started since November, and then only to move it out of the way on the drive where it ran like shit after many many attempts. I wasn’t sure exactly hopeful of easy success. Evidence of mouse action under the bonnet was very unwelcome too… but, no damage just seed carcasses and the like.

However, a quick splash of petrol in the carb and first time… and she was up and running!

Quick blezz up and down the drive suggests that the brakes may want some attention the seem need a firmer shove than usual, but difficult to tell on the drive. Test run once I have had a go at…

How about you… seeing as I had spare plugs about and a spare set of leads and the battery of the yellow one wasn’t needed… why not. I took the plugs off and then had an odd idea… I wonder if these 20 year old plugs will go into the yellow one’s head, the threads looks good and chunky…

Well blow me down, it did! And the yellow one up and started running fine. Sans MoT and tbh I don’t trust that plug to stay put, so I didn’t go out.

And I need to run the green one too.

But let’s just have a go at the white one. I might want to swap the engines possibly… so it would be good to know.

Engine turns well, new plugs and leads. But dammit I cannot find my spare coil anywhere (it was in the boot of Daisy of course which I discovered when I packed everything up.) Alas no dice on the old coil, and it will not be three for three today.

2CV#4 was left well alone.

And before I could give the green one a run the text to collect the son from college came… playtime over.

Next steps: refit rear bumper to Green one, test drive to check the brakes and more methodical attempts to get the white one up and running. Can’t be that hard! God knows when I’ll get more time…

28,134 · March 7

43 minutes ago, brownnova said:

Following the FTP the 2CV has just sat on the drive till I had some time to investigate, finding myself with some time today (I’d already cleared veg beds and painted the hall to earn brownie points), I thought I’d have a look..

De wing and see if a better angle results in better spark plug thread adhesion…

That’ll be a no. So a brand new plug from stock was tried and simply no bite from the thread.

To me that hole looks like it may have been re-threaded before, the other side isn’t as silvery. Looks like I’ll try buying a rethread kit, but I doubt the success,

Plus, yes, that’s a lot of “rust protection spray” that the engine has lost there. Snapped manifold stud too… might be time for some proper work there.

Attention turned to having at least one 2CV on the road.

Not having been started since November, and then only to move it out of the way on the drive where it ran like shit after many many attempts. I wasn’t sure exactly hopeful of easy success. Evidence of mouse action under the bonnet was very unwelcome too… but, no damage just seed carcasses and the like.

However, a quick splash of petrol in the carb and first time… and she was up and running!

Quick blezz up and down the drive suggests that the brakes may want some attention the seem need a firmer shove than usual, but difficult to tell on the drive. Test run once I have had a go at…

How about you… seeing as I had spare plugs about and a spare set of leads and the battery of the yellow one wasn’t needed… why not. I took the plugs off and then had an odd idea… I wonder if these 20 year old plugs will go into the yellow one’s head, the threads looks good and chunky…

Well blow me down, it did! And the yellow one up and started running fine. Sans MoT and tbh I don’t trust that plug to stay put, so I didn’t go out.

And I need to run the green one too.

But let’s just have a go at the white one. I might want to swap the engines possibly… so it would be good to know.

Engine turns well, new plugs and leads. But dammit I cannot find my spare coil anywhere (it was in the boot of Daisy of course which I discovered when I packed everything up.) Alas no dice on the old coil, and it will not be three for three today.

2CV#4 was left well alone.

And before I could give the green one a run the text to collect the son from college came… playtime over.

Next steps: refit rear bumper to Green one, test drive to check the brakes and more methodical attempts to get the white one up and running. Can’t be that hard! God knows when I’ll get more time…

Pretty sure I randomly found what I'm reasonably sure was a 2CV coil in one of the random boxes of Trabant bits. Can check at the weekend, if so it's yours if you want it.

24,316 · March 7

4 minutes ago, Zelandeth said:

Pretty sure I randomly found what I'm reasonably sure was a 2CV coil in one of the random boxes of Trabant bits. Can check at the weekend, if so it's yours if you want it.

That would be very kind sir 🙂

3,434 · March 7

Ah 2CV coils

24,316 · March 8

9 hours ago, jonathan_dyane said:

Ah 2CV coils

The yellow one has an upgraded Harley Davidson coil on apparently… but the others are all original 2Cv coils.

28,134 · March 12

Completely forgot about that coil...just went and dug it out.

Is this indeed a 2CV part? I've never actually owned one, just helped service a few - so working from pretty old memory.

If it's what you need it's yours. Just ping me a message with your address and I'll get it sent.

23,767 · March 12

27 minutes ago, Zelandeth said:

Completely forgot about that coil...just went and dug it out.

Is this indeed a 2CV part? I've never actually owned one, just helped service a few - so working from pretty old memory.

If it's what you need it's yours. Just ping me a message with your address and I'll get it sent.

Looks like a 2cv / Dyane. The visa ones were brown.

24,316 · April 27

Drive it day became fix it day for me. But not all went to plan…

Main job for the day was one I had been putting off, trying to use a helicoil to solve the 2CV Spark Plug/engine departure issue. I had hoped I might get this done for today so I could join my local 2CV group on a run…

Suitably defrocked…

Drilling a hole in the engine was unnerving… but mostly it seemed to go ok, hole was drilled, thread was tapped. I didn’t quite go far enough first time, but second time the coil went in tightly. Regular hoovering was done to ensure no shavings went into the engine.

In goes the helicoil tightens all the way down as desired and spark plug goes in nice and securely. Looks spot on. Fire it all up, and… only going on one. Odd.

Then won’t go at all, think I’ve flooded it. Leave it a while and come back and huzzah!!! We have a runner. Left it to warm up for a while and all seemed ok. I went in for tea and then went back out and decided to head out for a very brief run up the road.

However, by the end of the next lane, a whirring noise alerted me that all was not well so I turned back. I got to the top of my road when the familiar sound of spark plug exiting engine was heard again. Got myself back to the drive running on one cylinder.

The helicoil has uncoiled… they’re not supposed to do that. Me: baffled.

Ok: three possibilities I can think:

1) crap helicoil. I went with the Amazon ones with the best reviews. Maybe should aim higher and go with a better make?
2) User error. Maybe I made some mistake along the way? I was genuinely methodical about this as I wanted to get it right. I can’t think of any error. Should I perhaps have used locktite on the helicoil?
3) Is there an over pressure issue in the cylinder which is causing this issue?

Or something else maybe? Starting to worry I may have junked this head now. Any ideas or experience as to why it’s not worked?

27,946 · April 27

Helicoils aren't good for anything under high load, a timesert sleeve style insert is better.

Actual Worth branded timesert are big money, here is an equivalent. Hopefully the tap size is the same as the helicoils?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/306174146812

24,316 · April 28

Thanks, yeah that’s the same size. Worth a go.

24,316 · May 24

Let’s have another go shall we!

New reassuringly expensive proper insert purchased from Germany with excellent reviews. Spoke to an engineer friend who has 2CVs and Mororbikes and he was also of the mind this should be the solution.

Tapped the hole, and inserted the plug/insert combo. Solid as a rock. Let’s get started! A short time idling and pop… the telltale sound of the plug exiting the engine at speed…. I’m used to that sound now.

It’s managed to snap the insert.

Another insert tried briefly and the same result…

Bollocks.

So that’s not fixed is it.

Im also now at a loss as to what’s causing this. Is the cylinder over pressuring forcing the plug out? I reckon the head at least must be a gonner.

Ok, let’s see if I have another usable engine then.

New coil, plugs, leads… fuel in… but no spark. Bugger I suspect points or condenser maybe, but of course I haven’t got any points or condensers in stock as mine has electronic ignition. Other one looks much worse… less chance of running that one methinks!

TLDR: Number of 2CVs owned: 4. Number working: 0.

24,316 · May 24

On 07/03/2025 at 20:47, brownnova said:

drive to check the brakes

Oh… this happened a few weeks ago.

Turns out the brakes aren’t functioning much at all… hence 0/4

19,604 · May 24

stop breaking frogs

2,414 · May 24

It’s well known for these to strip their threads. Probably just been over tightened in the past.
Since you have spare engines, that’s probably the best route. Can you swap the electronic ignition over? Might be easier than faffing with points and condensers (says the man about to do just that!)

24,316 · May 24

1 minute ago, meshking said:

It’s well known for these to strip their threads

Yeah I read that it’s not uncommon, but what I can’t fathom is why drilling and retapping the thread then using an insert has lead to exactly the same symptom.

2,414 · May 24

Dunno, I’ve only ever had one spark plug thrown out (on the m4). Not sure a timesert or helicoil is a permanent repair tbh.

I doubt there’s much wrong that has caused it, just swap a known good head onto it and keep on motoring.

20,710 · May 24

You could do a compression test. Can't see why pressures would rise unless a valve isn't opening.

The new adventures of Brownnova. Abject failure.

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