project 1979 Citroen GS resurrection (and other shite) Cleaning, more cleaning and some paint

2,228 · January 19

21 hours ago, LightBulbFun said:

Awesome stuff! and Awesome work! I have been throughly enjoying reading how you have fettled this back into health, its especially satisfying to read, knowing how generally oleopneumatic citroens give people the fear and how many dont get the love they need

Thanks LBF, really nice to get comments like that and pleased you like it and I enjoy seeing your updates on rev too! They're certainly fragile things but when you get your head around it it's OK. Just very very different and a real survivor.

21 hours ago, wesacosa said:

top work, I can't even get enthused to do an oil change in this weather so fair play. Glad to see such good progress on such a cool car

Cheers wes. I know tell me about it, my mate was keen, I was less so but just thought may aswell get on and do a bit. Wasn't even sure we'd get to stage, I've felt a bit like this sometimes but citroens seem to do that to you

7,443 · January 19

Congratulations! Glad you're now seeing progress with all the work you've been putting in. Must have been a great feeling going down the road finally (and stopping too!).

2,228 · January 19

2 hours ago, Sunny Jim said:

Congratulations! Glad you're now seeing progress with all the work you've been putting in. Must have been a great feeling going down the road finally (and stopping too!).

Thank you mate it's been a struggle sometimes but that's the nature of the beast. I don't have the skills of a mechanic but I'm keen to learn and my mate has been incredibly kind and helpful.

Inspiration for us all!

Yes I am comparing reviving a GS to the moon landing, it really seemed that impossible at times 😂

7,443 · January 20

2,228 · January 20

4 hours ago, Sunny Jim said:

I definitely thought it would be easier 😂

2,228 · January 25

After a week of mot failure and then buying an utterly shagged focus, the GS surprisingly offered a little ray of sunlight for the weekend.

Nicer little jobs today which started with turning her around now the brakes were working. Much easier now we have space and can see what we're doing with it pointing towards daylight!

With it jacked up we did the last clip on the underside. Now that's done I can get the carpets, seat belts, mats etc back in place and out the way and back together.

The handbrake pads were fitted but still needed adjusting up and that's all sorted now. With that done the heater control box can go back in place.

It's never started well from cold but always starts with easy start direct to carb. We thought it could be dodgy fuel pump so with the hose off we quickly confirmed the fuel pump was fine. It still wasn't wanting to start so had a quick look at the filter in the front of the carb and was proper cruddy.

Cleaned out, we then took the top of the carb

Had a look at the float bowl and used a syringe to extract the fuel. Whilst the bowl was full (which was good) it was also gunky (not so good).

We also adjusted and lubed the choke cable and increased the idle speed a little.

The battery went flat so fitted my better spare one and she started up and ran alright so we'll see if that's improved things.

The new bonnet release cable was next and now opens and closes as it should so she can get her face back on eventually.

Also had a look for the small oil leak on right hand side of the engine. Only small and definitely engine oil. After 15 minutes running was only a small patch above the rocker cover and another drip in line with the drive shaft.

Amazingly it wasn't the rocker cover leaking but looked like it was coming from the distributor gasket above the rocker cover. Nipped the two nuts up so hopefully that's sorted. There'll always be something but it all helps.

The alternator/wiring is the last big issue remaining but of course means that the battery isn't getting charged. That's for another day but lots of good stuff done

2,228 · Tuesday at 13:58

Well out of darkness cometh light. The pug failed it's mot last week on a few bits which needed sorting so my local citroen guy got me booked in.

I helped and we got all the issues sorted but it took us most of the afternoon.

Anyways, retest today and....

🎉🎉🎉🎉

thats a weight off and nice to have one working car back in the fleet.

Whilst getting the 107 repaired, I said about the GS and the work we had done. With the battery not charging I said we've not looked into it but possibly it's alternator/voltage regulator/dodgy wiring related. He said I'd be best looking at the regulator as they're known to fail often. They are also the same as in a 2cv and a little box that sits near the battery. So as well as a much healthier pug, I left with an alternator and spare voltage regulator from their racing 2cv to help narrow down our GS's issue which is a huge help!

the three amigos....not for long. The focus from hell has a torrential oil leak and reckon it's the front crank seal that's gone. As well as the sill work, I could cope with doing a new clutch master cylinder, and could even cope with a new oil seal for buttons if it fixed it. Well still runs fine but now the instrument cluster has gone, not a fuse, wiring or anything obvious so it's self terminated and I think it'll be only the 2nd car I've ever scrapped. Ah well, it's had every chance.

Didn't have too long but was excited to see what would happen if I swapped the regulator over on the GS.

My old one is was pretty crusty, to be honest I've not even tried to clean it up yet but just put the new one on which looked different but still has the same three connectors underneath.

fired her up and she started and idled alright.

Got the multimeter out and had 12.5v with engine off and 14.2v with the car idling now which is brilliant. Looks like we've found the issue then.

Ignore the exhaust blowing, it'll get sorted

We've still got a small weep on the distributor gasket/spacer. It's Ben suggested I make one or bodge up with hylomar. A new one is £24 which seems lot for what it is. I'll probably end up getting one to sort it but I'll keep looking in the meantime. It's about 9cm wide, I've not taken it off so don't know exact size but looks like this:

And lives here

Next up will probably be getting some of the interior bits back in place and maybe bumper ends back on and look into the distributor leak.

6,389 · Tuesday at 16:38

Looks like a phenolic resin/tufnol spacer/seal so presumably does some heat dissipation too,hylomar may well stop it if it's not cracked

2,228 · Tuesday at 17:15

32 minutes ago, plasticvandan said:

Looks like a phenolic resin/tufnol spacer/seal so presumably does some heat dissipation too,hylomar may well stop it if it's not cracked

Yeah it's hard to tell without getting it apart. It's officially called a spacer and that's where the oil is coming from. I've been told there is another gasket which may be the one thats leaking as the spacer isn't designed to be oil tight, it's just a spacer/heat barrier as you say. The one I need may be this one....