Jonathan,
just wondering; what's your routine for a hot start or restart?
Do you follow the advice in Citroen's Owners' manual to 'fully depress the accelerator pedal and keep it there as long as the engine does not start' ?
If you pump the pedal with a hot/warm engine, the overly rich mixture will reduce the chances of the engine firing up.
Also, any sign of an HT tester on your parcel shelf?
At a couple of quid, it's the simplest and also the cheapest piece of kit available to help diagnose a coil, HT leads or plugs which aren't at their best...

I will say I haven't got a Citroën Owners' Manual, so no idea what advice they give, but I've never done it like that through fear of flooding the engine and soaking the plugs. Perhaps I should give it a try and see if it works. Thanks again Ken.

Is the timing ok?

Just out if curiosity, are you still sporting jon clewers 'slag' engine..?

Jonathan,
just to clarify, it's repeatedly depressing the throttle pedal which can 'flood' a warm engine, whereas the advice to 'press it down and don't release it until the engine fires' ensures that doesn't happen.

( On the other hand, in really cold weather and for the first start of the day, a couple of pumps of the throttle pedal will 'prime' the engine.
In conjunction with correct use of the choke, that makes it more likely that the engine will start easily in cold weather. )

p.s. If one cylinder is reading only 120 psi immediately after the valve clearances have been adjusted, that's getting a bit low.
150 psi is normal for an 8.5:1 engine, plus maximum acceptable variation between cylinders is usually 10 psi, unfortunately.

Yes James, Spanners is taking an age to get round to inspecting and sorting my original engine.

Well Ken, I'll just leave it for somebody else to rebuild it. I want my original engine back in place. I'll try out your (and Citroën's) advice tomorrow and report back my findings. Perhaps I need to get myself a driver's handbook.

I've found an online drivers' handbook and it does say to fully depress the accelerator pedal until engine is running. https://www.dropbox.com/sh/su2vakktkj6o ... k.pdf?dl=0

It's just that I've never needed to in the past.

Out of Tolerance Steering Rack.

Old Worn Out Guide Ring.


New Guide Ring Welded in Place


Improved Lubrication

I've used the 2CV this afternoon and needed to hot start it a couple of times. I tried the procedure recommended by Citroën in the 2CV Drivers' Handbook, as pointed out by Ken, and it has certainly seemed to improve things. It still doesn't start immediately, but does so within 10 to 15 seconds or so. I probably won't find the time to try it over the weekend now, but I'll try again next week and see how it is. Thanks Ken.

Nice work. I enjoyed doing my steering rack, they're a lovely thing.

Got him all ready for the MOT tomorrow - I can't believe I have had him for more than 2 years now.

Just had a good run around all the local lanes to get the battery up to charge. Remade the brake light as it was not working and also the front headlight is a little intermittent but sorted now.

Exciting times