I would spend ages cranking on hot starts with no joy until one day I got an owners manual and read the bit about foot flat to the floor. Doh.....

I never have this trouble you have, must be something up. I have the Harley coil, had it for ages. The car starts fantastically whatever the weather, I rarely even hear the starter motor. It makes me chuckle really, it starts quicker than many new fuel injected computer managed cars.

The time honoured, Citroen recommended technique has been full throttle when starting from hot. I've never had much success with this, and always turned the engine over with the smallest throttle and had more consistently easy starting from hot. What other vehicle needs full throttle at start up when hot? None of my air cooled (or water cooled, petrol or diesel) engines have.

Works very well on mine, just would've helped if I'd realised before, lol.

Actually even my 80's fuel injected V8 Benzes have this in their owners manual - if very hot, foot to the floor until it starts. Never needed to though, always perfect whatever.

Somewhere I've read on Fiat 124 Spiders with the Bosch L-jetronic fuel injection, never under any circumstances press the accelerator whether cold or hot or it will flood the engine out. I've always followed this procedure and it's always started in cold or hot weather.

One time I was testing the fuel pressure using the hose going to the cold start injector and forgot to reconnect the connector going to the cold start valve. Despite that, the car would start but couldn't figure out for some time when it took about 5 seconds before the engine would kick over.

I had a fuel injected Fiat X 1/9 (same injection system) and it was a pig to start in the summer. I discovered someone installed what appeared to be a Ford fuel pump on it. For some reason the fuel system wouldn't hold pressure after turning the ignition off. This somehow lead to vapor locking.

The weird thing was it would start OK in the winter.

So I'd just pop the engine cover on hot days to alleviate some of the heat in the engine compartment and it would start up every time.

Air-cooled VW Beetle?

"Hot starting techniques:
The hot-start technique is to SLOWLY put your foot to the floor (so the accelerator pump in the carburettor doesn't flood it with more fuel - it only works when you floor the throttle quickly), and then hold the throttle open (no pumping) while you crank it - it should catch easily."

Slowly being the operative word, but to the floor - never have. Certainly the Dyane, the 2cv, and the GS respond better to just a smidgin of throttle applied gradually. Just to be contradictory, once the AZAM is back up, it'll demand full throttle when warm . . . Sods law.

Might have been a sign that the accelerator pumps were a bit 'lazy'?
That happens quite often, particularly with cars which have been laid up for the Winter or otherwise used infrequently...

Not on the three most previous, nor on the half dozen that have long gone. Maybe it's just technique? They couldn't all have pump defects, and this on vehicles in regular use - every day drivers. Full throttle starts from hot will work and I'm not saying it's wrong, but I've just not found it necessary.

Jasu

Thanks for the Injection feedback, I must have missed the post!

Back to the drawing board. The other day, raced into town (15 miles), pulled up and stopped engine. 5 mins later, she refused to start. When it did start, it caught just as i took my fingers off the start button. I assume that at that point, there was max voltage available for the coil and hence healthier spark. I can only assume that the problem now lies with the coil or spark plugs ?? Years ago, I fitted a "Hot start coil" with a ballast resistor to a Mini. The coil ran in series with the ballast resistor, but for starting, a full 12 volts went to the coil which was rated at 10volts (Bypassing the resistor).
Do such things exist for the 2CV type coils ?