Hi all,
I'd like opinions about my engine condition: cylinder psi is 160 and 185.
It smokes up my local long steep hill and sometimes on startup. Engine oil is pretty clean.
The plugs are a nice colour.
Leave alone or investigate?
Thanks

What cr?

185 sounds a little high on a used engine! Perhaps check again. Both plugs out. Wide open throttle.

Is your oil level to high?

Valve Seals?

Hi Roger,
I took the readings as per suggested. Repeated and got the same results.

Even if the gauge itself is reading high, it's the difference between the two cylinders that I was wondering about.

It's a '86 Charleston with about 45.000 miles which I think looking at the MOT history seems correct. I don't know whether the engine has been repaired/ reconned in the past.

The inside of the breather is completely clean.

The another suggestion, valve seals: does anyone make a gadget that means the seals can be replaced with heads in situ? Very helpful if soemone did!

Regarding compression, does it idle ok, or is it lumpy? If you dont really notice it, then dont worry about it.

Check your valve clearances.

A tappety tappet, is a happy tappet.

Way back in my youth, i watched a neighbour replace valve seals, but not on a 2cv. he put the piston half way up the compression stroke. He fed some thin rope/thick cord down the spark plug hole, and brought the piston up so that when the collets, springs and seals were removed, the valve wouldnt fall into the bore.

He placed a suitable socket on the top of the spring plate, and hit it with a hammer, removed the socket, and the collets were inside it.

For reassembly, he bolted some homemade gizmo to either the rocker cover bolt holes, or he took out a head bolt, cant quite remember that bit. However, it gave him purchase to lever and recompress the springs and insert the collets. Probably a cast iron head though.

I can remember 45 years ago, but not if I've had my meds today.

For the 2cv you have a little tool that screws in a sparkplug hole.
http://www.auto-collection.org/photomag ... lCit2.html
see outil SIK

I haven't for a 2CV, but I made a tool for my XM, to be able to change the valve seals without taking the head off.
A spring compresser, as the photos show. And a piece of threaded pipe in place of the spark plug, with a air tool connector in the other end. Just connected the hose from my compressor and put the cylinder under pressure. That keeps the valve from falling into the cylinder. Positioned the piston at TDC to prevent it falling in, in case of loosing air pressure. Never lost it though.

My 1990 XM which I inherited after my late grand dad, actually have a part from a 2CV mounted on it, in lack of the correct part for the XM. Can anyone spot it?

wheel brake tube on the sphere?