Mickys blogalog

BX Meteor · Post by **BX Meteor** » Thu Mar 15, 2012 2:11 pm

electrokid wrote:
he thinks it mught be a diaphragm has perished.
Grab a recon kit for the carb - diaphrams should be included in it and both should be easily replaced. Often the anti-stall diaphram will start to leak and then someone fiddles with the mixture to get it running better to cope with the enrichment caused by the leaky diaphram but without realising it. If you remove the vacuum pipe feeding the anti-stall and sniff it - if you find a strong smell of petrol that's the sign of a leaky diaphram.

Any ideas where to get a recon kit ??

FYI, although I wasn't signed up on this forum back in Jan 2009, I think someone may have put a link to a pdf on the Solex carb, which I downloaded in Jan 2009. Maybe I found it elsewhere (BXP ?)

Anyway I have used Grabbit on each page and here it is, much better info than in the Haynes BX BoL .......

saintjamesy89 · Post by **saintjamesy89** » Thu Mar 15, 2012 5:21 pm

Caffiend wrote: And a longer wheel brace, the guys on my course mock me mercilessly for sometimes not having the physical strength to get the bloody wheel nuts off on the wrecks we play with there ("STFU and gimme that airgun" )

My mk2 astra comes with the world most useless wheel bolt tool, can't be much more than 8" long (tiny, in relative terms

). My method of extraction is to jump up and down on the thing! Although i'm fairly muscular, bending over and pulling (

) 16 times soon gets very tedious when doing all 4 wheels.

Always works, just make sure when it gives you're holding onto something - haven't even managed to bend it yet in 3 years

Post by **mat_fenwick** » Thu Mar 15, 2012 5:40 pm

saintjamesy89 wrote:can't be much more than 8" long. My method of extraction is to jump up and down on the thing! Although i'm fairly muscular, bending over and pulling 16 times soon gets very tedious...

...just make sure when it gives you're holding onto something - haven't even managed to bend it yet in 3 years

Sorry, what were we talking about again?

BX Meteor · Post by **BX Meteor** » Thu Mar 15, 2012 6:37 pm

Right, some links about Solex carbs in the forum:
http://www.bxclub.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1366
http://www.bxclub.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1478
http://www.bxclub.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3977

They mention a link http://www.rwbsmith.plus.com/citroen2/ which is no longer there, I think that is where I downloaded the pdf from.

Also this website is referred to http://www.carburetters.co.uk/repairkits.php and if you contact them and they still have repair kits for the Solex carb, price and delivery would be interesting to know.

saintjamesy89 · Post by **saintjamesy89** » Thu Mar 15, 2012 6:43 pm

saintjamesy89 wrote:can't be much more than 8" long. My method of extraction is to jump up and down on the thing! Although i'm fairly muscular, bending over and pulling 16 times soon gets very tedious...

...just make sure when it gives you're holding onto something - haven't even managed to bend it yet in 3 years

mat_fenwick wrote:Sorry, what were we talking about again?

Gosh, what filth! Was supposed to be about wheel nut/bolt tools, i've gon and made myself blush...

Are Solex a French company? These carbs and kits do seem thin on the ground, I remember when I was looking for a 32/34 Solex from an AX GT - it took me ages to find one.

Vanny · Post by **Vanny** » Thu Mar 15, 2012 10:26 pm

Mickster, just stripped down your old water tap, YOU NEED TO FLUSH YOUR COOLANT!!!!!!

General diagnosis, some tool has filled the engine with rad seal, which has clearly all ended up in the tap (and no doubt the heater core), jamming the ceramic slider.

Obviously this means nothing without pictures, which i'll send at some point.

In other news, refurbing it and shoving it in my car has not helped my leaking tap issue! If only i had a spare. Rollocks.

Mickey taker · Post by **Mickey taker** » Thu Mar 15, 2012 10:56 pm

already done Vanny and the heater is working fine.

In other news the car has now decided its scared of the dark

the last three nights I have taken the kids to clubs between 6.30 and 7.00 pm and all is fine,
gone out to pick them up between 8.30 and 9.30 and it just dosent want to start, in fact it dosen't start at all,
then its fine the following morning.

tonight I turned the key and nothing happened,
turned it again and the car turned over but would not fire.

Dollywobbler · Post by **Dollywobbler** » Thu Mar 15, 2012 11:39 pm

I think the petrol BXs can be a pain in the arse to start at times. They can take a lot of cranking in certain circumstances. On the 2CV, you have to start them hot with the throttle wide open. Cold, no throttle is best.

BX Meteor · Post by **BX Meteor** » Fri Mar 16, 2012 5:53 am

/\ that's standard procedure on 2CV/Dyane/Ami, and on BX petrol carbs, and AFAIK on most downdraught carbs

R-reg (1976) Ami 8 owners manual
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E-reg (1988) BX petrol owners manual
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K-reg (1993) BX owners manual
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BX Meteor · Post by **BX Meteor** » Fri Mar 16, 2012 6:04 am

Mickey taker wrote:In other news the car has now decided its scared of the dark

the last three nights I have taken the kids to clubs between 6.30 and 7.00 pm and all is fine,
gone out to pick them up between 8.30 and 9.30 and it just dosent want to start, in fact it dosen't start at all,
then its fine the following morning.

tonight I turned the key and nothing happened,
turned it again and the car turned over but would not fire.

Several things going on there Mick

When it turns over:
- if it's slow turnover then you have a dodgy battery or one of the clamps is loose, which is also the cause of the non turnover issue and poor starting.
- if it's fast turnover then you either have a dodgy ignition-switch, or a dodgy solenoid on the starter motor, causing the non turnover issue.

When it is turning over: if it will not start easily are you following the Citroen destructions in above pics ? If yes and it still won't start easily on fast turnover then you need a carb recon kit and a "round thing".

Dodgy igniton-switch/solenoid check: next time nothing happens, turn the ignition off, then use a screwdriver and hammer as follows.
-use the screwdriver to short the start terminal on the solenoid to the main battery feed . If the solenoid engages but the motor does not turn then see ffff below. If the solenoid engages and the motor turns, then try the ignition-switch again. If nothing happens try screwdriver again, etc, etc. If yes to screwdriver and no to ignition-switch, then it's the latter.
-if the solenoid does not engage when using the screwdriver, tap the solenoid with the hammer. If it engages then it's the solenoid.

If you don't know how to do the screwdriver trick, don't even try it !!!

Get an assistant to turn the igniton key fully clockwise, if you hear the solenoid engage but no starter motor, see ffff below. If the solenoid does not engage then tell the assistant to hold the ignition key fully clockwise then tap the solenoid with a hammer. If it engages then it's the solenoid, if not, keep tapping with the hammer. If it still does not engage, then it might be the ignition-switch (but you need to try the screwdriver trick to be !00% certain).

ffff: it's either the main terminal in the solenoid, or the starter motor itself.

My money is on a solenoid problem: either the solenoid itself, or the main terminals in the solenoid.
You also have a carb problem methinks.
you should have kept the Golf

Mickey taker · Post by **Mickey taker** » Fri Mar 16, 2012 3:12 pm

think Im in for a busy weekend ,its now decided its not just scared of the dark but just dosent want to go out at all, started fine at lunchtime then an hour later spun like a top but wouldent spark, think I might treat it to new distibutor cap , rotor, leads, sort carb out, check all the connections and go from there

Vanny · Post by **Vanny** » Fri Mar 16, 2012 7:57 pm

I'm betting on a dodgy ignition barrel, getting slightly tighter in the contact department in the cold. Try warming up the cabin with fire before you start

Mickey taker · Post by **Mickey taker** » Sun Mar 25, 2012 9:24 am

last Tuesday I fitted the new ignition module and plugs, the car has been running fine on the mechanical pump, almost instant starting from cold and a few cranks when hot, then friday afternoon after a 16 mile run , it started then died.
Back on the electric pump it fired up and ran fine, smell of petrol was located, the outlet pipe on the electric pump had come loose or maybe it had always been a bit loose but had not noticed it before, tightened it up and the smell has now gone

Mickey taker · Post by **Mickey taker** » Thu Mar 29, 2012 8:29 am

well touch wood the car has been running fine this week, still hesitates a little coming off of roundabouts but throttle down hard and it pulls through, I still have to sort out the weeping water bleed valve next to the thermostat housing but generally shes running ok.
The cars getting a break next week as we are off to whitstable for a holiday, when I get back im hoping to treat it to a set of good part worn tyres I have found already on BX rims and the splitter I am collecting from Bill.

Mickey taker · Post by **Mickey taker** » Wed Apr 04, 2012 7:13 pm

guess whos got a splitter !!!!!