2CV to Croatia: Engine fail disaster! Will the new unknown engine run?
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- Опубликовано: 6 сен 2024
- Yeah, the engine problem got worse. Much worse. Less than a week until the ferry departs and it's engine swap time! Will my completely unknown spare engine manage a sudden roadtrip after years of slumber?
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Hubnut's law: The severity of a car problem is inversely proportional to the time available to fix it.
SkyWizardless yep very wise comment.
... a bit like the chances of buttered toast landing butter-side down on your carpet is directly proportional to the price of the carpet.
That does, unfortunately, tend to be the case with a lot of older vehicles...
So so true, the night before we were going from Essex to Dartmoor in a land rover the gear stick snapped off of course it was a Sunday we were setting off.
@@wilsonkj Hmmm, that's definitely not ideal, Landies aren't the quickest beasties with a full compliment of gears, let alone when you've only got one, or none...
I'm gripped. Can't wait for the next installment. Better than anything on TV at the moment and was half expecting the Eastenders music at the end....
What's a tv??? Good stuff from the hubnut.
I would of stayed with the original engine and helicoiled the tread, These engines are easy to get out. Taking the barrel off and and care with the rings much easier and you keep the proven engine. Good luck. 2CVs like long hair and all the good things of the 70s
That's exactly what I was going to suggest, and what I would do if it was up to me.
Yup I’d have stuck with the known engine, however I’m in a big city with several machine shops within a short distance, perhaps not the case in the wilds of Wales.
@@GG-im1cb You don't really need machineshop to put in a helicoil, a dril, tap and die will do.
That would have been my advice too as it could surely have been done in situ. Heaven knows what lurks in that old engine, and that was epic amounts of blue smoke once it did start. The only doubt would have been if the failure was something other than a stripped thread, such as a crack in the block, but pulling the barrel off would have shown that.
Yeah. Nice one !
I'm watching the non-starting engine. I say to my laptop, "Have you checked the coil?"
Hubnut stops cranking, "Right. Different coil."
I am thoroughly enjoying these videos. These cars seem to be fun to drive and (sometimes) fun to tinker with. May have to get one.
Sitting in bath scoffing Marmite crisps watching hubnut,good way to spend day off.
What’s this really only two years ago - how things have changed.
This is one of the most enjoyable of all your videos to my mind.
I have it bookmarked and come back to do in an out from time to time.
There was so much progress in such a short space of time.
Gives us all hope!
At 39mins and hearing the engine and seeing it all laid bare it reminds me of a Sopwith Camel bi plane👍👍 great effort Ian !
Blimey that train driver wasn't hanging about, he must have been late for his lunch 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Sounded like it was a two Stoke variant. Certainly swift!😆
Welsh railways, where brakes are optional hehe If you ever want an actual real thrill better than any theme park there is a gravity slate railway near Blanau Ffestinog if memory serves me right and ye gods coming down on a laden wagon set and your life depending on the evil brakeman, feels like your guts being pulled out yer ahem well, quite a thrill...
Hope you heard the huge cheer!
Sorry about your misfortune but massive admiration for rising above it, I'd have just stomped about kicking things and achieved nowt.
Am I the only one who thought that train noise sounded like an old diesel when sped up! Good work Ian you'll get there yet!
I was very surprised when what i thought was an older engine, turned out to be the train.
Was I the only one who thought of Benny Hill when it was on fast forward? 😂
16:03 'The point of doing things properly has long since buggered off' , classic line
You cant get better than a hub nut fitter, he’s the boy to trust.
Absolutely inspiring stuff from hubnut once again. I wish I was so calm in a crisis! Amazing stuff Ian credit to you mate for sorting the engine issues out .good luck on your road trip .
Been watching your videos for a few years and today decided to watch through the Croatia trip. Very much looking forward to this series! Blimey that engine was very stubborn about coming out of hibernation! Great to see it fire though!
I am really impressed as someone who claims not to be competent mechanic ops for an engine swap rather than helicoiling the stripped thread.
Watching all your 2CV shenanigans and fun is seriously tempting me to find one needing a chassis relatively cheap 😁
What amazing little cars they are!
Not an easy helicoil option due to where the thread is. Sometimes a swap is a better idea, especially on a car where it is so easy to do so.
I miss tinkering on cars. Don't have the space any more. Watching your videos is the next best thing :-)
Slowing the sped up sections down x2 brings a smile to the face
You will be fine , just double check as you reassemble .
Had a car in a similar state of disassembly, a couple of days before doing "Rust to Rome" last year.
Only put back together the evening before leaving. Did almost 5000 miles in three weeks with no problems .
It was a £500 ,22 year old BMW.
Good luck.
Remember you have viewers all over prepared to help.
I can see the logic in the engine swap, especially given how easy it is on these. At least with a working engine back in, even one with unknown background, you stand some chance of driving somewhere. It might just be a helicoil required on the old engine's thread (you must be sick of hearing that word now), and it might be something scarier, and it could take longer than the time you've got to find out. So, swapping an engine in and getting it working is perfectly sensible given the constraints even if it does seem a little bit backwards. Who knows, maybe the other engine will just need a helicoil and you can quickly swap it back in no bother, at least you have options of some sort now.
It looks like Ian is really missing the demands of magazine editing already, and has started creating his own deadlines.
Wow! What a nail-biter. My heart went out to you when you discovered the worst and I was so glad that you regrouped and forged ahead undaunted. Thank heavens the engine is easy to work on and light enough that you can get it out by yourself. Fingers crossed! Cheers.
Well done ian but the cranking before firing reminded me of flight of the phoenix.
I currently at 37 mins into the video and I'm impressed by how restrained you are with your language :) By now I'd have yelled and shouted at the engine with a bookload of expletives. Quite enjoying the diagnostics though.
That was a hugely satisfying watch, very well done. Love watching engines start up after standing for ages.
You did well not to turn the air blue throughout the frustrations. Good job 👍
On edge of my seat here Mr HubNut! As you first cranked over the 'new' engine my internet connection crashed! I thought the engine had siezed!! What a patient man you are. All the very best, fingers, toes etc. crossed for success.
The amount of obvious stress you've had this weekend with the engine I did not expect a video to come along with it, that's dedication, thank you Ian. So pleased and relieved to see the light at the end of this tunnel.
I’m gobsmacked how well you got that engine out. Top marks pal.
Well done Ian. Reminds me of another tale of old. We reconditioned engines, rarely changed them etc. However I was given the job of changing an engine in a BMC 1100. Idler bearing had gone in Italy. Brought to us on a lorry. I reconditioned an engine, fitting it to another gearbox. Then worked until 2am changing it. Next day it was driven back to Italy. I did get a (verbal) message of thanks for doing such a good job.
Stone the crows! I had to watch through my fingers! If this isn't jeopardy I don't know what is. The TWC and Foxanne roadtrips were just the horses doofers. Here is the main course. Good Luck Ian!
So, was looking for a 20 min video to watch whilst doing my exercise before bed, ooh, Doug has done one, oh, nevermind, Hubnut has had a disaster, I'll catch up on those extra 20 mins in the morning!
This has definitely made Croatia a trip to follow closely! Forget TopGear with their set up accidents or intentionally pushing cars to their limit, and with a back up camera crew - you never know what might happen here!
I dont think ive ever been willing an engine to start as much as i did in this video. Wow 4k trip abroad on an unknown engine. Balls of Steel Mr Hub Nut. Well done.
Having watched Project Binky just before Sir HubNut,I can honestly say they are both fluent in what they do however with very different techniques. It's the dogged determination of Sir HubNut that always keeps going to the very end. 11/10 Superb!
Omg, that's one of the most exciting videos I've ever seen..
Lovely Jubbly, let's hope it's a return to good times for Mr HubNut and Ellie.
Facing similar struggles with my Dyane (we had planned to complete an engine and gearbox switch last Sunday, but encountered new complications in the form of yet another f”cked up crankshaft) it’s a great comfort to see others struggling as well. Here's to success. Wave s you pass through the Low Countries and see you in La Douce France
I think most of us have probably got something to learn from the shear magnitude of tollerance and patience you clearly have!
Persevere & you'll get there eventually! BTW my art teacher (1980 to 1982) had a R reg Dyane & he spent at least 90 seconds cranking it,& it eventually started. Shouted out the window just before he left the car park.... "STARTED 1ST TIME" Good memories.
Hub Nut, I know very little about cars, but I love watching your videos.
I've often read these cars are very reliable but it seems many who own them have endless problems like starting them when cold or hot and so many other things. So they're not really all that reliable but they are still great cars just the same. I always wanted one until I realized they are a lot more work than I'd want to put up with. I'm glad Ian has one that I can appreciate from afar.
Ball ache or not, would have stayed with 652cc engine and helicoiled the block, proven engine! Good luck!
43 minutes of tutorial on how to rob Peter to give Paul and resurrect a lifeless engine. Most entertaining. Well done Hob Nut, as the old American Express ad used to say don't leave home without it, or is it your AA card. Wish you a pleasant, uneventful trip to sunny Croatia. Look forward to your next posting from there
I find it interesting to watch your experiences with the 2CV engine. My (extensive) experiences are with the Triumph Herald 1200 engine, (1147cc), which I have run in almost every state of tune, getting it all the way up to 107bhp, from it's original 46bhp. The way that our problems are similar is that the star that burns brightest burns out sooner!
Our Paul the parakeet enjoyed the chipmunk noise of sped up talking 🐿️😂 Hi George, hope you are being a good boy 🐈 another good video 😎
It's certainly going to be interesting all right! The Adventures of Hubnut and Elly are hardly begun, I'd say. Really encouraging watching you doing that engine swap and debug -- you look quite competent in the face of demoralizing setbacks. Well done!
All that effort and now a roadtrip on an unknown engine instead of simply helicoilling the crankcase. Absolutely mad IMHO.
There's nothing simple about it. Head off, barrel off, lots of scope for disaster.
@@HubNut Yes, except I don't accept it is that difficult. Head and barrel off, retap and helicoil, then rebuild. It really shouldn't be more than an afternoon's work. And if it did go wrong the spare unknown engine was still there. Your last five words now apply to your whole roadtrip.
So you're taking an arduous journey now with an engine of unknown history. You are braver than me Ian. I agree with the earlier comment and would get the stud fixed in your 'known' engine if at all possible.
Fair play Ian, I would have been gutted and wanted to cancel the whole trip if this happened to me. You just made a cup of tea and cracked on. I drove to Croatia and back via 9 other countries in April which was fantastic. Keep up the ‘good’ work and enjoy the trip
This is the wonderful thing about the 2cv. You can find a few bits in the shed and get it going again. When my 760 BMW breaks down before a trip its not possible to fix it in a hurry.
That was quite the saga, and it's not over yet!
Good thing you've got the perseverance to see it through!
Felt as though I was watching Mustie1 at certain points 😉
I have never been so stressed watching a video till the end! Even cried when she started... Good luck with the Croatia trip
It is amazing to me how calm you are doing all this without getting fed up with it. Especially when you pinch your finger on the first attempt of removing the clutch of the engine...
it is inspiring! Nice attitude!
However, why did you rev it that much when it was starting to run finally? You must have remarked and heard that it was only firing on 1 cylinder..?
Also, very familiar with a cat that is so curious and helping out wherever you are. I love cats too!
Ah ! Im so so sorry Ian. I shouldn't have talked it up in the comments the other day. I hope your safe and everything is ok !
Awesome hardcore hubnut, unknown engine 4000 mile trip heaps of excitement ahead, nice work Ian.
I’m really enjoying your style of “including” the viewer as if we were really there. That’s a very friendly and comforting approach.....did you get this from Musty 1? he uses this style a lot as well
Well that’s a royal pita, hope it settles in and compression is maintained, good luck.
I literally breathed a sigh of relief when that engine started! Had I been anywhere near Wales, I'd have come over to help you put the original engine back in order. None the less, awesome work, keep it up Ian!
One of those do or die situations. I see lots of people suggesting the helicoil solution and sticking with the larger engine, which I get. But when time is of the essence, you go with what you have available. In your case you had a spare engine, albeit unknown. If it was a modern car, the engine out job, would of been a lot less favourable. At least she runs and you get the 652 engine sorted when you come back. Then there will be even more video content!
We have a saying in the Triumph community, that "A Triumph will make a mechanic out of an ordinary man", the same seems to apply to the Citroen 2CV, Or, "Une Citroën transformera un mécanicien en homme ordinaire"
Ian you must have a stout heart to travel 4000 miles in that .the very best of luck. whoever said the great British sense of adventure was dead.
My wife would be having a fit. She was not a happy bunny when I was getting her Mini up and running after 2 years. A quick dismantle of the carb and plug clean, car starts up. Now some swearing at the brake and clutch pipes.
Just started watching these videos again really am Im loving them all over again 👍😀
39 mins 25 seconds where the actions at :) Awesome video!
Phenomenal! for both patience and expertise. I didn't hear what he said but George was talking technical.
Only done the last minute engine change once before on a honda cub before a trip with an eBay gamble. Luckily it worked out apart from a loose engine bolt ( my fault) and a slight base gasket leak. Hope it works out for you. Your adventure is just beginning...
Wow! , amazing fortitude Mr Hubnut (Ian) There are leaders and followers. You are definitely the former. Croatia 🇭🇷 here you come!
Totally Epic dedication Hubnut !! And the skills are coming along nicely . Hope your friend is ok .
A friend of mine in Barmouth has between 15 and 20 2cv's split between the UK and Texas! I had the pleasure of rebuilding and respraying 3 of them. Pob pwc Ian and Elly!😁
I genuinely had a nightmare last night of my own 2cv engine blowing up before a big trip, and a failure to replace the engine afterwards. I think scrolling past your instagram posts last night had a deeper effect on me than it should have
This video is great. Your patience and persistence is inspiring and you are a better man than me Ian. Looking forward to watching the next one now. 👍👍👍
4K miles on an unknown engine......very Hubnut. I didn’t expect it to start if I’m honest! Glad she did and I hope she performs!
Great video👍👍
Without knowing what can or can't be done on a 2cv engine, couldn't a mobile helicoil service guy come to your rescue? Sounds preferable to an unknown engine.
10 out of 10 for your persistence, and optimism, well done Ian
That 2CV starter earns its keep! I lke a squirt of petrol in each cylinder rather than starting aerosol because (a) I'm a cheapskate and (b) if there's a strong spark and petrol sits above each piston, the crankshaft can't really _fail_ to turn over, at least briefly. If an exhaust valve is stuck open, you just get a backfire from that cyclinder.
Wow. Cojones, my friend, massive ones! Still, may want to chuck the engine you removed in the trunk(boot) just in case. Find a helicoil repair in some small town shed of a repair shop along the route of your trip. Good luck Mate!
While you're at it replace the points ignition with infrared set , fit and forget , better running , more power , best mod I ever did .
Cutting the hair was bad JuJu!
It's amazing how easy it is to dismantle the front end on a 2CV
Maybe it is not much of a consolation, but it made for a very good video. I'll keep my fingers crossed the old 602 will hang in there on the steep Alpine passes....
7:30 - 8:37 I tried slowing the playback speed to 1/4,you still sounded like Pinky & Perky. Got the gist though. All interesting stuff & keep producing this!
It lives ach am sure it will be fine. I know lots of people who say they would have done this and that but it's easy to comment. Not so easy in practice I know lol. So the engine change was probably the best option for you. Good video look forwards to next.👍👍
I keep my fingers crossed that this engine is running. But he scares me.
Hopefully he will go through this journey. I wish you luck.
Ellie would rather have her old engine back ;-)
Yes i think i would tried to fix the existing rather than replace it with unknown quantity engine! Finally the thing started, what an effort! Does not sound that great, but maybe after a bit more fettling. Think you have earned another cup of tea Ian.
The broken engine was very broken.
@@HubNut fair enough.
You look like you know your way around a 2cv engine! Fascinating viewing, can't wait to see more. Hope it all comes together for the trip.
This video could not be more HubNut if it tried!!!!! Keep up the great work!
I suppose the saving grace is that the stud issue didn’t happen whilst you were on route to Croatia. Good luck getting it all fixed up
Even for HubNut this is bonkers! Fantastic!
Blimey, watching this, i'm on the edge of my seat waiting for a fire up, it's like flight of the phoenix :-)
Also, no power tools? You're a better man than I. Also also, 2CV engines are new to me, so that's the cutest valve cover ever.
You are far more brave than I'll ever be.
2CV - dismantled by Speedy HubNut Chipmunks. :-) Glad you got the other engine running, I was worried when you had no compression. I'm wondering if the power upgrade had been the cause of your woes on the previous engine? A bigger bang would put more pressure on the old studs - probably more than they were designed for, and maybe that has been the cause of the crack? Just something for you to mull over during your trip, before you go upgrading again.
Have a safe trip. :-)
That was awesome...
Sounded like a spitfire firing into life...best engine sound ive heard for ages...good luck with the rest of it..
What a bloody nightmare..The 652 was sounding so well too.. I suppose the only good thing is that it's happened at home and not abroad. Great job on getting her going there Ian. Patience and logical thinking. 👍
I think I'd have lost the plot by now 🤬..
Maybe need a revised list of spares for the trip? 🤔🙂
Cliffhangers and everything!! Excellent work Ian. Watching that engine blasting smoke as it came to life was epic!!! Good luck!!
This video is an epic journey in itself! I have total admiration for your patience Ian, I think that by half way through I would have been shutting the door and running away. It must be the power of tea! (and cake)
I am AMAZED at your ability to handle this issue with such aplomb. I freak out when I get a flat tire or I need to add oil to my car.
That was exciting. I was willing it on when you tried to start it. Never a dull moment with these "mature" vehicles.
I'm so sorry to hear of your problems at such a critical time. People seem to think 2 Cvs are mechanically bullet proof, but its not the case. I dont think the engines were designed with motorways in mind and whilst they can rev hard, I'm not convinced it does them any good to do so for long periods. Anyway I have my fingers crossed that your chosen solution works out well. I swapped out the 435cc engine in my Dyane 4 for a 602cc out of an Ami in 1978. I had to change the gearbox as well. I did that in the street in Headingley. It worked but it wasn't a job I remember as being much fun.
The patience of a saint me being very old that engine noise took me back to 50s children's tv to a program called Billy Bean and his wonderful machine I kid you not the sound was exactly the same galum galump great stuff better than anything on tv.
You can't be accused of being risk averse. I'm guessing the thread for that stud is damaged unless I missed something in the audio. As has already been said, I'd have gone for doing a helicoil insert also. I understand your concerns over time but if you can swap engines that quickly. Take it out, stick it in the back of Foxanne, hot foot it to your nearest engineering shop, get the helicoil done and stick it back in. A) you wouldn't be doing more work than swapping for another engine, probably less in fact. B) you'd have a known reliable and sorted engine that you've just eliminated the only fault rather than relying on a unit that has sat unused for a longish period that might well throw up more faults and will still need fettling. Tesco must have cans of worms on special offer again.
Helicoils don't even need a workshop. A drill, a tap, a helicoil and the insertion tool. At least that was the way I used to do it back in the 1970s with old British motorbikes with stripped threads. I think the bolts may be M7s, and an M7 helicoil insertion kit is readily available and cheap and can probably be obtained in a 24 hours.