The past few weekends have been hard to find time to work on my 2CV project car, but it’s never far from my mind. I have many waking dreams about trundling around town in my 2CV, taking turns at idiotically high speeds as that tin snail leans so far into the corners I can file my nails on the asphalt by just dangling them out the window. I want to drive this thing! But there’s still plenty yet to do.
This weekend I had a bit of time, so I tried to take care of the next big step – removing and cleaning the carburetor – only to be stymied by one cruel nut, which was placed in the sort of location where you’d have to be some sort of mollusk to actually access. Every time, right? There’s always one stubborn, cruel something, sent by the nefarious and brutal forces that just want to see every one of my car projects fail. But I won’t give the bastards the satisfaction!
Some progress has been made, though. The wiring is all sorted now and all of the electrical stuff works, even the horn, which my 2CV mentor Til gave me. I even got one of those braided wiring loom cover things to make it look nice and tidy!
Look at that! No more green tangled mane of wires! The shame is hidden!
Okay, but let’s get to the bane of my weekend here: this one bolt on the carb. Here’s the carb itself for reference:
Three of those four bolts are easy to remove. Delightfully easy! But that one last bolt, oy, is it a monster:
It’s in precisely the wrong place for everything: tucked in a little divot under that pump thing on the carb, and with pretty much zero space for any wrench in there; I got a wrench on it, with much contorting, but then found I couldn’t move it at all, because of all the other stuff around it.
I wasted so much time trying to get the thing out: I removed one of the alternator bolts to move the bracket out of the way, I started to take the pump part off the carb – everything. It was especially maddening because everything else about this car is so easy and accessible, too! Why did Citroën’s clever engineers decide that this one bolt didn’t need to be something a human with bones could access?
Finally, I decided to look up some videos to see if anyone had a special trick to get it off; nothing in the written descriptions in books or online seemed to even acknowledge this was an issue! So, I watched one of these videos and noticed something (the link goes right to the moment):
Did you see what I saw? It’s this:
WHAT THE HELL IS THAT WRENCH?
That’s cheating! How did the guy in the video decide it wasn’t important to mention that he’s using some sort of C-shaped wrench to get to that nut? Did he buy that wrench? Did he heat up a wrench and bend it?
I guess I need a wrench like that? Or I need to bend one of my 12mm into that shape? No one could have mentioned this before? Neither of the two workshop manuals I was looking at thought it was important to mention you need a funhouse wrench to make this work.
Ugh. I guess I’ll try and find or make a wrench like that and keep it in a glass case with a sign that says IN CASE OF 2CV CARB ISSUES, BREAK GLASS or something like that.
Then I’ll probably lose the little glass-breaking hammer.
Oh, just to end this on a high note, Til brought this amazing Mehari out to our local French car owners meetup. It’s a charming little kook, and you have to respect Til for driving this open plastic tub in non-balmy weather!
This is one of those situations where I’d close the hood and go order/find the right tool for the job. I’ve wasted too much time (and stripped too many nut/bolt heads) by trying to avoid buying specialty tools. Now I just buy the damn tool before proceeding.
Since carburetor is a French word which means “leave it alone” it doesn’t surprise me that Citroën didn’t bother making it easily removable.
I was more concerned that the YouTuber is handling a RED HOT GLOWING WRENCH with bare hands! Hardly noticed the unique shape. Also, WEASELS, LOOK OUT!
My Uncle ran his own small engine repair shop and I inherited everything when he passed away. I have at least a dozen wrenches and screwdrivers that have been modified and bent into odd shapes for some specific thing I’ll never know. Once in a great while I get to use one for something. More often I’m making my own bastard tools.
My mechanic Father-in-Law had many, many ‘modified’ tools laying about. Lots of ground down and bent wrenches, sockets that have been ‘thinned down’, and like you say, we’ll never know what for. Explains why he was always buying cheap tools at flea market.
Ha! My Uncle stopped at every flea market and garage sale he saw. If tools were cheap, he bought them. He had a big shop and, instead of one central toolbox/area, he had tools spread all over. When I rounded everything up I had 100s of wrenches, sockets and screwdrivers.
The very first time I was told that a tool called a “Distributor wrench” existed which would have saved me hours of creating really convoluted composite wrenches to reach one nut under said distributor, I knew my future in automotive buffoonery was bright.
Hammer, small chisel to loosen the faster. I see a mention of Kroil… you’ll need a go fund me for that stuff.
Do a starter on a Renault 5. There will be several of these roadblocks.
Jason, that nut is so (in)famous that Burton 2CV sells a special wrench for it:
https://www.burton2cvparts.com/en/carburettor-ring-spanner-12mm-2cv6
It might be made by the Mehari Club Cassis or by Burton, but they both sell it. On my single-barrel, I could JUST get to that nut with a normal spanner. I think I may have even pointed out that terrible nut on your car when I was over some time. Yeah, it’s a pain. Esp since Burton won’t ship to the US rn.
Damn, that’s as ugly as my home made one, but if it get’s you there I guess it’s worth the money 😉
Basically on the single-barrel like mine, the accelerator pump is where your semi-auto-choke vacuum valve is, and the space where you have an accelerator pump is empty on mine, making it slightly easier to do.
Oh, and since Burton isn’t shipping to The Land Of The Free rn, Kenji has them:
https://www.2cvsource.com/1129,-4700c-carburetor-mounting-nut-wrench-12mm-hex-ring-spanner.html
But I bet our local Citroen mentor has a tool he made himself he’d let you borrow…
https://www.northerntool.com/products/k-tool-international-wr-1-2-x-9-16-12pt-model-kti70600-6505923
$6
Three piece set that can combine in multiple ways, reversing as drive handles.
I also recommend torque bar adapters which is how I got my big gear reduction starter on and off recently.
Been there, know exactly what you mean!
I made my own tools for it, with my laughable welding skills:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BvUyk6jlXWP/
The “stupid” placement prevents you from tightening it too much, when you put it back on, which is a good thing. The nuts only have to be tight enough to not fall off. I guess there are some torque specs somewhere in the Haynes manual or online.
Yes the Citroen (English) manuals will sometimes make reference to a “cranked” screwdriver or wrench. I’m glad I could get to mine with only a normal wrench and some cursing. One of the reasons I like that my car has a single-barrel, even though the 2CVs actually made in france (as opposed to my Spanish one) my year had double-barrel
Wow interesting, so the Spanish ones has LESS than the 29hp?
One of my three A models was a Yugoslavian built Dyane, but it had the full “turbo” hose regular Dyane setup with 32 hp, I guess they have some mountains in Yugoslavia? Some French switches were changed to very Zastava/Lada/eastern looking big ones, that weren’t it’s most charming feature…
The double barrel, so I’m told, was more for emissions than power.
I realized over the weekend I really need to do some tool shopping. Ma’s Neon showed up for a leaky power steering pressure hose (which now requires a 5 gallon bucket of driveway cleaner). Without a crows foot and x-ray vision to get the line off from under the pump I decided to remove the pump. That means the belt has to come off and without the skinny tool for the tensioner I pulled the upper & lower motor mounts off to hoist the engine up to get a socket wrench on it.
At least I’ve done this before and had the funny star socket for what I can only describe as a third motor mount between the timing cover and car body. The one hiding behind a plastic cover that says: “Hello! You need to go to Auto Zone’s overpriced socket aisle if you want to get this done today!”
The one nut that ruins all wrenching projects for me usually happens to be the one holding the wrench.
As for getting your stuck nut free, a swivel head wrench might work well. I have a set of those and they have proven to be worth their weight in gold over and over again through the years.
Gearwrench has some sets that lock at your needed angle.
Not all sizes inclusive in those.
Or are you talking about swiveling on the horizontal plane?
These are not the exact ones I have, but close enough.
https://www.craftsman.com/en-us/product/cmmt87009/craftsman-metric-flex-head-ratcheting-wrench-set-7-piece
,I got a set like that and showed them to my friend, a genius mechanic.
He said useful, but will flex while you’re trying to use them.
I found the locking option, and got the sets.
Still needed a torque adapter on my starter.
https://www.gearwrench.com/all-tools/wrenches/ratcheting/85698-12-piece-72-tooth-12-point-xl-locking-flex-head-ratcheting-combination-metric-wrench-set
Torque adapter
https://www.arestool.com/products/10mm-12-point-box-end-torque-adapter-extension?srsltid=AfmBOoqgnpZZ7tg5SrKWFXJXiVzLnyh9QqayFAcgG48Gsg0m2g-30P4G
I’ve used them for years with great success, but I concede that it would be more helpful to have the locking version. Guess it’s time to upgrade my tools again haha
Your rubber arm has been twisted.
haha oh no! New tools. What am I do to with myself?
Might be better to get sets of torque adapters first. I couldn’t get ratchet wrenches or crowfoots on my starter.
Used to be only high-end brands had the selection, like $napon.
Ares is the cheapest I’ve seen get decent reviews.
Proto is reasonable.
Can’t say that I’ve ever felt the need for that one. I was looking at something similar recently, and I get it, but it’s not something that has been an issue for me enough times to justify spending money on it yet.
When you need them, you’ll know they’re out there.
I have also used socket cap adapters, which allow you to use a wrench to turn a socket in a tight space. About $6 at hf. Proto had a captive version if you can find it.
Prevents dropping the socket.
Recently I’m seeing a variety of wrench extensions ranging from simple to fairly complex types to increase leverage on a wrench or ratchet. I haven’t tried one yet, but the right design would be useful.
Yeah it is usually the nut holding the wrench or the nut behind the wheel that is ultimately the problem.
Looks like a distributor wrench. You could probably get to it with a crow’s foot socket on a ratchet extention too.
Years ago I saw a Citroen Mehari parked at a mall in Orange County, CA. It actually had very weathered blue/yellow personalized plates “MEHARI” and original dealer plate frames showing it had lived in the area since new.
As soon as I saw the pics, I thought “crow’s foot”. A u-joint socket adaptor or wobble extensions might help too.
Did you try some wiggles, wobble extensions, and uniwiggles? Sometimes you need a combination of them
This is when cheap tools are good, along with a cutoff wheel and torch. Not Torch, torch. Bend and cut it to work for this one thing, but I think you got it.
I have a 9/16 wrench bent like that for the distributor hold down bolt on a small block Chevy. I haven’t used it in three decades, but it’s there just in case I need it again someday.
That’s what you need. I have owned a couple of those, both 1/2″ and 9/16″, since the mid ’90s, and they’re both intended for Ford distributor hold-down bolts. Don’t need ’em often, but when I do, nothing else will do.
Hey, at least the nut is glowing a nice teal color. Makes it easier to see.
Seriously, is that Cherinkov radiation? Your nut is hexed.
Whatcha got in the trunk?
Oh… You don’t wanna look in there.
(disgruntled meows coming from the trunk)
Professor Schrodinger, is there anything you’d like to tell us?
“…uh, I can’t be sure.”
What could have done that to him? Gasoline? Napalm?
It happens sometimes. People just explode. Natural causes
The Demon Nut
Isn’t that an old Valve Wrench?
This is one of those special items that puts you firmly in the 2CV club. Sans that, you are just one of us observers. You will be fully indoctrinated once you sacrifice one of your 12mm wrenches, safely heat it up to its plastic temperature, and try ( at least twice) to get it bent into just the right shape.
Having “specialty” tools helps you sleep better at night, and allows a more tight bond with both your vehicle, and other wrenchers whom have had to make the same type of choice.
It must be a French Car Thing.
My old Renault 5 had the same problem: one nut on the carb. that was absolutely inaccessible with any of my tools.
I ended up heating one of my collection of 13mm end wrenches on the stove — darn near everything on a Renault 5 is held on with 13mm bolts/nuts — and bending it into a weird pretzel shape that let me loosen and tighten the little monster one agonizing fraction of a turn at a time.
One well placed shot with the Jewish Space Laser and that nut will be like MTG.
Gone.
I actually hope she runs for President, I could use some comedy in life again.
As soon as as possible…
Harbor Freight has their basic wrench sets on sale for $6 this week. 🙂
In the absence of the flexi-wrench, can you pull the entire intake manifold and then remove the carb on the bench when you have better access?
(This presupposes there isn’t one particular @#$%^&* nut that will make removing the manifold equally impractical.)
“It’s Always That One Nut That Ruins Everything” – That’s what she said.
Its always one you can’t reach or one that strips/breaks! Looks like a perfect job for a crowfoot wrench. Its a open ended box wrench that goes on your socket wrench.
Myself, I have been in a weeks long battle to remove the drain plug from the transaxle of a 1974 VW Westy. Its superior German laugh at my weak American penetrating spray is maddening!
Have you tried Kano aerokroil?
I don’t touch a tool till I have some at hand.
I have not, but I am ordering some now. I’ve been working on old cars for 30 years, never had this much trouble. Thanks!
Happy to help!
I was tipped off to it by an antique car restorer, and rebuilder of industrial equipment. In some cases, I have freed stainless hardware from cast aluminum eventually.
No guarantees there though.
Got fused airbrakes loose on a semi trailer that had to move, with Kano and an 8 ft prybar.
Can we work on a GoFundMe to buy Jason this wrench for Christmas?
Tool for Your Nuts
Oof. Costs five times as much as a pair of SAE ones!
That’s where you go to the pawn shop and buy the cheapest wrench of the correct size so you can mutilate it appropriately.
That bent up wrench looks hot, and/or ephemeral. I can’t imagine that’s any easier to work with!