So I have had Donna for nearly a month now, and she has started to have trouble starting again. The first time we think it was just her getting used to actually being on the road again but now the problem is different. I turn the key and the ignition light comes on, then turn it further and absolutley nothing! The light goes off the fuel needle disappears and thats it! At first we thought that the starter motor had seized and the solution moving her forward in gear fixed her after 3 attempts. The same happened again when I got home and needed to move her off the drive (gave up in the end and pushed her!).

This then happened again today and someone suggested checking the battery and it is indeed dead. I have not left the lights on all night and the only modification I have done to the electrics is to fit a £10 stereo and some cheap speakers. They are hooked up direct to the battery but remove the fuse when I turn the car off so nothing should be happening there.

Supposed to be taking her out to her firsr proper meet tonight, but this looks like it is not happening anymore

If anyone has any suggestions as to what could kill the battery and how to prevent it again it would be a real help!

"At first we thought that the starter motor had seized and the solution moving her forward in gear fixed her after 3 attempts." Ok, if this happens, then it does look like a sticking starter (was there a small 'clunk' after the 3rd attempt when it released?). However, this in itself doesn't cause the battery to go flat. And if the fuel gauge falls completely when you turn the key, then that sounds like a very flat battery. (I suspect a weak battery could, on the other hand, make it more likely for the starter to stick...)

If you want to eliminate the battery as a cause, then try charging it up, disconnect one terminal FULLY, leave it overnight, and then see if it's held that charge until next morning (obviously, you remove the charger overnight too.)

You can check the alternator by placing a volt meter on the battery terminals and seeing how the voltage changes after the engine starts - the battery itself should show in the order of 12V, and this should rise to - ooh - around 14V after the engine fires up, settling back down to, I dunno, 12-13V after a few minutes? A good test then is to turn on the headlamps - the voltage should remain pretty steady, and should definitely not fall below 12V.

It could be the wiring in between the battery and alternator.

Or it could be the voltage regulator.

I'd first check all the wring terminals again - it's quite straight forward to check the main ones at the alternator end and the battery (are the battery terminals clean? Are the clamps nice and tight?)


Do you have a starting handle? If so, try using this to start the car when the engine won't turn over on the key but the ignition light still comes on. (You may need to take care cranking the engine this way - I don't know how prone 2CVs are to breaking thumbs?) IF the car fires up this way, then see if the headlamps come on when the engine is running. If they do, then this would suggest the alternator is working ok - and hence it's the battery that's faulty (not holding a charge.) If the engine starts to falter when you turn on the headlamps, then that suggest the charging system isn't working properly.

Donna is alive, she can go to the meet tonight! Thanks for the advice, checked the voltage and the battery was pretty much full strangely enough. The alternator was also fine. All I did was give the battery terminals a quick clean and regrease and that seems to have fixed her. Seems that I overlooked the simplest thing... whoops!!

Cool