Fuel not pumping through

[simmitc]

Great minds clearly think alike, now all we need is for Tom to try what we've suggested and report back

[Tommac]

Thanks everyone I’ll check this later. Sorry about delay but I have my sister and brother in law staying and this is keeping me out of the garage

[Tommac]

Ok I sent my family out so I could check the flow. With the outlet disconnected from the float chamber there was some activity and the pump managed to fill the infamous transparent filter but only just before the ticking stopped. With the filter removed the result was the same and only got a trickle.

So removed the inlet pipe and now the pump ticked at a fast rate and quickly emptied the fuel pump of fuel.

Seems to be a blocked inlet pipe - something I was hoping would not be the case. I tried pumping air into the inlet pipe using a track pump but this didn’t help as initially the pump ticked quickly but slowed down after a few seconds. No fuel cam through. Maybe I should’ve primed the pump with fuel beforehand. It looks like I need to remove the fuel tank.

[svenedin]

Ok I sent my family out so I could check the flow. With the outlet disconnected from the float chamber there was some activity and the pump managed to fill the infamous transparent filter but only just before the ticking stopped. With the filter removed the result was the same and only got a trickle.

So removed the inlet pipe and now the pump ticked at a fast rate and quickly emptied the fuel pump of fuel.

Seems to be a blocked inlet pipe - something I was hoping would not be the case. I tried pumping air into the inlet pipe using a track pump but this didn’t help as initially the pump ticked quickly but slowed down after a few seconds. No fuel cam through. Maybe I should’ve primed the pump with fuel beforehand. It looks like I need to remove the fuel tank.

You don’t need to take out the tank to change the fuel line or to drain it. If you know anybody who has a compressor you might get lucky unblocking the fuel line with a blast of compressed air. If that works, remember the crud is now back in the tank. Drain it via the drain plug underneath. You can filter the fuel through coffee filters or even strong kitchen towel in a funnel and reuse the fuel. When you refill the tank discard the last pint or so. Petrol floats on water. Any water there will be at the bottom of the container. Be careful with petrol obviously. My uncle Bert burned himself very badly with a petrol accident. I make no apologies for repeating safety advice!

Stephen

[Tommac]

Thank you Stephen I’ll give it a go ( whilst being very careful)

[paul 300358]

IIRC there is a filter inside the tank, I would be tempted to syphon out as much fuel as possible, remove the sender unit then have a look inside. You can do this with the tank still inside the car. Obviously no naked flames etc.

[geoberni]

IIRC there is a filter inside the tank, I would be tempted to syphon out as much fuel as possible, remove the sender unit then have a look inside. You can do this with the tank still inside the car. Obviously no naked flames etc.

There's no filter shown on the parts list, but I've seen it mentioned before. I think it's one of those items that may or may not be there....

[myoldjalopy]

Yes, there should be a filter in the tank, like a cylindrical gauze thing at the end of the pipe, near the bottom of the tank.

[svenedin]

Yes, there should be a filter in the tank, like a cylindrical gauze thing at the end of the pipe, near the bottom of the tank.

Which is all well and good but the OP has not told us how long the car stood. Petrol “varnish” is incredibly difficult to shift. I suspect he’ll be fitting a new fuel line from the tank.

[Tommac]

Thanks all. I’m going to drain the petrol (there was a little bit in there from last year but I put 10 litres of new petrol in the tank a week ago) and check the Schrödinger filter. I fully expect to have to replace the pipe and the tank.

[simmitc]

Just to double check, did you remove all of the output hose and replace it with new hose when running the tests? If you retained the old hose up to the clear filter, then there could still be a problem at that point that prevents fuel getting to the place where you can see it. Any bit of cheap tubing would work for a test, but ensure that you use proper fuel hose when running the engine. Modern Ethanol fuel does cause older hoses to degrade with possible leaks and fire hazards; so it is worth replacing the hose anyway.

[Tommac]

Thank you yes the hose is new. I bought it from ESM. Initially the old hose ( not that old actually) went via a Brouguet fuel catalyser but I’ve bypassed that and I’m intending to remove the transparent filter also but I need new, longer pipe to reach the float chamber

[simmitc]

Brouguet fuel catalyser

Ah, another great piece of marketing in action. Serves no useful purpose whatsoever. If you are concerned about fuel composition, then use an additive that is endorsed by the Federation of British Historic Vehicle Clubs.

[Tommac]

Hard to believe but there seems to be no drain plug on the tank. I’ve brushed it all over with a wire brush and it’s completely smooth apart from where the fuel pipe is connected

[simmitc]

I believe that all original tanks had drain plugs, but most replacements sold over the last 25 years do not. Some may argue that it's an anti-theft thing, whilst the more cynical might suspect cost-saving. Normally I'd suggest using the pump to empty the tank, but in this case, you'll have to siphon. On the plus side, if it is a newer tank, then it should have less chance of rust and other muck.

[Tommac]

Yes I agree I have to syphon

[svenedin]

If there’s no drain plug it’s really not that difficult to take out the tank. It will save you such a world of pain to have a clean tank. I’ve been there! The number of times I broke down once the tank really started to rust.

[geoberni]

If there’s no drain plug it’s really not that difficult to take out the tank. It will save you such a world of pain to have a clean tank. I’ve been there! The number of times I broke down once the tank really started to rust.

Except it could be rather heavy depending how much fuel is in it. A full tank would weigh around 40-45 lbs.

I know the fuel line is supposed to be a solid pipe from tank to pump, but I'm sure Basil can't be the only car where someone has cut the pipe and fitted a short flexible hose at the tank... or is he ??

[svenedin]

If there’s no drain plug it’s really not that difficult to take out the tank. It will save you such a world of pain to have a clean tank. I’ve been there! The number of times I broke down once the tank really started to rust.

Except it could be rather heavy depending how much fuel is in it. A full tank would weigh around 40-45 lbs.

I know the fuel line is supposed to be a solid pipe from tank to pump, but I'm sure Basil can't be the only car where someone has cut the pipe and fitted a short flexible hose at the tank... or is he ??

never seen that but.....

[myoldjalopy]

Someone ought to start a thread on 'awful bodges'. We've all inherited a few, I'm sure!