help! replaced fuel pump contacts .. observations

[xpress]

hi there.

today i replaced the fuel pump contacts. twisted the rocker contact back on (seven turns for anyone else that does it).

i found that gapping to .05mm wasn't that good, when it was put back on there, i had to push the top contact for it to snap and pump. also, wear rubber gloves, i had a nice little fireworks show once when i was pushing the contacts with a screwdriver lol.

i can't see the point on gapping these contacts, i think they need to touch because when i gap them, then the pump doesn't work unless i push the contacts together by hand, when i didn't gap them, the pump was pumping every 3 seconds and faster when i revved her up.

the great part was when i thought, yes i sorted it, i put the contacts back together again, it all worked, then i pushed her out of the garage, tried to start her and then the battery had no crank in it. i tried to crank start, but what happens if there's no fuel in the float chamber the little round reservoir?

was it common practise to hand pump the contacts a few times to bring fuel up, or did you have to put a bit of fuel in the float chamber and then crank? because i can't get her started again now.

:'(

i am beginning to lose the will to live and i am getting tired of getting around by pushbike!

[xpress]

i have a mm metric set of guages. i set a 0.05mm gap, i don't have .08 but the .05 was too big a gap so i had to set it so it the points were actually touching at the top travel.

[stevey]

you shouldnt need to prime the petrol pump. If its not filling the float chamber the engine will just crank but not fire. When you fitted them did you make sure the throw over was set properly and then loosed the diaphram off by 4 holes (if that makes sense). If its still not pumping the front wee set needs bent in slightly. To check contect everything up and use a screw driver to push the contacts together, if it pumps (and you need a change of under wear) the front set needs bent i a bit more.

Not really scientific, but it works for me, if you get the drift.

If the petrol pump is pumping, check that teh float in the float bowl isnt stuck up (it can sometimes happen) if it is no fuel can get it.

[xpress]

thanks for the message steve, love the colour of your moggie. the colour seems to really change the character of them compared to other cars i don't notice as much.

that's how i ended up doing it, i didn't touch the diaphragm, just counted the number of turns off and twisted the rocker (probably not the right name for it), the thing with the spring on 7 turns!

then i set the gap with the mm feeler guage with the smallest feeler on its own, (5), looked like half a mm to me or thereabouts. wouldn't pump, so i bent the top contact in like you said and nearly had to change my underwear but thanks to rubber gloves i didn't have to! lol.

ps also in a message to charlie, i pointed out that the only two pumps i have seen, the contacts have been set touching each other with the rocker bottom contact at top travel it touches the top contact.

i would be interested in fitting something to limit the arc a bit, that might be the next little thing i do, i might fit a light to trigger every time the pump pumps as well if i can be bothered, but really you can just hear it tick.

[ColinP]

Hi,

Here's the page from Burlen:-
http://www.sucarb.co.uk/TechnicalDetail.aspx?id=52
(you may need to scroll through the pages)

If the pump contacts are set correctly, and the valves working - and intact diaphragm, then you should have no problems.

On the pump I've just replaced the contacts, I needed about 25 turns for the contact set to reach the position of the old one...

Colin

[xpress]

ah how funny. thanks for the link i will peruse it. i didn't remove the diaphragm, i just spun the contact off and spun the new one on, seven turns for me.

going to have a little read of this link! cheers.

[stevey]

cheers traffy blue comon as muck colour. You really need to set the points using the throw over as in the manual, that always seems to sort out the arcing. have a look at http://www.morris-1000.co.uk/manual.htm sorry however ive stole this off.

[kittyfell]

That's a handy link to the manual, I think someone was looking for that a few days ago?
And yes indeed, you really MUST set the points as shown in the Manual. It's highly detailed in page B3 onwards.

[katy]

Can one replace the points w/out removing the diaphragm? Just from the top end of the pump?
TIA, Ken

[Stig]

Can one replace the points w/out removing the diaphragm? Just from the top end of the pump?
TIA, Ken

That's how I've always done it. No need to touch the 'wet' end if there's nothing wrong with it. You can even do it without taking the pump off the car but it's more awkward than on a bench.

[xpress]

i tried setting it up per manual, didn't click, so bent the top contact in a bit more and the contacts are touching at top rocker travel, hey presto, working pump, no cutting out. i will skinny the manual tho cheers!

[stevey]

good stuff

[kittyfell]

It shouldn't need any bending. The contacts may not now be making flat contact, check it out.

[xpress]

not sure what you mean, contacts not bent as such, i just pushed and added some pressure to the top contact and inclined it slightly and shut the gap so that the the top contact is forward a bit until the pump reliably ticked without stopping. not sure if the contacts meet or not at the top of the rocker travel. i should really go back in there and solder a component there to limit the arcing so i am sure i will be back in there at some point soon.

if i didn't do this then the pump wouldn't tick, the car would hunt and stall, so go figure, i needed to do it lol.