Non starting issues... Have I disturbed something?

[TheOriginalMrP]

Hi all...

I recently posted about my car running out of fuel because i'd disturbed the fuel pump pickup pipe changing the top boot.

And spluttering when low on fuel which was fine when 2 gallons were added.

I recently moved garages and had to drive the car about 6 miles to my new place... it started fine after a month and drove there faultlessly.

I knocked it off to open my workshop door and it would not go again... fuel light wasnt on and it wasnt totally at the bottom of the gauge..


I pushed it indoors and tried again to no avail...

When i went to collect one of my othet cars, i picked up a gallon of fuel which sent the gauge between empty and a quarter... in fact just one stage higher than previous.

Primed a few times and the pump sounded a bit unusual...

Still no joy...

Checked all the fuses and relays, coil and ballast wires... etc,

Still no joy...

So I was stumped...

And then on its dying turn of the key she went.... but spluttering on when revving rapudly... like it was several weeks ago before i added 2 new gallons.

After running for a minute i knocked it off... started it again but it turned over about 3 times before going. Its usually first turn.

It continued to do this several times but it is starting now.

Is this fuel pump/pickup pipe related? Never had no issues like this before!

Happy ive got it safe in my new place though!

Cheers Guys.

MrP

[RobScott]

could be dying fuel pump, bad/fuzzed up connections connections, etc... also fuel pumps dont like running without fuel in them.

[Nick H]

Could be fuel pick up hose. Have you installed a piece of stainless TIG wire coiled into a spring inside the fuel pick up hose?

Normal wisdom is that the fuel pick up hoses collapses in hot weather or if the fuel tank heats up from heat transfer from the radiator fans.
However I had this happen last January and it turned out that the "spring" I had made was just short of the top elbow of the fuel pick up hose as it connects to the fuel pump. The top elbow had collapsed I extended the "spring" and so far so good. Could be you might have rotated the pump slightly and the pick up hose has pinched/kinked.

Another check to carry out is that the intank fuel pick up filter is intact . And check in the bottom of the fuel pump that there is no foreign objects in the hose spigot . A tiny bit of muck in there will cause all sorts of problems. I had that problem a few years ago and it was the last thing I checked...doh!

Another possibility is the fuel accumulator. If this is on the way out the car will start perfectly from cold but will refuse to start when hot. When it cools down the car will start.

Hope this gives you a few ideas
Regards
Nick h

[Chris Williams]

All as Nick wrote! Also check the pump has a good earth this caught me out on my car as sometimes it would run fine then just cut out.
Chris

[stunned_monkey]

definitely souds like a kinked pickup hose to me.

[TheOriginalMrP]

I think Martin you may be right... the accumulator has been done by the previous owner so im doubtful that has failed...

Pickup hose... Thats gonna be my first check! Or seat the pump down a tad lower in the boot....

Thanks for all the suggestions though fellas....

MrP

[TheOriginalMrP]

What I discovered..

When I removed the fuel pump boot there was fuel in recess around the pump. It seems that the union on the top of the fuel pump had sprung a leak at the copper washer. I tightened it and started the car and i could see fuel actually misting on the top of the pump.

I guess this was my problem as I guess the fuel was filling up the boot and shorting the terminals as well as possibly allowing the fuel to drain back.

I took it apart properly and there is a check valve on the top union which seemed to work ok.

As soon as i cleaned it up and dogged the union on to within an oz of shearing it off, no more fuel leak and the car is starting ok again with no spluttering.

I have not messed with the pickup section so with a bit of luck it settled back to its usual position. All will be revealed after a long journey!

Im actually gonna attempt to wash the car today... will be the first time in about 18 months... still got crud from the farm on that i took to the nec with me last november!

Martin, if you think this was the source of my starting problem then let me know buddy!

[stunned_monkey]

The punp shifts about 2-3 litres per minute so a small leak wouldn't affect its ability to generate enough pressure for the engine to run.

A kinked pickup hose or blocked pickup filter doesn't tend to cause problems when the car (and therefore the fuel in the tank) is cold. The fuel tank heats up predominalty due to the fact that it sits on top of the radiator pipes.

Petrol is non conductive - and even water won't cause a problem at 12v with the terminals a couple of inches apart.

Definitely worth checking the pickup hose etc is installed correctly. Here's a video I made to help with this because it's so easy to get it wrong:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vCAG2IUb3E

[TheOriginalMrP]

Thanks Martin.

I must emphasise though that it can only be down to minor height and/or slight rotation as i've not had the underside pipe off at all. I assume that would not have rotated if clamped up tight so it can only be height/rotation related.

The pipe on the underside is in good condition and doesnt look like it would kink easy anyway.

The tester will be when its warm!

Cheers buddy.

[Nick H]

Nice video Martin. 8) Just turned LJH's pump to the correct way round. As you say very easy to get wrong.

Regards
Nick H

[lukebrynycz]

Great update. Posts like these are what the forums are all about! (For most anyway.. :wink: )