Fuel.

[anthon51]

Hi everyone.It is member 448 again.Still having trouble with my fuel.Having fitted a new pump as suggested by the RAC mechanic I am still having a problem. After priming the pump with a primer bulb "that I did not know existed".,I am still getting my engine stopping after 5,10,or 15 minutes. Did risk taking it out on the road but after 1 mile it packed up up outside my local garage.Luckily I had a petrol can with me,got some petrol and primed the petrol pump with this to get me home and back i my garage. I have tried to prime it from the tank but instead of it coming out in a flow through the priming bulb and into the pump it just seems to trickle. I have put transparent petrol hoses on so that I can see how far the petrol travels and it seems to travel as far as the feed pipes to the carbs ok when I prime from a container in the engine compartment. I have not had the hitachi carbs off as I do not feel confident to mess about with something I know nothing about. Any help will be much appreciated as it is now showtime and I need my Z back on the road again. Tony.

 

[MaximG]

To me it sounds like you have fuel feed issues from the tank to the pump. I.e. your fuel tank could be corroded causing the fuel lines to block up. Could also be your fuel lines corroded and need replacing. Its a fairly common issue and raises its head on a regular basis on the forum.

 

[Rob Gaskin]

As often suggested make sure your filter isn't choked with fine rust particles.

 

[vipergts]

Not having got hold of the exact issue you are having, I had massive fuel issues last year

Tank in and out multiple times but in the end it turned out to be my pump that didn't like pulling fuel so if the level in the tank was below the pump it would run out

Worth a though

 

[johnymd]

I had lots of problems with my silver car stopping after a few hundred yards of driving. If I left it for a little while it would fire up again and run for a bit. turned out to be rust in the tank. The fuel filter would clog as I drove the car and then clear when I stopped as fuel would settle at the bottom of the filter.

 

[stuart barrie]

In my work I frequently have the problem where customer's use metal jerry cans for fuel petrol and diesel but the paint inside these cans flake of the inside and get stuck to the outlet like a flap valve and block the fuel flow at the tank.

 

[anthon51]

Can I thank all the above members who understood where I was coming from.That would be "Stuart Barrie, Johny MD,Vipergts,Rob Gaskin,MaximG, And of course Mike Feeney,who never seems to tire of people like me who cant tell a spanner from a screwdriver half the time.I will definately get back to you when I have roadtested the car with the results. Kind regards to you all. Thanks .Tony Bates..448.

 

[anthon51]

Back again,the little guy who thinks he is a mechanic but definately is not. After trying and trying again and again to sort out my fuel problem, "i have been going at this since last september"., I felt that I had been in similar situations before,"not with a car mind". I now think it is the new sender unit or the new gauge I have fitted. Having emptied the fuel tank ready for dropping it and flushing it out I switched on the car, Did,nt try starting it,just switched on the power.Low and be bloody hold the fuel gauge slowly went up and indicated that the tank was just under a quarter full. How can that be I thought I have just emptied the bloody thing. With this knowledge and the tank empty I flushed some petrol through and drained it a few times but there was very few bit in the filter medium I used. Having a couple of gallons of fuel in containers in the garage I put them in the tank primed the pump and fuel lines for the umpteenth time and the thing started and ran like a electric sewing machine. Having also put transparent fuel lines on and kept the old ones for originality,I can see the fuel being pumped to the carbs.
Now I am keeping my fingers crossed in the hope that the problem has been solved at last with a few hundred quid up the exhaust pipe so to speak. But it goes to show do not always trust your instrments or take them for granted that they are correct,it could prove false economy. Thank you once again to all who gave me advice in the past. Tony.448.

 

[anthon51]

Just an update on my fuel problem.After doing what I said in my last post I have had the car out to a few shows and it is running like it should. I have now just got to tweak the sender unit so that it reads empty when it is and reads full when it is and not go off the scale when I fill it up.
How do I tweak it.Is it just a matter of bending the arm one way or the other.Any advice much apreciated in advance. Kind regards TonyB