I guess first I should introduce myself - hi, I'm Chris... I purchased a '76
spitfire 1500 about a year and a half ago and have been reading the digest
version of the list for just over a year now... Since I have never quite been
sure that simply sending mail as a member of the digest list I've been quite
quiet but have seen a number of really useful tips. Hopefully this time I too
can contribute and help someone out.
When I purchased my spit it had an aftermarket fuel pump that kept me going for
the first year I had the car... During my second summer with the car (being a
Canadian, it's hard to really enjoy the cars in the winter!), I too started to
suffer from the symptoms you describe. After investigating a number of options
(hopefully my hind-sight can help you), it was determined that my fuel pump was
the issue.
In the end, when I removed the fuel pump, I found that the lever arm did not
spring back to it's fully extended position. Pressing the lever in by hand and
releasing resulted in the arm stopping about 1/8th from the end of it's full
travel. The car ran like this for a quite a while, initially going 100's of
miles between occurrences when the problem first arose, but as the fuel pump
became weaker the time between occurrences shortened.
Hopefully that helps in some way...
c.
'76 Spit - Toronto Ont.
-----Original Message-----
From: spitfires-owner@autox.team.net
[mailto:spitfires-owner@autox.team.net]
On Behalf Of Adam Rodnitzky
Sent: Monday, February 03, 2003 6:50 PM
To: spitfires@autox.team.net
Subject: Strange Spitfire Fuel Delivery Problem
Hi all,
My '70 Mk3 (single ZS carb) has a strange,
intermittent problem that is baffling (and frustrating
and stranding) me.
At random intervals, the car will seemingly lose all
fuel delivery to the carb. I'll be driving along, and
suddenly the engine will die. If I have momentum, I
keep the ignition on and the gas pedal floored while
rolling along in gear and after 5-10 seconds the car
will sputter a bit, then catch, sputter, then catch
and spring back to life and be fine for another 10,
50, 100 or more miles.
If I don't have momentum, the car grinds to a halt,
and I either call the tow truck, or do the following:
I spray starter fluid into the carb, which gets the
engine to catch, suggesting it is not an ignition
fault. Usually, after a minute or so of the
spray/start/catch/die cycle, it'll start and run well
for another 10/50/100 miles. I also have a clear glass
fuel filter that goes on the line from the fuel pump
to the carb (supplemented by a fuel filter directly
out of the gas tank) and it shows the usual amount of
fuel in the lines when the problem occurs. It does
seem like it happens more often when there is less
than 3/4 tank of gas (but that is conjecture).
I rebuilt the carb a year and a half ago (along with
the ignition system and a new fuel pump), replaced the
fuel filters and adjusted the valves. I do know that
the mixture is out of whack.
Any suggestions before this happens to me on the
Golden Gate Bridge ;)?
Thanks!
Adam
'70 Spit Mk3
'94 Alfa Romeo 164LS (for sale...)
SF, CA USA
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