Greetings, Fellow Listers,
I had Lazarus ('74 Spit) out for a spin this afternoon, and experienced
something new - at least to me. He started to sputter when I pulled away
from a long wait at a red light. He managed to run long enough to get out
of the way before dieing completely. Restarting yielded 1-3 second bursts
of operation before dieing again. I popped the bonnet and discovered that
the clear fuel filter was empty. The tank is 3/4 full, and I get fuel out
of the supply line to the fuel pump. I disconnect the line from pump to
filter and get nothing while cranking the engine. So I'm thinking the fuel
pump has died. No problem, I have a spare at home. Call my wife to pick me
up, go home, get the pump, comeback to install it about an hour later.
Turns out the new pump has the curved arm, and I don't have the proper
spacer. While pondering my dilemma, I'm absentmindedly squeezing the lever
on the old pump. I realize that I'm getting suction and pressure from the
appropriate connections on the pump. So I put it back in, crank the engine,
the filter fills, and it runs. Now I'm thinking vapor lock, but I don't
know. So the question is (you knew I'd get to it eventually) Is it possible
or likely that the pump fails only when hot? FYI, I do not have a heat
shield between the exhaust manifold and the ZS carb, but that shouldn't make
any difference. Ideas?
Also, does anyone have a spacer for a curved lever fuel pump they'd like to
part with? Or at least the thickness dimension so I can make one?
Thanks, as always.
BillG
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