> I am having a problem with the engine of my 69 TR6 starving for fuel. It
> seems to be getting worse, to the point I can no longer use the car with
> any hope of getting home.
>
> It seems to happen when the weather is above 85. The car will run fine and
> then not get any gas. My first thought was vapor lock but this does not
> appear to be the case.
Hi Steve,
I assume you are driving an injected TR6. If it's a carby model, then
you will probably find this information useless.
This sounds to me like a classic case of vapour lock, caused by an
overheating and/or deteriorating injection pump. The worsening nature of
your problem seems to indicate the pump is on the way out. The giveaway
here is that it's happening when the temp is above 85 deg.
This first happened to me when I drove to the lower latitudes of
northern New South Wales. It's never happened in the colder climes of
Victoria, but where the weather is consistently warm, it's a regular
occurence. I could usually get in a morning's driving before it got me.
The problem is that not only does the fuel get hot in the line, but the
pump itself gets very hot. The signal is the pump begins to whine loudly
with an uneven pitch, and then the engine coughs and dies. Wonderful in
four lanes of Brisbane traffic!
People will say you can fix the problem by replacing the old Lucas pump
with a Bosch one, but this does bugger all. My car has the Bosch one
fitted, which is mounted externally behind the left rear wheel,
supposedly to increase airflow, but it still suffers from the same
problem.
Now for the cure.
Emercency Procedure: Carry an Esky (portable cooler) with an ice pack in
the boot on hot days. I'm serious! When you grind to a halt, get out and
cover the pump body with the ice pack. Wait about five minutes and you
should be on your way. Even a wet cloth can sometimes be enough.
Long Term Solution: Moss Europe sell a heat dissipating coil which
mounts around the pump body, and is in fact just a length of fuel pipe
wrapped around several times. The fuel flowing through the coil helps to
keep the temp down. Also available is a grid like affair which acts like
a heat sink. As I have stated, don't believe those who tell you a Bosch
pump will fix the problem. My local parts dealer told me the Bosch unit
people fit is only a wiper motor, hence, not heavy duty enough.
As for me, I haven't been north for a few years, and when the
temperature gets above 35 deg. C, I take the Subaru.
Sorry for such a long post folks, but I'm sure there are others out
there who would like to know this stuff.
Good luck,
Glenn Andressen
'69 TR6
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