Fuel won't flow!!

[ian prior]

Hello all

Please could someone give me an idea of why fuel won’t come out of our T25’s fuel tank? The pump’s OK (new), the lines are clear, the filters are new – but no fuel flows, even with the fuel line disconnected from the tank outlet! I’ve blown back through the outlet hose, and can hear the fuel bubbling, so it would appear that something within the tank is blocking the outlet. A friend has suggested that there may be a mesh filter on the sender unit that has collapsed, but, from the diagram in the Haynes manual, the sender unit doesn’t appear to be anywhere near the tank outlet. I wondered if the problem might be with the expansion tanks, or the return line: to eliminate that possibility, I took the filler cap off – still no fuel flow. Before I spend money getting someone to remove the tank, I wondered if anybody has any suggestions for a simple fix – or would it just be best to replace the tank? Thanks!

Ian.

[937carrera]

How much fuel do you have in there ? - I assume the tank is still in the vehicle

[Oldiebut goodie]

http://forum.club8090.co.uk/viewtopic.p ... e#p8144461

[ian prior]

10 litres - just over two gallons, and, yes, the tank's still in the vehicle.

[937carrera]

OBG has already posted a link to the thread I was thinking of. There's probably insufficient fuel in the lank to be higher than the outlet point.

As there's no blockage when you blow, then eiher put more fuel in or try to syphon some out. There might not be a problem at all. Is there a reason why you are testing this ?

[ian prior]

Only that we don't use the vehicle during the winter, and I try to take the cover off it and run the engine, once a month. What with Christmas and the New Year, and the constant bad weather in January, the last time that the engine was run was around 10 weeks ago, when it started OK. As the fuel had run low, I did my usual walk to the local garage, to get the usual 5 litres of fuel - but this time, I just couldn't get the engine to start after adding the fuel. I then tried adding another 5 litres, but still no fuel flow. This amount of fuel has always been more than enough (I've done the self same thing for the past 14 years), so couldn't understand what was happening. I did think to put yet more fuel in, but didn't want to have even more to drain out if there was an internal problem with the tank, and the tank had to come out. I'm now thinking that, as I haven't got a garage to work in, or tall enough ramps, it might be worth trying more fuel and, if that doesn't work, getting the vehicle towed to the local garage for a look-see.

[937carrera]

Right, different solution time.

I'm going to assume it isn't a 2.1 injection engine or a diesel. (might be worth putting your van details in your signature then people know what engine it is when a question is being asked)

Take off whatever you need to to be able to pour some petrol directly into the throat of the carb(s)

Just put an eggcup of so in and start the van. You might need to repeat the exercise a couple of times as the fuel you pour in is consumed before the pump sends more to the carbs.

I have a similar situation with my CU project which I sometimes have to move around. Leave it a month and I have to put a couple of litres in the tank because it evaporates off, and then a couple of eggcups into the carbs to get her going.

[ian prior]

OK, thanks, I'll give that a whirl! Our van's a 1987 1.9 petrol; DG engine, Pierburg 2E3 carb - the carb was replaced with an overhauled unit the year before last.

I wouldn't know what to take off to get at the throat of the carb - car / van carbs are a bit of a mystery to me (motorbike carbs? - no problem!). Can someone give me an idea of what needs to be removed, please?

I'm assuming all the hassle that I'm having in getting the fuel to flow, is the distance / amount of air between the tank and the pump?

[ian prior]

Hello all

Please can someone tell me how I access the throat of the carb, please? Do I just pour the fuel in from where the ducting from the air filter attaches to the carb? Thanks!

[937carrera]

Take the top of the air filter connection onto the carb off and you should have access to the throat of the carb.

http://forum.club8090.co.uk/viewtopic.p ... g#p8208401

You should be able to see the top of the carb, which is at the back of this picture next to the bottle with yellow liquid in.

Just two screws, plus the one onto the pipe if you want to fully remove

[937carrera]

Did you have any luck Ian ?

Mine ran out of fuel while I was testing the shift light on my new tacho I fitted today. I had to do this exact routine to get her going again after putting 10 litres in. Two start / runs until the fuel ran out, after the third one fuel was coming through.

[ghost123uk]

Just two screws,

Those two screws (8mm nuts usually) and their washers, on top of the air filter ducting, right on top of the carb = be VERY careful not to drop them, or anything else into the carb as getting them back out would be a pain.

[CovKid]

This is where electric pumps tend to win out.

[ian prior]

Hello all

Thanks to everyone for all their help! I actually managed to work out what to remove from the carb - 'shimples', when I actually looked at the carb in the flesh! The first egg cup-ish of fuel got a couple of seconds of engine running, the second (extra-large) egg cup full resulted in a bit of hit-and-miss firing for a couple of seconds - and then a nice, steady, tick-over on fast idle / choke, with fuel visibly flowing through the filters. Terrific! All fluid levels now checked, tyre pressures adjusted, road tax paid (I love the month-by-month, Direct Debit payment system), and the van road tested - everything's now ready for Norfolk at Easter, and the Outer Hebrides in May!

I did wonder if there was an electric fuel pump option - are they worth the expense / time to fit / extra wiring involved?

[937carrera]

Delighted we got it working for you, it isn't that complicated when you know how

Having been looking at some other engine photos over the weekend I now realise that I have two screws because of the Weber carb fitted to mine, they normally have 3 nuts onto studs as advised by ghost123.

I'm sure Covkid will be advising you to go electric, he's an strong advocate . From my perspective, there's no special reason why you need one in general use, and pouring a bit of fuel into the carb is an easy, cost free fix when you know what to do. Entirely your call of course

Thanks for coming back and closing the story off, it's good to know how it ended.