26 miles-Crypty's dead,again

[Tinster]

If I didn't have a sense of humor-- I'd have to shoot
myself. Brokedown and going back on blocks! /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/frown.gif

Not a whole lot left of DPO Pedro's buggered up, half a$$ed
repairs left in Crypty to jump out and bite me in the butt.

So, feeling my oats on a job well done with the 100% my
own, hands-on, restoration of the rear suspension and the
excellent running condition of the engine and mighty fine
David Graves clutch install, I attempted a 72 mile round
trip to a project meeting this morning.

24 miles on the autopista at 70 mph Crytpy is keeping up
with fast lane trafic and sounding sweet. I gave Paul a
phone call to listen to the engine singing. We exit off
the expressway onto highway Route #2 and just past the 2nd
Light Crypty dies deader than dirt in the center lane of
the very busy highway and we coast to the shoulder-stranded
once again.

A total of 26 miles miles driven before this latest #&^!&*#
Pedro induced breakdown. /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/wall.gif

A nice '57 Belair owner stopped by and together we installed
the spare gas pump I carry in my trunk. Of course DPO
Dedro's existin pump was non-Triumph and his gas line
fittings did not fit the correct pump I had. We jerry rigged
the fuel line to my new Moss gas pump to get me home.

I'm thinking of installing an electric pump as an emergency
back-up unit with an on'off switch up front. It goes withou
saying, I will now gut every piece of DPO Pedro fuel line in
the Crypt Car and replace with new.

 

[SCguy]

Sorry to hear about the latest. I thought of you as my TR6 got loaded onto a flatbead this past Sunday. As you work though all of the fuel lines, don't forget to have your fuel tank cleaned and sealed.

Good luck!

 

[TR6oldtimer]

Look at it this way. Great job, you fixed it and got it home without Wendy or a tow!

 

[GB1]

Dale

Sorry to hear of your latest woes, but at least now you are fixing him all by yourself.

Patrick

 

[StagByTriumph]

Tinster,
you should buy a Stag. They are a lot less trouble /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/grin.gif

 

[Twosheds]

You jinxed Crypty with that Power of Observation post.

But all's well that ends well.

 

[kc_doyle]

Unless you buy the Stag from Pedro

 

[Tinster]

Anyone have any experience installing a back-up
electric fuel pump for when the mechanical pump fails?

Crypty stall has PDO Pedro's water pump and oil pump.
I'm thinking I should bite the bullet and intall new before
DPO Pedro's K-Mart pumps bite ME!

Looking more and more like Crypty is gonna end up a
drive 2 miles to the grocery store and return vehicle.

I mean Really- 26 miles driven between breakdowns?
Crypty's no more reliable than he was 17 months ago
when PDO Pedro sold him to Wendy.

d

 

[tomshobby]

Dale, you should not be so disheartened. Crypty is almost brand new!

 

[Guest]

Dale,

You are way more likely to have the electric pump fail. If you are set on doing it, get a low pressure pump, mount it either as a pusher in the trunk inline, or as a puller in the engine bay and leave it powered all the time.

Do not try to have it unpowered inline - the resistance will stop the stock pump from working right. I know this for a fact - it happened to me when I had triples on my car. do a search for the starvation issues I was having last summer.

Don't even think about dual fuel supplies (which would be your other option here), then you have 2x as much to go wrong.

I would recommend redoing the lines, fitting a new pump and forgetting about it. I wouldn't mess with an electric pump at all if it were me.

 

[Guest]

I concur. Electric for you will be trouble, trouble, trouble.....

 

[TR3driver]

My suggestion is to get one of those little square Facet pumps and just carry it loose as a spare; along with some suitable fuel line & wire. Should be a doddle to install it temporarily on the side of the road; I've done it on my Stag.

BTW, kc_doyle, Glenn was joking. While a reliable Stag is not impossible, they take a whole lot more to get that way than a TR6 does. A coolant leak on a TR6 is no big deal; but it can kill a Stag.

 

[toysrrus]

Hi There Tinster;

Believe this or not but this is the first time I got to see your car: Its pretty dog gone nice!

Why are you having All these Mis-Fortunes??

Do You have a Brit Mechanic there in PR?

Relative to the Feul Pump; I agree with alana; Don`t even think about 2 pumps: You are surely looking for a Ton of Trouble! Flooding etc etc etc:

Good Luck & maybe you ought to look @ a TR3 or TR4? Mine may be For Sale???????????

Regards, Russ

 

[Tinster]

"Why are you having All these Mis-Fortunes??"

DPO Pedro and his pal "Joe the mechanic"

"Do You have a Brit Mechanic there in PR?"

We have only one Brit Mechanic here in PR.
But he knows almost nothing. He lives in my house,
works on my TR6, is married to my wife and is typing
this message.

Thanks for the offer but what on earth would I do
with a TR3 or a TR4? I cannot get a TR6 functional
no matter how much cash I sink into it.

regards,

dale

 

[Tinster]

Alan,

I was thinking about installing a completely seperate,
parallel fuel system with an electric fuel pump and fuel
lines. I am concepting the fuel line from the electric pump
entering the carbs via a Y connction at the neoprene hose.
A manual spitcock on the mechanical pump side would halt any
backflow toward the dead mechanical pump. A toggle switch on
the dash would on/off the electric pump when the mechanical
pump fails.

Right now I am just concepting this one. It will require a
bit of time to remove all of DPO Pedro's fuel lines, order
a spare mechanical fuel pump for Crypty's trunk warehouse, etc.

I'll tell you, it was complete misery changing out the
failed pump, on the side of the road, in business clothes,
100 degree heat index, with tractor trailer rigs doing 60
MPH less than two feet from my rear bumper. It took me 3
hours start to finish. I NEVER want that to happen again.

d

 

[Guest]

Dale, then if you want to go to that extreme, you might as well eliminate the mechanical system entirely and go with an lp electric system and carry a spare pump. You can fit a blanking plate where the old fp was. Just make sure you install a petcock in the line close to the tank so you can close off the gas supply if you ever have to troubleshoot.

Remember that most electric pumps are gravity fed - that means you'll have to find a spot to mount it lower than the bottom of the tank. Your best bets are in the tire well or on the frame under the car. One disadvantage of the latter is that it's a bugger to get to at the side of the road, and of the former is that you lose the spare tire.

You could try the pi mount (there is a plate with a lip on it in the trunk - lhs near the tank rear as you face the front of the car). I'm not sure if you'll get enough head though.

I would still seriously recommend not doing this though. I still think you are better off just redoing the fuel lines, fitting a new pump and forgetting about it. These cars have run for years and years with this setup without problems. I think you'll have more issues with an electric pump and the associated wiring. I haven't even mentioned inertia switches (which even with an lp pump consider I'd fitting)

Also you don't want to try to run two sets of fuel lines along the chassis - trust me, changing the single line for larger was miserable enough...

 

[Brosky]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:] I would still seriously recommend not doing this though.[/QUOTE]

Great advice from a very knowledgeable source. It would be wise to heed this advice.

 

[Tinster]

Yo Paul,

Yeah, I think I will forget the twin fuel pump concept.
It took me almost 2 hours this morning to remove the single
pipe from the pump to the carbs. Gas line bolt and retaining
clip on the block by the thermostat frozen tight with rust.

Now I'm off to see if I can find some shop somewhere here on
the island to fabricate a new pipe with proper fitting and
flare. Classic Tube will make me one if I send them the old
one. But I've set a budget not to exceed $150 for this
fuel pipe replacement task.

The old pump will soon make it's way to your museum of TR
parts. You know I always takes things apart for diagnostics.
Super interesting what I found inside the pump.

You can write about it and post a photo. A lesson hard learned by me but worth sharing with others.

d

 

[Guest]

Dale you need to buy a flaring kit and a tubing cutter.

$38 for the two from amazon, hf and a whole bunch of other places - you can then just use appropriately sized brake line, which is available anywhere.

It's dead easy to make a good flare - you just have to make sure the piece that holds the line is tight. It's going to save you a ton of time and $ in the long run. One of those 'why do I need that' tools that I now wouldn't be without.

 

[PeterK]

You have to expect (and anticipate) roadside repairs when you drive a lbc. So figure on keeping a couple of spares on the boot. You can carry the minimum ignition parts, two rotors, fuel line, upper hose, workshop manual, spare front bearing set, some baling wire, duct tape, and a few basic tools and fluids. This will get you going so you can limp home in most instances.

Anybody got a list of the spares they carry for roadside
repairs?