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fuel pump??

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B

bluecoat

Freshman Member
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Hey is there anything you guys don't know? hAD time to mess with my 80B, like you all suggested I took off the battery cover and from inside the car tapped on the fuel pump with a long socket wrench extension and the pump started ticking again. It started right up and I drove it this afternoon; everytime I restarted the car it started and ran just fine but the pump would not tick. I am going to let it sit for a couple of days and see what happens. Can running the engine create a vacuum and suck gas out of the tank even if the fuel pump cuts on and off? Am I right to assume if I don't hear the ticking everytime I turn on the ignition before starting the car my pump is not working? Thanks for the help!
 
You wont here the ticking everytime you turn it on if it has been running not too long before you try it. That only means that the pressure is up enough in the fuel line to the carb that the pump isn't needed yet until the car runs enough to drop the fuel level in the carb bowl enough to open the needle valve and allow the gas to flow.

I assume that the '80B has a pump like the one in my '72. Mine has a set of points and when it starts what you are experiencing, I purchase a new set of points so that when it gets bad enough, I can replace them. Also, it is a good idea to replace the condenser at least the first time you replace them if never replaced before. The SU pump is rebuildable and there is no need to spend the large amount of money for a new one. Mine is the original and still going. I tried an after market one once from a local parts store but it went bad in a couple of weeks. I have also replaced the diaphram as it gets stiff over the years and the pump will stop from that.

If you rebuild it, it is important to follow the proceedure exactly in the Bentley manual as it wont work after haveing it apart if you don't.

No, the engine will not pull gas if the pump isn't running. The engine doesn't create a vacuum in the fuel line. It takes pressure to fill the carburator bowl. The tank is below the engine level, so gravity doesn't help either.
Bob
 
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