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I think I've got a bad fuel pump...

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cheekygeek

cheekygeek

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I think I've got a bad fuel pump...how do I diagnose it for sure? The car ('79 MGB) has been sitting for years, which may have something to do with it. (I got my Victoria British catalog today and noticed that the description for their Electronic Fuel Pump says "actuates every time, even after storage".

Is there any way to bring one of these back from the dead? Any pointers to articles, etc. on the subject are appreciated. I've got Porter's DIY book, but I don't see where it discusses fuel pumps. (I imagine that most people just buy a new one.)
 
Most likely is the points in the pump have become "fuzzy". If you're adventurous you can disassemble it and clean the points. Just remember you're playing with gasoline: have a way to block off the lines on removal. Tank particularly.
 
"You might try smacking it a few times with a hammer to get things moving again" Please smack gently, the idea is to jolt the points, hopping that they will make contact, not to beat the living s...t out of it. I doubt that any amount of smacking of the pump will get it to run if it has sat unused for several years. Doc's "fuzzy points" is a pretty good description of what is happening. Over time the points film over and become insulated one from the other. This film can build up to the point of looking fuzzy. A good, energetic sanding of the contacts can sometimes bring the pump back to life, but to get them really clean, requires removing the pedestal so the lower contacts can be sanded. Care has to be taken when doing this that the lower trunion is not rotated out of it's original position or the diaphragm adjustment will be changed. E-mail me off line and I'll send you information on getting the pump fixed.
Cheers,
 
I suppose I should have said mallet, not hammer. A couple good thumps is all it takes, if it works at all! I used to bash the pump body with the handle of a long screwdriver.
 
I kept a big piece of granite rock behind the passenger seat! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/devilgrin.gif -- that actually got us across "Alligator Alley" on a trip to Miami years ago. It was originally for chocking the wheels as the e-brake cable was non-existent. It worked fine as a pump exciter for fifty-plus miles.
 
Rocks? Hammers? My preferred weapon was always a short piece of soft pine 2x4 which can also double as an LBC parking brake when necessary.
 
T'was a bit extreme I admit... but the "Alley" was two-lane back then, it was late at night and the nomer "Alligator" was NOT a euphemism. The rock was "handy" under the circumstance.
 
I use the knock-off hammer and make one of my kids squeeze under the car. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/yesnod.gif You can replace the points, but you can also get a rebuilt SU pump on-line if you look around (I got one from Brit Bits in NH for about $100 for an AH). There's also a guy who rebuilds pumps, Dave DuBois, I think. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/driving.gif
 
Dave is the SU Fuel Pump Guru. And it just so happens that he made the fourth post in this thread! Send him an email if you need your pump rebuilt. He's done my pump twice. Once when it was sticky after 20+ years of use, and once a year later when I submerged it in water multiple times. Oops!
 
I will do just that, I have a rebuild kit, but the email addrsss I had for him was no good. Thanks!
 
I've just gone thru about three or four here and re-enervated 'em all. One needed new points, the rest a good disassembly and cleaning. Setting the "throw-over" on the diaphragm is a bit of a chore but not a big deal either.

I found "red" ScotchBrite to be a better abrasive for the points cleaning than "glass-paper" BTW. Great for the commutator on a generator or starter motor too.
 
Mine was asleep for 7 years. As discussed above, take it apart clean the points and reassemble. Works like.... well a pump!
 
A well pump!!! Suck a golfball thru a garden hose, it will!

EDIT: Oops!!!...went a bit "Yoda" there.... Tony's out in Hawaii, so mebbe he won't notice.. teehee.
 
Dave sent me an e-mail and I replied to it and it got kicked back!!! It's got to be my system, it doesn't like his I guess. Dave, could you post your snail mail address in a PM, I'd like to send my old pump and parts kit to you. Thanks! Dave Richards
 
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