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I would pull the tank and turn it upside down to get all the stuff out of it. Dropping the drain plug is just going to leave you there wondering if you got all the bird skeletons and meteorites out.
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Sharing story - Solving issue of starving for fuel after running for 10 minutes
- Thread starter cpbol
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I would pull the tank and turn it upside down to get all the stuff out of it. Dropping the drain plug is just going to leave you there wondering if you got all the bird skeletons and meteorites out.
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Bob_Spidell
Yoda
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If it's the original tank get a new one. They're likely to develop pinhole--or larger--leaks eventually; might as well deal with the problem now. My BJ8 developed pinhole leaks--you can smell gas in the boot, yeah, right next to the battery--twenty or so years ago (approx. 30yrs/100K miles). I'll stop short of unequivocally recommending a tank sealer, but we've used the Bill Hirsch products on a couple tanks with no negative results. Ethanol spiked gas absorbs water which, of course, promotes corrosion of iron/steel.
Brinkerhoff
Jedi Knight
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You could have one of the carb. float needle valves sticking shut and running one of the carbs out of fuel. Typical of a car that has sat as they can get varnished up.
Bob_Spidell
Yoda
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Had similar problem with a loose needle dropping into the jet, then getting 'picked up' next time I went to idle. Was totally random however.
Had to clean a boat fuel tank, 174 gal size. Removed it from boat cockpit put on a piece of 4" pipe and ran oxalic acid mixed with H2O into tank and sloshed around for a an hour. Drained it out and repeated. Washed out with fresh water a few times and placed a bathroom fan at fill pipe and let it run a few days with the drain plug out and the gauge out. It came out perfectly clean. AH tank on a much smaller scale. Had to clean because gas went from MTBE additive to ethanol. The ethanol "scrubbed the dirt and built up grime fro the walls of the tank and would clog filters up after about a hour run.
RAC68
Darth Vader
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Bob,
You bring up an experience I had in 1970 when my Healey was our family car and I needed to drive from Sothern PA to NE PA, NYC, and back to S PA after a snow storm. Having a difficult time starting from a stop, I thought my problems were from the bitter COLD. During our journey, all seemed good once on the road and cruising at Turnpike speed was no problem although moving from stop required some clutch action.
We had covered quite a distance and I was getting concerned that the gauge was not showing fuel usage as I had expected. However, being distracted by the trip and with the gauge still registering 1/4 full, it was not till the NJ side of the Lincoln Tunnel that I stopped for gas. The gauge was correct and it was quite surprising to see how little fuel was used covering 3/4 of the trip.
Back in S. PA, I brought the car to a friend's garage and we eventually found the loose needle that acted exactly as you described. Trip gas mileage was great and, although acceleration and aggressive performance suffered, the idle and cruising were even and steady. I remember questioning weather we could find a way to allow this condition to be driver actuated.
Needing the car for family and work, the thought went unaddressed.
Just some recollections,
Ray(64BJ8P1)
You bring up an experience I had in 1970 when my Healey was our family car and I needed to drive from Sothern PA to NE PA, NYC, and back to S PA after a snow storm. Having a difficult time starting from a stop, I thought my problems were from the bitter COLD. During our journey, all seemed good once on the road and cruising at Turnpike speed was no problem although moving from stop required some clutch action.
We had covered quite a distance and I was getting concerned that the gauge was not showing fuel usage as I had expected. However, being distracted by the trip and with the gauge still registering 1/4 full, it was not till the NJ side of the Lincoln Tunnel that I stopped for gas. The gauge was correct and it was quite surprising to see how little fuel was used covering 3/4 of the trip.
Back in S. PA, I brought the car to a friend's garage and we eventually found the loose needle that acted exactly as you described. Trip gas mileage was great and, although acceleration and aggressive performance suffered, the idle and cruising were even and steady. I remember questioning weather we could find a way to allow this condition to be driver actuated.
Needing the car for family and work, the thought went unaddressed.
Just some recollections,
Ray(64BJ8P1)
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Here is my experience last year with fuel starvation. See this link:
https://www.britishcarforum.com/bcf...to-Buy-a-New-BJ7-Gasoline-Tank&highlight=tank
I have to add that three years prior to that I had reburbished my original tank. I have done the process before on other cars, but this time it didn't hold up. I must admit that I may have rushed the cleaning process and that I used an old kit of cleaner & sealer that I had on the shelf. If memory serves. I installed a new tank from Moss and it fit well with the right pipe fitting as well. No trouble as yet.
https://www.britishcarforum.com/bcf...to-Buy-a-New-BJ7-Gasoline-Tank&highlight=tank
I have to add that three years prior to that I had reburbished my original tank. I have done the process before on other cars, but this time it didn't hold up. I must admit that I may have rushed the cleaning process and that I used an old kit of cleaner & sealer that I had on the shelf. If memory serves. I installed a new tank from Moss and it fit well with the right pipe fitting as well. No trouble as yet.
Bob_Spidell
Yoda
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SU was ahead of the curve on cylinder deactivation.
OP
cpbol
Freshman Member
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Update: So far I have replaced the plugs, wires, condenser, coil, float seats, and fuel pump. Removed fuel filters before the pump and before the carbs. The floats do not appear to be leaking. The bowls are not overflowing. I pulled the tank out and verified it was in very good condition. I got excited for a minute because I found a foil seal from a lead additive bottle in the tank, but it must have been a coincidence because removing did not fix it.
If I zoom around, the engine starts sputter/hesitate/lose power under acceleration after 10 minutes (almost to the minute every time). If I putt around like a Sunday driver, it takes longer to occur - even as long as 45 minutes, but it eventually still happens.
I noticed something else today - it's like the gearbox suddenly slipped into overdrive for some reason. The OD has not been working, so it seemed very strange when it appeared to kick into 4th OD.
I don't know. . . I'm at a loss. Runs perfect then starts to sputter. I wish I knew what else to check electrically that wouldn't be shooting in the dark. That little wire going from the coil to the screw at the end of the condenser wire is flimsy but not broken. I can't imagine something that simple would cause the problem.
If I zoom around, the engine starts sputter/hesitate/lose power under acceleration after 10 minutes (almost to the minute every time). If I putt around like a Sunday driver, it takes longer to occur - even as long as 45 minutes, but it eventually still happens.
I noticed something else today - it's like the gearbox suddenly slipped into overdrive for some reason. The OD has not been working, so it seemed very strange when it appeared to kick into 4th OD.
I don't know. . . I'm at a loss. Runs perfect then starts to sputter. I wish I knew what else to check electrically that wouldn't be shooting in the dark. That little wire going from the coil to the screw at the end of the condenser wire is flimsy but not broken. I can't imagine something that simple would cause the problem.
Brinkerhoff
Jedi Knight
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You said you changed the coil right?
Brinkerhoff
Jedi Knight
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I see you did . Change it again.
red57
Jedi Knight
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How fast does it recover - I mean, after it starts running bad and you turn it off, how long do you have to wait before it runs good again. Is it is only a couple of minutes or does it take an hour to recover? If it recovers very quickly that might suggest fuel related because I think the condenser and/or coil would take quite a while to cool enough to work fine again. Just a thought.
One possible diagnostic. Take some tools with you for a drive and when it starts sputtering shut it off quickly and pull the top off of a float bowl and look to see how full the bowl is. Could help pinpoint it if it is a fuel problem.
It is possible your new condenser and/or coil are bad too. Many years ago I had symptoms like you describe and I put in a new condenser - didn't fix it so I changed everything else and no improvement, put in another new condenser and everything was fine...If possible use known good parts
One possible diagnostic. Take some tools with you for a drive and when it starts sputtering shut it off quickly and pull the top off of a float bowl and look to see how full the bowl is. Could help pinpoint it if it is a fuel problem.
It is possible your new condenser and/or coil are bad too. Many years ago I had symptoms like you describe and I put in a new condenser - didn't fix it so I changed everything else and no improvement, put in another new condenser and everything was fine...If possible use known good parts
RAC68
Darth Vader
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If you haven't checked this before, please do so. This line, if loose, can lean against its connector and bounce loose against a ground to stop your car. As it relaxes, it can again return to its connector with no indication of an error.
Has your Healey begun to sputter when the car is at idle and not driven? If the problem does not occur during idle, can you determine if it would happen if engine speed is raised to a higher RPM ...say 2000...?
Has any unexpected lights or other conditions seemed to be activated or have failed during the incident period?
You indicated that your OD activated after being inoperable for a while. Do you know if the OD dash switch was in the on or off position at the time? Although this could be an unconnected ancillary issue exposed stimulated during the original search, it could also tie to your present problem.
Based upon the component replacement elimination of the more common potential causes, I am beginning to suspect a faulty ground or even a redirected ground. The first ground I would check for clean contact is the one shared by the OD and a number of other components including the voltage regulator.
Ray(64BJ8P1)
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