I was stranded today. I had been driving for about 30 minutes when the car
seemed to run out of gas. It happened conveniently in front of a gas
station, so I filled up (the fuel gauge had been on empty, but not all the
way, and I don't trust it anyway). I couldn't get the car started. I
pushed it out of the way and kept trying for a while. It would catch but
then not continue to run. I couldn't hear the fuel pump ticking, but
disconnected the fuel line to the carb and put it into a can and was able to
collect some gas, so I thought it might be working. To make a long story
short, I got a ride home, and went back at night to either start the car or
have it towed.
I noticed that when I turned the ignition switch to the "On" position, the
fuel pump was silent, but the license plate lights and side marker lights
glowed faintly. I checked the common ground point in the trunk and it
looked secure. I was guessing that there was a short somewhere between the
white circuit feeding the fuel pump and the red circuit feeding the rear
lights, but I didn't see anything obvious.
I was able to get the car started and drove it home by turning on the
headlights, which I guessed would put (full) power on the red circuit, which
would somehow make the white circuit to the fuel pump work again. Does this
sound right, or could it be something else? Any ideas where to start
looking for the short?
Thanks.
--Steve Shoyer (1980 MGB)
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