[Healeys] Two fuel related little tips

[Simon Lachlan]

You will gather that I have an SU fuel pump...

Last year I fitted a new "123" electronic distributor to my MkII BT7. It
has/had performed faultlessly I didn't/don't regret its installation.

However, when my car died on me the other day near the end of a 150+/- trip
I did suspect an ignition failure. Not quite sure why..maybe reverse
psychology.think of the most obvious thing (fuel) and pursue the opposite
course. Usually works with Healeys.

However, again, I was loathe to condemn something which had performed so
well and which I did not have a clue how to test. So...and here's the first
tip:-

If you have this intermittent loss of power type fault, carry the
appropriate tools with which to open a fuel float bowl on a carb. As the
brute dies, switch off the ignition and leave it off. Then go check the
float bowl. If it's empty that's your problem..fuel delivery. I've three
carbs on my car and I checked the front bowl when it died by the roadside.
It was almost, but not quite, empty which almost, but not quite, convinced
me. Later, I had the great good fortune to have it do it again whilst
sitting in the back yard at home. (Don't these things usually happen in the
most inconvenient place? Half way up the Eiger? Or just going up the ramp
into a ferry?) The rear bowl was bone dry which did convince me.

(Hoped for cure..I did replace the points and diaphragm last year(ish) so
I've opened up the pump and checked it all over. It all looked OK, but I've
given it an extra bolt's worth of turn on the "throw-over" adjustment. 4
bolt's worth, per the manual, might not always suffice and the problem tends
to show up when the pump is hot, or so I've gathered from the gurus over the
years. Second element of cure involves crossing fingers, beer, prayers etc).
[I have Michael Salter to thank for the float bowl idea as one of his many
suggestions in my "Sudden loss of power" thread about 3 yrs ago.]

Second tip:-

I find fuel pump removal to be a tiresome affair. Mostly related to the way
my back seats are screwed down. Not as easy to remove as I'd like. (But, my
God, they're secure!). So, I'd taken off the wheel and was gazing at the
offending object when I had what we used to call a BGO (Blinding Glimpse of
the Obvious) in the British army. Why not leave the valves half of the pump
in situ and remove the electrics half by unscrewing all the bolts? Usually
there is a snag when trying something apparently easy in a Healey, but this
worked like a dream. Also avoids messing with those wretched fuel line
attachments where they have to be lined up just so and not over tightened or
remotely under tightened etcetc.

That's it.

(Haven't road tested it, so am not too smug yet. But at least I've wasted
less time than usual).

Simon.