[TR] TR4 Fuel Delivery Issue & Mod

[Greg Lemon]

Just a couple random thoughts here.  One, I could not figure out from your
message where exactly you ended up putting the electric pump.  My
understanding is most electric pumps like to push better than the like to
pull, MG and Healey pumps are mounted close to the tank and low in back,
that would be a good place for the new TR electric pump.  You seem somewhat
concerned about originality.

Second, mechanical pump rebuild kits are readily available and not too hard
to fit.  There are lots of things I remember about rebuilding my TR ten
years ago, rebuilding the pump is not one of them, so it must have been
fairly easy to do and worked (and has been working fine for ten years).

Good Luck

Greg Lemon
TR250



On Mon, Aug 10, 2020, 10:43 PM staffel <staffel at comcast.net> wrote:

>
> Several years ago on an evening  club drive in the Catoctin Mts of
> Maryland my TR4 developed running/ hesitation issues. Then it got dark &
> started to rain. Could not drive the car steady over 45mph. Typical fuel
> flow clogging issue symptoms. Fortunately we made it into Fredericksburg
> and a Motel.
>
> Next morning, still raining,  the issue was apparent: in the bottom of the
> Glass fuel bowl- a pile of 'rust dust'.  Cleaned the bowl & nursed the car
> home 30 miles, but it kept dying. Fortunately a Jag club friend came by and
> got his trailer & towed me home.
>
> Further examination determined sediment also in the CD carbs fuel bowls.
> So much for the fuel pump 'screen' being 'effective'.
>
> Also examination of the fuel pump (original) revealed a weak diaphragm, so
> while working on the carbs, ordered a new pump from TRF.
>
> A few months later got everything back together.  The engine started right
> up & ran fine. But no matter how I tried to seal the threads on fuel feed
> of the original  curved pipe inlet 'nut' to the new pump ( pipe dope,
> teflon tape, rtv) the leak wouldn't stop.
>
> Magnifying glass exam of the original Triumph  Male pipe 'nut' and the
> female threaded bore of the new TRF pump revealed a slight thread mismatch
> - Chinese machining. It was not Metric either.
>
> So after talking with TRF, I decided to forget the mechanical pump and
> install an electric pump, ala Jaguar V12s & Jensen Healey / GTs (Lotus 907).
>
> Well, I installed a couple of  different new electric  pumps  adjacent to
> the mechanical pump.
>
> They would never 'self prime'.
>
> Now, returning to the project. I removed the mechanical pump, & DRAINED
> the tank of the old fuel. It seems that the gravity feed when the tank is
> less than 1/2 full requires the elec pump to be very low ( like the
> original input height of the original pump, to receive fuel.
>
> So I am redetailing the frame (cleaning & new paint) and securing the new
> fuel line, inline glass Filter & elec pump  right on the frame. This allows
> the steel feed line from the tank ( after Dremel Tool cutting) to match the
> new location of the electric pump.
>
> Next will be modifying a new copper fuel line ( semblance of originality)
> to meet the elec pump feed right behind & adjacent to the Water pump. The
> original copper pipe mated to the back of the mechanical pump , ran up and
> forward along the engine at the cylinder head level to the front of the
> engine & then across to the carburetor feeds.
>
> Finally hope this resolves the fuel delivery issue.
>
> I  wanted to share a warning about the TRF pump supplier manufacturing
> glitch. So others can not waste years getting their TRs back to Roadworthy
> status.
>
> Obviously not going to drive a car with weeping fuel near a hot engine. At
> least on the TR4 & 6s, ( unlike Jaguar 6s ( have 2) or V12s ( have 3),
> Jensen GTs ( have 3) ; the exhaust Manifolds are on the opposite side of
> the engine.
>
> Sherman D Taffel
> Columbia MD and Goldvein VA
> 65 TR4 CT 50054L
> ( per VTR the last known TR4 produced & shipped to USA)
>
>
> Sent via the Samsung Galaxy S10, an AT&T 5G Evolution capable smartphone
>
>
> Sent via the Samsung Galaxy S10, an AT&T 5G Evolution capable smartphone
>
> ** triumphs at autox.team.net **
>
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