Petrol pump advice please

[woolfie1948]

For various reasons I have not started up the 164 over the last few weeks, but the battery is on constant trickle. Yesterday the starter spun away happily but engine would not catch and eventually the battery started to fail.
I noticed today that I could not see any fuel in the clear inline filter so suspected the fuel in the carbs and pipes had evaporated and the pump was not pulling it through as I have had this problem before when fitting a new pump.
I connected a clear tube to the fuel pipe at the carbs and sucked until petrol
appeared in the clear tube so I then knew the fuel pipe to the carbs was full and reconnected. After a while on the starter and after some false starts the engine fired and has been running perfectly since.
It appears the mechanical pump is fine for normal driving and starting but struggles when starting from dry.
In order to avoid the obligitary mouth full of petrol in future I thought I may put a small electric pump (£16ish on ebay) in the fuel pipe to the carbs and just connect to the battery when needed, all else remaining as original.
Comments/suggestions please?

[Audrey Old]

HNY Jon - wasn't around to acknowledge your last post.

I thought your car was injection, or am I all mixed up? If carb, Brookhouse sell new pumps (the same for 120, 140 and 164s now apparently). However, no experience of putting elec pump in front of mech one on a Volvo, but we did it to a 120-owning friends prewar Armstrong Siddeley, as he had the same problem. It worked.

Our Amazon is always the same after its winter layup - we remove the carb air filters and squirt a dash of petrol in, and it has fired OK so far. If used every few days the fuel hasn't drained back much so it usually starts. Perhaps our pump is on its way out too....

Paul

[arcturus]

Check for air/ fuel leaks in line from pump to carb. That part of system shouldn't empty over night. Make shure that all your hose clips are tight and there are no splits in pipe. Also check that no air is leaking into pump

[woolfie1948]

Thanks Paul
This pump came from Brookhouse only about a year ago. I bought it as I thought the one I had put on from local motor factors gave this problem due to being poor quality, and I had them change one as well bfore I realised it needed priming!
The one on the car when I got it was the same so they must all have this difficulty in getting started from dry before the battery gives up.
I hope a cheap electric one, either plumbed-in, or just kept ready in my tool box to connect temporarily between the fuel pipe and the carbs (twin stombergs) wiil have enough suck to fill the carbs and prime the mechanical pump. I would put a couple of croc. clips on the wires for an easy power take off from the battery only when needed.
It should not be requred often as I usually run the car every 2-3 weeks in winter, and it's been fine once I got the new pump running. The suck method is easy enough but I somehow manage to get petrol in my mouth even when I join in a length of clear tube!

[arcturus]

Evaporation. Check all clips etc for tightness

[woolfie1948]

Thanks George
All flexible fuel pipes and clips renewd when the new pump fitted, and checked today.
I think it's just the pump does not self prime and the length of time I left it this time without starting the engine - I will try to start it regularly now even if I can't actually take it out on the road. I am used to my 1800E that has an electric pump that I just leave to buzz away before trying to start if I left for a while.
HNY
Jonathan

[Audrey Old]

Just had a thought: a local friend had similar with his Amazon back in summer, only worse if anything. His gave up whilst driving, even on full choke. His car had a new pump, new hoses under the bonnet and a clean fuel filter.

When whizzed over, no fuel appeared in filter so using foot-pump by hand I blew back any possible blockage in fuel line, back into the tank. However, when I grovelled and ran my hand along the metal fuel pipe found it wet where it cants up to enter the tank. His was very corroded there and was an obvious air leak, so he temporarily fitted a length of fuel-proof rubber hose over the offending length, and all was fine again. I wonder if he'll do a proper job and replace it all in summer?

Paul

[arcturus]

One more thing, been thinking about this. Remember your science classes at school where you used a pipette to draw up fluid from a beaker. Well imagine your fuel system from carb's to pump as the pipette. The float valve is your thumb, so, if the needle valve in float chamber isn't sealing properly fuel flows back into the system. As long as the float chamber is sealed fuel should remain in system. Worth checking your float levels before spending any money.

[sunnyvic]

Back just over 12years ago i owned a 164 Twin carb and had owned foor 20 years and never once in all weathers did i have a problem with starting,i wish i still had it..regards sunnyvic

[guitarman]

Try removing the inline fuel filter for starters- I have developed a real dislike for those varmints, they block all too readily and can cause vapour lock problems when placed in the engine bay. Thankfully I've not had to use one in the 164 as yet. If I really needed one id go for a filter king or at least some kinda high volume race job.
Dumb question but have you got at least half a tank of fuel- many issues seem to be exacerbated by low tank levels.
Jimmy