no fuel or too much

[horrace]

can some one please confirm, horrace has been having some intermittent running and starting probs, sometimes it starts but then dies fairly quick. and sometimes stops whilst driving, if i disconnect the fuel pipe from the carb it sends out loads of fuel out so its not the pump, i have diagnosed the fuel starvation problem to being the needle sticking in the seat so it doesnt tell the pump that the flaot bowl is empty? what do you think

[bmcecosse]

Doubt it ! Look to the ignition system. Loose connections (esp at the coil) - knackered points or condenser/dodgy rotor arm. They are so cheap - fit all new parts.

[horrace]

oh the other clue i forgot to mention was that there is a ridge in the needle where it sits in the seat.

[PSL184]

if the bowl is empty then it will be the float jet that is blocked up. Blow out the muck with an airline or soak the jet in gunk to remove the muck and wash out with parrafin etc..... If you go down the (most probable) route of electrical failure change the items one at a time or else you will never know which bit was at fault next time you get the same problem.....

[horrace]

and this other time the fuel pump was ging bonkers and just kept pumping fuel and it was overflowing through the hole in the lid of the float chamber

[PSL184]

float not shutting off in that case for certain.....due to muck debris etc....

[horrace]

so i assume that the needle can remain shut as well as open. and the groove round the needle, this doesnt matter?

[bmcecosse]

They always have a ridge and never heard of one sticking shut! I believe it's an electrical problem - not fuel.

[horrace]

well im goona inspect and clean the float chamber first, then go from there. so the float needle cant wear out then?

[MarkyB]

Any surface that moves against another can, and will wear.
Fact of life, I'm afraid.

[horrace]

indeed and its not the end of the world they are only a few £s. i was getting at whether if they wear they then start sticking?

[bmcecosse]

Yes they can 'wear out' - but then they tend to leak (which can affect idle, but not running) - not 'stick shut'.

[horrace]

well i cleaned out the float chamber which was a bit mucky then did the points and spark plug gaps, (both were new and have done no more than 100 miles but have been in the car for a year or so) .
Bingo, it made a huge difference, poor old horrace had started backfiring as well before i did the adjustments, its amazing to think a few thousandths of an inch can make such a difference to a spark.
as bmecosse suggested it was an electirical fault for the poor starting and running, not the fuel, (as i thought). maybe the overfueling (when it was pumping fuel out through the flaot chamber overflow) could have been caused by the needle jamming open against the seat with a bit of crud?? we will never know. thanks for the help.

[katy]

Make sure that you have a wee smear of grease, not too much, on the cam in the distributor. This is where the rubbing block of the points rides, no lubrication and the rubbing block wears down and the points don't open properly.

[bmcecosse]

[horrace]

got that, thanks katy.