Engine Cut Out

[Jonnyd]

First of all hello everybody, Im new here ;)
Second of all I apologise for adding to the already massive amount of "Engine Cut Out" titled threads.

My problem is on a '60 Morris 1000, engine ran beautifully when I first picked it up. Stuck some petrol + additive in and then a mile down the road the engine cut out going uphill.
We got it on a tow rope and pulled it along and I managed to get it restarted, it ran in neutral the whole way to the garage. Mechanic had a look at it, blocked fuel line etc. had it running no worries after tightening up some stuff in the engine. I noticed that the fuel gauge now read 0 (rather than 1/2 when we first put some petrol in). Everything seemed fine and then it cut out as we drove it uphill out of the garage again. (Pump etc is only 6 months old and seems to be working fine)
Im assuming we are going to discover either some rust flakes I have disturbed (the old owners havent moved it for 6 months) or the ball in the fuel tank has dropped off.
The electrics all seem fine and it was turning over just not running.
Any advice/ideas? I will post the resolution when we get to it.

[mike.perry]

Has the car got a locking fuel cap? If so then it must be vented. If the engine stalls again release te fuel cap and if there is a rush of air then that is the problem.
Check that the fuel pump is ticking and that the float chamber is full of petrol.
Are you sure that the electrics are ok? Have you checked for a spark at the plugs?

[bmcecosse]

Is there any fuel in the tank? Is the tank leaking? And - you don't need any additive ! Prove the fuel supply by pumping two pints of fuel through into a can - and tell us how long that takes. There is a filter in the pump base that may need cleaning.

[Jonnyd]

Thanks for the quick replies/help guys......

Has the car got a locking fuel cap? If so then it must be vented. If the engine stalls again release te fuel cap and if there is a rush of air then that is the problem.
Check that the fuel pump is ticking and that the float chamber is full of petrol.
Are you sure that the electrics are ok? Have you checked for a spark at the plugs?

No it hasnt, and theres no rush of air.
Fuel pump is ticking and float chamber is full
Electrics are fine and sparks at the plugs

Is there any fuel in the tank? Is the tank leaking? And - you don't need any additive ! Prove the fuel supply by pumping two pints of fuel through into a can - and tell us how long that takes. There is a filter in the pump base that may need cleaning.

There is fuel in the tank and there appears to be no leak. im not going to bother with any more additive hving read various forums about it. I will pump the fuel and check the filter.

Anyone have a theory about the gauge?

[MarkyB]

float chamber is full

Did you check this when the engine had stopped working?
It sounds like you need to drive it up a hill until it stops then start looking for the problem.

[bmcecosse]

The fact it stops when going up hill tells me there is insufficient fuel in the tank......... The internal pick-up pipe may have rusted away -meaning the pump will only draw reliably when the tank is more than half full........

[MarkyB]

If that is the case the breakdown would be accompanied by a lot of ticking from the petrol pump.

[faversham999]

60 year old fuel gauges are not that reliable

[Jonnyd]

Not seen it myself as at work but the garage have said its a "Fuel regulator valve" sticking shut on the carb. Having googled it I cant find what they are talking about. Any ideas?
Thanks for your help so far.

[MarkyB]

It's the valve in the top of the float chamber that the float acts on to regulate the level in there.
Remove 3 screws and waggle the float up and down to check but it would be an unusual failure.

[Jonnyd]

they managed to recreate the problem and found that the fuel was getting that far and not filling the chamber properly. The carb is a new part so im assuming is faulty construction (assuming being the word, I havent seen the part etc. yet) If this all turns out to be correct am I looking at a new carb or can i get a new part?

[MarkyB]

New part, assuming that the level has been adjusted properly.
I'd be tempted to return the carb as faulty.

[bmcecosse]

Sounds highly unlikely to me - a very simple/reliable part. Just jiggle it up and down a couple of times - unless there is a bit of swarf/dirt trapped in it - it will be fine.

[Jonnyd]

well as unlikely as it sounded and believe me I saw 2 mechanics today, 1 in the pub and another in the street, that told me it wouldnt be the problem. It appears to be have been exactly that.
Many thanks to Maurice at http://mtr-restorations.blogspot.co.uk/ for helping me out with the part!
It would appear that the petrol gauge is an electrical fault as now the speedo, indicators and the horn has stopped working....one thing at a time ;)

Thanks for your help chaps!

[bmcecosse]

So - have you tried it up that hill to prove it's now fixed?

[Jonnyd]

oh footballs..............

Everything was going fine, driving to work etc. all good uphill, downhill (Dartmoor) no problems. Then I drove it to the petrol station this evening, at first id thought id run out of petrol even though it said 1/4 full so I walked the rest of the way (not really far) bought a can and some petrol and put it in.....
however no joy and its the same as before. Just got back now after rescue, will have to tow back in the morning
anyway, load doesnt seem to matter. Neither does uphill/downhill as it isnt flat around here anywhere. It does seem to happen at around the 7-8 mile mark however.
Petrol gauge is working, all other electrics seem fine.

If that is the case the breakdown would be accompanied by a lot of ticking from the petrol pump.

would i hear the ticking from inside the car?

Coil or Condenser anyone?

[bmcecosse]

It's 'never' the coil. You have to check the plugs - if they are wet with fuel - then it's an ignition problem. If they are dry - it's a fuel problem. You then prove this by tipping an egg cup of petrol in the carb and see if it starts/runs for a few seconds. There's no short cut i'm afraid. And IS the pump ticking when it stops??

[MarkyB]

If it's a standard SU pump you should be able to hear it ticking.
You could disconnect the pipe from the carb and put it into a container then turn on the ignition, it should tick like a good un.

[Jonnyd]

ok, had a little play when I got home from work. Oh the joys of being a chef.
ran the engine for a good 15 minutes recreated the cut out. I heard some ticking from the pump BUT after trying to restart it a bit to make sure it was the "issue" not just a stall, when I tapped the pump it ticked a lot and there was a rush of fuel to the carb (no need to look, I could here it well enough) and filled the FC. Then ofc the engine started again and would run for about 2 minutes and die. Same again.
Pump then?


....actually, I dont know what im talking about so will be quiet ;)

[MarkyB]

Yep, it's the pump.
You can buy some time by cleaning up the points, or a lot of time by replacing them or the entire pump.
The procedure is in the manual.

Don't go for an electronic pump, get a genuine SU one.