Cutting Out

[barry young]

I've a strange problem that usually happenss once each morning. Within the first few minutes the car suddenly cuts out. No spluttering first. This can happen on the drive while I'm clossing the garage doors or on the road doing forty miles an hour. Rob suspects duff modern capacitors which I've changed once with no effect. The engine will start again very quickly. Sometimes I've noticed a rapid pertol pump ticking after it's cut out. Any ideas anyone?

[bmcecosse]

I suspect the pump has stopped - and then springs back to life. Clean the points!

[lambrettalad]

next time ,if you've not changed the points ,try a little tap with a soft mallet

[moggiethouable]

To save confusion, when these chaps talk of points, in this instance they are referring to the contact breaker points in the fuel pump,wacking the distributor points with a mallet aint recommended

[barry young]

I've had a duff pump before that needs wacking but in this case the car always starts agaain after a few moments. When it cut out at 40mph this morning, I didn't hear the rapid pump clicks. Mysteriously, this cutting out is much more likely WHEN IT's COLD ?? !!

It makes no sense to me, but I must have a go at cleaning the pump points. The pump's only about 110 years old - I think it miight be a pattern part rather than a real SU.

Regards,

Barry

[hdavy]

I had this trouble for a year on my MG which would hesitate and then recover for no apparent reason. Then one morning in the middle of France it would not start at all. Half an hour later I discovered that the "professionals" had fitted the coil connecting nuts only finger tight. Problem solved.

[bmcecosse]

Yes - it's 'never' the coil, but it certainly CAN be the coil connections. Always worth checking and cleaning.