electric fuel pump?

[minorissues135]

Hi, well now it seems the fuel pump has stopped working....doh! Normally I can hear it ticking 3 or 4 times when I switch on the ignition. Car is turning over with spark, no smell of fuel under bonnet. I guess it's somewhere at the back, in the tank? Can anyone suggest a reasonable course of action in terms of tracking down the fault, I'm thinking...fuse to begin with. There is fuel and the car has been standing for some time. Thanks in advance.

[Bill_qaz]

If standard the pump is under the bonnet, passenger side on side of battery compartment. It has no fuse with ignition on 12v to terminal and make sure earth is ok.
With ignition on give it a tap and see if it starts clicking, it has points that maybe stuck.
Mine is electronic type as it says on label and also identified by bulge in cover so has no points.

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[minorissues135]

Thanks Bill, will have a look tomorrow if the rain stops!

[geoberni]

If standard the pump is under the bonnet, passenger side on side of battery compartment. It has no fuse with ignition on 12v to terminal and make sure earth is ok.
With ignition on give it a tap and see if it starts clicking, it has points that maybe stuck.
Mine is electronic type as it says on label and also identified by bulge in cover so has no points.
20240323_125924.jpg

Just to clear up a misconception that Bill has, the bulge in the cover is nothing to do with it being 'electronic'.

Bill's pump is a refurbished one which has been modified to Electronic. The Bulge in the cap was required in decades past for one of the various arc suppression devices fitted by SU in an attempt to extend the life of the mechanical points.
This is just 2 examples of the items they tried, Capacitor from the 1950s (left) and one from the 1970s (right) other modern alternative devices are smaller and require no bulge at all.
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This is what's under the cap of an electronic one, no requirement for any bulge.
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It's most likely that the pump is well used and neglected.
Let's face it, you've been signed up to these forums for 4 years, you've been using the car and doing all sorts of work on it, yet you didn't know where the fuel pump was, nor wondered what that thing bolted into the car near the battery was....
That's fine, we're all different people living different lives, but these cars are from a time when regular periodic maintenance was needed and expected. But the poor old SU Fuel Pump is a neglected child...

Some Owners deride the SU elect fuel pump, but it's not a fit and forget item like on a modern car.
It does require some maintenance, even if people don't do it until it stops the first time....
People were always religiously servicing their engine, changing Plugs and Points, setting tappets etc, but the poor old SU Fuel Pump just sat there year after years, with the points going click every second or so.

Electric Fuel Pumps need some loving too.

[Bill_qaz]

Thanks for the correction about the humped cover and the info for the op.
How did you identify mine is a recon pump? The documentation with the car has a garage receipt that just says replacement pump fitted. Is the aluminium tag that says electronic not SU/ Burlin original?

[geoberni]

Thanks for the correction about the humped cover and the info for the op.
How did you identify mine is a recon pump? The documentation with the car has a garage receipt that just says replacement pump fitted. Is the aluminium tag that says electronic not SU/ Burlin original?

Just based on the cap fitted and the fact that the metal tags look very new compared to the main body.
It's hard to be 100% certain, because even the illustrations that Burlen use show a variety of caps fitted. It's very odd.
In 1999, Burlen purchased all remaining SU tooling, dies, jigs and stock.
So I was a bit harsh saying yours was definitely refurbished; your pump could have been 'new', just not necessarily built using all the expected parts.
I think the electronic ones were only introduced around the same time that they brought everything.

I've got quite interested in the differences between the SU pumps. It seems the electronic ones weren't that reliable in the early 2000s, when they first came out, possibly due to condensation affecting the circuit boards.

[Bill_qaz]

Mine was fitted in July 2021 just before I owned it, hopefully it's one of the reliable ones.
The invoice states fit genuine SU fuel pump and original pipe to carburettor
I have cleaned the filter, connections and ground as routine maintenance. It did have the black tape around but I removed it when I took the cap off to confirm that it was electronic type,then moved the SU tape toward the end cap to reseal it and hopefully keep any water out. The marked area of the body is from the SU sticker tape.
Perhaps Burlin just using up old stock such as the cover

[minorissues135]

Tapping the fuel pump did the trick, hoping it might continue to work ok now. Thanks very much for the input

Geoberni - The car has only done around 100 miles or so in that four years. I've spent a lot of my spare time fixing things done incorrectly or not well enough, by the previous owner's mechanic. In addition, renovating the interior, recently replacing 80% of brake parts, the axle casing, track rod ends, steering rack gaitors (x2) and various other sundry bits outside throughout winter. I appreciate your input, but as an autistic adult with physical limitations, all of this has been a learning experience, and at times I reach out for help.

Your remark, 'let's face it, you've been signed up to these forums for 4 years, you've been using the car and doing all sorts of work on it, yet you didn't know where the fuel pump was, nor wondered what that thing bolted into the car near the battery was....', was unhelpful and it hurt.

Thank you anyway, as you also say, we all live different lives.

[myoldjalopy]

Be aware that, once the pump requires a clout to get it working again, the chances are it will fail again before long. At minimum, I would clean the points carefully with some very fine wet and dry paper. But if the points are too badly burnt, replacing them is the better option.

[Bill_qaz]

Tapping the fuel pump did the trick, hoping it might continue to work ok now. Thanks very much for the input

Hopefully just stuck with standing but we'll worth taking the end cap off and cleaning points as advised by others. Removing the earth connections and giving them a clean is worthwhile.

[geoberni]

Tapping the fuel pump did the trick, hoping it might continue to work ok now. Thanks very much for the input

Geoberni - The car has only done around 100 miles or so in that four years. I've spent a lot of my spare time fixing things done incorrectly or not well enough, by the previous owner's mechanic. In addition, renovating the interior, recently replacing 80% of brake parts, the axle casing, track rod ends, steering rack gaitors (x2) and various other sundry bits outside throughout winter. I appreciate your input, but as an autistic adult with physical limitations, all of this has been a learning experience, and at times I reach out for help.

Your remark, 'let's face it, you've been signed up to these forums for 4 years, you've been using the car and doing all sorts of work on it, yet you didn't know where the fuel pump was, nor wondered what that thing bolted into the car near the battery was....', was unhelpful and it hurt.

Thank you anyway, as you also say, we all live different lives.

I'm sorry you felt my remark hurt; it wasn't my intention, but I was saying what many others were thinking.
You have a Private Message.

But back to the matter in hand, you need to get the top off that pump and clean the contacts. It explains how to do it in the Workshop Manual (sect B7), by which I mean the Morris one, AKD530, I've no idea what the Haynes or other books say.
One a pump has stuck like that, it will keep happening and more frequently.

[minorissues135]

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Here's mine, thanks, I will clean contacts. Have already cleaned terminals, found some corrosion on lead from pump to earth at body of pump. Back to brakes for now as still not right...

[don58van]

Deleted

[geoberni]

Hi
Be wary of that braided fuel line, When I got my car (2017), it had ordinary rubber hose, but the PO had a new braided one, same end as that one, in the boot ready to fit. To the best of my memory, I fitted it in 2019 sometime.
Around this time last year, after several months of sitting in the garage, I pushed Basil out into the fresh air and turned the key but didn't start him. I like to listen to the pump click a little as it builds up pressure at the carburettor.
I listened to the fuel pump click, it was quite fast & steady and it didn't stop.
I turned off and raised the bonnet. This is what had happened.
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It was well damaged; ethanol or not, I've no idea, but I couldn't see anything of it deteriorating due to the braid.
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I fitted a new ethanol resistant hose and rerouted it so it didn't have such a tight radius.

[Bill_qaz]

I wonder if it another case of poor quality replica parts. Mine looks the same type although invoice say genuine SU fuel pipe fitted in 2021, I will keep an eye on it.
Only use E5 so not as much % of the dreaded ethanol , have just fitted viton needle valve as a preventative measure.

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