RE. Fuel pump

[Sully2908]

Hello all,

After spending 9 months rebuilding my mini and geting to the turn key moment I find the fuel pump has not decided to play anymore. Before I spend another day on my back just thought I would ask the question.

The pump used to make the "tic tic " sound but somewhere along the rebuild it stopped and I never noticed. I have checked the fuses and all is good in the engine bay.

There has been work done previously under the car as there are a few wires cut and changed, currently going to the pump there is a positive wire (checked with voltmeter) and a negative wire. This leads me to presume it's a replacement type?

I have sucked some fuel through (I had forgotten how bad it tastes) and there seems to be coming through without being blocked.

I have tried tapping it with a small hammer, but I'm just wondering if there is a procedure I'm missing that requires re-completing to get it back working as it's been stood so long. Luckily I was given a new fuel pump when I purchased the car, but want to make sure i don't encounter the same problem if I change it?

Thanks in advance

Sully

[Andrew1967]

It'll be that the points in the plastic cap end have stuck together through lack of use. Every year without fail when I first go to use one of my cars, I have to get underneath and give the pump a sharp whack with a screwdriver head. Once the pump starts ticking I never have a problem for the rest of the season.

IIRC, the fuel pump live wire is white along with a black earth wire.

Even if you fit the new pump, its pretty odds on that it won't work without a sharp tap.

Best thing is to take the pump off, take the points out and clean/stone them up, refit and all should be fine.

[dklawson]

Sully, if the pump has two wires coming out from the same location, that would be an aftermarket pump, probably the grey colored German one. The SU pumps have a single wire on the bakelite end cap as Andrew said with a second earth/ground wire connected elsewhere to the pump body.

I have never worked on the aftermarket pumps so I cannot say how they are serviced. Since they do go "tic-tic-tic" then there is a good chance it is burned points as Andrew said. If you can figure out how to access them then perhaps service will be as simple as pulling a bit of fine grit wet/dry paper between the points to expose sound contact material. Hopefully it will not involve adjusting the toggle mechanism that operates the pump points.

[Sully2908]

It'll be that the points in the plastic cap end have stuck together through lack of use. Every year without fail when I first go to use one of my cars, I have to get underneath and give the pump a sharp whack with a screwdriver head. Once the pump starts ticking I never have a problem for the rest of the season.

IIRC, the fuel pump live wire is white along with a black earth wire.

Even if you fit the new pump, its pretty odds on that it won't work without a sharp tap.

Best thing is to take the pump off, take the points out and clean/stone them up, refit and all should be fine.

Andrew,

There is a yellow and black wire coming from the rear of the pump. The yellow is live that's connected to another cable with a crimp, it looks like an introduced live. I am presuming the points are situated at the rear of the pump where the connectors are? With the fuel lines being at the front.

I shall give it a (harder tap at the rear) then I shall take it off and strip it down although it's got half a tank of fuel in it. Finger in the dam springs to mind

Sully

[Sully2908]

Sully, if the pump has two wires coming out from the same location, that would be an aftermarket pump, probably the grey colored German one. The SU pumps have a single wire on the bakelite end cap as Andrew said with a second earth/ground wire connected elsewhere to the pump body.

I have never worked on the aftermarket pumps so I cannot say how they are serviced. Since they do go "tic-tic-tic" then there is a good chance it is burned points as Andrew said. If you can figure out how to access them then perhaps service will be as simple as pulling a bit of fine grit wet/dry paper between the points to expose sound contact material. Hopefully it will not involve adjusting the toggle mechanism that operates the pump points.

Doug,

Not a bit of Bakerlite in sight. It must be an aftermarket type, when I pull it off I shall find the correct setting point, that's after the sharp tap with a blunt object solution.

Sully

[Andrew1967]

Doesn't sound like an original SU pump then Sully. The originals normally have a spade terminal on top of the Bakelite cap to take the white feed wire.

I don't know a lot about the aftermarket non-standard pumps as we only use original SU points type. I would bet that the aftermarket is a solid state type and is therefore not serviceable.

[Sully2908]

Doesn't sound like an original SU pump then Sully. The originals normally have a spade terminal on top of the Bakelite cap to take the white feed wire.

I don't know a lot about the aftermarket non-standard pumps as we only use original SU points type. I would bet that the aftermarket is a solid state type and is therefore not serviceable.

I just went up the garage and tried the tapping of the pump with a small hammer, the other one I was given seems to be similar, I took the back off and there are a set of points at the rear. I connected this up to a 12v car battery in the hope it would give off the familiar "tic tic" sound but nothing.

Back to the drawing board I suppose.

Cheers anyway

Sully

[Andrew1967]

Maybe a photo of the pump will help identify what make/model it is and might help to resolve your issues.

[Sully2908]

Took it off and apart I now have fuel to the engine, I cleaned the points at the rear cleaned up all the terminals put it back on and it works again. Seems like it was a poor connection somewhere.

Sully

[Andrew1967]

All's well that ends well Sully

[Sully2908]

All's well that ends well Sully

Yes and no Andy, pump is leaking, fuel lines are in need of replacing, apart from that life is grand ha!

Sully