Lancia Motor Club

Hooray ! Got my car back after lots of tinkering. Running beautifully so far . Tappets all adjusted, new electric fuel pump etc etc. So quiet ! , all horrid noises gone,plus Colin spent ages changing the old heater control valve for a new one off a Fulvia..all working brilliantly including fan and previously seized air control flap !
In love again !
Fingers and toes crossed !

Well , just as I thought we'd cracked it.. car misbehaving again. looked at new fuel filter and barely a trickle of fuel filling it up....so... must be a simple blockage further back, and or debris in the fuel tank, which accounts for all the annoying symptoms ! Just have to locate and ? replace fuel pipes as and where, plus check , flush out tank... another hopefully final job for Colin , although I thought he had done that already... maybe the tank is degrading inside ?
More fun and games then ...
Have a good weekend everyone !
Rich

Is there a pick up filter in the tank?

Sure is see my thread on restoring a Series 1
Clarkey

heck the breather tube if it collapses or kinks it creates a vacuum try with the fuel cap off.

Oh , I will check that, thanks for the tip, although I think the fuel cap, original , has a gap/breather built in.

Just took the petrol cap off and ran it , but still got the same problem half a mile up the road !
I am sure there is such a simple reason , just need to be patient. I still love the car so much despite all this !

If the filter is clean try blowing through the tank to filter pipe with an airline if you have access to one. As suggested if it isn't the pipe there is a blockage in the pick up or breather, or even debris in the carburetor.

It took me 4 years and a drive to Italy to sort fuel delivery problems on my Beta, only for them to return 3 years later with blocked jet.

The tank filter will unscrew so it cab be checked or repaired...not a big job.
Clarkey

Ta, will attempt to get the car out and about..it conks out atm every few hundreds yards..hope it will get the 5 miles or so to my friend Colin !
Might be an RAC job...? not sure where one stands if it sort of starts ...

Well , that is pretty clear cut now ! tried to start today , no fuel whatsoever getting into engine/fuel filter at all...at least RAC can transport car when convenient..
Just wondering if I get a good guy, might be able to blast it through there and then... not holding my breath though...
So frustrating , but I still get a real thrill when I look at it.. sad really lol...

corrosion in the tank?

well ,could be , must happen I guess.
Whole lot, pipes etc might need a good clear out!

Corrosion inside the tank is quite likely. Very recently I have seen horrible rot inside the fuel tank of an S1 Fulvia berlina and an S2 Fulvia coupe even when the external surface of the tank was very good and nothing bad had been surmised. This may occur whenever a car is left unused for some time, Andrea

yeah , seems a likely scenario ,so frustrating as it is such a wonderful little car !

Hi everyone, My friend Colin came over and we , by accident or design , unblocked the fuel pipes. Ran perfectly. Over at Colin's again , he will replace all the fuel pipes, maybe with a larger diameter,and drain the fuel tank , making sure no debris. There was some evidence of degraded rubber ? in some of the fuel collected. Anyway looks like light at the end of the tunnel...
Happy Christmas !

Great news have a Merry Christmas!
Clarkey

Happy new year everyone, all fuel lines/pipes renewed, tank drained , car drives like a dream ! In love again ! lol
There wasn't a mesh in the tank , some debris there , but much wider diameter pipe used, so with all that , ought not to ever be a problem again ...
Yippee !

Been driving my car around on the dry days since Xmas... still probably shouldn't , salt etc, but it's such a fun car !
Love standing out from the crowd...worth all the previous agro.
The interior could do with a slight  refresh , door cards really , anyone know of an expert not too far from Newbury ?
My wife still keeps on about how much I am spending ...lol

Hi Richard,

As Clarkey says there should be a tank filter. Normally incorporated in the tank outlet. My Series 3 tank was really bad when I got the car it but the Frosts 3 part treatment sorted it and no problems for the past 16 years.

However it is great news that you have a clean system by the sounds of it.

Rust ferments at the air to fuel boundary in a steel fuel tank so keeping you tank full helps. When leaving the car unused for any time this problem can be reduced by putting a couple of  desert spoons full of 2 stroke oil in the tank, this will sit across the fuel /air boundary and reduce the tendency for rust to form. A four stroke engine can easily cope with a little 2 stroke oil on restart.

Hi Richard, my sons have an automotive upholstery business, primarily dealing with classic and vintage cars, and will be tackling the interior on our Appia Vignale when it is back from the spray shop. They're based in East Anglia but interiors can be sent on pallets and returned in the same manner if you'd be interested. In any event they would be happy to discuss with you if you needed any advice

Thanks for comments. Will bear in mind.
Probably best to find a local upholsterer; hardly an emergency...one for the future really.
I've never been Appia .. lol... bet nobody ever made that joke before !