carbs

[Richard Fridd]

hi all,my sedan has developed a hesitation when accelerating gentle.if i depress the gas pedal for swifter progress the car accelerates strongly.i suspect a problem with the idle circuit .i have a new fuel pump/air filter/plugs fitted and have checked/cleaned the screws+jets which are accessible from the top.i have checked the fuel levels in the bowls which are equal.i have balanced the airflows with a meter.i suppose the accelerator pumps under the carbs could be disguising a blocked fuel filter in the tank or other restriction.advice welcome as ever.best regards richard

[fay66]

hi all,my sedan has developed a hesitation when accelerating gentle.if i depress the gas pedal for swifter progress the car accelerates strongly.i suspect a problem with the idle circuit .i have a new fuel pump/air filter/plugs fitted and have checked/cleaned the screws+jets which are accessible from the top.i have checked the fuel levels in the bowls which are equal.i have balanced the airflows with a meter.i suppose the accelerator pumps under the carbs could be disguising a blocked fuel filter in the tank or other restriction.advice welcome as ever.best regards richard

Hi Richard, are you getting deposits up to the carb fuel filters that sit on top under the big hexagons? do you have a pressure regulator/fuel filter with the glass bowl, at first I had no end of problems with rubbish from the tank getting up to the carbs, so I fitted a "Filter King" from Demon Tweeks, if I remember correctly it was only about £35 at the time, this cured the problem, but I thought later Fulvia's had a fuel regulator/ fuel filter as standard
I bought a new brass filter for inside the tank years from Omicron, but I've never plucked up enough courage to remove the threaded plug from the bottom of the tank, as I have visions of tearing a lump out of the tank being that it's been there so long
Brian
8227

[HF_Dave]

It's a good idea to drain the tank, I did it with Kevin Mc Bride on the Fulvia. I got under the car with spanner and bucket, kevin stood by but as soon as I undid the nut out came a huge gush of petrol , In seconds the bucket was full, I was there trying to put the bung back in, Kevin was running around looking for  another bucket I was covered in petrol, you coulden't light a match near me for about three days. The moral of the story, never underestimate the amount of fuel in the tank. I reckoned about half a gallon but I was supprised at the amount of fuel and gunge that came out as well.  But a job worth undertaking . Thanks David.

[fay66]

It's a good idea to drain the tank, I did it with Kevin Mc Bride on the Fulvia. I got under the car with spanner and bucket, kevin stood by but as soon as I undid the nut out came a huge gush of petrol , In seconds the bucket was full, I was there trying to put the bung back in, Kevin was running around looking for  another bucket I was covered in petrol, you coulden't light a match near me for about three days. The moral of the story, never underestimate the amount of fuel in the tank. I reckoned about half a gallon but I was supprised at the amount of fuel and gunge that came out as well.  But a job worth undertaking . Thanks David.

"Come on Baby Light my Fire"
Dave,
Perhaps in hindsight it might be worth syphoning some out first, if you remove the Gauge unit in the tank you can see the level of the fuel remaining.
Did it come undone very easily? I think it must have been removed when "Fay" was restored, as there doesn't seem to be a lot of rubbish in the tank from what I could see when I had the gauge unit out to clean it the other week, it's just that I would like to check the condition of the in tank filter as I can't see whether or not it was replaced at the time.
Just one point, is there a washer or a seal under the filter?
Brian
8227

[roddy]

Hello Brian

The brass plug in the tank takes the usual 14mm allen socket for the sump and gearbox.   The filter element in the tank does have a seal :-   Neale Shepherd wrote a brief article in V.L. about a couple of years ago following on his problems with fuel supply in his Zagato 'Competizione'.   From a fading memory (!), the seal had gone soft, expanded, and was partially blocking the end of the pick-up pipe in the tank (the filter element surrounds the end of the pipe to prevent residue pick-up).

Regards - Roddy

[fay66]

Hello Brian

The brass plug in the tank takes the usual 14mm allen socket for the sump and gearbox.   The filter element in the tank does have a seal :-   Neale Shepherd wrote a brief article in V.L. about a couple of years ago following on his problems with fuel supply in his Zagato 'Competizione'.   From a fading memory (!), the seal had gone soft, expanded, and was partially blocking the end of the pick-up pipe in the tank (the filter element surrounds the end of the pipe to prevent residue pick-up).

Regards - Roddy

Thanks Roddy,
That rang a bell! I seem to remember the article, I'll have to look it up.
do you know if the seals are available or is it a case of make one yourself, can't imagine it would be too complicated.

brian
8227

[roddy]

Hello Brian

I think the seal is just a round disc to hold the filter element in place (?) - you might need to cut it from a suitable sheet.   I have also a dim memory that Neale had a diagram or photo (?).   I wish my memory was as sharp as a youngsters!!

Regards - Roddy

[HF_Dave]

Hi Brian, when I went to take out the bung the fuel gauge was at empty, the fuel gauge was accurate before undertaking the job, but I reckon there was about 2 gallons of furl in there, I allways thought there was less than a gallon when the light came on. Thanks, David.

[fay66]

Roddy & Dave,
Thank you for the information, 2 gall left when the reserve light comes on! that's about a 1/4 of a tank on "Fay"

Brian
8227

[lancialulu]

Brian

Drive around with your spare can till you run out.

I have some photos of the filter arrangement I can send you after AGM.

It's not that difficult but the spray of petrol os horizontal even on a near empty tank. you can fit a replacement nylon tip filter which is used in glass canister type filters. I did this on my sport.

Tim

[nistri]

If an eletrci fuel pump is fitted, it is very simple to empty the tank by connecting a temporary fuel line to the pump outflow into a jerry can and to control the fuel supply by switching the pump on/off. Andrea

[the.cern]

That is the sort of solution that appeals to me Andrea !!  It's simple, cheap and controllable, there's very little in life about which you can say that !!

                      Andy

[fay66]

If an eletrci fuel pump is fitted, it is very simple to empty the tank by connecting a temporary fuel line to the pump outflow into a jerry can and to control the fuel supply by switching the pump on/off. Andrea

Andrea,
Thanks for that, I didn't think of it even though I've got an electric pump fitted, 

Brian
8227

[neil-yaj396]

I'm glad that health & Safety has prevailed (if you have an electric pump)! My wife's old Beetle once drenched me in petrol prior to some work on the engine, with that 'high up at the front' tank setting up a perfect syphon. It is a very unpleasant experience.

[Richard Fridd]

hi all,my sedan has developed a hesitation when accelerating gentle.if i depress the gas pedal for swifter progress the car accelerates strongly.i suspect a problem with the idle circuit .i have a new fuel pump/air filter/plugs fitted and have checked/cleaned the screws+jets which are accessible from the top.i have checked the fuel levels in the bowls which are equal.i have balanced the airflows with a meter.i suppose the accelerator pumps under the carbs could be disguising a blocked fuel filter in the tank or other restriction.advice welcome as ever.best regards richard

carbs stripped and cleaned and refitted.fuel supply good.in addition to a slight hesitation particularly when not fully warmed there is a slight 'backfiring' on the over run which i have had with other fulvias but only when lifting off from high revs.will change condenser etc with some spares unless somebody can advise otherwise.i still suspect carbs though.acceleration remains strong.i did try a richer idle mixture but not successful.advice welcome !best regards richard