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Hello all.

 

Been putting my 1973 TR6 back together for a while now and today I bought a new battery and with everything crossed I turned it over. The car turns over well, the oil pressure etc comes up but no ignition!

 

A few issues I can see, the fuel pump runs, but I've taken the spark plugs out and they are dry!

The fuel gauge is reading empty but when I lift the lid on the tank I can definitely see fuel.

I've added what fuel I had (about 10 litres) and the gauge didn't move.

 

Is it possible there isn't enough fuel in the tank? Or is it more likely a faulty fuel gauge?

Could there be a blockage in the fuel lines?

Could the fuel pump be faulty?

 

Any other checks I should go through?

 

I think the first thing I'll do tomorrow is buy another 20 litres of fuel and add that and see if the gauge moves off zero, if not then it's back to the drawing board!

 

Any advice will be gratefully received!

 

Cheers

 

Cal

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Hi Alan, should have mentioned the car is injection.

 

The car doesn't fire, I haven't checked to see if there is a spark yet. I'll have a look at that tomorrow. It doesn't seem like there is any fuel getting there even if there was a spark tho, as I said the plugs are dry after I've tried starting and there is no smell of fuel etc.

 

Cheers

 

Cal

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Hi Cal

 

Have you taken an injector out, placed in a jam jar (or similar) and turned engine over? Alternatively disconnect the main fuel pipe at the metering unit to check if there's fuel there? Is there a spark at the plugs? MU and dizzy timing correct?

 

Good luck hunting the issue down...

 

Cheers

Ian

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Can you hear fuel being returned to the tank from the PRV? If so the pump is pumping. Probaly lots of air in the fuel line to the MU and injector hoses. So:
- remove the feed from loom to the coil so ther are no sparks. Remove the plugs to take load off battery and spin engine faster. Then remove the injectors form the manifold. Point them into a large glass jar to catch the spray. Keep turnng the engine until each is spraying.

Have a fire extinguisher to hand

 

The tank sender may have failed. I use a wooden dowel dipstick.

Peter

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First I'd make sure I had a spark as it's the easiest to check.

 

I agree with Peter on the injection system. It takes a lot of cranking before a new fuel system starts injecting. Be very careful if you operate the injectors out of the manifold. Last year I tried taking them out one at a time looking for a faulty injector ( along the lines of earthing spark plugs to find a faulty plug) , when no.5 caught fire for no apparent reason other than a flame emerging out through the inlet tract.

 

When the engine starts to splutter , keep the throttle wide open to clear air out of the injection lines quickly. I suspect that at low speeds petrol just bounces against the air in an empty injection line, failing to push the air out of the line.

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Just a tip for bleeding the injectors, open the pintle valve by pushing on the spike on the end of the injector to one side

when cranking engine. When fuel starts to dribble close valve and check for cone spray of fuel, repeat as necessary.

Take GREAT care to collect fuel spray, advise goggles ( petrol & eyes do not mix. ) , fire extinguisher mandatory.

 

 

 

Harvey S. Maitland

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Thanks for the advice so far folks. Didn't have a chance to get into the garage today but will have a look hopefully over the weekend. Got the Haynes workshop manual out for some light reading tonight!

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CalT,

If you have "been putting my 1973 TR6 back together for a while now" and all the while that fuel has been in the tank, then drain it out!

Use it in your lawnmower of something. Modern fuel does 'go off', losing the more volatile components and becoming much less ignitable if left fot any time.

 

Please do not follow HSM's advice. To open an injector you must PULL on the pintle, the little needle that projects out of (some) injectors. See picture.

Do so with the fingernails, not pliers, to avoid damage.

 

John

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