iani Posted April 5, 2018 Report Share Posted April 5, 2018 After running well for a few days, my car decided it didn't want to start today. The starter motor was spinning well but there was no sound from the fuel pump, I checked the fuel cut-off switch and was surprised to find that the ball was missing and the wires had been joined inside the unit, that wasn't the cause of the problem. I wanted to check the voltage at the pump end but the wiring has been bastardised, wire connecting joints being used instead of bullets. At this point I went off piste on process and decided to open the pump to see if I could check the voltage internally, I never got that far, however, both the pump long bolts were heavily covered in a black grease (graphite?) When I couldn't pull the pump cover off, I gave up and decided to leverage my considerable Stag fuel pump expertise, I got a rubber mallet and whacked the pump a couple of times, it decided to work again. I realise that I need to do something about reconditioning or replacing this pump, and other PI components, my question is simply, should the pump be full of a black grease? Ian Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BlueTR3A-5EKT Posted April 5, 2018 Report Share Posted April 5, 2018 (edited) Lucas pump ? So you hit the pump cover......how hard? Do you think you may have broken the magnets? That'll be scrap then...... Discuss Peter W Edited April 5, 2018 by BlueTR3A-5EKT Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mike C Posted April 5, 2018 Report Share Posted April 5, 2018 It can't be a Bosch. Regardless I'd replace the pump and pull the old one apart on the bench if I wanted to investigate it further. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
iani Posted April 6, 2018 Author Report Share Posted April 6, 2018 Lucas pump ? So you hit the pump cover......how hard? Do you think you may have broken the magnets? That'll be scrap then...... Discuss Peter W No, I didn't hit it hard, I used a small rubber mallet to avoid damage, the pump then ran fine when I took the car out. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BlueTR3A-5EKT Posted April 6, 2018 Report Share Posted April 6, 2018 (edited) On 4/6/2018 at 8:49 AM, iani said: No, I didn't hit it hard, I used a small rubber mallet to avoid damage, the pump then ran fine when I took the car out. Good result then. The black grease I am still confused by. A light coating to stop corrosion perhaps, but not packed full of the stuff. Any grease or oil may migrate to the brush gear which is at the lower end of the motor. That would not be good for electrical contact of brushes on the commutator. Cheers Peter W image here from Revington Edited August 1, 2019 by BlueTR3A-5EKT Quote Link to post Share on other sites
k_raven_smith Posted April 6, 2018 Report Share Posted April 6, 2018 Ian. Pm sent Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Jim F Posted April 6, 2018 Report Share Posted April 6, 2018 Iani, I'm intrigued by the issue and the solution, so please share. I had my second Lucas pump issue a couple of weeks ago, the first issue in 30 years, and I 'fixed' the problem with a couple of bags of ice wrapped around the pump!! (I live in Texas so heat can be a real problem). The Lucas setup has been extremely reliable but it's probably time to renovate the pump to the best of my ability. I've ordered repair kits for my primary pump and a backup I have on the shelf so I'll do the best I can to extend their life. (I have a Bosch kit on the shelf and I'll use it when the Lucas options hit end of life). When hunting for repair kits I couldn't get a response from Malcolm (Prestige) on his new email, malcolmpdi@yahoo.com, anyone else having that problem? Jim Quote Link to post Share on other sites
TR NIALL Posted April 6, 2018 Report Share Posted April 6, 2018 Iani, I'm intrigued by the issue and the solution, so please share. I had my second Lucas pump issue a couple of weeks ago, the first issue in 30 years, and I 'fixed' the problem with a couple of bags of ice wrapped around the pump!! (I live in Texas so heat can be a real problem). The Lucas setup has been extremely reliable but it's probably time to renovate the pump to the best of my ability. I've ordered repair kits for my primary pump and a backup I have on the shelf so I'll do the best I can to extend their life. (I have a Bosch kit on the shelf and I'll use it when the Lucas options hit end of life). When hunting for repair kits I couldn't get a response from Malcolm (Prestige) on his new email, malcolmpdi@yahoo.com, anyone else having that problem? Jim Malcolm wouldn’t be the best with Emails but he’s very good on the Phone. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
iani Posted April 6, 2018 Author Report Share Posted April 6, 2018 Iani, I'm intrigued by the issue and the solution, so please share. I had my second Lucas pump issue a couple of weeks ago, the first issue in 30 years, and I 'fixed' the problem with a couple of bags of ice wrapped around the pump!! (I live in Texas so heat can be a real problem). The Lucas setup has been extremely reliable but it's probably time to renovate the pump to the best of my ability. I've ordered repair kits for my primary pump and a backup I have on the shelf so I'll do the best I can to extend their life. (I have a Bosch kit on the shelf and I'll use it when the Lucas options hit end of life). When hunting for repair kits I couldn't get a response from Malcolm (Prestige) on his new email, malcolmpdi@yahoo.com, anyone else having that problem? Jim My pump wasn't running Jim, having proved that there was power at the pump I knew that is should work, no harm in giving it some encouragement as the alternative was replacement anyway, a couple of gentle taps and it came back to life. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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