Sealing the fuel outlet

[Richardtr3a]

6 hours ago, Waldi said:

Maybe the float needle is stuck. Give it a tap with a piece of hardwood.

Waldi

Thanks for the advice.  I checked the float needle but there was nothing coming in from the flexible.  I  removed the fuel pipe from the tank up to the middle connector. I could blow through it but when I connected it, as a trial, to the old tank with water  in it there was nothing coming out at first but after a couple of minutes the water ran fine. The pipe has been flattened a bit in two  places. I think that I did not improve it by trying to make it line up and push into the tank. I think that must have been capillary action. It could not be airlocked could it ?

Anyway now it is off I will buy a new length. Where is a reliable source and I am planning Kunifer or annealed ?  There are different wall thicknesses so the cheapest may not be the best.  What is best?  I do still have the pipe bender from years ago.

Thanks Richard & B

[ianc]

Airlocking is possible, Richard.

I removed my tank in 1997 to coat the inside with Slosh Tank Sealant, put the tank back, connected the fuel line, put a couple of gallons of fuel inside - and nothing reached the pump, which I was trying to hand prime.

I put a plastic funnel into the fuel filler, rammed a length of hose into the funnel, then blew into the hose whilst Maddy toggled the hand primer.  That modest pressurisation of the tank was sufficient to get the fuel to flow to the pump.

Ian Cornish

[RobTR3]

I agree with Ianc, that it's a likely airlock. I had a similar problem after fitting a new tank, no fuel getting to the fuel pump. I filled the tank half full and undid slightly the braided hose to fuel pump to release any air. Fuel started to come through, I re-tightened the connection, but the bowl on the pump didn't fill. I then slackened the furled nut on the base of the bowl when fuel then started to fill the bowl, waited until nearly full, then tightened the furled nut. 

Rob

[Richardtr3a]

Thanks Ian and Rob. I should have tried that  but I was impatient to get it finished and removed the rear fuel pipe section. It has some parts where the tube has been compressed so there is a length of Kunifer in the post. It is going to be challenging to bend and twist it to fit without a four post lift and while lying on my back in the cold and , maybe , wet.  It should arrive in two days.  I have a 5/16" pipe bender and do I need something inside the tube to retain the shape while bending a couple of tight corners.

Richard & B

[RobTR3]

Kunifer pipe is harder and stiffer to bend, copper pipe is softer and bends very easily. I use a pipe bender. Even so you still need to

go carefully as it is easy to kink the pipe. Make sure the pipe bender is well greased and go slowly. Don't hold the pipe tight on the bender, ease it round with minimal contact. You should be able to go as far as a 'U' bend if your careful. Just take your time. Good luck.

Rob

[Richardtr3a]

I have the Kunifer now and will start bending it tomorrow after it has warmed up in the house. I have a US.PRO pipe bender and another smaller black one. Both cope with 5/16". I will take it slowly and I don't think that you mean grease on the outside do you Bob ?

Thanks Richard & B

[ntc]

16 minutes ago, Richardtr3a said:

I have the Kunifer now and will start bending it tomorrow after it has warmed up in the house. I have a US.PRO pipe bender and another smaller black one. Both cope with 5/16". I will take it slowly and I don't think that you mean grease on the outside do you Bob ?

Thanks Richard & B

As for sealing olives look for the red stuff used by plumbers for oil heating systems.|Over tighten an olive your pipe is doomed as is the olive.

[RobTR3]

3 hours ago, Richardtr3a said:

I have the Kunifer now and will start bending it tomorrow after it has warmed up in the house. I have a US.PRO pipe bender and another smaller black one. Both cope with 5/16". I will take it slowly and I don't think that you mean grease on the outside do you Bob ?

Thanks Richard & B

Richard

You normally grease a pipe bending tool in the pipe channel to ease the pipe along as you bend it to shape. The key point is not to be too hasty when bending the pipe and just try and bend it around in one go. Do it slowly and ease the pipe along the pipe bender bit by bit to get the shape you want.

Rob

[Richardtr3a]

Thanks Rob,

I am on it tomorrow 

[Richardtr3a]

I have spent the early afternoon working on the pipe. The Kunifer turns out to be really good. I tried the pipe bender with grease and it was not working well. So I tried just bending it round my knee and it went really easily with no kinks or damage.  It was easy to fit the tube to the tank on the bench but under the car the pipe was slightly out of alignment. After at least 1/2 hour I managed to get the retaining nut to start on the thread. It then took some man-handling to make the front connector line up as well. New pipe ,new olives , and tomorrow a test with fuel. It is best to buy more than you need because the Kunifer comes in a coil. It is OK to open it up and stretch it straight but each end will have a small angle, from being coiled up in a previous life. If you cut off six inches it will then be a straight  bit and an easy fit. I wish I had known that before I started.

The old copper was kinked in several places  and I wonder if that reduced the flow. It is in the bin now.

If I need to add some air pressure the only way I can think of is to seal the filler with the funnel and use my electric hot air gun. Is this as dangerous as I think it might be?

Richard & l

[ianc]

To pressurise the tank, insert plastic cone in tank inlet, take a length of tube which has a slightly larger outside diameter than the inside bottom of the cone, and jam it in there.  Press cone into tank and then blow into the tube whilst assistant operates the lever on the pump.

Even an old man like me can manage a reasonable puff!

Ian Cornish

[stillp]

You won't get any pressure from a hot air gun anyway - it's a fan, not a pump.

Pete

[BlueTR3A-5EKT]

Suck through to the pump inlet pipe using a MityVac?

https://www.tooltruck-uk.com/brands/mityvac

Peter W

ps. It works fine for me when brake bleeding so why not fuel lines?

Edited December 12, 2020 by BlueTR3A-5EKT

[Richardtr3a]

The first try at a new pipe ended in a write off. The pipe was easy to fit into the tank while on the bench but under the car it was hard to get the threaded connector to start in the tank. It seemed to bite , after a lot of manoeuvring,  but was a bit stiff to turn. I tightened it to a reasonable strength. The in line connector was easy. A trial 1/2 gallon showed a serious leak at the tank and it had to be drained down. I was worried that I had cross threaded it. Back on the bench the pipe was not straight enough and it was impossible to correct it even with a tight fitting rod internally and small hammer.  I ordered another length.

The new length was prepared by opening it out straight very carefully and then removing the first 3" off each end. This appeared to give a straight pipe. Using a small length of surplus Kunifer, of which I have some in the garage, I was able to line up the olive and the connector on the tank. The small length pipe slid in easily and was removed. The new pipe was then bent to the right overall profile using only hand pressure around my knee. It bent with no kinks or damage. With the tank in position but loose, I was able to feed the new pipe in to the connector but the last 1/2" was a bit stiff. I had measured carefully and knew that it was past the olive so a light tap with a copper mallet and it was in. I knew that it now only required 3 turns with the spanner to compress the olive ,and the connector moved easily, not like last time. It has now been nearly 24 hours and no leak. 

I think that it is difficult to fit the pipe from underneath without a smooth straight length for the olive, which has to be offered at the correct angle.

There is still no fuel in the pump bowl. Today I will try the inflatable mattress pump. I really need help from the grandson, who is local, but we are covid prisoners. What to do next week for the big day ??

At least it is not raining so I will be out ,with the dog, in the fields this morning.

Richard & B