Mis fire

PostPost by: alfadave » Fri Sep 25, 2020 6:51 pm

Can't for the life of me understand why the carbs are dry........but fuel is gushing out when I operate the starter.

Needle valves clean and operating freely.

Maybe a problem with the fuel pipe/tank ventilation?
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PostPost by: ericbushby » Fri Sep 25, 2020 7:48 pm

Hi Dave,
It looks like you are nearly there.
When mine did something similar it seemed almost like the rotor arm failure that I described earlier.
It would pack up intermittently but in this case with no pattern to the failure.
I eventually found the float chambers empty.
I removed the fuel pump and tested it manually with water. It pumped happily quite a way up the side of my house. 2ft of water is 1 PSI. I could not make it fail.
It looked ancient so I bought a new one from Sue Miller and have had no trouble since.
Eric in Burnley
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PostPost by: 2cams70 » Sat Sep 26, 2020 2:09 am

Check the fuel line union on the intake side of the pump. Sometimes an air leak there will reduce the ability of the pump to suck fuel from the tank. Because it's on the intake side it won't necessarily be obvious because it may not leak fuel there but will leak air.

Blow through the tank to pump fuel line too to ensure it's clear. Crud can gather particularly on the tank side
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PostPost by: alanr » Sat Sep 26, 2020 7:51 am

Partially blocked fuel pipe either at the tank end or pump end?....Pump sucks fuel for your 3-5miles and then the crud blocks the pipe?....
Maybe worth draining the tank and see how much crud is actually in there...
All just thoughts to consider!

Alan.
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PostPost by: alfadave » Sat Sep 26, 2020 8:14 am

I will drain the tank, and check the fuel line before I touch the pump!
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PostPost by: sprintsoft » Sat Sep 26, 2020 8:33 am

Hi Dave,

That’s not a nice job to be doing good luck!

How old are the needle valves? they can seem ok on the bench but still can stick when it’s all back together. For peace of mind change them out if not done already :)

Iain
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PostPost by: alan.barker » Sat Sep 26, 2020 10:51 am

alfadave wrote:I will drain the tank, and check the fuel line before I touch the pump!

Hi Dave,
this is a problem on the +2 where the outlet and Banjo at the bottom of the Tank.
A pig to get at and if you want to remove the Tank for a proper clean out it's a pain in the butt.
Good luck.
Alan
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PostPost by: alanr » Sat Sep 26, 2020 12:36 pm

The +2 has a fuel tank drain plug, at least mine has, on the opposite bottom side of the tank ( the other side of the diff) to the outlet pipe banjo.

Alan.
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PostPost by: alan.barker » Sat Sep 26, 2020 4:07 pm

Hi Alan,
Yes of course the +2 has a drain plug in the Tank.
You are lucky if it's not seized/rusted.
But the Banjo is still the lowest point where the debris collects.
Imho it would have been better if Lotus in their wisdom made a special Banjo Bolt so the Fuel didn't come from the bottom of the Tank.
The Fuel Tank and Breather set up on +2 Elans to be honest is crap.
Sorry about that but that's my honest opinion after having owned 3 different +2 Elans.
Alan
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PostPost by: Bigbaldybloke » Sat Sep 26, 2020 5:07 pm

Mine didn’t have a drain plug and since disturbing the banjo connection I’m struggling to get it leak proof, it doesn’t drip but is always just damp, but that’s my problem not yours. You can reach it from a wheel arch at a stretch if you have long arms. The previous owner on mine cut a hole through the rear of the boot to access it. Works fine but he never bothered to seal it up again, amazingly in normal use even on wet roads it doesn’t seem to let water in!
Change is inevitable, except from a vending machine!
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PostPost by: alan.barker » Sat Sep 26, 2020 5:18 pm

I've found Fibre washers seal the Banjo best.
Alan
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PostPost by: alfadave » Sun Sep 27, 2020 7:03 am

Needle valves and seats have been renewed recently and in vgc.

I have an access hole in the boot, for the handbrake mech/ fuel outlet.

With an aluminium cover plate!
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PostPost by: alfadave » Mon Sep 28, 2020 3:41 pm

Found the problem today.

Fuel tank outlet banjo completely blocked with crud! Must have caused an intermittent fuel supply.

Cleaned out, refitted and seems to be running fine.

Will have a proper test drive tomorrow.

Looking closely in the banjo, there are 2 small angled holes. Easily blocked I think?
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PostPost by: Bigbaldybloke » Mon Sep 28, 2020 4:56 pm

Unfortunately I suspect you’ll soon get another blockage as there will be more crud in the bottom of the tank until it’s properly flushed and cleaned out. I believe you can get an extended banjo bolt that projects a bit above the base of the tank to minimise crud getting into the banjo but really that’s only a short term fix.
Did you back flush or blow out the line from the pump back to the tank?
Change is inevitable, except from a vending machine!
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PostPost by: alan.barker » Mon Sep 28, 2020 5:49 pm

Sorry to say but the only way is Tank out for a good clean. You can then buy a 3 part kit to treat it.
I did that on my TVR and you get a perfect result.
Alan
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