Fuel Pump Lotus Elan Sprint

[twiggster1]

HI there

I have a 1972 Lotus Elan Sprint and after my dad's passing it came into my possession. Sadly for the last 7 years it has just been sat in the garage after failing its MOT. I have run it down the drive and back over the years but today the mechanical fuel pump has given up the ghost.

Does anyone know if this is an easy fix and does anyone have information where I can have the Elan restored to get it on the road again?

Hope you can help.....

[Frank Howard]

Fuel pump rebuild kits are readily available for not much money. The only problem is access, especially on cars with Webers (if you have them). The Webers will most likely have to come off. Best of luck.

[trw99]

twiggster1

Welcome and always good to have another Sprint in commission. I have sent you a PM.

Tim

[kstrutt11]

You can just about change the pump from underneath but it is a real fiddle, new ones are pretty cheap, same as ford kent engines.

As for restoring it it depends what you want, if you want a full re-build with show winning bodywork etc or an engine re-build then you need one of the elan / twin cam specilists, if it is just basic spanering on brakes, suspension etc to get it through the MOT any garage familiar with classic cars could handle it OK.

[paddy]

Where are you?

Paddy

[CBUEB1771]

new ones are pretty cheap, same as ford kent engines.

Caution, and this has been covered here in the past. The current replacement pumps discharge at about 7 psi whereas the original glass-bowl pumps discharged at 3 psi or less. This could be a problem for Weber carburettors for which the fuel pressure specification is something like 1.5 to 2 psi. I may be overly cautious here as I see Keith Franck at sidedraft_central at Yahoo groups has posted in the past few months about Weber DCOEs being happy supplied at higher pressures. Just be advised that with the current replacement pumps a fuel pressure regulator may be needed to reduce the supply pressure at the carburettors.