No fuel to carburettors

M

mf.smith

New Member
My 1968 2000 TC has stopped running again, so tracking down the problem, resulted in a no fuel to carburettors. Further digging around revealed that the fuel pump is not working. I eliminated the possibilities of a clogged filter, leak in the lines, bad fuel, and so on by changing out the fuel pump and filter, and just running off a can of fuel.
I can pump the fuel up through the fuel pump by priming it by hand, and the fuel pump pumps just fine, however, get in and crank the key, spinning the engine over and no fuel, and I know this because I disconnected the line from the carbs. No fuel in the catch can, so I pulled the can with the line disconnected and watched through the windshield. Yep! No fuel!
It appears the crankshaft tab has worn down enough that it isn't actuating the pump properly, or is there something else I am missing? Car ran rough for a while, and I couldn't seem to get the carbs set correctly,but it appears that was a symptom, not the problem.
Is this a common 4 cyl issue? the car has good compression, burns no oil, so I have a hard time believing it is that worn. Am I missing something? Would a good correction be to just block off the fuel pump and install an electric one that delivers 3 to 5 PSI?
 
Have you removed the fuel pump to see if the actuator has broken on the pump itself? Seems like the most likely cause.
 
Yes, I had a spare (new never been used) fuel pump, and put it on, and I did check out the old pump, both look fine, and you can watch the actuator move correctly as you push the priming lever. In addition, I pulled the pump back off, and spun the engine by hand with a socket while holding a finger on the rod that actuates the fuel pump. It does move in and out, so right now, I am really .....discombobulated....so to speak.....Is there a measurement of how far the rod should be extended out when at it's furthest point? Maybe it is crank wear, although looking at both ends of the rod show very little marking. Soft crank?????? Is this a known Rover quality issue from '68? Did Mr. Lord insist Rover use more aluminum in the P-6 after the Leyland take over?
Seriously though, any one have this problem ?
 
Don't know if it's a common problem but my "76 SC had an electric pump fitted when I got it and mechanical pump removed and blanked off. Works well.
Tony.
 
Mmm... Neither workshop nor spares manual are very helpfull here, are they?! The spares manual does at least show the components in question:

Page 02.30
512657 is the plunger
554460 is the combined pump and distributor driveshaft, and you can see the small cam (actually an eccentrically mounted disc) on the bottom that drives the plunger.

So having a look at the cam is going to involve disturbing the distributor.

I guess there are two possibilities. Either the plunger has shrunk in length (worn) or the cam has worn and isn't giving the correct stroke. You could try making up a new plunger with a longer length? Bit of trial and error involved there though. Rob a scrap engine of the two components? Or finally fit an electric pump :cry: If you get to the final one then please don'tuse a facet type. Use a rotary pump similar to the Huco pumps here (they are sold under various different brands) so that you can mount it as a suck pump in the engine bay and retain existing pipework, reserve facility etc.

http://www.gowerandlee.co.uk/

Chris
 
Unfortunately, living in the U.S., i don't have the possibility of spares, or for that matter, a parts manual. Been looking for the parts manual for over a year, and have found a few pretty ratty ones, and am not about to shell out the asking prices for these (and neither is anyone else, as, a year later, they are still up for sale)

I do work in a place with a machine shop, and making the plunger is a possibility, however, I don't know what length, and would rather not guess. As I stated, the plunger shows so little wear, I don't think that is the problem

I need a good diagram or photo of the actuating lobe, in order to get an idea of my next move, although I'm inclined to lean towards an electric pump, as opposed to dismantling an engine with good compression, etc.

I'll keep checking this post.....maybe someone has for sure run across this problem
 
I think it's very likely to be the pump diaphragm. This is a simple disc of rubberised material that does the actual pumping work inside the pump body. After years of operation this component stretches and loses its ability to deliver the required volume of fuel when actuated by the internal distributor drive lever. [The pump will work OK from the external lever since this lever probably has more travel and thus a better opportunity to "pump" the diaphragm - even in its stretched state.]

These pumps can be overhauled with a simple kit or junked and replaced by a new item.
 
The lobe is shown in the parts manual in the diagram for the oil pump and tensioners.
In the attached pic, the lobe on bottom of distributor is shown at number 17.
The push rod is shown as number 60.

I had a similar problem with my car 2 years ago where i could not get fuel to carbs. I ended up doing a rebuild kit (available from All British Cars in Burnanby British Columbia - 403-294-5747) and still could not get fuel to carb. My problem was resolved with removing, cleaning and lubricating the rocker arm assembly.
All British Cars has many parts available, or can source anything you need.
The Rover Car Club Of Canada has many U.S. members and a large selection of used parts available, as well as a forum in which U.S. and Canadian members post spares for sale.
Membership is inexpensive, the club magazine is good and support for our unique in North America cars is abundant.
A recent forum post has information from a U.S. source with many manuals and parts manuals available.
 

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The lobe is shown in the parts manual in the diagram for the oil pump and tensioners.
In the attached pic, the lobe on bottom of distributor is shown at number 17.
The push rod is shown as number 60.

I had a similar problem with my car 2 years ago where i could not get fuel to carbs. I ended up doing a rebuild kit and still could not get fuel to carb. My problem was resolved with removing, cleaning and lubricating the rocker arm assembly.

Not quite understanding the above. Are you talking of the valve train rocker arm assembly? Don't see how that could affect fuel getting to carbs, although it would assuredly affect it getting to the combustion chambers! . Not having a parts manual, I'm at a loss as to what the parts are called, in addition to the fact that we are two countries separated by a common language! Can you clarify?

The drawing, however, is a great help. Pulling the distributor is fairly easy, and I can then inspect the drive lobe.

In response to the other post, The original fuel pump was rebuilt last year, and as I said, I replaced that with a new out of the box one , just to make sure, so I'm confident it isn't the fuel pump.
 
Sorry, the rocker arm I refered to is at back of fuel pump, what push rod pushes on to actuate pump.
With fuel pump removed, you will see push rod - part 60.
Late for work, can post pics from workshop manual tomorrow a.m.
Roy
 
Just a thought...
When I replaced my fuel pump I omitted the plunger ( doh! :oops: ). The same symptoms as you have - the manual priming works fine, but it won't work off the engine.
Worth a check anyway.
 
Phil Robson said:
Just a thought...
When I replaced my fuel pump I omitted the plunger ( doh! :oops: ). The same symptoms as you have - the manual priming works fine, but it won't work off the engine.
Worth a check anyway.
Click to expand...

Oh yes, that was included on my checks! You never know, it may have been pushed out by oil! in any case, most assuredly NOT a bad fuel pump, so it must be something else. i measured the actuating rod, and it is 1.208" or 1 3/16". i measured the distance from the base of the fuel pump to the actuating tab when it is fully stroked (In other words, when the actuating tab is all the way "in" on the fuel pump, and it is .150" , so the little rod coming off the timing gear lobe should extend, roughly .150" as well. Have to check that yet. The rod itself looks great with visible marks, but absolutely no wear.

Most perplexing.......
 
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