[ROVERNET - UK] Loss of power problem again

[Gundry, Kenneth]

Just to confirm that your symptoms seem to agree with mine 30-odd years
ago with an early VW Golf.  The fix was a filler cap with an air-hole,
but before that the engine would die as it seemed randomly, never in the
first 20 or 30 miles, and recover after sitting for a while ... and yes,
having discovered the cause, there was a whoosh when I unscrewed the
cap.

(And by the way, there is a tiny hole in the middle of the filler cap of
my 1925 Rover!)

Ken G, 1925 Rover 16/50 (San Francisco)

-----Original Message-----
From: Magnet [mailto:magnet at roverclub.org] 
Sent: Friday, July 04, 2008 4:32 AM
To: rovernet at lyris.ccdata.com
Subject: Re: [ROVERNET - UK] Loss of power problem again

Hi Gavin,

I would certainly suspect the fuel pump, but there is another faint
possibility...  I had the same problem ages ago on a Fiat Multipla, and
it was caused by a blocked air inlet to the fuel tank.  As fuel was used
up, a partial vacuum was created in the tank, preventing the pump from
sucking out the fuel.  Taking off the cap resulted in a "whooosh" as air

entered the tank.   But this problem tended to be more acute with a full

tank, and yours is evidently more likely when the tank gets down a bit,
and there's less hydrostatic (petrostatic?) head helping the pump.

On the Fiat, the problem only occurred on cold, icy days, and was caused
by ice in the vent hole.  I don't imagine that's **your** problem!  

Cheers,

 -- Bill

Gavin.Walker at csiro.au wrote:
> Hi Everyone,
>   The loss of power problem in my SD1 has resurfaced.  So far I've 
> done about 280km on this tank of fuel and I didn't have any hint of 
> the problem until about 250km.
>
> First showed up again last night.  Running along at 100km/h then power

> loss with faint surges that eventually recovered as I slowed down.  At

> that point I got stuck behind a car doing 90km and didn't have a 
> problem for the rest of the night.  Despite another 10-15km.
>
> This morning I get 4 km at 60-80km/h, no problem.  After 30sec at 
> 100km/h I lost power for long enough to have to pull off the road.
> After some idling I have a go getting back on the freeway. Get up to 
> 3000rpm in second and lose power again.  The tacho registers about 
> 1000rpm but that's just the torque converter spinning down.  If I hold

> the throttle open during power losses it will eventually stall, but if

> I stop it will idle contently.
>
> After limping to an exit I was able to drive around at 70km/h for a 
> bit and then at 60km/h up a hill I loose power again and had to pull 
> over and idle.  No more problems after than but the rest of the trip 
> is around campus at 40km/h.
>
> I suspect a failing fuel pump.  I have twin strombergs on my SD1 but 
> the system has a return line (legacy of a previous EFI setup).  I 
> fitted a restrictor to the return but it doesn't seem to have solved 
> the problems.  Next step is clamp off the return line.  The car if 
> fitted with a repco electric fuel pump (loud) outside the tank and I 
> suspect that when the tank gets down the pressure differential between

> the tank level and the engine is too great and the float bowls slowly
wind down.
> Idling helpd refill the float bowls and gives a burst of power.
>
> Gavin Walker
> 1982 SD1
> Canberra, Australia
>
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