Hi all
been out in my special and having fun!
might even hjave got a lead on a pram hood mechanism, wil kep you informed.
The problem I have now is keeping the austin running, I can set off and drive for miles, then suddenly she will stop, no spluttering, nothing. I get out, get on the lift pump prime her and I'm off again, but this time for a shorter distance, this carries on till i'm having to get out every 1/4 mile to do it again. If i stop for say an hour or so mid journey,at say a pub (coke of course) then she's happy for ages afterwards!
so is it the pump, or overheating? I have no idea. Any ideas guys?
Cheers Stewart.
PS its an SU

Hi Stewart

Most of us have had similar happenings during our A7 ownership lives. It probably is something very simple such as a sticking needle valve in the carb float chamber. Is the jet needle in the SU carb sticking? Many years ago I had a similar problem I thought was fuel vapourisation but turned out to be the coil breaking down. Next time it stops put your hand on the coil, if it is very hot this could be the problem. Condensers usually give up the ghost suddenly, but can break down in fits and starts. It could be a blockage in the fuel supply that settles down when you stop. Have you looked inside the pump? Could it be sediment from the fuel tank?
Just a few thoughts to be getting on with.

Condensers seem to be one of those few electrical components that are impossible to check other than by swapping with another.

I spent ages chasing my tail over a bad running engine - checked/changed coil/plugs/leads/points/cap distributor earth, fuel starvation etc etc. Finally decided to put back the original (probably) 76 year old condenser and ran as sweet as a nut.

Couldnt believe it so had to drive to the pub to make sure

Hello Stewart,

I am just a little confused by your query. You say "its an SU." I am not too sure if you mean the carby or the fuel pump! I think you must mean carby because you talk about a "lift pump" by which I assume you mean the mechanical priming lever on the mechanical fuel pump. Perhaps you could clarify.

All that aside, I wonder if you have fitted a new rotor button in the Distributor. If so, there are some of these "after market" new items which have a very bad reputation for failure. Apparently they are of Asian origons and are made of an inferior type of "plastic" material. They give rise to all sorts of problems when they get hot as they effectively short circuit the spark to earth. "Practical Classics" magazine had several articles on the matter a couple of years back. A long shot, I know, but might be worth replacing with a known good one.

Regards,

Barry R.

Stewart - by now you have a whole gamit of suggested checks to undergo, the intermittent stops, if electrical, point perhaps to the condensor. But if it were me I'd think also of the fuel pump. If your engine has been out of action for a long time the diaphragm tends to "dry out", buckle, and give intermittent action. Think about getting a new diaphragm. These AC bits are readily available as the same type of pump was used on many makes of cars. Good Luck, Bill in Oz

Stewart,

I had exactly the same problem as you describe - it turned out to be a sticking float valve,I also had an SU carb. Why it was temperature related I have never been able to explain.

Dave Griffith

Cheers Guys
I will investigate more, Barry R, yes it is the carb,
meant to be fully reconditioned but has been sitting round a while so will check.
Thanks again all
Stewart.