fuel pump power 85 wedge federal

[jforrester42]

I am attempting to recondition a 85 (late84?) 280i. It has not run for the last 4 years. I have reconditioned the fuel system from the tanks to the input of the metering unit. It does not start. The fuel pump only has power with the ignition switch in the "start" position. If I hot wire the pump it runs but the engine still does not start. After a second or two the engine will gasp to a start for a second and quit. Wait a few minutes and it will do the same thing. The fuel accumulator also leaks at the screw head in the back. There is fuel under pressure at the metering unit though it is not known to be correct (80psi?). The engine run sensor relay actuates in the "start" mode and if manually closed the pump runs, it does not close in the ignition switch run position. Any thoughts would be appreciated. I am also looking for a reliable supplier for the accumulator in the USA. Most of the suppliers on the internet are "out of stock, no back orders". I have tried the original Bosch 0438170039 and the alternate 0438170010 part numbers. Bill at Dominion Spares has tried to help but does not have an accumulator in stock.
Thanks,
John

[jforrester42]

Ziga,

Thanks for the tips. We freed the actuator in the metering unit with carb cleaner as it was gummed up. Is the fuel regulator part of the metering unit? We tried to check for fuel at the injectors but failed as it looks like they could not be lifted out without removing the plenum. There is spray at the cold start injector on the plenum. We have installed a new fuel filter as well as an additional one between the swirl pot and the pump. Any thoughts as to why the pump does not run in the ignition switch run position? It seems like probably more than one problem.
Thanks again for your prompt response,
John

[jforrester42]

Thanks for the tip on the UK ebay supplier , it would be about $170 USA dollars. I am waiting for confirmation of availability from a USA source on Monday and only $115 plus shipping. They may be cheap because they do not actually have any!!
Metering unit is definitely gummed up. I had cleaned the underside with carb cleaner and it seemed good but after sitting overnight it is stuck again. Looks like it will need to go to a specialist. I do not look forward to removing it, plus I'm probably going to need to clean the injectors as well. I think I will take my time and replace the accumulator then move on to the metering unit. Still concerned about the fuel pump electric control. My Vixen V8 (Buick 215 pre Rover 3.5)with a carburetor sure was a lot simpler to work on.
Thanks again you guys have been great!
John

[jforrester42]

I think I will stick with the 2.8 for now. The car has only 24K miles so I hope the engine is sound and worth keeping original. I am still wading (no pun intended) through the fuel system. I have an accumulator on order from here in the US. I know the metering unit is gummed up and will work on it after I get the accumulator installed. I checked the engine run relay module and I think it is OK. Is it possible that the fuel pump only runs in the start position on the ignition switch or with the engine running? It would be nice if I do not actually have an electrical problem, just a gummed up fuel injection!

Thanks for the tips on alternate engines but I hope I do not have to use them.
Cheers,
John

[jforrester42]

Car is a late 84 build # 1155. No switch on the metering head. Not aware of an inertia switch but there could be one. Car shows no sign of a collision except that the air dam is missing. It does have a O2 sensor and the ECU controlled metering unit modulator. Accumulator has been shipped so I expect it soon.
Cheers,
John

[jforrester42]

Wilf,

Thanks, I have found the cream colored engine run relay and tried to check it out. With it open to check I can see the relay pulls in and runs the fuel pump in the ignition switch start position. It does not run the pump in the run position or run the pump for a short time when the ignition is first turned on. So I do not know if it is defective or there is a signal that tells it what to do. I understand the relay is prone to failure but since it pulls in and runs the fuel pump in the start mode I assume it is ok. The pwb does not show any damage. I do not know what signals it uses to run the pump except the start mode.

Thanks for the info, any other thoughts?
John

[jforrester42]

That was one of my first attempts to get the engine running but no luck.
Since I know the metering unit is gummed up there may be more than one problem. Package arrived yesterday but contained a tie rod end not the fuel accumulator so I am waiting for it again!!
John

[jforrester42]

Received a fuel accumulator from Amazon, $94 including shipping. Installed it but engine still does not start. The metering unit may be working, if I crack open a line to a fuel injector fuel comes out and I can change the volume by lifting the air piston. I finally decided to do a compression check, tested four cylinders and two seemed ok but two had no compression. Engine turns over very fast on the starter so there is probably more cylinders with no compression. I suspect stuck valves since the engine had not been started for at least four years. Next I will remove valve covers to confirm if there are stuck valves. I am in the process of replacing most of the interior so it may be awhile before I get back to the engine diagnosis.
Cheers,
John

[jforrester42]

I have not checked to see if the distributor shaft is turning. I have put a spark plug on the plenum with it hooked to a distributor wire and I do have spark. Do not know if its timing is correct though. Removing a valve cover should tell a lot. I have not put oil in the cylinders but have turned the engine over quite a lot while checking the fuel injection. One good sign is that the oil pressure does come up while turning the engine with the starter. Does the oil pump get its drive from the cam?
Thanks,
John

[jforrester42]

I will check the voltage at the coil, I do know I have spark. The engine does cough now and then but never really catches. Making slow progress on the interior. Doors are done, new fabric on lower panels, refinished wood handles and kept the original vinyl parts. Seats are recovered, did not do them in leather but they look very good. Carpet is about half finished, console is back in so one side looks pretty good. Not sure what to do about glove box door finish, the rest of the dashboard still looks good. The clock even works!!
Cheers,
John

[jforrester42]

Little update. I finished the interior and the front chassis bushings and steering boots. Started on the engine with a little more investigation. I found no compression in some of the cylinders and suspected stuck valves. I have opened up the left valve cover and found the valves were not stuck. I did find there was no clearance in two of the exhaust valve to rocker gaps. I set them to .016 inch gap and now have compression in both cylinders. I have hope the valves are not burnt. With only 24K miles I suspect they have never been adjusted from new.The engine appears to be very clean inside.
Next is to remove the right side valve cover and see if the same problem exists. Not looking forward to removing all the stuff required to get the valve cover off.
Cheers,
John

[jforrester42]

The valve cover bolts do have spreaders. The covers showed no evidence of having ever been removed, the paint on the bolts was still intact. Cork gaskets with no sign of leaks though pretty dry and hand tight bolts. The cover I have removed is on the injection side, it was not to difficult. The other side has a number of hoses and it looks like the alternator will have to come off as well.
I do suspect the the metering unit is gummed up from sitting with old fuel in it for four or more years. I will finish the valve adjustment and reassemble the covers before taking on the metering unit. I can lift the disk and it moves up but does not fall back down on its own weight.
Thanks to all, now back to work,
John

[jforrester42]

When I purchased the car I was told it had not run for four years, no other info.
The fuel smelled like varnish and was discolored. I have revived a number of old cars with bad fuel but never one with Bosch jetronic.
I have:
Flushed the tanks
Removed and cleaned the swirlpot
replaced the related hoses
added a inline filter between the swirlpot and the fuel pump
replaced the fuel pump (frozen)
replaced the accumulator (leaked)
replaced the main filter

I have not done anything major at the metering unit. I have opened each of the fittings that go to the injectors at the metering unit and there is fuel flow at that point.
Has anyone tried to clean the metering unit of "gummy' fuel??
Do I need to send it for a rebuild?
Thanks again,
John

[jforrester42]

My car has the alternator and air conditioning compressor on a huge bracket on the right side. No power steering. Many of the bolts are difficult to reach. The alternator belt tension bolt is very bad. My son changed the number one spark plug from under the car.
Some parts for my TR-6 came today so it got most of the work instead of the Wedge. All British car show next week in Arkansas so the TR will get preference.

Zig, your engine bay sure looks like a lot of things are in different places. Very tidy, have you moved things beside the steering pump? Also looks better without the AC stuff. Did your car come with power steering because of larger tires?

Sounds like I will need a professional rebuild for the metering head.

Cheers,
John

[jforrester42]

Update: As I mentioned before I found there was no compression in four of the cylinders. I expected stuck valves from the four years since the engine had run. I removed the valve covers and found that the exhaust valves in the four cylinders had no gap. I adjusted all valves and now have compression in all the cylinders. I had hopes this would resolve the starting issue even though I suspected the fuel injection system was gummed up in the fuel distributor. With everything reassembled the engine would still not start. I have been using external power to run the fuel pump so I can turn it on and off regardless of the position of the ignition switch. I found that if I cranked the engine a few seconds it would not start, but if I disconnected the fuel pump power and cranked the engine some more it would start and run for a few seconds. I can repeat this process and get the same results. Conclusion is the engine is flooding whenever the pump is running and after disconnecting the pump power the engine starts on the residual fuel in the system and runs until that fuel is consumed. I have found the fuel distributor plunger is stuck up in the full fuel flow position which matches the suspected flooding condition. I have removed the fuel distributor and warm up regulator and packaged them to send to a specialist for rebuild. Mean while I work on trying to get the lights to work!
Thanks to all for your help and will let you know the results after the fuel distributor is re-installed.
John

[jforrester42]

Finally some good news. Yesterday after installing the rebuilt metering unit and warm up regulator ($725!!) the 85 Wedge started right up. The saga of getting it running has gone on for many months now and involved replacing or rebuilding every part from the fuel pump to the metering unit. Almost a thousand dollars worth of parts. In the forty years I have owned multiple British cars I think that is probably more than the average I have payed for them!
When started the exhaust had lots of smoke as expected for a engine that had not run for at least for 4 years, after a few minutes it cleared up. I have not actually driven it yet, just ran the engine while up on jack stands and run it through all the gears.

There are three adjustments on the fuel injection system: idle speed on the throttle plate, air bleed on the throttle body and the normally sealed adjustment (USA federal car) on the metering unit. Does anyone have a suggested adjustment process for them without any exhaust gas measurement equipment? Once warm the engine idled at about 2200 rpm so I lowered the idle with the idle speed screw to about 900. The air bleed screw was backed out almost 9 turns so I have turned it in to about 3. Its effect is not very obvious to the ear. I have not run across a air bleed on the throttle body of other of my cars (Corvette and Birkin 7) before so I do not know how it should be adjusted. The only process I have seen requires exhaust gas measurement. I would like to think the metering unit does not need to be adjusted. Any thoughts would be appreciated!

Next is rebuild a leaking clutch slave (looks like fun to remove), check what I think is stuck emergency break linkage, check the diff and trans fluid, replace a headlight motor and go for the first ride!!

Thanks for all your help in the long process of reviving the Wedge,
John

[jforrester42]

Thanks for all the tips. I will not touch the metering unit screw until I am sure everything else is ok. I will remove the AAD and clean it. The AAD, the injectors, and the wide open throttle switch are the only injection parts that have not been replaced or rebuilt. I do not think there are any vacuum leaks. It has a new Bosch filter and I added a filter between the swirl pot and the fuel pump. I have cleaned the swirl pot, replaced the lower hoses, and flushed the tanks and added Seafoam each time. I do not actually know the internal condition of the tanks, the gauge reads half full which I know is incorrect and the sender may be stuck from the extended storage time.
Cheers to all,
John

[jforrester42]

I removed and cleaned the AAD. I cycled it hot and cold a couple of times to see the disk valve move both with external heat and by hot wiring the internal heater. Not sure I ever got it completely hot like it may on the car. I never did see it get completely closed to where it would be air tight. The disk does move and you can feel the internal spring tension with a small probe. I decided it was ok and put it back on the engine. The engine starts instantly and runs well. The idle speed did not change much after re-installation of the AAD. I set the idle to about 750 rpm with the screw on the throttle body. I adjusted the air bleed screw in until it made a drop in the idle speed and then backed it out one turn. Engine seems to run very well. Only thing I noticed is when the throttle is opened quickly there is a slight hesitation as the engine first gains RPMs. The wide open throttle switch has been disconnected and the vacuum line plugged by a previous owner. Possible cause? I may try to check the switch and reconnect it. When I get the car off the jack stands I will see how the engine responds under load.
Now that the engine is running I found both of the front mufflers are leaking. Any thoughts about just replacing them, eliminating them or suggested modifications to the exhaust system?
Thanks as always,
John

[jforrester42]

Zig,
How do you get through MOT at 119db? I don't think my Birkin or Caterham were that loud. Do you have a catalytic converter, would your car normally have one? The head pipes on my car come together, then through the Cat, then split again with the two mufflers on reach side. There is a O2 sensor, ECU and a fuel pressure regulator modulator to meet the USA emissions. Here in Oklahoma there is no auto inspection of any type so engine mods are not a problem. I do think the local police would take exception to 119 db!
Cheers,
John

[jforrester42]

Yesterday the Wedge went down the road for the first time since I bought it in February!!! Also the first time I had ever driven a Wedge. A lot different than my Vixen S2 of a few years back.
A few observations: Steering seemed heavy for a car with relatively narrow tires. Could it be since the front has not been aligned after I replaced the control rod bushings. It also looked like one front tire had more camber than the other. Since there is no adjustment I assume I may need to replace bushings.
The engine seemed a little flat and the car felt like one with a high axle ratio, seemed to like to rev to make noticeable power, normal?
I am 5 foot ten inches tall and the seating position is odd for me. The steering wheel is low and interferes with my legs and I have to wrap my leg under the wheel to reach the brake pedal. I had the seats reupholstered and I suspect the seat bottom is thicker than original, raising the seating position. I have lowered the seat as far down as possible by removing the carpet, the washers and the heat shield from under the seat rails. I will inspect the steering post where it does through the fire wall next. The shaft can be moved up and down a bit at the fire wall and that makes the steering wheel lower.
The ride quality is better than I expected and the chassis is tight and quiet.
I have not added up the cost to get it on the road but I am sure it is more than I paid for the car.
All of the electrics are now working except the horn which I have not investigated. Windows and head lamps were both stuck from the long time off the road and one defective head lamp motor, next most common problem was switches that needed contacts cleaned.
The weather is a bit cool for a car that still does not have a top but a longer run should raise my confidence. I suspect like most TVRs I will never be done working on it!

Thanks to all of you for the much needed advice and encouragement!
John