flooded or pump?

[pjhtvr]

advise needed please, the chim wont start. at first the car wouldn't start so i left it a while and tried again thinking it could be flooded, when i tried again the pump kicked in and it fired but didn't start, now the pump doesn't make a noise when i turn the ignition on, should i be able to hear the pump prime every time the ignition is turned on? all help appreciated cheers paul.

[ATG]

I'd expect to hear the pump each time, but if you want to be absolutely certain that the fuel system isn't pressurised, you could try the bleed valce (I suppose that is what it's for?) on the fuel lines near the plenum. From memory, if you stand on the driver's side of the car looking into the engine bay, just before you get to the plenum, you'll see a valve with a dustcap (looks just like a tyre valve and dustcap) on some of the fuel supply's plumbing. If you take the dustcap off, and push the valve's pin (just like you would to let some air out of a tyre) you'll get squirted with a little petrol if the system is pressurised. Extinguish all smoking materials before attempting this, and don't blame me if your car explodes, etc....

[pjhtvr]

Thanks Alastair but believe it or not i've just gone back out and it started first time, must be the TVR gremlims again!!

[TVRThomo]

pjhtvr said:

advise needed please, the chim wont start. at first the car wouldn't start so i left it a while and tried again thinking it could be flooded, when i tried again the pump kicked in and it fired but didn't start, now the pump doesn't make a noise when i turn the ignition on, should i be able to hear the pump prime every time the ignition is turned on? all help appreciated cheers paul.

Yes you should hear the pump prime everytime you turn the key.

Sounds to me like the pump did not get enough fuel through the first time to start the engine? Now that the fuel pump is no longer priming, I would suggest that you check the 2 silver relays that are normally tucked up behind the glove box pouch i.e feel around for replays or remove pouch and have a look. Once you have located them try swapping the 2 around (one may be faulty). One of mine went recently and I managed to get one from my local motor factor for about £18 ish, problem solved.

Cheers
Neil.

[TVRThomo]

pjhtvr said:

Thanks Alastair but believe it or not i've just gone back out and it started first time, must be the TVR gremlims again!!

In additon to you last post ... mine did the same before the fuel replay's actually packed in! I would go out and buy a spare one just in case. You will find that most people already carry spares.

[GreenV8S]

pjhtvr said:

advise needed please, the chim wont start. at first the car wouldn't start so i left it a while and tried again thinking it could be flooded, when i tried again the pump kicked in and it fired but didn't start, now the pump doesn't make a noise when i turn the ignition on, should i be able to hear the pump prime every time the ignition is turned on?

The fuel pump should run for a couple of seconds every time you turn the ignition on. If the fuel pump doesn't run, there is no point trying to start the engine. There are various things that could prevent the fuel pump from running and you would need somebody with basic electrical skills to track down the problem:

faulty pump
faulty fuel pump relay
faulty main power relay
faulty inertia cutoff
faulty immobiliser
wiring fault anywhere in the system (wiring at the pump is very exposed and worth a check)
any fault that took out the switched ignition feed to the ECU

[pjhtvr]

Thanks guys, even though it is running again i think i'll check out the connections to the pump and probably get a new relay anyway just in case, again thanks for your advise.