Leaky fuel pump

Dave3066

Dave3066

Well-Known Member
Gents

I've got a leaky fuel pump. It's the AC mechanical type and fuel seems to be seeping out from somewhere. I've checked previous threads and a couple of websites and I'm wondering why there might be such a difference in price for seal kits. I'm quite happy with the mechanical pump, no problems with vapour lock here as it never gets warm enough, so I want to service it. There are 2 kits available, this one on Wadham's site:

Fuel pump kit V8 fuel pump service kit with standard small valves £40.00

as well as this:

Fuel pump kit valve V8 large valves for fuel pump kit (per pair) £16.00

or there is this from Rover Classics:

248 Fuel pump service repair kit V8 New £ 23.50

I hear there are different size valves too, 1" and 3/4", any idea how I can tell which ones mine has?

Alternatively there is a much cheaper, but probably infinitely more risky, option on eBay

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=270513794457&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

cheers

Dave
 
Hello Dave,

The only way you will really know for sure which valves your pump has is....you guessed it....remove and take a look.. :( There are no external indicators unfortunately.

Usually the valves don't give problems, and certainly they won't contribute to a fuel leak.

The screws that locate the main diaphragm via the two halves of the pump can come loose over time and so can the single bolt beneath the pump that secures the pulsator diaphragm.

I have not used any of the kits that you list so I am not in a position to comment, but taking a guess I would think that the 23.50 Pound kit from Rover Classics would get you out of trouble.

How many miles / years has your pump seen since last being rebuilt?

Ron.
 
SydneyRoverP6B said:
Hello Dave,

The only way you will really know for sure which valves your pump has is....you guessed it....remove and take a look.. :( There are no external indicators unfortunately.

How many miles / years has your pump seen since last being rebuilt?
Click to expand...

Hi Ron

I thought that might be the answer :roll: I've no idea when the pump was last serviced, it was covered in the usual mix of oil and road crud so I reckon it's been a while. I've had the car 8 months and I tend to tackle these things as they crop up..... and do it right.

I tightened the inlet pipe and the bolt on the bottom of the diaphragm but that didn't help. I can't get to all the screws with the pump fitted and I don't want to remove it until I have a new gasket so I'll order the kit and gasket off Rover Classics and tighten those screws I can get to.

cheers

Dave
 
Hello Dave,

Just a bit more info on the valve sizes. Looking in the parts book, pumps are classified as either being fitted to early or late model cars, each with different part numbers for kits and complete pumps. I would therefore think that series one cars had the small valve pumps and series two cars...the large valve pumps.

Of course that does not mean that your pump is the original one that came with the engine. The mechanical pump that I am using is a hybrid that I made up composed of a 4.4 litre V8 Leyland P76 (Goss made) bottom half and a Rover AC top half. The P76 pump has small valves too and it has no problems in meeting the fuel requirements of my 4.6.

All the best,
Ron.
 
Oddly enough I had exactly this conversation with Ian Wilson at Rover Classics recently. He reckoned that kits are completely random as to which size valves they have and that it doesn't matter in practice. He and I both have the idea that early engines are more likely to have big valves and later engines small.

Chris
 
Morning all,

I rebuilt my pump a couple of years ago and found it had 1" valves, whereas the kit I got from the P6ROC had 3/4" valves. I just left the old valves in place and used the rest of the kit - been fine so far (touch wood! :) )

Cheers,
 
Chris York wrote,...
He (Ian Wilson) and I both have the idea that early engines are more likely to have big valves and later engines small.
Click to expand...

Hello Chris,

This is indeed interesting...if the kits were random as to which size valves they have, then I wonder if the pumps may have been also... :? I still have the original AC pump in the garage that was on my 3.5 litre engine from 1974, and it has the large valves.

Now going along exactly with the random theory,...I have two original pump kits,...the first is a genuine AC in an AC box with part number AAU 2749,..this is listed in the parts book as a major overhaul kit for the late models...and it has large valves. The second kit is packaged in a Leyland box and the parts are also marked as genuine AC although both the valves and the main diaphragm are of a different design. The part number on the box is 605168 and this is listed in the parts book as a major repair kit for early models. The valves are the large ones too.... :shock:

The valve chamber locations within the lower section of the pump are sized though for valves of a certain size....the plot thickens.... :?

Ron.
 
Do any of these kits come with seal for where the diaphragm pushrod goes through the body ?

P6ROC used to sell overhaul kits , you could ask Deborah if she has any
 
I've been out and tightened all the screws and it stilled leaked so something needs replacing.

I started it up to see if it got any worse under pressure whilst running and it actually stopped leaking. I think the expansion due to heat must be sealing things :)

Lots of interesting discussion though.

Dave
 
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