Triumph Repair: 1979 Spitfire 1500 (UK) Fuel pump problem, vacuum gauge, float chamber

Question
Hi,

You and Jim have helped me before with a clutch problem and now I have had the car on the road! However, now the fuel pump has gone.

I was driving up a steep hill to my garage when the revs dropped and the car started to lose power. I got it in the garage but it would not restart.

I took the fuel pump off as I realised there was no fuel to the carbs and to my horror see that the rocker arm has sheared off.

I have a replacement pump to put on but there is no sign of the old rocker arm. Is it likely to be in the oil sump? Is it going to do harm if I turn the engine over and is the best way to remove it an oil-drain and sump removal.

Finally, is this just wear and tear or do you think there is something more seriously wrong that may have caused it. I think the float chamber needle in the carb may have been sticking as the chambers were overflowing earlier in the month. But they appeared to have been unstuck for the past few weeks.

One more thing, any tips for balancing the carbs? Is a vacuum gauge essential?

Thanks again for you help.

Jamie

Answer
Hi Jamie,
The pump arm may have had a fracture causing it to break or the pump may have required a spacer block between the pump and the block and if it is not there the cam that the arm runs on can overstress the arm and break it. Either way the piece is most likely in the pan and that can cause a problem in time. It will not fit out through the drain hole so the pan should be pulled.
As for balance of the carburetors you can use a piece of hose in each carb and listen to the "Hiss" to get them to sound the same while idling. Or you can purchase a "Uni-syn Gauge". Either method works. You should read my tech tip on my web site on adjusting the carburetors. Go to http://mg-tri-jag.net/tech16.htm
Howard