1850 ( or Sprint ) fuel pump fitting.

[MIG Wielder]

What a fiddle ! Where did I go wrong ?

First does anyone have a photo of the inside of an 1850 / Sprint block with just the jackshaft and fuel pump fitted please ?

I have the early style fuel pump fitted to my 1850 and on the grounds the mileage is now up in the 70,000s I thought I'd have a precautionary change of fuel pump. Now the original A.C. pump is NLA so I was quite happy to get the specified aftermarket one. This pumped quite happily by hand to fill the carbs and fuel lines ( the lever goes floppy when primed ), but after 3 attempts at fitting it , it wouldn't work on the car. The car would run for 2mins 10 secs and then stop.
The operating cam on the jackshaft doesn't seem to be directly behind the orifice in the block casting. It seems to be above and slightly to the left of the orifice. After a long time trying the old and new pumps I think it is supposed to be fitted with the operating lever above the jackshaft ? So this means holding the pump in one hand at an angle of 45 degrees with the top towards you and inserting the operating lever so it scrapes along the inside of the block until the pump flange meets the block. I then had to insert the bolts.I've often wondered why the pump bolts have screwdriver slots in them. I think its so that you can get the bolts started in the threads against the lever spring pressure.
Anyway after some hours of fiddling it is on and working.
But does this sound correct ?
BTW; you need an extra length of Petroflex to connect the output port to the carbs as it faces the wrong way towards the front of the engine.
Tony.

[matt of the vivas]

Does not sound right, and bearing in mind the work involved if the jackshaft gets damaged i would not run it like that!
On my early 1850 the pump lever runs against the jackshaft so the cam presses on the end of the lever. I have never come across one that goes over the cam??
The pump is pretty effortless to fit, start with the pump lever below the cam, insert it in the block and press the pump against spring pressure to line up the bolts. It should not need forcing along the block or any real effort to fit!
Is it the right pump? Have you got the right combination of spacers between the pump and block? I seem to remember there is an early and late pump, but either can be fitted provided the spacer block appropriate to the pump is fitted.
Matt.

[matt of the vivas]

http://www.rimmerbros.co.uk/Item--i-GRID008455

Checking Rimmer Bros site there is indeed an early and late pump listed, with different shaped levers. Could you have the later pump with the longer lever, hence the excessive effort needed to fit it?

[mahony]

Do what i did 20yrs ago , ditch the mechanical pump and fit a electric one

[xvivalve]

It is extremely easy to fit the aftermarket pump with the arm down the side of the jackshaft cam!

I suspect this is what you have done and the engine runs until the float chambers empty whilst the pump is doing nothing.

Sorry Tony, it is trial and error and you are correct, its a right old faff! All you can do is turn the engine so that the bulge of the cam is away from the lever to make it a bit easier...

[SprintMWU773V]

You'll find there are two types. One with a longer arm, which requires a spacer and one with a shorter arm that does not. You can use a short armed one without the spacer as spacers are rare. The pump should fit very easily. You should 100% convince yourself that the arm is the correct profile. I got it wrong once and spent ages trying to fit what turned out to be a Spitfire one which looks at a first glance identical but will not operate or indeed fit in the correct manner.

Can you post some pics?

[Jon Tilson]

Put the old AC delco one back on....

Lol...if it aint broke dont fix it.

The lever ALWAYS goes above the cam not below it. Matt you must be unique in having one that works like this. I can only think you have a long arm pump in
with no spacer and it somehow works. Have you maxed out your car? It may well die of fuel starvation

AC delco ones come with 2 arm lengths...long and short. Long needs a spacer.

The "aftermarket" ones vary. Compare the arm length with the original one to see if its compatible. If the pipes point in the wrong direction you've been sold
a pump for an ohv car. The lever may or may not be the right shape.

There is a lot to be said for leccy pumps. An MGB one will do the job nicely.

Jonners

[matt of the vivas]

Sorry Jon - what ive written is not that clear! Mine does sit against the cam as you have described, against the top / side of it, but not going over it as i read the original post to be

[Jon Tilson]

Lol Matt - that's a relief.

We've all put them on wrong and got about 200 yds. Bit embarassing....

Jonners

[MIG Wielder]

Hello All, Thank you for advice and comments.....
Sadly I was rather overtaken by events today before I got another look at it. I went into town; about 2 miles and at a set of lights I suffered classic fuel starvation problems. I got a push into a convenient entrance and had a look. No fuel in the float chambers
Anyway being a bit short of tools I called the recovery guy and he was most impressed to be working on a Triumph again. Good lad ! He did all the basics and then had the new fuel pump off. And there it wasn't ! The operating arm had broken off !

Luckilly I had chucked the old fuel pump in the boot so he fitted that, and after a bit of priming on the starter off I went !
Yes, I had slight reservations about it being the right pump. The ends of the operating levers ended up in the same place ; it was the profiles that were different. The replacemnt one was much less curved.
I suppose its O.K. to leave the broken bit in the sump until the next oil change ? It won't go through the mesh filter.
sigh !
Moral ! The profile of the early 1850 pump is important.
At least its a runner for this weekend.
Cheers All,
Tony.

[matt of the vivas]

Not want you want to hear im sure but theres no way i would drive it with the broken pump lever loose in the engine... It MIGHT end up in the sump where it can do no harm, it could just as easily end up between the skew gears in the distributor drive.. You might be able to fish it out through the fuel pump hole with a magnetic pick up, failing that sump off - its not hard, you dont even need to raise the engine as it says in the manual.
Matt.

[Jon Tilson]

I agree with Matt

I wouldnt want that floating about in my engine either....
Sorry its not what you want to hear but there it is. You can take a chance but why? Little to gain and an engine to loose.

Jonners

[tony g]

If this pump was wrongly supplied please let us know who sold it to you. Its got to help others with a pump change coming up. If it was fitting error please also let us know so we all can learn from it,

Cheers

Tony