Peter Truman Posted April 7, 2023 Report Share Posted April 7, 2023 I hadn't started my Vitesse for nearly 2 months having worked on the Spitfire, sold the Sprint and spent time up at my daughters after she moved some 300klm north. Anyway turned the elect fuel pump off, ran the starter to prime the oil up, switched the pump on to let the pump push fuel thro, pulled the choke out and almost immediately she started and idled well on the choke, then I got out to check things and the front carb was spewing fuel out I mean pouring it out turned everything off, played silly bug**rs and got the fuel bowl off, removed the float and needle valve pushed the needle up and it was very sticky, didn't just drop ! Realised that the needle valve was gummed up from the stale unleaded 5% ethanol 98 fuel I use, cleaned it out with Carby Clean & the needle moved freely, replaced the jet O ring as a precaution that was easy after buying an O ring pick tool, reinstalled the Stromy Fuel Bowl those 6 screws are a pain fitting upside down even with Allen heads, started the car & then the fuel hose to the same front carby leaked so replaced the 3 short hoses at both carbies and their inlet pipework, restarted again and no leaks finally. As a precaution after warming the engine up and then turning it off I removed the carby's inlet rubber hoses and sprayed Carby Clean down the two Carby inlet pipes to flush any old fuel out of inlet needle valves, damned modern fuels and gumming up! If it happens again before I remove the fuel bowl I'll just remove the inlet hoses and spray Carby Clean in the carb inlet pipe reckon that'll free the needle valve up!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johny Posted April 7, 2023 Report Share Posted April 7, 2023 I now try to refill my float chambers every week when the cars not in use. I have to do this with the manual lever on the pump but it helps stop gumming up... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Lewis Posted April 7, 2023 Report Share Posted April 7, 2023 2 hours ago, johny said: I have to do this with the manual lever its good to do a bit of gentle exercise Pete 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iain T Posted April 7, 2023 Report Share Posted April 7, 2023 2 hours ago, Peter Truman said: those 6 screws are a pain fitting upside down even with Allen heads How many times did you drop a screw......? They drop, tinkle tinkle into oblivion! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Truman Posted April 7, 2023 Author Report Share Posted April 7, 2023 Didn’t drop the screws this time but I did loose the newly purchased O ring pick and couldn’t find it for around 5 min not under the car or slid under the engine/steering rack or behind the starter, it was outside the engine bay near vertical in the suspension neat hide and seek trick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Lewis Posted April 7, 2023 Report Share Posted April 7, 2023 taking screws out of carbs and pins out from window winders is best done in long grass then you know you are not going to ever find them Pete 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeteH Posted April 8, 2023 Report Share Posted April 8, 2023 (edited) Steel Screws?. Blue tack? and Magnetic screwdrivers. Saved the day for me many times. But yes, one of the more annoying of lifes facts is losing the fastener, always on the day no alternative is available!!.☹️ Once had to change a wheel, in a layby, Took the hub cap off put the wheel nuts in the hub cap. Young son`s, bored, kicking a football while dad "did the business". Yes, the inevitable hapened, ball hit hub cap, hub cap flew off at great speed, 3 of the 4 nuts disapeard down a gully, never to be seen again.!!!!. We drove home, VERY carefully with just 3 nuts on 3 of the wheels. Mother, was NOT impressed, her day out being curtailed, neither was I. Pete Edited April 8, 2023 by PeteH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Puglet1 Posted April 8, 2023 Report Share Posted April 8, 2023 1 hour ago, PeteH said: Steel Screws?. Blue tack? and Magnetic screwdrivers. Saved the day for me many times. But yes, one of the more annoying of lifes facts is losing the fastener, always on the day no alternative is available!!.☹️ Once had to change a wheel, in a layby, Took the hub cap off put the wheel nuts in the hub cap. Young son`s, bored, kicking a football while dad "did the business". Yes, the inevitable hapened, ball hit hub cap, hub cap flew off at great speed, 3 of the 4 nuts disapeard down a gully, never to be seen again.!!!!. We drove home, VERY carefully with just 3 nuts on 3 of the wheels. Mother, was NOT impressed, her day out being curtailed, neither was I. Pete Ever heard of “The New Christy Minstrels”? I bet you were singing their song on the way home! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iain T Posted April 8, 2023 Report Share Posted April 8, 2023 Fixing the boot lamp cowl I dropped a nyloc nut (a set came with the gasket) which bounced off something in the boot as I heard the dreaded ting noise then saw it disappear in the floor well under the fuel tank. I couldn't see or feel it. Time to buy a flexible magnetic grab! Iain Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Truman Posted April 8, 2023 Author Report Share Posted April 8, 2023 Good job we don’t wear trousers with turn up hems any more Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iain T Posted April 8, 2023 Report Share Posted April 8, 2023 10 minutes ago, Peter Truman said: Good job we don’t wear trousers with turn up hems any more You could keep a lot in Oxford bag trouser turn ups! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Lewis Posted April 8, 2023 Report Share Posted April 8, 2023 i have a magnet fixed to a length of the old spiral curtain wire dont have much control but you can insert and wiggle it in some strange places where a fixed rod wont go I will leave you to dream about that Pete 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Truman Posted April 9, 2023 Author Report Share Posted April 9, 2023 Iain last week I lost a 1/2in washer couldn’t find it anywhere even using a PL magnet eventually found it Friday I my working shoe obviously slipped down the side only then because it had moved to a place inside that hurt my foot! Should this be in blonde moments Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iain T Posted April 9, 2023 Report Share Posted April 9, 2023 9 hours ago, Peter Truman said: Should this be in blonde moments YES! 😂😂😂😂 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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