The Ford Capri Laser Page

Has anyone fitted such a thing, and if so, where about and what power feed did you use? It seems to suggest out of the engine bay to prevent fuel vapour lock. Is the carb over run feed man enough for the job? For some reason, even though it never was an issue in the past, the fuel readily and fairly rapidly (few days tops) drains back leading to extended cranking. I’m hoping electric pump will solve that by just instantly refilling the line back to the carb when I turn on the ignition.

B@fink wrote: ↑Thu Sep 22, 2022 6:41 am Has anyone fitted such a thing, and if so, where about and what power feed did you use? It seems to suggest out of the engine bay to prevent fuel vapour lock. Is the carb over run feed man enough for the job? For some reason, even though it never was an issue in the past, the fuel readily and fairly rapidly (few days tops) drains back leading to extended cranking. I’m hoping electric pump will solve that by just instantly refilling the line back to the carb when I turn on the ignition.

Would fitting a non-return valve in the fuel line be an easier and cheaper option?

Whilst the fuel in the line MAY drain back to the tank ......the valves in a mechanical pump should stop this but I cant see how it could drain the float bowl .
However I did use a facet fuel pump , cant remember the model , but it was about 4psi and I run it off the spare power wire up by the headlight relay.....worked fine

Would fitting a non-return valve in the fuel line be an easier and cheaper option?
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Tried one but it’s not very satisfactory, there’s still some drain back after a couple of weeks, it’s a random aluminium unit that looks a bit naff and just leaves another join in the fuel pipe (which I’ve just replaced).

Mc Tool wrote: ↑Thu Sep 22, 2022 8:52 am Whilst the fuel in the line MAY drain back to the tank ......the valves in a mechanical pump should stop this but I cant see how it could drain the float bowl .
However I did use a facet fuel pump , cant remember the model , but it was about 4psi and I run it off the spare power wire up by the headlight relay.....worked fine

Should…but don’t. And it’s a new pump. Unless it’s a bit of a duffer. After a couple of weeks, for right or for wrong it takes a lot of cranking to get fuel back to the carb, as soon as it does…off it goes. Figured an electric unit might save me 4 goes on the starter just to get it running after been stood for a week or 3

B@fink wrote: ↑Thu Sep 22, 2022 10:15 am Would fitting a non-return valve in the fuel line be an easier and cheaper option?

Tried one but it’s not very satisfactory, there’s still some drain back after a couple of weeks, it’s a random aluminium unit that looks a bit naff and just leaves another join in the fuel pipe (which I’ve just replaced).
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Mine always takes a fair bit of cranking if left two weeks or more. Standard. Solution, drive it more!

Fuel Flow pumps are the ones I use, very compact and 100% reliable and more importanly very quite.

https://simonbbc.com/fuelflow-015-fuel- ... lt-1-4psi/
Look at the bottom of the page to choose the one best suited to your engine.

Part of the problem is modern petrol, it is formulated to run in Fuel injected engines so vapourises at a lower temperature than the stuff our cars were desinged for. No Petrol car made now runs a carburetor. a lot of classic cars suffer with this problem and yes an electric fuel pump will often fix the problem. Dont forget to fit an inetia cut out to the pump.

Yah , ok , I can see the fuel evaporating ( as mentioned above ) out of the float bowl ....and that does take a bit of cranking to fill up.
Now that it has been mentioned I do recall tipping fuel into the carb bowl breather ....where you can see the air correctors.........but that was after sitting for ...like a month or so .
Now you may think Im takin the piss but how about one of them primer bulbs that outboard motors have ........they are capable of flowing enough fuel for 250bhp......
and I know they cost $17nz coz I just bought one ( getting boat ready for summer fishing .....) Can be had in 5/16" and 3/8".
Gotta say that the only reason I fitted the letrik pump is because a friend gave it to me ( to small for his 454ci V8 ) and I couldnt resist the temptation to fiddle

That’s just it, with having the car stood waiting for the respray that never happened for 3 months, then 40+ degrees (no way I was driving anything without AC in that) followed by it going for it’s current respray attempt it hasn’t done very many miles at all. Which means every time I am starting it it’s been weeks and needs a few good stabs at it. With winters approach, even less usage is incoming. I just want it easy to start rather than endless cranking

Whenever I leave my car for more than a week or so she won't fire up, you could sit there all day cranking her and it's not gonna happen, Clive from Ticks advised me that the problem is probably the fuel pump (mechanical) diaphragm(s) are drying out especially with the shit petrol we have these days, I have to do exactly what MC said i.e pour some petrol into the carb vent tubes and fill the bowel manually, it would seem once the engine fires it can overcome the drying out problem and the pump starts working again until the next time...

B@fink wrote: ↑Fri Sep 23, 2022 10:07 am Which means every time I am starting it it’s been weeks and needs a few good stabs at it. With winters approach, even less usage is incoming. I just want it easy to start rather than endless cranking

Hi,
I understand that "endless cranking" is unsatisfactory, but on the other hand, engine is much more happy with long cranking, because oil have time to go everywhere before engine starts. It's probably better than if engine starts after few weeks immediately to 1500rpm, especially with 20W-50.


Tom

Are you guys sure that something else isn't wrong here. I mean, I drive my car frequently all year round, but there can be periods of a few weeks when I haven't, but even then it can start first time (assuming the choke flaps are closed), and yes it can take a little longer to start as the fuel travels to the carb, with more cranking, but I've never considered it excessive or a problem. All this talk of cars not starting, endless cranking and 'modern fuels' I just don't understand at all.

pbar wrote: ↑Sun Sep 25, 2022 9:14 am Are you guys sure that something else isn't wrong here. I mean, I drive my car frequently all year round, but there can be periods of a few weeks when I haven't, but even then it can start first time (assuming the choke flaps are closed), and yes it can take a little longer to start as the fuel travels to the carb, with more cranking, but I've never considered it excessive or a problem. All this talk of cars not starting, endless cranking and 'modern fuels' I just don't understand at all.

It would appear to be a big problem if you have a mechanical fuel pump, all my cars have mechanical pumps, I started up my GXL today - she hadn't been started for at least 3 months, she didn't fire straight away but 3 short attempts and off she went, on the other hand I have a 3 litre s and leave her for 2 weeks and you have zero chance of her firing up without manually filling up the carb first, I just can't explain why.

Wayne

Just have a read of my post again Wayne if you have time, it isn't a problem, that's what I was saying. And that maybe the cars which won't start have something else which isn't helping the issue?

pbar wrote: ↑Sun Sep 25, 2022 4:46 pm Just have a read of my post again Wayne if you have time, it isn't a problem, that's what I was saying. And that maybe the cars which won't start have something else which isn't helping the issue?

Everytime it happens the carb is bone dry - no petrol what so ever in the carb, not even a dribble from the squirters when i pull the throttle, so it's definitely a fuel issue with no other contributing factors that I can see but that's not to say there isn't any, I'm at a loss to explain why some cars seem worse than other's though mate, an electric fuel pump would probably sort my issue out but it would be nice to know why the car does it in the first instance.

Wayne

Mr B wrote: ↑Sun Sep 25, 2022 6:39 pm Everytime it happens the carb is bone dry - no petrol what so ever in the carb

That's quite normal if the car hasn't been driven for a while, mine's the same, everyone's will be. But, my car can still start first time (with choke flaps closed), albeit a little longer with the cranking as the fuel is sent to the carb. But as said, I've never thought it excessive or an issue. Some of the comments above such as endless cranking and cars not starting, well it seems to me that has to be something else at play.

pbar wrote: ↑Sun Sep 25, 2022 6:44 pm

Mr B wrote: ↑Sun Sep 25, 2022 6:39 pm Everytime it happens the carb is bone dry - no petrol what so ever in the carb

That's quite normal if the car hasn't been driven for a while, mine's the same, everyone's will be. But, my car can still start first time (with choke flaps closed), albeit a little longer with the cranking as the fuel is sent to the carb. But as said, I've never thought it excessive or an issue. Some of the comments above such as endless cranking and cars not starting, well it seems to me that has to be something else at play.

The car of mine that has this issue would quite happily drain and flatten battery after battery if I let it, when it first happened I checked everything, ignition, timing, battery condition etc etc I even checked to see if the fuel lines had been cut, I didn't check the carb for fuel as I knew the car had at least half a tank in her so didn't think of the carb being dry (my bad) baring in mind she was started less than 2 weeks before this happened, all I can think of is perhaps the aftermarket fuel pumps ain't up to the standard of the original Fordie pumps - that's assuming the pump has been changed at some point.

Just an idea, modern fuel evaporates at a lower temp than the stuff these cars were designed to run on and if a car runs a bit hotter than another maybe more evaporates when the car is switched off and the rest evaporates over the rest of the time? The carb on a v6 is in the hottest place after all. Another problem most of us have a modern car that will start almost instantly even if left for a few months as long as the battery holds a charge that long and 40 years ago most cars needed a bit of cranking, I remember an Escort my father had new in 78 and the first crank in the morning always took a few seconds even though it was brand new.
My 3.0 if not used for a few days or even a week will take about 5 seconds of cranking before it starts, even if used every day it will take a couple of seconds. An electric pump will probably fix this but as has been said a few seconds of cranking will get oil around the engine.

Mr B wrote: ↑Sun Sep 25, 2022 7:30 pm The car of mine that has this issue would quite happily drain and flatten battery after battery if I let it

That is a definite problem your car has, obviously. It should only take a few seconds of cranking for the fuel to be delivered and the car to spring into action. After you have done a ton of cranking as you describe (and perhaps a flat battery), do you actually have any fuel in the carb? If you do then the issue is elsewhere. If you don't then fuel isn't being delivered.

I'm with pbar on this.

I started mine for the first time in 2 - 3 weeks, no chokes, quite a bit of cranking, like 10 sec, before the first little sips got into the cylinders, then another 10seconds of firing and dying, then it ran with a little misfire, cured itself and was fine.

I think it's always done that when left for that length of time (with 40s, it was easier with downdraughts) and just assumed it was because the petrol had just returned from whence it came and evaporated from the float chambers.

Never going to consider a remedy for it as I think it's normal for an older car. Go for it if it bothers you though