fast clicking at start?

[metarinka]

I posted here awhile ago, I work on my 73 spider on and off, my day job takes me on a lot of travel and recently I've been gone for about 2 months so I haven't started the car. It was working when I left. I went to do a radiator flush today and it won't start.

when you turn the car on, it has a loud fast clicking that doesn't stop, if memory servers me correct that's the fuel pump? I can turn the car over but it never even seems to want to catch.

whatever it is sounds like no fuel is getting to the engine, Any advice on what to do?

[metarinka]

** update **

I pulled the electrice fuel pump lines, and before I pulled the fuel pump I figured I'd run some seafoam through the pump to see if it's blocked. It appeared to pull the seafoam through it just fine. However I checked it reverse (going down hill) instead of trying to pull fuel uphill so it might still not be pulling a vacuum.

Well now I'm stumped, it appears the pump is working, what's the next step upstream from the fuel pump? check for blockages?

[narfire]

Dead battery
Try with a set of jumper cables from another car. I had something similar in the past,turned over sort of but did not catch/fire.
Have you tried putting a wee bit of fuel down the carb?

[metarinka]

the car is trickle charged, the battery is fully charged, minus my attempts at starting it. I'll buy a can of starting fluid and throw it down the air intake. When I looked at the filter it was empty. I wonder if the line had just emptied and it needed some priming time before it filled back up. Mind you I gave it a minute or two of clicking the fuel pump, didn't want to burn it out.

[124JOE]

are you sure its the fuel pump?
or might it be the starter sylinoid?

just went bad or something

[Tobi]

Sounds like my 81, not getting enough power to the starter when the head lights are on.

[metarinka]

to be clear, the car turns over just fine (instead of a solenoid click like when a battery is low). The click is definitely the fuel pump, which feels like it's trying to rattle it's self to death. therefore my guess is that either the fuel pump is bad or no fuel is getting TO the pump.

Doesn't look like there's an obvious way to take apart the fuel pump, I can try some more diagnostics but as far as I can tell it is pumping. The next step will be to figure out what's clogged.

[124JOE]

ok, is it points? or ele timing?
carbed or FI ?
what type of dizzy do ya have?
any past ING problmems?
stock wiring?

[metarinka]

points
carbed
stock wiring ( I think a side project is slowly going through and changing out wiring whilst I repair or replace components)

not sure about the other two questions? I'm guessing dizzy is distributor? ing is ignition?

[124JOE]

yes the dizzy is the distibtor ,dizzy is just easy to spell
same thing on the ignition


i take it someone installed a electric fuelpump on your car

because before 1980 all had mecanical pumps on the block
inline pumps can go anywere on the line
but should be as close to the gas tank as posible

so if its your punp it sounds broken
however if the sounds are coming from the glovebox area
then its not your pump its a relay going NUTS

that could be a loose ingition "not giving constant power"
check the back side of the key to see if the plug is lose

[metarinka]

sorted.

I had the front end up on jack stands as I was trying to get the alignment in (toe in is 2" difference between wheels). So I'm guessing the fuel somehow drained back into the tank, or far enough down the line that my 20-30 seconds of priming didn't do it. So I cleaned out the fuel pump and installed a new fuel filter, and replaced some of the lines. Fuel pump is working and doesn't click when it's not drawing air. After the system filled back up it started up on first crank.

Still confused about the genesis of this fuel pump. Sure enough there's the mechanical one (which I assume is dead) that's sticking out the side of the block with no lines on it. however the mount on the electric fuel pump looks original to the body or at the very least very professional done. unless it's in the place of a relay or something else. I suspect this car had a lot of modifications over the years. The wiring sure looks like it, with splices and loose wires everywhere...

Thanks for the help.

[124JOE]

yes thats an electric fuel pump, someone put in after the car was sold.
ele pumps are usaualy 3ft or less from the tank ,
they push good but dont have much vacume.

i dont mind my mecanical pump. in fact i trust it.joe