1977 Spider fuel problem

bartolome · Post by **bartolome** » Wed Aug 23, 2006 9:05 pm

I have a 1977 spider. I started it after coming back from a week long vacation and noticed fuel leaking from underneath the car. Upon further inspection the plastic fuel line was cracked where is met the metal fuel line. I installed a new fuel line from the fuel pump to the metal fuel line. The car started right up, but after a minute or so the car shut off. I cannot get it restarted. The fuel pump is operating - I connected a funnel to the intake fuel line and fed the pump approx a quart of fuel (through cranking the engine). No other leaks were observed, the fuel filter only has a small amount of fuel in it. Where is this fuel going?
Any suggestions are welcome. Thanks!

So Cal Mark · Post by **So Cal Mark** » Wed Aug 23, 2006 9:56 pm

if you have a mechanical pump, the fuel may be going in to the crankcase. If the pump diaphragm fails, raw fuel can mix with the engine oil. Check the dipstick, if the level is high and it smells of fuel, replace the pump and change the oil and filter before running the car

bartolome · Post by **bartolome** » Thu Aug 24, 2006 11:29 am

Thanks for the reply Mark. The fuel pump is electronic and mounted in the trunk. I will check the dip stick when I get home.
Bart

So Cal Mark · Post by **So Cal Mark** » Thu Aug 24, 2006 3:13 pm

an electric pump won't/can't cause the trouble I described. But I'd check to see if a mechanical pump is still in place on the left side of the engine

bartolome · Post by **bartolome** » Sat Aug 26, 2006 1:15 pm

I checked for mechanical fuel pump and did not find one.
Thanks Bart