Ah, now there is a different story!

O.K I have the new pump and fuel filter on and with a gallon can placed under the car to save sucking from the tank we have fuel! But it still wont start, it coughed a couple of times and I have now given up as the battery is dead. I have a spark at the plug, I have fuel, I have a clean air filter and it so nearly wants to start! I gave all the leads and wires a check for good connections and they seem ok , a couple a little loose but now tight, plug leads on good, carb clean and petrol was sloshed down it (a little) to help, what have I missed???. I'm going to get new HT leads as they look a little old. Can anyone suggest anything i've forgotten, any quirk with these cars? God and I thought my Imp was a pain to work on!!!!


any help , suggestions etc gratfully appreciated

Colin

Sounds daft, but make sure your choke is connected and working!! That was the issue with my van - with the choke connected she started beautiful

Have you given the plugs a clean after all the attepmts to start it? I'd be inclined to take them out, give them a brush up, check the gaps and re fit. I might even give them a quick warm up with a blow torch....

are the plugs dirty wet or of un known age?

have you got fuel to the carb yet?
tappets adjusted correctly?

they can be a bit of a pain if they have had old fuel in them or if the fuel in the jets and drillings has dried out leaving varnish or fuzz, once it starts and some nice fresh fuel has been drawn through it gets better.

dont go pumping the pedal as you can easily flood it bit of choke and be ready to give it a bit of throttle when it catches

give it another go on the freshly charged battery and clean plugs.

I'll give it a go when the battery is recharged, the plugs were new in the first time it wouldnt strart before I changed the pump but I will take them out and clean them, I am a bit heavy with the right foot so will not do that next attempt, its the way to start my Imp with twin dcoe 40's

thanks again

colin

O.K a bit of an update, the car started when the charged battery was put on however it stopped again. I then disconected the fuel line and used a bean tin with petrol in it and it ran ! I tried to connect the fuel pipe to the filter whilst still running to pull through some petrol but the fuel just trickled through the pipe and seems contaminated with water??? from what I can see in the fuel filter, WHY???
I guess this means taking the tank out and cleaning everything up? How easy is that job?
got to go to work now!!!

Colin

underneat undo the jubilee or such clip holding the filler neck to the tank and pull it up
un clip the fuel line from the cahssis to give it some slack
4 M7 bolts two at the middle of each side up to the chassis legs
2 at the front of the tnk on the cross tube

ease the tank down it might hang on the earh cable just cut it

slosh out check the sender isnt corroded and cracked

replace the short rubber tube on top of the tank
run a new earth from either the tag or from a ring terminal under one of the screws-ring tag on the other end and long enough to make it to the nearside chassis mount.

re fitting is reversal...etc etc.make sure you dont kink the nylon pipe

Sean is right. Check the little rubber pipe on the top of the tank. As said previous they split not only causing air to get in so giving the fuel pump a hard time but it gets wet up there too so chance of sucking water in too.

Thanks, its going to have to wait for the weekend now and after i've done the engine swap on my sons car, another quiet weekend then under cars

Colin