No Fuel

[Clyde9]

From: 67imp  (Original Message)
Sent: 3/27/2008 9:48 AM

O.K. People I am A Newbie here so be gentle.
I am looking to obtain our first Winnebago and the one I am looking at is in great shape however it will not run currently. It starts and runs with fuel directly poured in to the carb so I know it fires.
I am no stranger to the underside of a vehicle ( I own 3 Sunbeams) I assume it is either a fuel pump , or the dual tank selector switch ?
What am I looking at here for repair? Mechanical fuel pump? or are these Electric fuel pumps? Possibly a plugged fuel filter ? IS there one filter for each tank or just one for the whole system?
I have lurked at this site for quite some time and it is an awesome resource.
Thanks in advance

Lumpy



Message 2 of 8 in Discussion  From: AlbuqHenry
Sent: 3/27/2008 2:48 PM

Welcome Lumpy,
I am pretty new too, a few months....My guess is originaly the fuel pump is mechanical... mine was switched over to electric... Any of the things you mentioned could be at fault....Another could be the carb is gummed up inside and not letting fuel flow....  Do you know how long it has been sitting?  over a year? My first test would be to pull the line off the carb and crank and see if you get fuel there....If you do, then u know the problem is in the carb.  If no fuel there I would get a clean can of fuel and put a line on the fuel pump and into the can of fuel and see if it pumps. Then you know if you are ok from the fuel pump forward.  I would actually get it running pretty decent in this setup that way you know you have good clean fuel to make adjustments, set timing and such... then you can work your way back with the can connecting to the fuel tank selector switch then finally running  off  the tanks.... It would be easy to take the fuel tank out to where the winnie is now so you can determine if the engine will run properly enough to drive home.  I use the fuel tank off my boat.  they sell them at wally world and such.  they are red five gallon plastic jugs and have a threaded fuel pickup where you can connect a rubber hose... I am not sure if there is originally more than one fuel filter but mine is now set up with two, one for each tank right before the selector switch.. Hope this helps-Henry



Message 3 of 8 in Discussion  From: denisondc
Sent: 3/27/2008 3:20 PM

It sounds like a good buy, because as you observe - the engine runs when it gets fuel. For better advice we would need to know the year of the RV, and its chassis type; Dodge, Chevy or Ford. Most Winnies up through the later 70's were on Dodge chassis, but not all.
It could be a clogged fuel filter, an expired fuel pump (bad rubber bladder inside), small leaks in the old fuel line hoses letting air in, a clogged fuel pickup 'sock' in the fuel tank, a fuel tank selector valve that is stuck pulling from an empty fuel tank - or a combination of these.
Look around underneath - for hoses with weather checking, an extra fuel filter lurking in a non-obvious spot. You will need to be familiar with the stuff under there anyway, unless you plan to have a mechanic do all of your repairs. [God forbid] Each year the newer Winnebagos had more features, and more complexity; for instance, after 1974 they had fuel vapor canisters, and fuel vapor lines to the tanks. So the fuel selector valves had to have more 'circuits'.
There is always the possibility that a previous owner modified the system somehow. Adding electric fuel pumps was seen as a solution to some people - when what they may have needed was a new mechanical pump and new fuel hoses.
If you can get to a fuel line hose coming from one of the tanks - try blowing back into it. This would clear some of the crud from the pickup 'sock' - which is basically a filter for the larger pieces of rust. To get my 2nd Winnie to run at first, I connected 10' of fuel line to the fuel pump inlet, the other end into a 5 gallon can sitting on the front passenger side floor.
If you get this RV, my advice would be to just replace all of the rubber fuel lines, the mechanical pump, put an inline filter just 'upstream' of the pump. And until you establish that the fuel tank selector valve is working, you could bypass it with a longer piece of rubber tubing.
Unless it is fuel injected or a TBI setup, it would have come with a mechanical pump, mounted on the front of the motor. A perfectly adequate & reliable pump - for the first 15 or 20 years. After that I would advise replacing the pump...as well as other vital parts: ign. wires, hoses, belts, thermostat, water pump, alternator, radiator, wheel cylinders, brake hoses, etc. The end result is peace of mine when pulling onto limited access highways.
Unless it is newer than the later 1970's, I would think it only came with one fuel filter. Having more filters is okay - but having them in easy to reach locations is more important. Those old tanks will be yielding up fine rusty silt indefinitely: Mostly when cruising over lumpy roads at highway speeds. I buy the kind of inline filters made of plastic that I can see into. It is located by the pump, just behind the front bumper. I carry spares (plural) and can change one in 5 minutes.
I have a little journal where I note all of the work I do, the parts I replaced, and where I got them. I have had mine 17 years, and long ago decided I would replace the mechanical fuel pump every ten years, along with new rubber fuel lines. Then I can essentially forget having a fuel pump failure.
Assuming yours is old enough to have a carburetor; usually the chassis maker would have a metal line from the fuel pump to the carburetor. This is the only pressurized part of the system. I personally avoid having rubber hoses in the pressurized fuel system. My plastic fuel filter is in the non-pressurized part. If I encountered a filter between the pump and the carb - I would remove it, and replace the original all-metal line. I want to keep the crud out of the fuel pump too.
Let us know the year and chassis type. Good Luck.
If you had 3 sunbeams and kept them running - you are well experienced, no longer a novice. I had an old Jag for a few years when I was much younger, & have worked on other British cars, from Singers and Triumph Mayflowers, to MG1100s to MGA's. Why could Bentley make reliable sports cars in 1925 - but British Leyland couldnt do it in 1960?



Message 4 of 8 in Discussion  From: 67imp
Sent: 3/27/2008 3:55 PM

Thanks for the replay's so far, It is a 76 brave. I think I will look at it bring a gas can , and see if I can get it to run from the can. don't much care for sitting next to a 5 gallon Molotov cocktail though.

Denisondc : You know how to tell a British car is running? It leaking something! I got 1 alpine 1 tiger 1 imp. I have thoughts of towing the imp behind a bago



Message 5 of 8 in Discussion  From: JD78BRAVE1
Sent: 3/27/2008 4:11 PM

look by the radiator for the Dodge vin and by the Entry door for the Winnebago vin, that will give info on chassis, motor etc.
JD



Message 6 of 8 in Discussion  From: denisondc
Sent: 3/27/2008 4:28 PM

Winnies are far more reliable than any of the brit. cars I have worked on or owned, but even so...........why not buy a decent sized fire extinguisher to take with you. If mine has not been started for a few months, I like to have the fire extinguisher in hand when I do it.
I know that fire extinguishers are required in all antique cars that are to be judged at AACA events. No fire extinguisher: The judges just walk past it.
I carry two of them in mine all the time, and not the smallest size either.



Message 7 of 8 in Discussion  From: bluebird5750
Sent: 3/28/2008 7:57 PM

The day I purchased my 80 Itasca from the dealer, they had it on the lot for 5 years. They finally got it started, and it was setting there running when we made the deal. I was going to drive it the 80 miles home. When we went back out for me to leave I noticed fuel running on the ground back by the tank. The fuel lines were almost falling off, still don't know how that thing started and ran. They did replace the one line that was leaking. As soon as I got it home, down came the tank and I replaced all the rubber lines including the ones for the genny. The fuel pump looked newer but I replaced it too. Boy I miss that old coach.



Message 8 of 8 in Discussion  From: Froggy19362
Sent: 3/28/2008 10:54 PM


Lumpy, I was a mechanic/service manager for a Roots dealer in the 60,s I have a sales brochure for the sunbam Tiger & a rear window holder for a Imp & some shoulder patches for Roots & Tiger if you are interested give me a note at vwmech2@peoplepc.com  Frank.  froggy19362