vaporisation

[roy parmenter]

Had unfortunate breakdown on M25 driving home from north London
yesterday - car going well then just slowed as though it had fuel
starvation - still had half tank of fuel - called RAC - pretty useless -
all these young guys know is how to plug in a computer!! - not there
fault i suppose - ours maybe for driving classics! - however ended up
being put on the back of a truck to home - looked over today & car now
running well so maybe a case of fuel vaporisation. I do have an electric
fuel pump but the line also goes via the mechanical pump to the carb. – what to do? – wrap the hoses &/or place a made up heat shield between hoses & engine or look to buy a fuel pressure regulator! – any assistance greatly appreciated

[sd39]

Hi

Don't have an immediate suggestion for you, but just wanted to express my commiserations. Never fun to break down.
Simon

[Dikappa]

I would check the tank to see if there is no dirt, and also the aireation (is that a word?) as it could be on a short run you get plenty fuel, but if no air can get into the tank you might have fuel starvation.

Always good to have a clear filter somewhere so it is easy to check if there is fuel coming.

[GG]

Have had similar experience, a few thoughts-
 
- the Appia has no elec pump, just mech'l. Typically runs fine through heat, although one time years ago suffered vapor lock. I wrapped cloth around the fuel pump, doused with water for evaporative cooling, and that worked.
- Aurelia has struggled in the past, with elec pump running through mech'l. Turns out it was a coil that just gave up in the heat. Once changed, all good. There is a wee bit of vaporization at times, but the elec pump (and a bit of moving) cures it. 

[simonandjuliet]

I live in a fairly warm part of the world and have no problems with vaporisation with my Appias. However I have recently had a problem with a failing coil on the Fulvia which was worse when it got hot (perfect when cold) so maybe worth a check ??

[nistri]

An electric fuel pump is useful to overcome the problem but it should be running in parallel to the mechanical one, not in series
There has been an unusual epidemic of coil failure in Fulvia in recent times. Coils do suffer from underbonnet heat and vibration. With the current conditions of our roads (and hot weather) perhaps it is not surprising that even a small defect in the primary circuit becomes magnified. Andrea

[will]

I have an electric pumps fitted in parallel to the mechanical pump on my Appia and the B20
with a switch on the dashboards.
It helps when starting the cars when they have been standing.
I  had  a problems recently with the Appia on a hot day when the engine has died I guess fuel vaporisation. Switching the electric pump on has solved the problem.
The B20 has problems on hot days as well for some reason the 4th series are particularly bad.
The electric pump work well with a fuel return.

I can produce a plan and help with installing this system on an Appia

[GG]

As noted, fuel return makes a huge difference. I think Fulvias had it fitted from s.2 on. Solved all sorts of issues on an Aurelia with a very hot engine.

[nistri]

There is a simple diagram I sent to the Fulvia forum section, please check through Norman's restoration thread, Andrea

[roy parmenter]

Thanks everyone who responded to my post - having another go at sorting tomorrow!