I have a Herald 13/60.
If it has stood for, say, a couple of weeks, it takes a long time winding it round on the starter before it starts.
However, if I start it the day after it has been run, it jumps into life very quickly.
I suspect, as the fuel pump is mechanical, the fuel drains back to the tank after a while and it takes a long time to get to the carbs.
Should their be a one-way fuel valve somewhere?
Anyone out there in HonestJohnLand got any bright ideas?
Thanks.
|
Hooray for Heralds! I used to have one. I'll take a wild random guess here, and suggest that the rubber O ring which seals the carburettor float chamber body against the jet holder, may have perished allowing fuel to seep out of the bottom of the carb. So after 2 weeks, all the fuel has drained out of the carb, and needs replenishing. The Herald has a mechanical fuel pump, hence you have to spin it on the starter for so long.
Some Heralds have a priming lever on the side of the fuel pump, and you can use this to fill the float chamber before operating the starter. But you really need to find out where the fuel is going.
Richard Hall
bangernomics.tripod.com
|
My Vitesse behaves in exactly the same way. It is also made worse by the fact that I don't seem to have the right knack of starting it. It's previous owner gets in, turns it over and it invariably fires into life straight off. I get in, try and start it and it will be churning for ages unless I'm lucky. I can never tell whether I am using too much choke or not enough. Is there any way of telling by the sounds it's making whether to use less or more choke? It always seems like a black art to me.
teabelly
|
|
|
|
Yes, I think drainback is causing your problem. No, there isn't a one-way valve other than the valves in the lift pump which I've never known to be 100% 'tight'.
I should think your lift pump has a priming lever on it? Giving this a quick pump before you operate the starter might help save fire-up time and is kind to the starter motor and battery.
You might also check that the pipe from the tank to the pump is sound, though I think you would smell the petrol if it was seeping out. Also, keeping a good level of fuel in the tank will obviously help reduce drainback.
As to bright ideas -- not my scene! However, you could think about piping an electric pump into the feed from the tank if the starting delay really bothers you.
Whatever, congratulations on owning a Herald.
Yours triumphantly,
David (1972 Triumph 2500)
|
|
Richard, you beat me to it. You made a very good point about the seals in the carburettor but my T2500 is also a bit slow to pump up after standing a few days and the carbs on this were thoroughly overhauled not so long ago. Worth checking though.
|
|
|
|
I think everyone has said it all on the technical front.
SWMBO had a 13/60 G reg and it was a dream - got a bit heavy for her so we sold it at a car boot sale (the rest of the car too!). Lovely motor.
Everyone of a certain age has a Herald in their motoring history somewhere.
Terry
|
Everyone of a certain age has a Herald in their motoring history somewhere.
True.
Had my one and only crash in one. :-( Back end stepped out (surprise, surprise) on a tight bend and unluckily made contact with a Singer Vogue (Sounds better than Citroen Xsara doesn't it?).
My silly fault of course, but if I'd been driving the Citroen Ami (now that's better) that I really wanted, I'd have got home for sure.
|
|
|
|
