Fuel pump Q...

[tigran]

Hey guys, not run the P5 for a couple of days. It ran pretty much dry (damn dodgy fuel guage). I parked it on the drive. Put in about 11litres of petrol in. But when i go to start it there is a constant fast ticking from what i guess is the fuel pump. What's-a-goin on? Is the fuel just too low to be taken up by the pump?

It was running like a peach for hundreds of miles. I iz well stumpt innit.

Ta for any advice.

[slater]

Sounds like it might need priming. I take it no fuel is coming through to the carb or whatever?

When i had the mini layed up over winter it refused to pump fuel so i just unhooked the pipe from the carb and sucked un it! (pump off!) and that primed it enough to get the pump pumping again.

Also might be curse word in the pump/filter (if you have one)

[burns]

Post pumps tick when they are running dry. It doesn't need manually priming does it? If it's dry and has a small amount of fuel in the tank it will be even harder for it to prime it's self as it is having to suck a bigger head(fnar).

edit:
What slater said about sucking fuel through worked on the manta for me. Parking downhill helps a bit too.

[tigran]

I'll give that a go tonight ta, the filter bowl looks nice n clean.

[Rob]

That ticking IS my fuel guage.

I have no fuel guage so it's my only warning.

Shouldnt need priming should it ? Maybe a blockage before ? Cruddy tank ?

Thats my help.

[phoenix]

isent there a manual primer lever on the side of the pump, some have

[rrv8]

P5's will need manual priming after running out of fuel every time
A good suck will do the trick
The pump sits above the tank from memory , been a few years since owned one or more

[tigran]

Switched it to the reserve pump/tank and it sucked like an expensive ho - fired up on the button. The moral of the story? Keep putting a tenner in every 20miles.