Back in the day, I also had issues with one of the single ended Lucas fuel pumps (a misnamed device if there ever was one!)

I was living in Falls Church, VA and on a fine Saturday summer afternoon had an invite to a Paul O'Malley party at his place in Capon Springs, WV ... a brisk two hour drive down Rt. 50 across winding foothills. A perfect drive for a two seat sports car with a lovely lady alongside.

The main problem (you'll notice that I didn't say ONLY problem!) was that my buddy Bob Moser had borrowed my running Daimler to visit his girl in NJ the week before, and the pump had failed. Being resourceful and finding that the "well engineered" make/break points were at fault, he deduced that all he needed was a pulsed signal to make it operate.

Alongside the pump was the tail light wiring! Aha!

Bob Rube Goldberged the right turn signal wire to the pump hot lead, pulled the RF bulb and taped the turn signal lever (in the center of the wheel) to the right. Lo and behold it worked. Of course, it had not been fixed since his return.

Also of course, just before starting out when I pulled my spare pump off the shelf and replaced it, it clicked away cheerily, but didn't pump. It was the other common Lucas pump failure, dried out and split diaphragm. OK, party getting close and girl friend getting testy, so back to the original kluge and head out. (of course with the half working pump coming along as a "spare!")

It was a fine day and a fine party. Of course I stayed too late, and it was dark when I left. Anyone see problems here?

Well, you string together a Lucas generator and a Lucas regulator powering Lucas head lights and a Lucas turn signal flasher and part of a Lucas fuel pump!!!! About 1/3 of the way down the road the engine started cutting out. (too far to go back to Paul's lighted shop and deal with the ridicule from besodden friends!)

Simple solution.

Turn off the lights!

Do you want to run, or do you want to see?

Obviously Lucas engineers had planned on only intermittent use of turn signal flashers while the lights were on. They didn't factor in girl friends whose discomfort at driving in the dark quickly became nagging and then screaming.

Ye Gads! The highway department puts gravel there to tell you you are leaving the road!!!

Finally, about the half way point, we come into a little burb. Of course with no open establishments but at least a large lot with a security light on the adjacent house. You can imagine the nervous looks I got from the woman looking out her bedroom window at the guy with a blanket spread out, taking two fuel pumps apart and trying not to lose the important bits in the gloom. All the while not getting ANY help from the woman in the right seat who was NOT finding sporty cars as exciting as she had thought an hour before!

We can laugh about it today! Sort of.

Cheers, Bob

Nigel Kat wrote:

Those double-ended Lucas jobs always were shit. When I was a kid, we had Jag Mk2 - bodied Daimler V8 saloons.  The fuel pump was always iffy and failed regularly. The approved remedy was to remove the trim behiond which this item was mounted and to tap the stuck end.

 

But if you are a distance from home and the pump keeps sticking,what to do? Put the child in the boot and tell him to tap it each time it stops ticking. 

 

I was that child..........