Hi Guys,

I have my IVA retest tomorrow morning and in true kit car style, mine's decided today is the day to play silly buggers.
Car is a sylva striker running a 2.0 blacktop zetec on standard ECU. I have a low pressure pump at rear of car feeding a small swirl pot on scuttle which feeds the high pressure pump into the engine.

Basically i have a problem with how the car is running, it is choosing to either kangaroo badly or bog down and die when i open the throttle.
If i go part throttle it's manageable but still has problems, but wide open throttle kills it.

I originally thought i had an air leak somewhere, but ripped all the pipe work out and attached my MAF directly in front of the throttle body, but didn't make any diffference so eliminated that. Otherwise, i'm running the standard inlet manifold, all extra pipes are blocked off apart from the vacuum pipe to the fuel regulator thingy (as pictured).

So i've gone and bought a new high pressure pump today as i thought the old one was making a funny noise, although this only happens which i turn on ignition and ECU primes the pumps, i cannot hear it once the engine is running.

Anyway, pictures and some vids below:


PICTURE 1: Fuel swirl pot
top pipe is return from engine
left pipe is feed from LP pump
right pipe is return to tank
bottom pipe feeds HP pump




PICTURE 2: Fuel rail pipes
Top pipe is return to swirl pot
bottom pipe (you can just about see it) is from the HP pump




PICTURE 3: Fuel rail pressure thingy - this is my fuel in line from HP pump




VIDEO 1:
This shows the fuel pump making a strange noise between the initial prime noise and the beep of the ECU

https://vimeo.com/236955198


VIDEO 2:
This shows the kangaroo, this is me with wide open throttle in 1st gear

https://vimeo.com/236955485



If anyone has any ideas i'd be very grateful, really don't want to miss the IVA, will try and limp my way there worst case.....

Thanks in advance.
Andy

Bypass the low pressure pump and swirl pot, only needed on the track and cut down the things to go wrong.

My car started running badly on a track day, disconnected the swirl pot and LP pump and it was fine so when I got him threw all that lot all away.

on a car you have much fuel longer runs.

Also try blowing back into the tank incase a bit of rubbish is blocking things.

Good luck.

[Edited on 5/10/17 by mark chandler]

I haven't got a swirl pot but mine goes from the fuel tank located at the rear, LP filter, HP Pump through fuel lines in tunnel to fuel rail, through rail (injectors) to pressure regulator and back to the top of fuel tank.

Should the return from the rail go to the swirl pot, sorry I don't know as I don't have one.

Do you have a spare fuel pump?

[Edited on 5/10/17 by tims31]

Thanks for the comments, I had tried just with a HP pump when I was first building but the car didn't like it much, and the general advice was to run a LP pump as well which fixed the problem at the time, I put the swirl pot in at the same time.

I can see plenty of fuel getting down to the HP pump as I have clear fuel filters, just not quite sure what's going on here....

what fuel do you have in it? and how old is it?
if its normal unleaded petrol, due to its alcohol content, it has a very short tank life.

brand new fuel, only just filled it up today...

From what can see the top pipe and the right pipe should be swop over from what I can see from the oics I would swop the 2 pipes over on the fuel pressure regulator

I realised that when i posted, already swapped the top and right pipe on the swirl pot.
for where i put the fuel on the zetec engine, have i got that right? i.e. which should be the fuel in and fuel out?

cant help m8, but good luck !!

steve

thanks steve, very helpful as usual

Hard to tell from photos but think you have the 2 pipes on fuel rail wrong way round

my fuel in is at the bleed nipple side on the left, and my fuel out is what i think is the pressure regulator thing (cylindrical thing with outlet).
Is this the right way round, i've read stuff saying you can actually run either way without a problem....?

the thing with the blue cap is a pressure test point the regulator is on the other end of the rail fuel should go in at this point . I think your ee 2 pipes at this point 1 in and one the over pressure return

Does this help.

Fuel from hp pump should be at the end with the long pipe (left in pic below), return to the tank should be at the regulator end ( right in pic below).

i found an old thread where i asked the question, the answer at the time was that fuel in should go to where the pressure nipple thing is, and fuel out should be the regulator....

" thanks steve, very helpful as usual "

was being nice m8

Could be talking shite but on picture 2 I think the top pipe would normally be connected to inlet vacuum to regulate fuel pressure at tick over. The pipe under this should be back to swirl pot. The other pipe should be high pressure in.

But can’t see well enough on photo’s to advise more but it looks like a vac pressure regulator to me. But please investigate more before spaying fuel everywhere

Regards agriv8

Steve - yep haha, I know, I'm just being a sarcastic twat for a change P

Agriv- you may be on to something maybe with the vacuum pipe, I don't think I have anything connector on the fuel pressure regulator, I think this is maybe supposed to go to the inlet manifold.... definitely something to look at, anyone know anything about vacuum pipes on the blacktop?

Right, get that, the vacuum pipe is there on the regulator to the inlet....

If you are using the stock ecu and inlet then I would connect the vacuum hose to the inlet manifold, iirc this boost the pressure on tick over and so if left to atmosphere it may be running a bit lean?

Regulator end of the fuel rail should have an approx 8mm connection for fuel return to tank and an approx 3-4mm pipe which is the vacuum tube.

[Edited on 5/10/17 by Ugg10]

Sorry mistyped my bit... the fuel regulator already was plumbed to the inlet so it's not that causing it...

Small update for you all....

Well I've done it again in true 'me' style....!

After removing all of the intake and replumbing, bought a new fuel pump and fittted, no change and the car was getting progressively worse on the journey to IVA this morning...

So, finally made it here and was having another look over the system. I was ready to bypass the swirl pot as per other people's suggestions when I realised I'd forgotten to check the fuel filter at the front of the car....

Anyway, you know the rest of the story.... what a plonker!

I'll let you all know how the test goes!

Cheers
Andy

quote:

---

Originally posted by pekwah1
Small update for you all....

Well I've done it again in true 'me' style....!

After removing all of the intake and replumbing, bought a new fuel pump and fittted, no change and the car was getting progressively worse on the journey to IVA this morning...

So, finally made it here and was having another look over the system. I was ready to bypass the swirl pot as per other people's suggestions when I realised I'd forgotten to check the fuel filter at the front of the car....

Anyway, you know the rest of the story.... what a plonker!

I'll let you all know how the test goes!

Cheers
Andy

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How did the test go?

Andy this caused the confusion to me ( now on a full fat pc not phone so can see better )

quote "Top pipe is return to swirl pot2

The Top pipe in that photo is the one that looks like it should go to Inlet

Possibly Fuel pressure regulator the other way up

not sure they work wrong way up but if the car is running likely OK

the vac regulator would normally have

1 connection to high pressure rail
2 Vac to intake
3 Fuel return that's gone past regulator ( back to tank )

ATB Agriv8

quote:

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Originally posted by pekwah1


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PICTURE 2: Fuel rail pipes
Top pipe is return to swirl pot
bottom pipe (you can just about see it) is from the HP pump



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Andy

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Thanks for the messages all, to confirm the car is now running like a peach, spot on!

And as for the test........

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.......
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I only BLOODY PASSED!!!!!!

2nd Iva now under my belt, shame I forgot you can't download the stupid V55/4 which means I've got to wait for DVLA to send it to me so I can send it back...
Oh well, I've waited this long and all.....

Nice one, well done.

Well done squire ,

Great news, shame about the last minute troubles but great to have got it sorted & IVA passed.

Late to the party but I was reading the first few posts thinking Fuel Filter, Fuel Filter...well done on the pass.

quote:

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Originally posted by pekwah1
Thanks for the messages all, to confirm the car is now running like a peach, spot on!

And as for the test........

.....
....
.......
....
....


I only BLOODY PASSED!!!!!!

2nd Iva now under my belt, shame I forgot you can't download the stupid V55/4 which means I've got to wait for DVLA to send it to me so I can send it back...
Oh well, I've waited this long and all.....

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Nice one!

Great recovery. Well done.