Getting ready for the road again

[Anders Dinsen]

Hi John

Thanks for those pointers and for reminding me about lumiweld and similar products. I haven't tried it and looks like I will need to do some experimentation first to learn the process, but it sure looks doable.

Best,
Anders

[Anders Dinsen]

A little update about starter motors.

I took my 1.6 and 2.2 starter motors apart yesterday to inspect them. Getting the pin around which the fork pivots out is the only difficult part of the job, but with a correct size punch and the starter firmly supported on the table with some cardboard peices it gave in. The 2.2 starter is a little longer than the one from the 1.6, and although the internals are identical, the axle is similarly longer on the 2.2. This should be visible in the top picture. Everything else, apart from the aluminum front part of course, is the same.

After a little polishing, the commutator on the old one were as good as new. The brushes were also in a similarly good state, but I chose to use the parts from the new 1.6-starter.

Next step is testing it on the engine, and then perhaps eventually taking it apart again to have the aluminum front frame glass blasted along with other aluminum parts.

/Anders

PS: I'm still working on emptying the tank using my electrical fuel pump. I'm doing it in steps of 5 litres as that's the size of my can, and filling it on the Espace. I regret not having bought a 20 litre can before starting.

[Anders Dinsen]

I bought a 20 l can today and emptied the tank. I have filled my 5 l spare twice (poured it on the Espace) and now the new one is more than half full. So there was more than 20 l in the tank. That surprised me. Anyway, now it's all empty.

I used the fuel pumpt to start the drailing, and then leaving the fuel to run out by itself. It's a bad idea to drain it into smaller containers as it's difficult to stop the flow so there will be fuel flowing onto the floor. Luckily it vaporizes quickly...

Getting the fuel tank out of the car was surprisingly difficult, but now it's out. I took a quick look just now, and things are not looking too bad. There are some rusty areas that will need to be dealt with, though, so I will be stripping it all down to the metal. I expect to remove the brake line running behind the tank to ensure I can give the chassis behind a proper treatment.

/Anders

[TELBOY]

so thats where the brake pipes go! When i replaced mine they were held up with cable ties. I threaded mine through the chassis but on the other side of the bulk head thats behind the tank.

[Anders Dinsen]

so thats where the brake pipes go! When i replaced mine they were held up with cable ties. I threaded mine through the chassis but on the other side of the bulk head thats behind the tank.

Yes!, the one from the limiting valve to the LH rear caliper runs behind the tank

[TELBOY]

When i replaced mine i wasnt sure and no one could tell me. The old one was just held with cable ties onto the chassis so i threaded mine through the chassis and mounted brake clips. It looks so neat that I convinced myself that was how it should be.

[Anders Dinsen]

When i replaced mine i wasnt sure and no one could tell me. The old one was just held with cable ties onto the chassis so i threaded mine through the chassis and mounted brake clips. It looks so neat that I convinced myself that was how it should be.

Sounds perfect!

[Murenanimal]

I bought a 20 l can today and emptied the tank. I have filled my 5 l spare twice (poured it on the Espace) and now the new one is more than half full. So there was more than 20 l in the tank. That surprised me. Anyway, now it's all empty.

/Anders

The tank floater can lie about the real content of the tank if it is bend and not anymore in the original curve, or if the floating piece has some liquid absorbed in the years and is not empty itself which causes it to sink deeper and giving on the fuelmeter the idea there is less fuel in the tank than in reality. (Anyway, the second situation is the case with mine.)
Guido

[roy4matra]

The tank floater can lie about the real content of the tank if it is bend and not anymore in the original curve, or if the floating piece has some liquid absorbed in the years and is not empty itself which causes it to sink deeper and giving on the fuelmeter the idea there is less fuel in the tank than in reality. (Anyway, the second situation is the case with mine.)
Guido

The original fuel tank sender and tank could never show the true amount of fuel in the tank because the top of the tank has a much wider and larger cross section than the lower part, but the sender rheostat is linear.

So the fuel will drop slowly when it is still in the larger top section than when it is in the lower narrow section.  This has all been explained in my technical article on the fuel system which has been on my website in the technical article section for some years.

I stated that if you were on a long jouney with a full tank, you might get 340 kms whilst the gauge dropped slowly for the first 'half' but then only get 200 kms during the second 'half' from half way to almost empty.  This is due to this linear sender but irregular shaped tank.

The other problem is that all the Murena I have ever come across have a sender that has the float too high at it's minimum, so it gives you a false early warning that you are almost out of fuel.  I have reset all the senders in the Murena I have owned so they are more accurate in telling you when you are almost out of fuel, and do not give that flashing low fuel warning light, much too early.  Consequently I can get as much as 550 kms safely on a full tank before I need to refill with fuel even at my fast pace, and have done so many times.  When driven at no more than legal speed limits in the U.K. and France I have actually achieved 700 kms once or twice.  This is with a 2.2 Murena with a Holbay cam and 140 bhp!

Anyway, please download my technical article (if you haven't already) on the fuel tank and system to find out more.  It might surprise you.

If you really want the fuel gauge to give you a more accurate reading all the way from full to empty, then there is an electronic device you can fit and set up so it will be accurate at full, 3/4 full, 1/2 full, 1/4 full and empty.  Contact me (at my domain email not here) if you wish to know more.

Roy