Hey Folks,

Waking up a '73 280SE 4.5 after a 13 year slumber. First step was making sure there was spark - cleaned the points and installed a new battery. Starts and runs briefly on starter fluid, so compression/spark are at least present.

Fuel on the other hand...

First stop was fuel pump (doa) and filter (very old and full of some very sticky shellac). The fuel tank was (thankfully) empty with just a little buildup in the bottom. Flushed with a couple of gallons of gas and it ran clear and strong. Small victory. Could not get compressed air through the fuel line, so I bypassed it.

Cleaned the pump and bench tested it. Didn't do much so on a whim I tried CarQuest - they have a fuel pump that lists as a replacement for the 280SE. For $50 it was worth a try. Seems to work OK, but I have yet to verify the pressure is in the 30 psig range.

Which brings me to the point - the fuel pressure regulator. There are two regulators on the 4.5 - I believe the first is simply a damper of sorts, and the other (one inlet and two outlets) sets the actual pressure. At this point, I have fuel pressure up to the second regulator but not through it. I took it off and cleaned it. You can feel the spring pressure inside by pressing with a small screwdriver. It seems to me that the amount of pressure it would take to pass fuel through it would be extreme. I bypassed the first regulator and tried to get fuel through it straight from the pump, but still no luck. The fuel backpressure when I removed the line was quite strong.

So, the question is have I got too weak a fuel pump or is it when the regulator fails it does so in the closed position? I might try putting 30 psi of air through it tomorrow and see what happens.

Once I get fuel through it, we'll see if I can get some through the injectors...

Thoughts?

__________________
1973 280 SE Project
1974 280C Project
1975 450 SL (sold, ruined by new owner)
1973 280 SE (sold, never should have)
2006 Dodge 2500 4WD Cummins (best ever)
1983 Land Rover Series 3 88"
1999 Land Rover Discovery 1 (wife's toy)
1968 Piper Cherokee 180D (most fun of all)