Maverck - Our ‘81 SC Build

[maverck]

New seals going in - tape will come off in a day once they set.





Cleaning up for the first seal on the panel.







Also, huge thanks to Joe Engineer for his three part sunroof rebuild series on YouTube. Gave me the confidence to dig into this and lots of great little tips!

https://youtu.be/5TD-DeF2jTg?si=-B2ASb-UNUwESjFE

Also had to replaced one of the springs on the air dam as it would flip back up on its own.

[colingreene]

Dude hes the best.

[maverck]

Originally Posted by colingreene

Dude hes the best.

All the little details he pays attention to and calls out. Little tricks to remember how things go back together. I would never pick that level of detail up on my own!!

[maverck]

Got it all put back together today. Old vs new seals and sliders on the sunroof panel.





And - the first moment of truth - no good!!! Seemed a bit too tight and was racking my brain why. Also the front was sitting to low when fully closed.

https://youtu.be/4a26_tGlYcU?si=_9bKkcEcSaAhj4aW

Went back and reviewed my disassembly pics and realized I put the front mounting brackets on upside down - this making the front lower. Flipped them around and boom - working sunroof!! So excited!

https://youtu.be/WkVhuooeGoc?si=zjs8or693XKQOFMj

[maverck]

The boneheaded moments that are part of the journey. The interior on Mav is in really great condition. One of the things I loved about the car when we purchased it.

Today jumped in the car with my phone in my back pocket and I now know the corner of my phone case will scratch the leather - boo!

[maverck]

The weekend projects.

First - the scratch watch motivation to try out the Clyde’s leather dying kit that has been on the shelf. Partially inspired by the photos posted in the jwolfe’s thread.

Turned out pretty good! They are a bit shiny from the Clyde’s conditioner but that is getting more subtle. The scratch is much harder to see now which is what I was hoping.



Also - post my field distributor and WUR rebuild I had mentioned cold start being an issue and it was another excuse to teach myself how to test system and control pressures. All are listed below and certainly are low across the whole spectrum - other than residual which appeared to be in spec. That cold control pressure I would assume tracks with cold start issues! Hoping this is a simple mixture adjustment. Stay tuned.



- 68 degrees- 20 Celsius
- System pressure- 4.35 bar
- Cold control pressure - .4 bar
- Warm control pressure
- 1 min 1 bar
- 2 min 1.7 bar
- 3 min 2 bar
- 4 min 2.7 bar
- 5 min 2.9 bar
- 6 min 2.9 bar
- 7 min 2.9 bar
- 8 min 2.9 bar
- 9 min 2.9 bar
- 10 min 2.9 bar
- Residual pressure
- 0 min 2.3 bar
- 10 min 1.5 bar
- 30 min 1.35 bar

[PeteKz]

Your SP is too low. Adjust that first, then recheck the CCP to WCP pressures. Make sure your gauge is accurate too.
RP test is good.

[maverck]

Originally Posted by PeteKz

Your SP is too low. Adjust that first, then recheck the CCP to WCP pressures. Make sure your gauge is accurate too.
RP test is good.

Thanks @PeteKz! It’s a brand new gauge from our host - hoping it’s accurate.

The SP is mostly driven by the pressure regulator / fuel distributor correct? Since it was just rebuilt wondering if I should push back on them for the adjustment.

[PeteKz]

Yes, the SP is controlled by the SP valve on the FD. If it was just rebuilt, it should be within the "adjusting value" 4.7-4.9 bar. I would send it back.

Nah, I would adjust it myself instead of having further delays and risking not getting it done right again. But first check your gauge against a tire pressure gauge to see if they read the same.

[maverck]

Originally Posted by PeteKz

Yes, the SP is controlled by the SP valve on the FD. If it was just rebuilt, it should be within the "adjusting value" 4.7-4.9 bar. I would send it back.

Nah, I would adjust it myself instead of having further delays and risking not getting it done right again. But first check your gauge against a tire pressure gauge to see if they read the same.

Place that rebuilt the fuel distributor is saying they think the fuel pump is to blame for the low system pressure and I should test the pump pressure before trying to adjust the pressure at the pressure regulator ( or send back to them for that).

Does that make sense?! I am not smart enough to call BS, or take their advice and figure out how to test the pump pressure.

I have to look at my records however I am pretty sure the pump was replaced about a year back as it was leaking and leading to gas fumes I was smelling with a full tank.

[PeteKz]

The SP valve controls the pressure from the fuel pump to the return lines. The only way the fuel pump's pressure could affect the SP is if its output was too low.

Speaking of which, do a fuel delivery test. The spec is 1000ml (1 liter) in 30 seconds. If it passes, then the SP is out of adjustment.

[maverck]

Originally Posted by PeteKz

The SP valve controls the pressure from the fuel pump to the return lines. The only way the fuel pump's pressure could affect the SP is if its output was too low.

Speaking of which, do a fuel delivery test. The spec is 1000ml (1 liter) in 30 seconds. If it passes, then the SP is out of adjustment.

That’s what they were pushing on I believe.

Thank you so much for educating me. Just ordered a few things to get the fuel delivery test done this weekend. I did confirm that I just had a shop put a new fuel pump back in Oct of 2024 so I do not expect I will find an issue.

[maverck]

Morning Pelican’ers.

Well - despite having a new pump installed back in Oct of 2024, the fuel delivery test failed!

Followed the method in the Bentley manual:
-disconnected the fuel line from the bottom of the fuel accumulator
-used the line from my fuel pressure test kit which had a fitting that matched the fuel line
-ran the hose out of the back of the car into a canister.
-jumped the pump at the relay and ran the pump for 30 seconds

Per the manual I should have 1 liter of fuel minimum - yet I only have 500.

The car has all new fuel lines. New fuel pump. New accumulator since I purchase the car.

The Bentley manual doesn’t state what to do if the volume is low. Do I assume faulty fuel pump?

Here is my setup for the test.

[Tom_in_NH]

Partially clogged fuel tank strainer?

[maverck]

Originally Posted by Tom_in_NH

Partially clogged fuel tank strainer?

Is that an easy check? Where is it?

[83_Silberpfeil]

Originally Posted by maverck

Is that an easy check? Where is it?

The strainer is attached to the fuel tank drain plug. To remove the plug+strainer you pretty are forced to drain the entire tank.

I did this twice, two years ago on my '83 SC....

https://forums.pelicanparts.com/11914517-post8.html

Not a difficult job, but you will need to prepare pan or tank to store the fuel safely. Inspect the strainer, and replace if you think it is necessary, then replace drain plug.

Then, based on inspection of the drained fuel quality, decide if you want to pour back into tank? All this while keeping proper ventilation and having a fire extinguisher on the ready. At least, that's how I approached it.

You can see my fuel looked very rusty, so gave to my landscaper to run his two-stroke equipment. I did replace my strainer w new.

Good luck!

[maverck]

Originally Posted by 83_Silberpfeil

The strainer is attached to the fuel tank drain plug. To remove the plug+strainer you pretty are forced to drain the entire tank.

I did this twice, two years ago on my '83 SC....

https://forums.pelicanparts.com/11914517-post8.html

Not a difficult job, but you will need to prepare pan or tank to store the fuel safely. Inspect the strainer, and replace if you think it is necessary, then replace drain plug.

Then, based on inspection of the drained fuel quality, decide if you want to pour back into tank? All this while keeping proper ventilation and having a fire extinguisher on the ready. At least, that's how I approached it.

You can see my fuel looked very rusty, so gave to my landscaper to run his two-stroke equipment. I did replace my strainer w new.

Good luck!

Thanks!! The PO put in a new / used tank but did not replace the level sender (already failed). So I am assume the screen is original in the tank.

[Gabe.]

Originally Posted by maverck

The car has all new fuel lines. New fuel pump. New accumulator since I purchase the car.

Was your fuel filter also replaced at this point in time? If not, I would start there, then move to the fuel strainer in the tank, then test again.

[maverck]

Originally Posted by Gabe.

Was your fuel filter also replaced at this point in time? If not, I would start there, then move to the fuel strainer in the tank, then test again.

Fuel filter is new. Strainer just showed up so after o drive off some fuel it is going in!

[maverck]

Finally got around to changing out the fuel screen. Why is it these jobs always end up being a bit messier than expected!! Pretty sure I am going to smell like gas for a few days.

I put one side of the car up on my cribs hoping it would minimize the fuel that would drain a bit. Drove the car until the gas light was on and decided to tackle it.



Once out the old screen did not look to bad as compared to new - compared to some photos I have seen.




However the gas at the bottom started getting pretty cloudy (drained off about 3-4 gallons) and at the end there was quite a bit of sediment.



While I have it down this far is there anything else I should do in an attempt to clean things prior to filling it up with a full tank of clean gas?