Puma cut out today during drive

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flatpackhamster

New member
Joined
May 18, 2016
Messages
9
Hi everyone,

I took my Puma out today for the first time in about 8 weeks. I drove it about 5 miles (took about 15 minutes), then parked it, and an hour later drove it back (a little harder). Within a mile of my house I heard a noise from the car (and I can't describe it) and then within 1/3 of a mile the car just cut out. A couple of helpful chaps assisted me in pushing it off the road in to a car park.

I turn the ignition, the lights all come on, I turn it all the way around and it tries to start but fails.

I'm not even slightly mechanical but can anyone offer any guidance as to what I should be looking at? Could it be the fuel pump cut off switch or am I wasting my time checking that?
 
Well I went back to the car this morning to have a look over it. I'd had to abandon it in a pub car park.

It started, first time I turned the engine over. I drove it the half mile back to my house and it didn't misbehave.


Any thoughts, wise mechanics?
 
Yes is the answer to your last question, if the fuel cut off switch "cuts off" you have to reset it, as the car started it has not activated and to be fair unless you belt something hard it will not activate anyway.
Check all leads, plugs/coil pack etc make sure they are tight but sounds fuel related so could be a bit of dirt/water in fuel?
Might help if you could describe the noise (and of course it might also entertain us)
Very hard to diagnose/fix things when they fix themselves while you are not looking
 
Does it stutter or show any other misbehaving symptoms when it drove OK?
Maybe the fuel filter is blocked-ish?

Maybe another thing to easily replace if needs be.
 
zinc2000 said:
Yes is the answer to your last question, if the fuel cut off switch "cuts off" you have to reset it, as the car started it has not activated and to be fair unless you belt something hard it will not activate anyway.
Check all leads, plugs/coil pack etc make sure they are tight but sounds fuel related so could be a bit of dirt/water in fuel?
Might help if you could describe the noise (and of course it might also entertain us)
Very hard to diagnose/fix things when they fix themselves while you are not looking


It was a sort of 'fklurk' noise from behind me. I looked in the rear view mirror, thinking I'd run over something.

It might be dirt or water in the fuel. The car had a complete overhaul last year including a new fuel tank, and since this time last year it's done 400 miles. I don't drive it much (but I do thrash it round the paddock when it comes out).
 
Van_Dammesque said:
[post]368700[/post] Does it stutter or show any other misbehaving symptoms when it drove OK?
Maybe the fuel filter is blocked-ish?

Maybe another thing to easily replace if needs be.

No, it drove beautifully. I spanked it a bit up and down the road and there was no loss of power.
 
flatpackhamster said:
It was a sort of 'fklurk' noise from behind me. I looked in the rear view mirror, thinking I'd run over something.

It might be dirt or water in the fuel. The car had a complete overhaul last year including a new fuel tank, and since this time last year it's done 400 miles. I don't drive it much (but I do thrash it round the paddock when it comes out).
Sounds like a fuel filter problem still, what was the problem with the previous tank?

A behind you noise may point to the tank, pump, filter, or a blockage/leak in the tubes (no smell of petrol I presume?)

You see it may start after being stationary for a while, but thrashing it stirs up the crap that may clog the filter, pure speculation ofc.
 
The car was off the road garaged for about 10 years and when it came out it had a complete overhaul. During its time in the garage the tank had rusted and a replacement one was fitted.
 
What about the pipe from the tank to the filter? This may have harboured enough rusty flakes, change filter and flush some fuel through the interim pipe. Something a garage might be better at doing due to the risk of the petrol.
 
Just by elimination of other variables you can tell this is probably the fuel filter.

The noise was behind and there's not much engine stopping stuff behind you . It could have been the fuel pump, except that it worked the following day, etc. No, fuel filter and and a 'bung' of water in the filter would do this, whereas solid particles tend to give hesitancy instead.
 

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