Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Morgan Three Wheeler & Super 3 Morgan 3 Wheeler Trouble Shooting HELP

I could use some trouble shooting help.

My engine is not able to stay running. Here are the details and symptoms.

- The Morgan was stored for a year and I got it out last weekend. I left limited gas in tank and added gas stabilizer when stored. Other than a week battery and a few sputters when it initially started it seemed to run fine. I topped off with premium fuel and drove a quick 30 mile cruise without issue.
- I drove a 52 mile round trip this morning and the engine seemed happy until I came to a stop. From then on it kicked and sputtered with a few small back fires.
- If I let it sit for a moment the engine always restarts briefly before sputtering and dying again.
- If I pump the accelerator the engine stays running longer and I can occasionally hold a higher rev before it starts sputtering again and dying.
- An odd observation. When I started the morning ride I showed 83% tank (we all know the gauge is wrong), however it now shows 42%. I've made this trip many many times and it does not burn that much fuel.


The fuel usage makes me think that an injector may be stuck and the engine is flooding, although I'm not sure how to tell. Any feedback is welcome.

Thanks,
Robert

Batterie

It sounds to me like a failed fuel pump.

Does sound more fuel supply related than electrcial from your description. If an injector was broken then I think the issue would be 100% of the time and no running possible even for a short while but I am no expert on injectors.

The fuel gauge is more a random number generator than an indication of fuel level. A drop of 41% for 50 miles isn't unusual or worrying.

Fuel pump on the way out, early symptoms of failure can be that the engine will run fine for several miles and then sputter to a stop after a while will start again but then only run for a few miles.

Have you got an EML Check Engine light? It would be good to check any fault codes on the ECU with Protune 2 . A P0170 or P0173 "Adaptive maxed out" code will indicate that the fuel pump is on the way out, as will a pressure check of the fuel system. As the car has not been used for some time, the Throttle Position Sensor can get oxidation on its wiper and cause running problems with random signals, usually a P0122/3 code. The fault codes will indicate any other engine sensor issues as well.

The random fuel level indications are normal, particularly if the car is not used. The resistance wires inside the level sender unit in the RH tank need to be cleaned with very fine abrasive and then a more stable indication should be shown, for a year or two maybe.

I would say that a fault codes check, a fuel pressure check and a check of the battery condition would be good things to do before getting too deep. If you don't have a Walbro fuel pump fitted, you should have. The pump is the most likely cause of your problems. Detailed pump replacement instructions are in the owner resources at the top of this forum.

I do have a EML Check Engine light, however I don't have a Protune 2 reader and my local shops either don't have Protune 2 or are reluctant.

I spoke with S&S and they informed me that they sold the x-wedge engine design and rights to a Chinese company and no longer provide parts or tech support. I was given a short list of US based Morgan reps, however after contacting them they have informed me that parts are very hard to come by. It looks like I'll have to figure this out on my own, and with this forums help.

I've tried a few local shops to see if the injectors can be tested and/or cleaned. All have asked me for the flow rate and injector model number. Model: 0 280 156 198, 4.61 g/sec, 58psi. Shops are willing to clean them but state they cannot test for accuracy. These injectors do not appear available in the US market and there is no equivalent. Visually the injectors look clean. The nozzle ports appear clear and there are no signs of carbon build up or varnishing.

The fuel pump remains a mystery. It can be heard running when turning the key on, however all identifying markings are not illegible. I have ordered a fuel pressure kit which should confirm the pump is sending fuel at a sufficient pressure.

Protune 2 is available to download here https://www.sscycle.com/racing/support windows version only. You just need a cable to connect the laptop to the ECU to read the codes.

Rog G, thank you.