Fuel Pump Problems - Series IIA 2.25

discorunner94

Member
Mar 26, 2020
10
2
04102
hi all,
here is my predicament: recently brought my dad's series iia 109 to my barn after sitting for fifteen or so years. the aftermarket fuel pump was bad, so I replaced it with an RN pump with sediment bowl. i made sure to put the cam lever atop the cam, check for air leaks, etc., and here's the result: the hand lever pumps fuel effortlessly and will make the rover idle, but the fuel pump's cam lever doesn't do anything. i tried reinstalling it, no luck. got a replacement pump hoping that it was a manufacturer issue, no luck with the new one. i manually turned over the engine to make sure the cam moves, and it does. i know i can install an in-line electric pump, but i don't want to be stumped on what seems to be a straight-forward installation.
any ideas?
thanks.
 
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discostew

Well-known member
Sep 14, 2010
7,706
1,015
Northern Illinois
I've never worked with the old Land Rover mechanical pumps like that, but when I was a kid I did lots of similar systems on small block chevy engines. If there is a leak downstream of that pump it will be impossible for it to suck fuel from the tank. Also hard to prime if there is no leak. It should be easy enough to check that it's pulling on that suction hose with someone cranking it.
 

discorunner94

Member
Mar 26, 2020
10
2
04102
as they tend to be, there was a simple solution. this rover hasn’t had work for fifteen years and when an aftermarket mechanical fuel pump was put on in early 2000s, a black spacer was adhered to the block so that the cam arm would engage correctly. when installing a new old stock pump, the cam lever wasn’t engaging because of the spacer. removed the spacer, cleaned old gasket off, reinstalled, pumps beautifully.

something tells me i’m not the first person to encounter this... or the last