Fuel non return valve - a must have!

[James Agg]

In all the time I’ve had my RH Series 2, it’s always taken a long time to start it when doing so from cold and yet when warm, it’s fine. I always attributed this to being something to do with carb balance or something up with the choke assembly…

I have been helping a friend troubleshoot an issue with his Bentley Arnage where it seems to be suffering from fuel starvation on startup. Having looked extensively into the cause of the issue, the part in question is a dodgy non return valve in the fuel line shortly before the fuel filter. It was at this point that I suddenly had a brain wave… 

It dawned on me that mine was never built with a non return valve in the fuel line, and so it was in my mind feasibly very possible that inevitably the fuel in the lines before the carb would simply dribble its way back towards the tank the longer it sat there, hence the long long time cranking as being a mechanical fuel pump, there is no priming and the fuel has to find its way along the length of the car before it reaches the carb.

I have just spliced in my non return valve just before the fuel filter which means that a little reserve of fuel sits in the filter basically and is ready even after the car has sat for a while. If you haven’t done this and you’re having slow starting with your carb based pinto, do it! Mine is more or less an instant start from cold every time now!

Soon going to be popping my FAJS throttle bodies on this thing so that it becomes fuel injected. The car just keeps getting better and better

[Jonty Wild]

I am going to try this as soon as I can buy one, any recommendations for a supplier - does it also act a filter?

 

Maybe that is why mine hasn't started yet - there is no fuel at all in the filter, but I haven't looked properly yet!  Soon though with this weather!

 

[James Agg]

It doesn’t act as a filter - that’s what the blue bit is. The valve is the silver bit immediately below it.

The non return valve was readily available at Halfords of all places! Plenty of online places do them too.