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Triumph Spitfire - RESTARTING PROBLEM

We have a '71 Spitfire that has been giving us a rough time re-starting after we turn it off. If we go for a short spin it runs great no missing or hesitation. If we shut it off and try to re-start it acts like it wants to start but it sputters and wont quite start. If we let it sit for a couple days it starts right up like nothings wrong. We have an older Spitfire gas tank without all the fume venting stuff. I'm not sure if we need to vent it somehow. It acts like its not getting enough gas when we try to re-start it. The other thing I was thinking is the opposite. Maybe the carb is getting flooded and by waiting a couple days the excess gas evaporates. We have a heat shield and it hasn't been that hot to get a vapor lock like I've read about. We have a clear fuel filter and it looks to be clean in there. Thanks for your ideas.
Jeff & Sons

Try it again - drive it till it gets hot and get it back home. Then when you try to restart it at home and it starts to sputter or won't restart, open the gas filler cap and try it again. If it starts, it's the vent in the gas tank that's blocked. If it won't restart for a couple of days, well, at least you're back home.

Don Elliott 1958 TR3A

And you want to rush and dismantle the TR3A ??

Don Elliott

We've tryed to start it with the gas cap open and still sputters and trys but no go. It did it last night again and I opened the bonnet to smell the oder of gas. I'm thinking my problem might be in the automatic choke. When we took it off and pushed the lever to the off position she sputtered and fired up. We're going to start her up tonight manually pushing on the choke and as she warms up move the lever back to the off position. Then we'll wire the choke in the off position and take her for a spin. I'm thinking the choke was staying on and eventually flooding her out. Hopefully she doesnt quit on us tonight and we'll add a manual choke.
We got the restoring the TR3 book in and Ive been a book worm, and I hate to read. The only thing that kept me out of college was high school. We're about ready to lift the body off. Once we find all the bolts my 13 year old suggested sliding a couple 2x4's between the frame and body on each side. Then we wont have so much strain on the body around the door area. We can put them 2-3 ft from the doors and with 4 guys each lifting together we shouldnt bend the body around the doors. Wish us luck.
Jeff & Sons

I'm finishing up a 1970 Mk3 Spitfire and I had the exact same problem with the car running fine and then dying and not starting back up. What we found was that a portion of the fuel line below the gas tank had gotten clogged up with rust and other stuff and was only allowing a small amount of gas to get through. The car would run fine until it started trying to suck through the junk in the line. I cleaned up the line and the car works great now, perhaps you can try the same? I hope it works out.
Robert

This thread was discussed between 16/01/2004 and 16/02/2004

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