A BLOCKAGE IN THE TUBES

Q I’m restoring a Wolseley 15/50 that has been off the road for 35 years. It won’t draw fuel from the tank. The tank was clean and dry before I put five litres of fresh fuel in. It seems that the pipe from the tank is blocked. I could only get a length of strong flexible wire 18in down the pipe and 100psi air pressure does nothing. Have you any other suggestions? Stuart Kerfoot-davies, Bath A Flakes of rust or even a disintegrated gauze filter can get sucked into the fuel pipe, causing a blockage at a corner or kink. If you suspect the blockage is in the main supply pipe from tank to the engine compartment, renew it – it’s likely to be corroded.

If the riser pipe inside the tank is the problem, this can be a bit trickier. Some simply unscrew or unclip from the top of the tank, but others are soldered in place. In the latter case, the tank will need specialist attention and it may be cheaper to obtain a better one.

There’s usually some method of getting at the pickup pipe’s gauze filter. Often, the drain plug is situated directly below the end of the pipe. This may provide a point of access for probing with wire or an air-line.

Incidentally, do check that a jack hasn’t been placed under the frontto-back metal pipe, crushing it flat.