Classic Jaguar Fuel System Upgrades
For many years now we have offered a number of fuel system upgrades. These range from aluminium fuel tanks to ethanol-resistant carburettor floats. With the increasing ethanol content in modern fuels, it is more important than ever to ensure that the components in your fuel system are in good order and made from suitable materials. Although some fuels are still available with little or no ethanol content, we have to be realistic about the fact that from time to time we will have to fill up with E10 fuel. Also, in the fullness of time, the ethanol content in fuel is likely to continue to increase and ethanol-free fuel may become harder to obtain. To read more about what ethanol in fuel might mean for your classic car please click here.
Starting at the beginning of the fuel system we will have a look at fuel tanks. The original fuel tanks in XKs and E-Types were steel. Over the years these will corrode which can lead to leaks but more commonly results in flakes of rust contaminating the fuel and making its way into fuel lines, pumps and carburettors. Corrosion in fuel tanks is exacerbated and accelerated by ethanol in fuel as it can attract moisture and become acidic over time. Although old fuel tanks can be cleaned once they start to corrode it is very hard to stop the process. There are products which can be used to line old fuel tanks but we have seen several occurrences where the lining starts to come away and block fuel lines. To ensure the best possible results supply and fit new aluminium fuel tanks guaranteeing you no risk of debris getting into your fuel lines. These can be left in bare aluminium or finished in black to look like the original fuel tanks.
The next element of the fuel system to consider is your rubber fuel hoses. Older fuel hoses were not manufactured to be resistant to modern fuel and will perish and break up once modern fuels run through them. This aside rubber hoses do not last forever and if you have not had them replaced in the past 15 years or can see visible signs of perishing you should seriously consider replacing them.
Fuel pumps have long been a hot topic in the classic car world. The original SU fuel pumps have a poor reputation for reliability which we feel is not entirely fair. This reputation is largely due to a lack of maintenance. The old-style pumps use points which need cleaning, adjusting and replacement every few years. Beyond this, the diaphragms and seals can and will break down over time. We can overhaul original pumps but find that modern solid-state fuel pumps are a more reliable and popular solution. Our fuel pump upgrades also provide higher fuel pressure to cater for higher-performance engines.
It continues to surprise us the number of classics out there which do not have a good fuel filter fitted in the system. The original XK120 and XK140 systems rely on a gauze filter in the tank and small gauze filters at the carburettors. Although these gauze filters will filter out large items they don’t filter smaller particles and as you cannot see the filters it is hard to know if they are blocked. XK150s, E-Types and classic saloons were fitted with glass bowl filters which were much more effective but we often find that these have been broken, lost or removed during restoration. It is also common to see that the housing is fitted but there is no filter present. We have a variety of fuel filter upgrades from glass bowl filters to inline filters which can be fitted before the fuel pump thus protecting the whole system.
The final step in the fuel system is the carburettors. There is much to be said about carburettor rebuilds and upgrades. We are currently undertaking a lot of carburettor rebuild work both for cars here in the workshop and for enthusiasts working on their cars at home. We offer a full rebuild service including vapour blasting the carburettor bodies to bring them back to an as-new finish. Wherever possible we replace components with ethanol-resistant parts ranging from the floats to the spindle seals.
