I should know better at my age

[David Kemp]

I have discovered the fuel pump diaphragm is perished, so have rebuilt my pump with an old NOS one I picked up years ago.
I have ordered a new one as the rubber felt hard, & I don't trust it.

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[Forumadmin]

good call NOS may well not be ethanol resistent.

[David Kemp]

Thank you Pat Lockyer for helping my son Jack fix his on vehicles wheel balancer.
My Bradford is smoother now than ever.

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[David Kemp]

I was under my Bradford, checking for a vibration , & discovered the following;
Nut holding yoke to gearbox was only holding on by one thread.
Bolts holding universal joints to the diff were loose.
Pinion is leaking oil
Pinion bearing is loose/ worn.
How are the bearings in a Bradford pinion adjusted?
The parts books list shims, presumably I remove shims till the correct play is obtained?
Is there a modern seal I can replace the old felt seal with?

[StevenGray]

If I remember correctly there is no method of adjusting the bearings themselves, shims are used to ensure that the outer bearing is secured endwise in its housing and the same shim type is then used to set the pinion position / backlash. Many years ago I fitted a lip seal 2" OD 1.5" ID 1/4" thick, to accommodate it I made a new seal carrier, as I made the carrier I probably couldn't find a suitable direct replacement for the felt seal.

Steven

[David Kemp]

I have bought a modern seal to replace the original felt seal.
It needed to have its lip slightly filed to fit the Jowett flange.
Otherwise a good fit.

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[David Kemp]

I was happily cruising down the highway when my Bradford stopped. The rebuilt fuel pump was not pumping, turned out the top cover bolt had stripped. I tightened it the best I could & got home, next step was to helicoil the pump. All good, helicoil was done, now a problem showed up. Testing the pressure showed 5psi, far too much for a Zenith. The new spring in the kit was too powerful. I changed it back to the original spring which has reduced the pressure. Be careful when fitting a new pump kit, they are not one size fits all.

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[David Kemp]

The ongoing saga of my fuel system continues...
I found the suction pipe in my fuel tank had blocked.
I thought it would be sludge, but turned out to be concretion of rust in the pipe. It took a fair bit to clear it using all manner of wire,
It was powdery dry so must have been there a while.
I am going to explore opening the tank for a thorough clean.
I am loathe to do this as the tank does not leak.

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