Can you blow through the fuel passage in the carb? You should be able to blow in the fuel inlet and feel air escaping through the jet.
You could also have a vacuum leak between the carb and manifold (or possibly elsewhere if it is big enough) so the mixture is so weak the engine can't run without the extra fuel from your bottle.
Vulgalour's Vehicles - 10/03 Ignition Switch Woe
Re: '80 & '81 Austin Morris Princess and a '75 Renault 6TL
Understeer: when you hit the wall with the front of the car.
Oversteer: when you hit the wall with the back of the car.
Horsepower: how fast you hit the wall.
Torque: how far you take the wall with you.
Oversteer: when you hit the wall with the back of the car.
Horsepower: how fast you hit the wall.
Torque: how far you take the wall with you.
Re: '80 & '81 Austin Morris Princess and a '75 Renault 6TL
With fuel seeming not to get past the jet that would make me think it is that, but the jet appears to be clear. I'll get the air line on it and give it a blast, that'll clear it out properly. I've got a new throttle cable arriving next week, the one on the car is too badly frayed to refit yet again and it'll be easier to clear the carb out fully off the car.
There could be water in the fuel, though there's no obvious contamination. This could only really happen due to the car standing for a few months with nearly no fuel in (there is enough fuel to run the car, that much I do know, and it is pulling it through fine). I would like to think the fuel hasn't gone stale in so short a time but anything is possible. I can do a fire test on a sample from the tank, if it doesn't ignite then that would certainly be the problem.
There could be water in the fuel, though there's no obvious contamination. This could only really happen due to the car standing for a few months with nearly no fuel in (there is enough fuel to run the car, that much I do know, and it is pulling it through fine). I would like to think the fuel hasn't gone stale in so short a time but anything is possible. I can do a fire test on a sample from the tank, if it doesn't ignite then that would certainly be the problem.
Re: '80 & '81 Austin Morris Princess and a '75 Renault 6TL
could you just drain the tank & blow through the fuel lines?? i not keen on your fire test.. im a pyromaniac & i dont even play silly biggers with petrol 
meanwhile...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmin5WkOuPw
meanwhile...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmin5WkOuPw
Re: '80 & '81 Austin Morris Princess and a '75 Renault 6TL
It's not dangerous rich, you put a small amount of petrol on the ground and try to light it. it doesn't explode, it just burns gently.
Unless it isn't petrol any more in which case it doesn't burn at all
Unless it isn't petrol any more in which case it doesn't burn at all
Understeer: when you hit the wall with the front of the car.
Oversteer: when you hit the wall with the back of the car.
Horsepower: how fast you hit the wall.
Torque: how far you take the wall with you.
Oversteer: when you hit the wall with the back of the car.
Horsepower: how fast you hit the wall.
Torque: how far you take the wall with you.
Re: '80 & '81 Austin Morris Princess and a '75 Renault 6TL
ive had mates who have "put a bit of petrol on" & spent the rest of the day in hospital, its not worth risking it...
Re: '80 & '81 Austin Morris Princess and a '75 Renault 6TL
I suppose that depends what they have put a bit of petrol on. if you throw it on to a bonfire it will tend to make quite a large fireball.
Understeer: when you hit the wall with the front of the car.
Oversteer: when you hit the wall with the back of the car.
Horsepower: how fast you hit the wall.
Torque: how far you take the wall with you.
Oversteer: when you hit the wall with the back of the car.
Horsepower: how fast you hit the wall.
Torque: how far you take the wall with you.
Re: '80 & '81 Austin Morris Princess and a '75 Renault 6TL
A few drops on the floor/kitchen towel lit with a taper is perfectly safe. I wasn't planning to fire up the car and hold a lighter to the fuel pump outlet or anything that absurd
In other news, it looks like I'm going to be pulling the engine out anyway in the near future to get everything properly cleaned up and tidied. Might as well, and removing the engine on these is really easy with barely anything to unplug to do it. Gives me a good chance to get everything tidied up in there while I'm at it.
Going to the unit tomorrow to see how much I get done. Been hit with a festive lurg so I'm not sure how far I'll get, but we shall see.
In other news, it looks like I'm going to be pulling the engine out anyway in the near future to get everything properly cleaned up and tidied. Might as well, and removing the engine on these is really easy with barely anything to unplug to do it. Gives me a good chance to get everything tidied up in there while I'm at it.
Going to the unit tomorrow to see how much I get done. Been hit with a festive lurg so I'm not sure how far I'll get, but we shall see.
Re: '80 & '81 Austin Morris Princess and a '75 Renault 6TL
i saw a mate set fire to a jetski thingy doing that very thing... almost... thing was leaking petrol everywhere we cured the leak it wouldnt start so he took the plug out & fired it over.. got a bit singed nice lad, hard worker, just a bit dim sometimes 
nice lad, hard worker, just a bit dim sometimes Re: '80 & '81 Austin Morris Princess and a '75 Renault 6TL
Got called out a few years back to my sons mark 3 Escort that went up in smoke (thought to be the clutch burnt out). I could see the black smoke rising from a couple of miles away and by the time I got there the Fire Brigade had the fire out and 80% of the car had gone - just the rear tyres and boot were unaffected. Police arranged recovery on a flat bed truck and when we got to the recovery depot to see what we could salvage (tools out the boot), the car was still on the back of the wagon and we were warned away as the Fire Brigade had been called again as the car had been leaking petrol for the last hour.
Turns out my lad had a full tank of fuel and the pipe had burnt through but the tank had not ignited. It had continued to drip onto their truck which had a good half inch depth of fuel all over it. Brigade were on standby whilst they winched the car off and got a bucket under it to catch what was left - the rest of it got hosed away down the drains ! !
One good thing to come out of it was Direct Line paid out a very fair value within a week - excellent service.
Sorry for drifting off topic but it just shows that petrol doesn't always ignite even if the car's on fire !
Turns out my lad had a full tank of fuel and the pipe had burnt through but the tank had not ignited. It had continued to drip onto their truck which had a good half inch depth of fuel all over it. Brigade were on standby whilst they winched the car off and got a bucket under it to catch what was left - the rest of it got hosed away down the drains ! !
One good thing to come out of it was Direct Line paid out a very fair value within a week - excellent service.
Sorry for drifting off topic but it just shows that petrol doesn't always ignite even if the car's on fire !
Re: '80 & '81 Austin Morris Princess and a '75 Renault 6TL
Well after all these exciting fire and petrol related anecdotes I can report the issue is that the fuel has gone off after only a few months. It won't ignite, and that's why the car won't start. Problem solved and I'm grateful there wasn't a lot of fuel left in the tank to be wasted. Since I've got to drop the tank to repair the boot floor anyway, this gives me a good opportunity to swill it out and spruce it up at the same time, might even find out why the original in-tank electric pump has conked out at some point in its past and put one back in to replace the mechanical pump I've got fitted.