Just got my project DeLorean....

[NightFlyer]

I'm going to top the oil up (wont bother changing it until I know if I need to strip the engine or not), replace that main lead and see if she'll crank. I'm expecting the fuel pump not to work, again the wires all seem to be baked and brittle.

Not a good place to start IMHO. If the fuel pump does work, and if the tank is full of crap/crud, then you'll be pushing all that crap/crud into other fuel system components, and possibly damaging them.

Besides, you already know that the engine turns by hand, thus the only reason to attempt to crank it now is confirm whether the starter motor and circuit are functional, which I personally wouldn't worry about until you have the tank drained, assessed, cleaned, and refilled with good/fresh fuel. You'll also want to replace any in-tank components that are bad.

If the fuel in the tank is really bad, then your next step would be to change the fuel filter and accumulator.

After that, you'd want to pull the injectors, put them in jars, jump the RPM relay (or apply 12V to the fuel pump so it circulates) and assess the state/condition of the FD/injectors, as well as baseline the CO/AFR setting on the mixture unit if it appears to be significantly off.

Once you've done all that, then I'd move onto to trying to crank it and get the engine started.

Start at the tank - get that situated first. Then work your way towards cranking it over and getting it started. You'll be glad you did.

Best luck

[PeterBiggerstaff]

Thanks NightFlyer,

The tank is bone dry, I was going to try starting her using a fuel can, rather than the tank, but I think you may have the right idea, start at the fuel tank and work my way back.

[PeterBiggerstaff]

After checking the parts manuals (I *love* those.. they have been so helpful already) It looks like the bad wiring is on the fuel gauge tube, not the pump itself, so I will test the pump.

Do you have any recommendations for cleaning out the tank? I can have a search on the forum to see if there is any advice, just bearing in mind I don't have access to a hoist yet, only a jack.

[Citizen]

Do you have any recommendations for cleaning out the tank? I can have a search on the forum to see if there is any advice, just bearing in mind I don't have access to a hoist yet, only a jack.

One great thing about our cars is that you don't need a hoist to clean out the fuel tank. It can be accessed from the top, without even jacking up the car. I was able to drain my tank out bone dry, then clean it, all from the opening for the fuel pump and gauge sender unit. Got it so clean you could eat out of it, before putting in the new DMC-H combo-unit. Replaced the fuel filter too. That was about a year ago, and everything still works great. And you'd be surprised how accurate the new sender is too.

Thomas

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[NightFlyer]

After checking the parts manuals (I *love* those.. they have been so helpful already) It looks like the bad wiring is on the fuel gauge tube, not the pump itself, so I will test the pump.

Do you have any recommendations for cleaning out the tank? I can have a search on the forum to see if there is any advice, just bearing in mind I don't have access to a hoist yet, only a jack.

Pull the pump and sender. Pull out the baffle. Dump about a gallon of lacquer thinner into the tank. Use a long handled toilet brush and scrub the lacquer thinner all around the tank. Block off the pump and sender holes so that it doesn't all evaporate. Let it sit for a few days. After a few days, come back and siphon as much of the remaining lacquer thinner out of the tank as you can. Then stuff the tank full of old crumpled up newspapers. After allowing it to sit for a day or two, pull all the newspapers out of the tank. Then, using a lint free rag/cloth wetted with lacquer thinner, wipe the tank as good as you can. Finally, vacuum the inside surfaces of the tank with a good shop vac.

To do all this, you'll need to be positioned in the luggage compartment. It's also nice to have plenty of light so that you can see what you're doing.

You could also drop the tank, and clean it outside the car, but I honestly don't see any reason to do that at this point. Usually if you drop the tank, you'll have to replace all the tank mounting foam. IMHO, why incur an expense if don't have to / unless absolutely necessary.

But that's up to you to decide.

You can see a few pics of when I cleaned out the tank on #1798 over at DMCToday.com (you'll have to register an account to see the pics):

http://www.dmctoday.com/showthread.p...0-Year-Slumber

Best luck

[PeterBiggerstaff]

Excellent, Thanks heaps for that.

I'll get started on that this weekend.

[Domi]

Congratulation on your purchase!
Good luck for the next part

[Rich]

Additional to this good info in Posts #11-15 about the tank - and not cranking the engine til your fuel system checks out - you can reference this How-To thread: LINK:How-to-clean-out-fuel-tank-and-flush-fuel-system-BEFORE-you-try-to-start-the-car

Welcome to D. ownership.

[Rich_NYS]

One great thing about our cars is that you don't need a hoist to clean out the fuel tank. It can be accessed from the top, without even jacking up the car.

Thomas

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LOL...I was just about to post the same thing.

Something good for inspection is a digital camera with a flash; you can reach in, take pics, and view the inside of the tank that way.

Here's a few I took looking down into mine when I first got it:

P1160081.jpg

P1170074.JPG

[DMCMW Dave]

....... Dump about a gallon of lacquer thinner ........

If the bottom is coated with black gunk, acetone is better (stronger).