Damned intermitent fault

: Car will restart : after standing ./ several attempts then suddenly cuts out again without : warning. ? Dirty fuel - if so how resolve or what else?

I wouldn't have thought dirty fuel would be so abrupt, My guess is electrical - I'd try a new condensor for a start.

Ian

And points. Points can go rusty on the contact faces.

The needle might stick in the jet if not properly aligned but more likely to be muck in the dashpot causing the piston to stick. That would stop it revving up but it should idle OK. It's not the sort of fault that would just cause the engine to stop after a few minutes. Anyway that's easy to check with a finger if you take the air filters off. Check the oil in the dashpot dampers while your at it.

It could be condensation in the fuel tank. Water goes to the bottom but will get shaken up when you drive around. Then you'll need to clean it out and start again or use a fuel treatment. It's certainly worth cleaning out the float chambers.

Make sure the petrol tank vent isn't blocked. Is there an inrush of air when you take the cap off after it stops?

However I'd go along with Ian and check for electrical problems first. I've had a coil that would be OK for a bit and then start shorting out when it warmed up. Could be condenser but unlikely to be points. No harm in cleaning them up and checking the gap though.

This happened to my son's Spitfire last year, then to my Stag this year! Both after standing for some time and both have electronic ignition.

Tried everything.

Then- new rotor arm & new distributor cap.

Worked a treat on both cars!

Ken

Have replaced both the condenser and the rotor arm and at the moment all seems well. Didn't have time for an extensive test today but fingers crossed. A short trip to B&Q to collect some drive way cleaner to clean up the car's minor incontinence on my new brickweave (another story) was accomplished !

Thanks everyone.