Just thinking about a rare issue on my XJS that I’m trying to figure out.
When making a right turn from a stop sign onto an uphill road, if I give it a lot of gas so the centrifugal force is great, i get a second of no power ONLY when the main tank is half full or less. This does not happen with a fuller tank, or when turning onto level or downhill road with half tank.
This would make sense if tank was low and I had no sump tank. But I do. Could this mean sump tank is not fully filling up properly? I’m thinking of checking both hoses going to it, or may just pull sump tank later this year and be done with it.
The sump tank is there precisely to prevent fuel starvation. The main tank is large and flat, and has no natural sump. While it is baffled, they can’t keep fuel in the pickup area in hard turns when the tank is low. In addition, the filter sock in the sump tank is there to prevent fuel aeration. The fuel forms a surface film on the mesh, and keeps the pickup from sucking air. The filtering it does is of secondary importance.
I’d look for fuel line kinks induced by cornering. The pump is pretty heavy, and if it moves, could kink a line. The filter is also heavy when filled with fuel, and could do the same unless it is tied down.
I’d also check for electrical issues that might cut power to the fuel pump, ignition, or fuel injection during cornering. Keep an eye on the tach and see if it goes to zero or moves erratically when it happens. I’ve seen videos on youtube where electrical issues presented like fuel delivery issues, and were killing the engine in turns.
You could put a fuel pressure gauge with a long hose in the cockpit and see if it waivers when you corner. If it does or doesn’t, you’ve eliminated or confirmed one possibility.