SU fuel pump maintenance

Until very recently my SU fuel pump would emit a couple of clicks when the key was turned... click,click...click,click: like that. Now there is only one single click when the key is turned and if I switch off the ignition and turn it back on, there is no click. The car runs great right now.

2 Questions:
1, Does this change indicate something starting to go wrong with the pump?
2, Does anyone perform any routine preventative maintenance on their SU pumps?

The Haynes manual suggests some minor tips every 12k or so, cleaning the points and filter, etc.

This is a very stock '74 chrome bumper B

Thanks,
Tony

Tony,
the old style (points) su pump, clicks as the coil pulls up the diaphram and the points open and the pump cycles. When the car has been sitting awhile and the fuel bowls on the carbs and/or the fuel lines empty of gas, upon reenergizing the pump, the pump cycles until the lines and bowls have refilled. Thus, the click, click, click,,,,, click,,,,,,,,,click,,
If you only get a few clicks and the car runs fine, it probably just means you have a tight system. Turning the ignition (power to the pump) off and then right back on should not under normal conditions make the pump cycle.

Ed

The pump will only "click" while it is pressurizing the fuel system. Usually, evaporation, leakage etc. overnight will lower the fuel level in the float chambers so that when you first turn on the ignition the pump will click until the bowls are full. That is why you can turn of the ignition and then turn it on again and the pump will not click. If the pump clicks continuously, it is a sign of trouble: either stuck float valves (look for fuel spewing from the vents), other leaks, or the pump diapragm is starting to fail.

From your description I'd say everything is just fine! However, routine maintainence is not a bad idea. The points do wear (and are a bitch to change). A friend in England made a conversion so that the points only switched low current to a transistor which switched the current to the coil - and handled the back EMF, thus made the pump much more reliable. I think I will try a similar conversion when I rebuild my pump - probably next winter.