Lucas Fuel Reserve valves are normally fairly reliable, the main problems being:

Faulty solenoids which, on an Aston, can burn out the wiring loom at best & set fire to the car at worst case,

Fuel varnish / gum which stops the ball moving, also bodies are corroding more now with modern fuels.

Split tubes, these split & stop the fuel pumps sucking fuel once the split is uncovered by the lowered fuel level.

When we get the valves for reconditioning the worst cases are when the valves are stripped & damaged before we get them, we much prefer to receive them complete so we can strip them.

Note - instructions are here for disconnecting the carburettor supply pipe from the valve, please follow them because its very easy to damage the valve.

We Recondition your Own Lucas Petrol Reserve valve, these were fitted to a great many cars other than Aston's from 1940's to the 1970's, we call it a fuel reserve pickup and fuel reserve valve. 

These are stripped, vapour blasted body then ultrasound cleaned & examined, the original bodies were cast in Mazak or monkey metal so Note: these original valves are not ethanol resistant, to be as ethanol resistant as possible you will need one of our new anodised bodies.                                       

Note: we normally only recondition the whole unit using our parts.

The valve ball seating area is recut, at this stage the bodies are vacuum tested to ensure they will work once rebuilt

They are always rebuilt with new solenoids & looms, always with brass tubes (they split or block up),  a new gauze is made up & fitted then they are electrically tested & vacuum tested (again) before despatch. Supplied with our own reserve valve gasket. Instructions for fitting are supplied.
                                                                                                                                                                                                      

Suitable for DB2 through to DBS & a great many other 1930's, 40's, 50s & 60s cars including Allard, Alvis (TC21, TD 21 & others), Armstrong Siddeley, Daimler, Healey, Jensen (541R & others) &  Rover just to name a few. 

We like to supply the units this way because there are a great many combinations of the parts & although our parts list is now extensive we cannot know what car / model they are for & so dont know pipe lengths & shapes. Note: the pictures show 3 different types just for Aston's !

Note:

We made new Anodised alloy bodies for this unit in February 2016, this enables us to supply new units on an exchange basis or outright purchase if we have the information to rebuild the unit, pipe lengths, bends, etc.,

Our new valve bodies are Anodised to help stop the onset of corrosion & varnish sticking the ball.in its housing besides being as ethanol resistant as possible, unfortunately this isn't possible with the original valve bodies.