Fuel tank empty
A diesel fuel system will need the air bleeding out. There will be a bleed nipple on the fuel pump that you can loosen and pump out the bubbles of air. If there is no pump then loosen the fule pipe joint at the injectior and turn the engine over to remove air bubbles. Care: diesel is under high presuure at the injectors.

Fuel pipe leak
Most fuel pipes are plastic. If the leak is near a joint, try cutting out the bad section and sealing the remaining pipe onto the joint again after dipping the end of the pipe into near boiling water to soften it. If the leak is not near a joint then it may be possible to seal the leak by melting the hole closed with e.g. a very hot screwdriver

Fuel pump: damaged
In the event of not being able to repair a fuel pump, petrol can be gravity fed from a jerrycan or small container secured above the carburettor.

Fuel tank leak
A stiff paste made from scrapings from a bar of soap, water and the finest dust you can find, will seal a leaking fuel tank. The edges of the hole must be perfectly dry and free of fuel before applying the paste.
I have driven my vehicle quite happily on a plastic tube running from a oil can full of petrol. The oil can was secured in the rear of the vehicle and the plastic pipe pushed onto the end of the disconnected fuel line from the tank.

Gearbox: lack of oil
In an emergency engine oil can be used in a manual gearbox if the vehicle is driven SLOWLY. But serious damage will result if used in an automatic gearbox.

Ignition system check (distributor type)
Turn on the ignition, remove the distributor cap then remove the central lead from it and hold the end about 1cm from the engine block. Flick open the points with a screwdriver and watch for a spark jumping to the engine block from the end of the removed lead . A good blue spark means all is OK. A red spark suggests a coil problem and a very weak red spark which cannot jump 1cm suggests the condenser is at fault.

Oil sump leak
A stiff paste made from scrapings from a bar of soap, water and the finest dust you can find, will seal a leaking oil sump. The edges of the hole must be perfectly dry and free of oil before applying the paste.

Petrol: contaminated with water
Water is a possible impurity in petrol supplied in remaote areas from drums. Adding a cup full of methylated spirits will integrate the water with the petrol so that the engine runs more smoothly.

Spark plugs
A faulty spark plug can cause misfiring of the engine. Identify a faulty plug by removing plug leads systematically from a running engine. A faulty plug will not affect the speed of the engine much when it is disconnected. If no new plugs are available the faulty plug can be improved by filing the top of the centre electrode to remove any hard insulating deposit.

Suspension (Hydraulic)
I ran a Morris 1100 on a water-filled suspension for several thousand kilometers once, until correct suspension fluid could be obtained. The water was pumped in by using the clutch master cylinder as a water reservoir and pumping the clutch pedal. Several refills of the master cylinder were necessarybefore finally restoring the clutch fluid. On another occasion I was able to raise the suspension by pumping in air using a foot pump. On both these occasions I raised the vehicle on jacks to reduce pressure on the supension, thus allowing easier entry of more fluid.

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