MG-Cars.net

Welcome to our resource for MG Car Information.

Recommendations

Parts

MG parts spares and accessories are available for MG T Series (TA, MG TB, MG TC, MG TD, MG TF), Magnette, MGA, Twin cam, MGB, MGBGT, MGC, MGC GT, MG Midget, Sprite and other MG models from British car spares company LBCarCo.

MG Midget and Sprite Technical - Fuel pump behaviour

Refresh my memory about normal behaviour of the fuel pump please. I thought it should self prime, i.e. run continuously until it draws some fuel through my newly refitted pipe but it doesn't want to.

Tested dry on the bench it gives one clunk when I connect the power, but nothing further.

It's not the original, I recall replacing it shortly before I took the car off the road. Removing the end cover off reveals a circuit board and something that might be a small set of points beneath, but they are not readily accesible.


AdrianR

It should pump until it encounters back pressure from the carburretor end, then it should stop. Did you replace just the tank-pump run? Is there any fuel in the pump-carb run? Disconnect the fuel union at the carb end and test it again
Simon Wood

Adrian is it an A series?
Try disconnecting the fuel pipe at the carb end and see if it will put pump fuel through.
Jeremy MkIII

Not quite so easy to get at but I would disconnect the fuel line on the delivery side of the pump and try again. If, for example, there was a blockage in the fuel line downstream of the pump it could well just pulse once, and stop.
GuyW

Bench testing with no back pressure on the outlet, it should run forever.
Dave O'Neill 2

I managed to poke the points with a cocktail stick while on the bench, after which it ran for a bit, great, so refitted to car, whereupon it refused to do anything again. Ho humm.

I then found another one in my spares box, which bench tested OK, so fitted that instead and it also worked on the car so I now have fuel to the carbs. However I can't recall the history of that unit, I must have taken it off for some reason so not quite counting this as done yet.

AdrianR

Something is amiss with my posting so I'll try over two posts here (part one) - Unless you like messing about with points and the like r enjoy the excitement of not knowing if the car will start or continue running and the thrill of hitting the pump with a hammer or kicking the heel board to then get an electronic version, needn't be the noisy square or cylindrical types and needn't pay extra for a SU label.
Nigel Atkins

I've had a fit and forget (QH) electronic pump for about 10 years now with absolutely no expected or received problems. Of course that's just my point of view, other views and types of pump are available but here's one from a random supplier (sorry I can't put hyperlink or photo at moment so look for AUF124Z on MGB Hive web site)
Nigel Atkins

(see if this works) I mistyped part number too, it should be - AUF214Z. ETA: no it didn't quite work!


Nigel Atkins

(As a test, the complete post)
ETA: yeap things are fully working again well done Webmaster


Unless you like messing about with points and the like and enjoy the excitement of not knowing if the car will start or continue running and the thrill of hitting the pump with a hammer or kicking the heel board then get an electronic version, needn't be the noisy square or cylindrical types and needn't pay extra for a SU label.

I've had a fit and forget (QH) electronic pump for about 10 years now with absolutely no expected or received problems.

Of course that's just my point of view, other views and types of pump are available but here's one from a random supplier -
http://mgbhive.co.uk/product/10-midget-1275-fuel-petrol-pump-auf214z/




Nigel Atkins

Hmm - that looks suspiciously like the temperamental one I have, down to the blue insulation tape around the cover. Mine has shield logo on the end cap with something like "HARDI" above a capital H.

Mine is probably 15 years old, but has spent the last 12 or 13 hibernating with the car.
AdrianR

Yes, Hardi pumps also have points. My brother's MGB had one fitted, which is why we didn't make it to MG Live one year, but came home on the back of a truck.

Fortunately, we are only 50 miles from Silverstone, so we got there a little later than planned, albeit not in an MG.

The pump was replaced with a good, used SU pump afterwards.
Dave O'Neill 2

The refitted one from my spares box says Moprod on it and looks like this.

http://www.leacyclassics.com/auf214z.html
AdrianR

Personally I'd give the Hardi pump away to someone who enjoys fiddling around with points rather than trust it.

I don't know about the one from Leacy but there was a thread with one of those in two halves.

This is the type I fitted about 10 years ago (QHFP171E), whether they're as well made today I don't know -
http://classicparts4cars.co.uk/mg-midget-electronic-fuel-pump---auf214--qfp171e-133-p.asp
Nigel Atkins

Ive gone with a aftermarket universial fuel pump with great success just off the shelf 1.5 to 3 psi and it does well easy to install

I want to say morso brand...and there cheap... but becarful of rhe fuel, if it sits its a bear to get the white powder fuel cleaned out

Prop
1 Paper

This is the one im using...its Mr. Gasket not morso

But so far so good

http://m.summitracing.com/parts/mrg-42s/reviews


http://m.summitracing.com/parts/mrg-42s/none/images

.
1 Paper

I have a Moprod electric fuel pump which looks exactly the same as an SU pump only it's made out of plastic. It's been happily ticking away for at least 35 years with no problems
Simon Wood

I'm going to put the carbs back on at the weekend and try and start it using the Moprod pump. Wish me luck.
AdrianR

Adrian,
beware, by coincidence I was just reading a recent MGB thread (something I rarely do now ) and saw this -

paulh4, West Midlands, United Kingdom
"Don't get an afrter-market plastic-bodied Moprod electronic pump, they have a bad reputation. I binned (well, keep it as an emergency spare) after several bouts of short-stroking that left me stranded until it decided to start working properly again. Knocking no help with those!"

Paul has an excellent MGB web site (mgb-stuff) so has a lot of info.

Quote is from a recent thread on MGB Technical forum on here called 'Fuel pump points gap'.
Nigel Atkins

In the acrchives i want to say someone installed a condensor with the points in the fuel pump and that worked out pretty good.

Im not sure what my opinion is on the newer elecronic SU pumps, id say wire in a spare facet pump if your traveling just in case

Prop
1 Paper

Google Huco low pressure pump - different pumps for boot or engine bay (suck and push). I replaced the SU in my midget with one and the mechanical pump in my TR4 with one, both have performed faultlessly for several years
S G Macfarlane

Nigel, I could speculate that a Moprod fuel pump manufactured today differs from one manufactured 35+ years ago. Or perhaps I have simply been lucky.
Simon Wood

That's the problem Simon what was previously good could now be not good but on the plus side some things that weren't considered that good years or decades ago can now be very good. We can only put what we find, as I put it was sheer lucky that I saw Paul's post and I reported it as Paul's info is normally of a very high standard.
Nigel Atkins

I remembered why I removed the Moprod one. It leaks. Only a drip so it worked enough to fire up the engine but not what you want.

Both pump tops are held on with 6 bolts of the same PCD and pattern, so I thought I might be able to make one good one out of the two, but the internal sealing arrangements are different so no luck.

Huco one looks good, ordered.

AdrianR

This thread was discussed between 23/06/2017 and 02/07/2017

MG Midget and Sprite Technical index

This thread is from the archive. The Live MG Midget and Sprite Technical BBS is active now.