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MG Midget and Sprite Technical - Fule pump? 1500

I finished some work on the 77 1500 and got the wife to go for a ride. As she was putting on her seat belt the car died. It sounded like it ran out of gas. I went to the station with a can and put in 3 gallons. It started and only ran about 5 seconds. I noticed that there was no clicking sound coming from the rear passenger side when I turn on the key. I am guessing that I have a electric fuel pump that has stopped. Am I right? Reading the repair manuals it seems that I should have an AC mechanical pump, but prior to today I had a clicking sound when I turned the key that I assumed was an electric fuel pump.
Thanks in advance for your help.

Jim
jt simmons

Jim, if you look at the left rear side of the engine, you will see the mechanical fuel pump on your car. If it's not there, someone has switched things around and that's not always good depending on their mechanical expertise!

The clicking you might have heard, and I'm only speculating here, may have been the starter relay clicking due to low battery power. That's on the firewall though so I have no idea what the clicking under the right side was that you heard.

The reason your car may have died and not restarted could be due to a vapour lock. Fairly common on some cars apparently and if it's really hot where you are that might be the reason it died. See how you do after things have cooled down a bit and let us know how you made out.



Clive Reddin

I'd bet you do indeed have an electric pump and it stopped. See if there is a pump by the rear axle. May have failed, blown a fuse or something.
J Van Dyke

Remove your gas line at the carb, and have some one turn on the key and see if there is any gas coming out of the line.
I had a falure of a mechanical pump and replace with a electric one in the rear and I put a 3 amp fuse in line with the power line.
RC Bishop

if the pump is at the back, it should be under the righr rear wheel arch -- if it is --- try tapping it with a hammer(gently) to see if its just stuck points on the pump!
Mick - trying to sort the wiring

Jim - If the pump is electric, it may well be nearing the end of the useful life of the points. Tapping on the pump, as Mick suggests may well get it running again, but it is a warning of future problems. See the article, Fuel Delivery Troubleshooting Guide in the SU Fuel Pump Articles section of my web site at: http://homepages.donobi.net/sufuelpumps/ for tips in determining where the problem exists. Cheers - Dave
David DuBois

This thread was discussed on 04/07/2009

MG Midget and Sprite Technical index

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