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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 MGA - FAUCET FUEL PUMP

I am looking to add an inline faucet fuel pump so when my original fails I can just turn the switch on to power up the extra pump. By doing this I won't have to crawl under the car to fix it while on the road. Has anyone done this and what fuel pump did you use?
JEFF BECKER

Why on earth do you guys faff about doing such things - if you suspect your present pump then why not just replace it with a very reliable and long lasting Hardi (electronic) pump and have fit and forget?

Or if you enjoy faffing about service the existing SU pump.

Where does this all end, carry a spare starter, alternator, four wheels, tow a trailer of spare parts or another complete car just for occasional drives. 🤣

This type of thing gives and maintains the impression that these old cars are unreliable and need nursing along and pottering about use only.

Of course you and others may think differently to I. 😊
Nigel Atkins

Nigel bites again! Easy tiger.
Bruce.
Bruce Mayo

Not even gumming. 😊

Just an opinion and idea that I might have put before, I'm almost sure Jeff and some (most?) others here will reject it but perhaps one day a silent reader might think my alternative is a reasonable or good idea, perhaps that one already has and I'm wasting virtual ink. 😊

As always each to their own, whatever floats your boat, gets you through the night or keeps you happy.
Nigel Atkins

Dual pumps are not really needed for regular road use, but they are commonly found on competition cars. There are some issues that need to be addressed, but if you're of the mind, read through pages FP-100 to FP-125 (see link below), especially FP-120 & 125. I've had my car on the road now for 42 years, first 25 years with the original SU pump, followed by a replacement solid state SU unit; never had a problem with either pump.

https://mgaguru.com/mgtech/fuel/fuel.htm
Nick Kopernik

Something Nigel and his UK mates tend to forget that travelling without spares in the UK is OK, with pretty reasonable access to mg spares. In the USA and Australia, and the vast distances involved, it's not like you can just call a local supplier and have a part delivered in 6 hours! That's why a lot of us carry a reasonable supply to be prepared for anything!
Gary Lock

Gary,
I understand that but not the plumbing and wiring in of an additional fuel pump or carrying big heavy spare parts just in case. Prevention is better than cure, if you've got a part that's iffy and a replacement for it then why not replace at home at a convenient and comfortable time rather than as a distress replacement when the circumstances and timing can be far from ideal.

If you're travelling on rough roads a lot I can understand you may need more but again as much prevention as you can is better than cure.

I've had enough roadside repairs and breakdowns to last me two lifetimes at least I don't want any more.

I think some get fixated on a particular problem they once have and over compensate for it - and I might have do so as I was once let down by a fuel pump (a dual on a MG BV8 conversion) and had to wait a day and a half for it to arrive losing me a day's work as I used the car, so when I got my current midget and the fuel pump looked cruddy and old I changed it, it might have lasted years more I don't know but I was chancing it being a roadside break down I made a preventative replacement, losing all the fission and opportunity of heroic repair - well crawling around possibly wet ground to hit it with something anyway.

I think like others outside of the UK you have been given the impression of often things being different to how they actually are. I'm not saying it's impossible to get a part perhaps delivered in 6 hours but that's not my experience of roadside repairs and breakdowns. They usually happen when places are shut or many miles away and on very inconvenient parts of the road network, in the dark and sometimes the rain but not often.

This is a tiny island with many areas of the roads very congested and lots of traffic that don't take kindly to old bangers blocking their paths home.

Unlike USA and Aus it would seem, there aren't many little friendly garages with tools and facilities or to loan out for free - that's not to say there aren't any just very few and far between.

Gary if you list what you need to carry it might help me to understand.
Nigel Atkins

Jeff
my car came with a high performance Facet fuel pump and it has been running for well over 12 years without any problems. My car was a race car when I bought it, which explains the uprated fuel pump and it has been totally reliable since I got it.

The Facet fuel pump may deliver higher fuel pressure than the SU pump which can cause flooding and over-fueling in SU carbs so, if you do fit one, I would check this out. I have fitted a fuel pressure regulator since I got it which has let me control the fuel pressure.

I would seriously doubt that you will ever need to use an auxiliary fuel pump, the best thing is to replace it after a long period of use, I would fit a new one and, assuming that it is working ok, carry the old one as a spare.

My Facet fuel pump is attached to the fuel line with flexible hose and so it is really easy to remove, it would probably take me 30 mins or so to swap it.

I do carry a spare fuel pump in the car, along with a long list of spares that I have stashed away around the car.(As most of you will already know) I I can post copy of the list of spares I carry if anyone wishes, they are stashed away around the car and don't take up any useable luggage space and so I just leave them in the car.

I know that I could probably manage without the spares but we have had some long trips around Europe, some over 2000 miles, point to point and with a group of MGAs that was driving 300 miles per day.
So having the spares with me has meant that I am was the position to be able to fix most problems in a day or so and be able to catch up with the group and continue with the tour. If I had to wait for spares being sent from the UK, the group would be long gone.

On an MGA tour of the Outer Hebrides in 2018, one of the cars had a cylinder head gasket fail just as we reached Ullapool in NE Scotland, we had most of the tools and so we decided to drive onto the ferry and fix the gasket in the hotel carpark the next day. We had to go out to buy a torque wrench and we fixed the head gasket the next morning whilst the rest of the group drove around the Island of Lewis for a few hours.
Here's a YouTube clip I posted of the fix (plus a clip of why you shouldn't park your shiny MGA under a tree near to the seaside!) on the way back from the Hebrides.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BY5MCWAZz6s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4OLjo9AnjU

Cheers Colyn
Colyn Firth

I forgot to add a picture of my Facet fuel pump in place.
Colyn


Colyn Firth

Hi Nigel, I agree with you to an extent but I think people are adverse to being stranded at the side of the road and unfortunately the quality of the spare parts supplied these days is poor to the extent that our cars are less reliable than they used to be especially when it comes to electrical components, you don't know if they will last a few months or couple of years. I've had near new fuel pumps fail, the plastic block on distributor points fall off, cracked rotor arms short out the ignition so I installed electronic ignition & still carry a spare distributor with points for a quick swap "just in case" and not to mention those lousy starter & brake light switches (which are a p.i.t.a. to replace) that always seem to fail just out of warranty. So it's not so much looking for a problem rather looking for a solution should these issue continue to occur.
I Hazeldine

Hi I,
if you look up the words/phrase 'modern made piss poor' and/or 'rubbish rubber' it'll probably be a post from me, another one of my moans along with the fact that in the UK at least much of the blame is with tight-fisted classic vehicle owners who insists on the cheapest made parts even if better made parts are available. They can do this often as they so rarely drive their vehicles and for such short distances.

I always say one of the biggest problems with "classic" (overpriced and overvalued old) cars is the modern made parts and who buys them.

You'll also find lists of rubbish parts that I've contributed to on here - piss poor rubbish rubber is a constant PITA to me. You name a crap part and I'll probably be able to tell you how many times I've replaced on my Midget.

Hardi fuel pumps are very reliable and long lived (I've had the QH version for 13 years no hint of a problem and no worries about fuel pressure), I'd never pay extra for a SU logo on a bit of paper, not a good firm to deal with either.

In the UK (and USA?) good quality CB point sets, rotor arms, condensers, caps are available, some are sold right along side the cheaper less reliable ones!

10+ years ago I installed a fully (top and bottom) electronic 123-ignition dissy, fit 'n' forget. I don't carry any spares for it but I can understand why you might want to carry one you have spare and made up but I'd suggest you fit it out with Distributor Doctor parts. http://www.distributordoctor.com/

I'm not sure what starter switch you mean but Lucas is just a name now (spread over at least two companies) and the quality seems extremely variable. Intermotor is now SMPE, the few parts I've had from them seem OK but not the quality they were.

Proper old and good NOS is getting hard to find, some NOS is from when they were poorly made as it's been going on so long.

The brake light switches I had trouble with a few years back but the last one seems to have carried on working, perhaps it's a case of the stock of faultily items being sold and getting on to a stock that's not so bad.

I'm into preventative maintenance and I like things to work well, as much as you can anyway on these cars, I don't hold on to parts forever just because they're still working, they're got to work well and if I think they're getting to the end of their life I change them before they fail, a novel idea to some I know. That doesn't mean I want to change parts for the sake of it especially if a part is working because who knows how good the replacement part might be. Which is why I'd sooner pay more for a better quality part that I don't have to worry about but the majority insist on only the cheapest. Bling parts, entirely different matter, lots can be spent on them, as long as the car looks good doesn't matter how it goes, not that some would know how well it should go.

Dissy Dr. for dissy and ignition bits - but if you have other parts you want better made list them and we'll see if there is a good alternative, I think some went on to Harley Davidson brake light switches or changed to the type behind the pedal but the latest batch of the original style part might be alright now but I can't remember when the last moan about them was (excluding yours now).
Nigel Atkins

Ignition switch?

(157SA)



Nigel Atkins

Jeff. David DuBois, who used to post here, has described how to do what you wish. I did it to my MGB many years ago and do not remember any big problems when setting up the system. I mounted the toggle switch behind the passenger's seat where it would be out of the way, but still easy to reach. The second fuel pump is not something that is often needed. But, when it is needed, it can be (quite literally) a life and death matter in the area that I live in. The deserts of California may offer the same adventures that the deserts of Arizona can. This might be something that is never needed. But, if that is the case you are only out a small amount of time and expense. If you do need it, that time and expense is justified.

Les
Les Bengtson

I have had my 1958 MGA for over two decades. It came with Hardi fuel pump. When I got the car I had heard about fuel pump failures and bought a rebuilt SU pump from David Dubois to have on hand. Well, today the Hardi is still chugging along without any issues and the rebuilt has been on the shelf for two decades plus. My experience with fuel pumps has been excellent and at least my experience leads me to think having a secondary inline pump might be a bit excessive.
Bill Haglan

Bill,
if you have a Hardi pump it probably is excessive but if you have an SU pump and don't like the idea of carrying a thick stick and crawling around on the ground it might be a good idea.

A better idea might be to fit a Hardi pump and forget about it for at probably 20+ years - but then you haven't got an SU label on the pump!!!
Nigel Atkins

I've been driving my MGA for 51 years now. Fitted a Facet pump about 30 years ago and haven't even thought about it since! Still works!
Barry.
Barry Gannon

The only spares I carry are a water pump (I run a 3 main MGB engine in my MGA coupe and the chances of finding a new pump for that two year only engine on the rod is minimal) points condenser and some fine sandpaper for cleaning points on fuel pump and distributor if necessary.

I have reset point gap using a discarded matchbook found at the side of the road, but given the reduction in smokers, it might be advisable to also carry some feeler gauges.

I also made up an emergency kit - a one hole rubber stopper that fits into the filler neck and a long hose - an emergency fuel pump. As our fillers do not have vents, all you have to do is stick the stopper in the filler and hand the end of the hose to your passenger with instructions to keep blowing (although my wife did hyperventilate bit when trying it out). You can maintain enough pressure to keep running at 2000-2500 rpm until you find a garage. Today I would elaborate the design by adding a one way valve to prevent navigator hyperventilation.
Bill Spohn

This thread was discussed between 10/08/2021 and 25/08/2021

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