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MG MGB Technical - Rear leaf spring hitting fuel line!!!

Can someone please take a look at the lines going into and out of the fuel pump. I was underneath my '67 B the other day following the fuel lines in search of a fuel filter (none found, of course). Anyhow, I noticed that the line that feeds fuel from the tank to the pump had a dent in it where it bends upward out of the pump. It appears that the rear leaf spring has been hitting & rubbing it for a while. At rest, the leaf spring is about 1.5-2 inches from the line. Would someone be able to check under their car for me (if possible email me a picture) & tell me how everything is supposed to be positioned? Is my fuel pump mounted outward too far? Is the bend in the fuel lines out too far? Are my springs in need of replacement? Any help & advice with this is much appreciated.

Thanks!
Gary

There is a picture in Clausager that tells almost all the story. However the hose into the pump from the tank is well clear of the spring, coming down from the pump (lower port) then bending back up and inboard where it connects to the solid pipe. However the pump *outlet* hose exits (upper port) at a right-angle to that i.e. towards the plane of operation of the spring, and the 'U' in the pipe before it joins with the solid pipe under the floor looks to be *very* close to the side of the spring right near the front mount. Unfortunately the picture is clipped just here, but you can see the nut of the front eye bolt just in picture and the 'lowest' point of the 'U' in the flex hose is just *out* of picture, it is that close. That is on a concourse 64.

My (non-concourse!) 73 has a hose on the outlet connecting to the pipe that runs under the floor and exits directly upwards from the pump from the upper port. The inlet is a solid pipe going into the pump lower port - no hose that I can see - and is angled downwards about mid-way between the vertical and horizontal positions as it joins. On its way back to the tank it is adjacent to the tank and above the lower edge of the inner wing panel. Neither pipe is anywhere near the vertical plane of operation of the spring.

Do you have the original SU pump or an aftermarket? It should be pushed fully into the clamp pretty-well as far as it will go and this puts the electrical end in front of the battery within the framework of the battery box. The pipe from the tank has a right-angle fitting so this has no bend towards the spring either. Posting a picture of your arrangement indicating where your dent is would help.
Paul Hunt

Paul, I just sent yout a few photos. I am not sure how to post them on this board. I'll get under the car in a short while to see if I can adjust the position of the pump. thanks for your help. Is Clausager the "Original MGB" book? If so, what page are you referring to?
Gary

OK, I just got back from underneath the B & found that the pump is SU. My inlet line, however, is rigid steel, not flex hose like in the picture. Also, it is pointed out of the pump at the same angle as the outlet.

Should the inlet be rigid or flex hose? The Moss catalog shows that it should be rigid.
Gary

Gary - The original installation used a rigid line all the way to the pump. On my car, as well as a large number of cars out there have had the line cut and a hose inserted into in where it wraps around the pump. This makes removing and installing the pump much easier. Regardless, the line should be fastened up far enough away from the spring that it is not hit by the spring at all. Good luck - Dave
David DuBois

I've posted some pics of my car and a scan of the Clausager photo to Gary, mine also has the solid inlet pipe. From Gary's photos I think one of his main problems is that the pump ports seem to be pointing almost vertically downwards instread of directly forward, which does bring the one pipe very close to the spring.
Paul Hunt

I've received Paul's photos & see that he ports are faceing directly forward whereas mine are pointed downward. Whereas, the pic from Clausager (& it could just be the angle of the shot) seems to be somewhere in between.

Nontheless, I will be needing a replacement fuel line (tank to pump inlet), as well as a new flex hose for the outlet (I have no idea how old the current hose is & being that I'm down there, I'll replace it). I'll also figure out a positioning where nothing (fuel-related) will come in contact with any moving part.

I thank you for your assistance with this. It truly helped seeing pictures of other cars and getting some advice.
Gary

This thread was discussed between 08/05/2004 and 09/05/2004

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