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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 TD TF 1500 - Aux Fuel Pump

Mr. Gasket makes an aux fuel pump, 2-3.5 pressure. Parts Geek has them on sale for $38.66. Anyone know anything about them? Are they a free flow pump where the main pump can pull through them when not needed? I have a Carter rotary pump, but I have to install a bypass line to install it and I don't want to do that. PJ
Paul S Jennings

The pressure is a little on the high side. I picked up one from NAPA 1.5 lbs...actually two. Have one on both MG's between the tank and the SU on one and reverse on the other. No issues.
MG LaVerne

Are these the little plastic ones? If so, I'd avoid it. I used to buy Facets at a local chain parts store until they stopped carrying them and had those Mr. Gasket ones instead. I bought one and it failed in short order. I now buy the Facets via mail order.

FWIW, I've also heard bad things about those dial type Mr. Gasket fuel pressure regulators.
David Littlefield

Thanks LaVerne & David. I was just checking, I already considered a Facet. LaVerne, is NAPPAs aux pumps Facets or another brand? 1.5 lbs, good to know. PJ
Paul S Jennings

NAPA used to carry the Facet pumps, at least our local NAPA did. That was a couple of years ago so things may have been changed.

As for the 3.5 being to high a pressure for the TD or early TF with the fuel pump on the firewall - a couple of things - if you are worried about the pressure, mount in under the car near the fuel tank as it is in the 55 TFs and MGA. The specified SU fuel pump for both is the AZX 1331, which is a 3.8 psi pump. Also, just to see what the results of that pump on the firewall of a TD, I drove our TD for an entire summer with a AZX 1331 just to see what, if any problems might occur - None! I think that a AUA 25, low pressure pump in the back of the 55 TF or the MGA might have a bit of a problem, particularly if they were run full out, but not having one of those cars to try it on, I have to plead ignorance. Cheers - Dave
D W DuBois

Paul,
Look at Aircraft Spruce for Facet pumps. They have a full listing of what is available and their specs. These little pumps apparently are used as back-ups on a great many aircraft. They make good Aux pumps as they can be pumped or drawn through. Price is better than usual suppliers... at least here.
...CR
C.R. Tyrell

Thanks CR, Aircraft Spruce has them for under 40 bucks. They have a long list of Facets, more pressure variations than I knew existed. Been around aircraft all my adult life and never knew Facets were an approved pump. PJ
Paul S Jennings

Here is what I have. They come in varying pressure ratings. About 50 bucks.


MG LaVerne

LaVerne, Looks identical to the Mr. Gasket pump! Varying numbers and models indicate different pressures, but it looks the same. Positive or negative hook up. PJ


Paul S Jennings

"FWIW, I've also heard bad things about those dial type Mr. Gasket fuel pressure regulators."

I've run one on our TD and another on a Honda CRX with motorcycle carbs. The motorcycle carbs were designed for gravity feed, so it seemed logical.

After about 15 years, I've got no complaints with them.
JRN JIM

Darn - Am I missing something here?

The good old SU Fuel pump on my TD has worked flawlessly for all the time I have had this car [1970]
The one before that [1964 till 1974] that went all over Europe and Northern Ireland and drove home on leave to Kent in England - a 600 miles one shot, many times. I never had an issue with either.

I did get a flat tire once in France - when the side wall gave out - on my way to Spain.

Worst thing I ever had to do - was in the middle of winter whilst serving in Germany with the RAF, was give it a thump to start it, but you can count those occasions on one hand.
Why would you need to add a pump to the fuel line?
Unless stage 5 tuned or a blower fitted maybe. They just fitted two SU pumps for that though, right?

Is this not just introducing something else modern and cheap that can fail?

Just asking is all,

Rod
R. D. Jones

I'm still a fan of the simple system :
http://www.ttalk.info/LockePump.htm Bud
Bud Krueger

That's the first plastic Facet I've seen. I was referring to the ones that are metal cubes. Maybe that's a new version?

The Mr. Gasket pump you pictured does look a little different than the Facet, but that's the Mr. Gasket that crapped out on me pretty quickly.
David Littlefield

Because of past experience with SU fuel pumps on a TD where its easy to get at I decided when I bought the TF 1500 with the pump located on the frame behind the right rear wheel to have a second SU pump. The second pump will be mounted just aft of the original pump mounted to a steel plate welded to the frame similar to the front plate. The two pumps will be plumbed in series. When I ordered my wiring harness I had a second wire added for the second fuel pump. The switch will be hidden under the dash where the center position will be no power to either pump, left position for pump #1, right position for pump #2. The switch in the center position is also a theft deterrent.
F. Driver

Here's my source for the cubes:

https://www.pegasusautoracing.com/group.asp?GroupID=FACET12CUBE
David Littlefield

Facet pumps come in several different flavors - the cube pump (which is metal) and the posi-flow which is a composite material and the gold flow, which is a round tubular shape. All come in various output pressures so they can match the needs of a specific car. Apparently Purolator has taken over Facet and the Facet pumps are available under a number of different names.

PJ - I believe that the Facet pumps are primarily used on light planes to transfer fuel between tanks.

Rod - The SU pumps are prone to points erosion due to voltage spikes from the coil. The points contacts develop a film on them when not used for long period of time (such as winter hibernation). Both of these conditions can be compensated for by faithful yearly maintenance of the points (cleaning and dressing them), but if that maintenance is skipped or forgotten, the pumps can a do fail, usually at the worst possible time ie. on a heavily traveled highway or a narrow country road where it is not possible to get completely off the road. On a TD, a pump failure is easy to get at to correct, but on the later TFs and all the later MGs, the pump is under the car, requiring the car to be on a jack while correcting the problem. After having the pump on our MGB fail on I5 in Northern California and having to change a pump on the shoulder with traffic streaming by at 85 plus, I decided that a switchable backup pump was a reasonable precaution (besides, once the back up pump, the main pump will never again fail).

F. Driver - "The second pump will be mounted just aft of the original pump mounted to a steel plate welded to the frame similar to the front plate."
I hope that the backup SU pump is an all electronic pump. If it is a points style pump, I can guarantee that the backup pump will not work when the need arises. You need to have either the SU all electric pump or a Facet pump in that capacity.
Cheers - Dave
D W DuBois

D W DuBois, thanks for the information. Could you comment further as to why the SU pump used as a backup to the original pump needs to be of the electronic type. If its because of not being used on a regular basis than that's easy to resolve but if I missed something now is the time to correct it.
F. Driver

Fortunately the SU on my TF is electronic, so the point issue is nil, but I'm putting a Facet cube behind it just in case. If it never gets used I could care less, but if for some reason the SU fails the facet will get me home. I'm not in favor of crawling on the ground in a nice shirt and slacks. Of course I carry a pair of coveralls with me, which should have been in the original equipment from the factory. Grin. PJ
Paul S Jennings

This thread was discussed between 12/04/2015 and 14/04/2015

MG TD TF 1500 index

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