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MG TD TF 1500 - Parking a TD on hills

Hi guys,this is not a problem I have got rather something I experienced a few years ago and wonder if it has happened to anyone else.
We attended the Natmeet in Tasmania in 1997 and after the meet toured Tassie for about 3 weeks. We had booked overnight accommodation up in the mountains miles away from civilisation. Accordingly I filled the fuel tank to the brim. The cabin car park was on a fair slope and I backed up close to the cabin with the nose of the car pointing down hill. In the morning we packed up and when I switched on the ignition there was no ticking from the fuel pump. I also noticed a smell of petrol. When I hit the starter the engine would not turn over at all. I had a think for a while and decided the engine may be thoroughly flooded. I removed the spark plugs and hit the starter without the ignition on. A great gush of petrol shot across the car park from at least 2 cylinders. When this had stopped I replaced the plugs and everything was OK.
I did not think it possible, but overnight the fuel from the tank, obviously being higher than the carbies had syphoned through the fuel pump, past the carbie needle valves and into any available cylinder that happened to have an inlet valve open.
I could have done real damage to the engine if I had tried to clutch start the car, so I guess the point to this rambling litany is be careful where you park with a full tank of petrol.
Cheers,
Paul.




Paul van Gool

Paul's experience should be a lesson to all of us. The SU fuel pump has two check valves in them, but both of them work to prevent fuel from going back toward the fuel tank. With the car parked such that the tank is higher than the fuel pump, it is very possible for the fuel to flow into the carburators without any assistance from the pump. This is not common to only MGs with SU pumps. I once had a Ford (I know, I am hanging my head) that I parked in the apron leading into our basement garage and had disconnected the fuel line to remove the carburator. The next morning, we woke to a tremendous smell of gas and discovered almost a whole tank full had run out and into the drain at the bottom of the apron.

Thank you Paul, for sharing this experience with all of us.

Cheers, Dave
David DuBois

This thread was discussed on 11/08/2000

MG TD TF 1500 index

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