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MG TD TF 1500 - When the fuel line comes loose assume you've lost

I think I posted this event last week but I can't find it and can't remember.

On returning from a LBC meeting at a pretty neat garage (see thread One Hung Low) all was going well until about 1/2 mile from the stable when I had a drastic loss of power and it seemed the engine was running on just two cylinders. Actually, it was. Cursory inspection revealed that the hollow bolt through the banjo nut in carb 1 had come completely unscrewed. fuel pump was working great but very little gas was getting to carb 1.

Easy fix - screwed it back in, tightened it up and took off for a short spin. Ran great (some residual gas aroma) so back to the barn and put it to bed for the week.

Went to visit it and go for a spin today and soon noticed gas fumes again. Stopped, popped the bonnet and watched the fuel running to the ground (missing the exhaust manifild while stopped by who knows while running). Back to the barn with fingers crossed - no fire extinguisher on board but that will soon change.

Yup, no fiber washers on the banjo. Fortunately I had an SU rebuild kit that included two. Put them on, drove about ten miles, inspected and no leaks - dry as a bone.

Lesson (for me and other newbies): If something comes loose don't assume that all the little parts are still there.

Jud
J K Chapin

Had that same failure, but lost the whole bolt. Discovered it when getting close to home. It was acting like a sunk float (which I've had before) so I was initially not that worried. It was a cold night and I started to notice condensation build up on the top of the bonnet (this was due to the evaporative cooling of the fuel being sprayed onto the underside of the bonnet by the fan). Once the car was stopped, I could see smoke/mist coming from around the engine bay. I quickly shut off the ignition and grabbed my extinguisher and hopped out. Opening the bonnet, I saw the whole front float cover askew and fuel dripping on the exhaust down tube. Pretty scary! I now carry a spare nut fiber washer and crush washer.

Alex
Alex Waugh

Jud - When you get the fiber washers, I would suggest a drop or two of green LocTite on the threads of the banjo bolt (after drying all the fuel off of the threads on the bolt and the internal threads in the carb). Normally, I would just suggest really, really reefing on the bolt when tightening it, but as old as the carbs are getting, that might not be a great idea. The green (removable) LocTite will keep the bolt from vibrating loose. Cheers - Dave
David DuBois

This thread was discussed between 15/04/2013 and 17/04/2013

MG TD TF 1500 index

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