Morris Minor Owners Club

Hello,

I have a 1968 Minor (which I have recently purchased) and noticed that when I go around right hand corners (or just after), there is a smell of petrol. I guess that this is because the petrol is being thrown to the left hand side near the filler. Is this a common problem, and is there a pipe or seal that is likely to be perished and in need of replacement? It does not happen under normal driving conditions, mainly when pulling off and turning right at t-junctions etc.

Any pointers gratefully appreciated!

Thanks, Aaron

you could have a look at the rubber hose between the body and the filler neck on the tank. If you look under the floor boards in the boot (next to the spare wheel, you should be able to spot a perished hose, or a loos e one.

It could be the fuel tank but you should be able to find traces of the smell still around.

It's also possible the float in the carb is set a bit high, and you're losing petrol here. This is much more likely to be noticeable in the cab very quickly, but is also likely to lead to a thermal event, so check it out quickly.

Thanks for the input.

I don't think it is the tank because I drove the car starting with a full tank for about 70 miles and did not smell anything and unless the guage is out, it did not drink too much fuel at all.

The pipe around the neck of the filler does look a bit perished, and there are marks on the paint where petrol has dripped - but I suspect that this may have been caused when the car was filled up (the previous owner filled it up for me before I purchased it). I have not ruled the pipe out yet, and may replace it anyway since I don't think it will be expensive.

As far as the float is concerned, how can I check the float level and what can I do to adjust it? I have not owned a car with a carb since I was 17 and that did not have a carb like this, so this part of the engine bay is completely new to me. I do have a manual on order, but would obviously like to see if I can get to the bottom of the problem before the manual arrives

Thanks

I had a leaking gasket on the fuel tank sensor and within very little time of filling up (full) you could smell petrol in the car. For a few days we tried filling up to a bit less than full and it avoided the smell.
Cuting a long story short, don't be to quick to rule out the tank / filler pipe as you WILL smell the leak quickly.

Its also possible for smells to be drawn in past the rear bumber iron rubbers if they are badly perished.

Mine does this but only after hard cornering, more so if the tanks full.
Fuel is not leaking anywhere inside the car so I've put it down to the fuel cap itself. I think fuel is literaly thrown out... the seal's not brilliant.
I couldn't come to any other conclusion.