Morris Minor Owners Club

I was, to say the least, extremely 'annoyed' (for want of a stronger word) today as I sat at the side of the dual carriageway because my car had broken down. The fuel pump had gone - the one which I'd only replaced six months earlier last July!

I know that many people have said this before, but just to reiterate, I would recommend to NEVER buy one of the German fuel pumps with the blue cap and fit it to your car. As is self-evident, they are a waste of money and time! Please - no one else make the same mistake!

I shall now be buying an all-original SU pump and installing that as soon as possible. On a formative note - can I reasonably expect that to last a long time, or a mere 6 months as well? I'm just wondering whether I need to think about carrying a spare, considering that I do quite a lot of miles in my Minor.

if you do a lot of miles then for the space it would take up its worth having a spare,you might find you are better off with an original 60s pump thats got good contacts,stuff was better made then,all my minors have had the original pumps fitted,after being laid up for 4 years i had to give my first minors pump a tap to get it going but was fine afterwards.

Sadly you have discovered the truth the hard way but hopefully it will put others off. Yes, certainly they should last longer than 6 months and certainly you should be getting a refund or replacement - but that is no consolation to you when sitting on the hard shoulder of the motorway. Original SU pumps go on forever - my Trav still has the original after 50+ years and apart from some minor lubrication every 6 months or so it is maintenance free....

I think you were warned about this pump at the time ??? As said - the old SU pumps just go on and on - maybe need a new set of points from time to time - but at least a 'tap' will usually get it going enough to get-you-home. Like everything on a MInor - if you carry a good spare - the one on the car will never go wrong. I carry pump/carb/dizzy and head gasket! As well as all the usual stuff like hoses and fan belt.

ive found quite a lot of remanufactued electrical parts to be short lived, look at indicator flasher units for instance,the old original ones are much more reliable even after forty or so years of age

Yes indeed, I was duly warned about the likelihood of the new fuel pump failing again. I just didn't believe that it would actually happen - in light of the amount I paid for it - but I have been shown to be foolish now!

It has caused me a lot of aggro, as I am on teaching practice in Bognor Regis - about 30 miles away from where I am - and I am now going to have to spend the day training over to ESM in Burwash to get a new fuel pump (or two - one for spare)!

graham1957 wrote:ive found quite a lot of remanufactued electrical parts to be short lived, look at indicator flasher units for instance,the old original ones are much more reliable even after forty or so years of age

Yes, I have been advised about this issue as well. I hear that new coils are known for going?

Oh - and incidentally - can anyone share what they consider to be an essential kit of spare parts to carry in the car at all times?

If your stuck in Bognor Steve Foreman (Woodies) is just up the road in Lavant, He may have one

As above -fuel pump/carb/complete dizzy and head gasket along with hoses (and clips) and fan belt! Perhaps some bulbs - and a set of spark plugs too. Water, oil and fuel of course!

just take a breakdown card

or you wont have room for anything else

I usually carry a spare cylinder head and an alternator too if going far.......

bmcecosse wrote:I usually carry a spare cylinder head and an alternator too if going far.......

he's not joking is he

I found a bicycle particularly useful today..

No - he's not joking

haha - I don't have a Traveller you know! I do have a towbar so could have a spare parts trailer and tow that around with me. On a serious note though - it seems very wise to keep spare hoses etc, so thank you I shall think twice before setting off on any long journey again. Do small parts such as condenser, points etc tend to go without warning? I know that points can weld together can't they?

points will give an indication they are going, ie, misfiring etc, fuel pump mainly stops tap it to get it going and then clean points or replace

if maintained at the normal intervals morris 1s are reliable

Points usually weld together when the condensor goes but in general, yes, they just "fail" without warning. As I said earlier - seek out the NOS lucas items and carry spare points, condensor, leads and plugs. The old ones from the last service are fine if they were working OK as you know they will get you home.....

search ebay for points, condensor and rotor arms they are on there new old stock
same goes for heater hoses

and sometimes better to have little used old stock than new repro rubbish

I know that many people have said this before, but just to reiterate, I would recommend to NEVER buy one of the German fuel pumps with the blue cap and fit it to your car.

These ones are renown for this - I've had one fail on a Minor i bought (on the first long journey out in it!) and it's been mentioned a few times on the forum as well as in the club mag.
I complained to one trade seller on ebay that this particular pump shouldn't be listed as suitable for Minors due to the fact they fail rapidly - however I'm sure there's a vast number of sellers stocking these ones as people think it'll be better than an SU
I've even seen them listed as "electronic therefore superior to the original pump" however I asked the seller to take the cap off and explain what he thought the points were for...

My choice for reliability ould be to get a working OLD original pump and fit a service kit to it including changing the points. I've carried a spare pump many times but never needed one yet - if the points are good in the SU pump you are using you're unlikely to need a spare.