Morris Minor Owners Club

Here I am with bonnet up. Wheni close the door the fuel pump ticks like mad. Took cap off fuel cap. No visible vent there. Any ideas. Clean contacts? I need to get the car through some Roadworks lol. Pulled off the road right now

If the pump is going “like mad”, it means that it’s not getting any fuel to pump.
It sounds like that you’re either out of gas, or it’s sucking air somewhere, or the strainer is plugged full of crud, or heaven forbid, the pump itself has failed.

Have you been sitting in heavy traffic? you mention roadworks..... Fuel vapourisation.... Pull over give it time to calm down. The fuel in the float vapourises in hot weather. Try again after a few minutes. Check for clogged points in pump.

the braded fuel pipe helps dispell the heat.

I had this a few years back when the fuel pipe was not sealing very well at the tank
Symptoms are the same as running out of fuel - the fuel line is full of air and fuel pump is racing.


To get home 5 miles I had to blow into the fuel tank and push the fuel into the pipe - Whilst blowing for a while it would fill up the carb and I could get another 1/2 mile and do it again

Mine was caused by a missing flange on the end of the fuel pipe - the flange should push up against the inner pipe reverse flare and seal the 2 together as well as seal the union to the tank. If it leaks then you can't pull fuel up out of the tank.

It's not the fuel in the float bowl that vapourises . or in the 'braided (or unbraided) pipe' - it's fuel in the suction line that vapourises if it becomes overheated, and then the pump sucks like mad trying to get it's prime. But this is hardly warm enough weather for it - unless you have added additional filtration in the suction line. Can also happen if the pump stroke is not correctly set. Are you sure you haven't just run out of fuel ??

Yes, run out of petrol gets my vote! Perhaps your fuel gauge/sender is inaccurate.

The one on the convertible shows 1/4 full when it is actually nearly empty!

well did you get it started or not

i just pushed it back 300 miles. i am very tired, just joking.

after my other problem with the water pump, now sorted, the fuel pump is still ticking in hot weather, i think it was hotter than some parts of the med yesterday. at the night when it's cool, it's ticking about once, twice per minute so i think it's fuel vaporisation. also, the gasket on the float chamber was made with a bit of cereal packet, would that afect affect things?

metal braided hose between the pump and the carb, or the pump and the float chamber, does anyone have a link for one of those? if it's ticking like mad is it wasting petrol, or overflowing anywhere or is it just air,

also, bmc said it can tick a lot when the throw's not set right, what should it be, however when it's cooler, it ticks once, twice a minute and is faultless. i wound the rocker arm back on and counted the number of turns so as to copy the previous one but might not be the right amount of turns.

onto the petrol cap, i cannot see a little tiny hole on the outside, it's a locking cap and might not be right for the moggie, i don't think it has a pressure release mechanism like the rad cap either, not sure if petrol caps have these? should i see a little hole on the petrol cap, a vent? anyone have a link for a good cap if so?

when i took the cap off after trouble with the fuel pump i didn't feel any sucking in from the hole.

i got the pump working again by pushing the top contact down until it clattered again, i think the points might be eroded, how many mm should fresh points be, i think they're worn down, they don't last that long! i think i am going to have to fit a condenser there to keep the spark down, does anyone have a link for that mod?

I don't believe any one mentioned a pin hole in the diaphram. This came from a factory train mechanic. An aged diaphram may have some cracks and holes that initially may be fine but as it flexes from pumping, air starts to be pulled in.
Yes the vapourization occurs in the veritical part of the fuel line as it raises to the fuel pump (I've seen the buble form in a plastic fuel line) Any additional rescrictions, besides the basic length of the line, will lower the pressure of the fuel even more causing vapourization, the main advantage of a pump back at the tank.

that's a good point you made, however, during late evening when things are cooler, the pump ticks once a minute, therefore i believe that the fault is consistent with the temperature. bearing in mind today was hotter than parts of the med and barcelona apparently! should there be a visible hole on the fuel cap? the thing is, if i open the cap i don't get a sucking and the pump doesn't improve, it still clicks. but when the temperature is more moderate, things are better.

Is the fuel filter clear ?

just going to check this now. now she won't start so i am going out to check the plugs, ignition checks and fuel. first thing will be fuel, i can hear the requisite tick. does the moggie fuel gauge have any fuel in it when it's on E or can it go a bit past E? i'd better go get a fiver's of fuel in that case!

bmc, what af size is the nut to get the filter out again? :S

also, your contacts on your su sump, do you bend down the top set until the pump works/they start to tick, is that how you adjust yours? and do you have a condenser/relay fitted to your pump to keep the spark down? i think the points on mine are worn down, on side profile, how much material/tungsten should you see? i can see mainly metal and a scrap of tungsten left so maybe new contacts needed and will check the points too.

does the moggie fuel gauge have any fuel in it when it's on E or can it go a bit past E?

They are all a bit different, if you want to find out carry a can of petrol!

Pour a gallon in - assume it's empty. You haver to go back to basics if there is no spark..