Morris Minor Owners Club

Anyone else suffering the dreaded fuel vaporisation stall in this heat? My car has always struggled when 20 degrees plus

many will and many wont
i guess its luck of the draw

I haven't stalled but I drove fifty miles today and then stopped to load the car up for about half an hour. When I switched it on after the break the fuel pump went crazy for a couple of seconds and then stopped. I assumed that was due to vapourisation.

could have been
touch wood i have not suffered with it with any minor just lucky i guess

Just travelled 289 miles homr from National rally site through the hot part of the day. Mostly motorway, towing a trailer. A couple of stops (fuel for the car, food for us) and no problems at all. Touch wood.

If you have a fuel filter, throw it away!

So a mixed bag. Mine hates the heat. A jam on a day like this and within a few mins the pump is going nuts,the it stalls. Has always done this (owned for 12 years) despite new pump. No filter filted

My traveller used to do the crazy fuel pump clicking thing if stuck in traffic for a long time on a hot day but after dumping the in-line filter all was well. Trouble is at idle there's very little air flow through the engine compartment and the shape of the Minors bonnet seems to trap lots of hot air, I was considering setting up a small fan (computer cooling fan) near the carb just to get a little bit of air moving.

The simple answer is to lower the pump in the engine bay. It works!

Been out tonight in what were the hottest temperatures of the year with no issues at all. My only thing to add is that have you flushed your cooling system recently? Any debris in the system may generate extra heat in the engine bay which could cause problems. It wouldn't hurt to give it a try.

The variation between individual cars would seem to suggest that condition is a factor. Check belt tension, cleanliness of the cooling system, water pump impeller and timing.

I had a frantic ticking pump in crawling traffic once and pulled the bonnet release for a little more air. Not long after I found the water pump impeller had corroded away, replaced it and it's been ok since.

I think it is also possible to fit a second fan blade for the hot season.

I've taken the tip to leave the heater on, but closed, and that seems to be helping. Also running a slightly richer mix as the rear plugs looked a bit hot. So far so good. Thanks all.

I have a suspicion that Travellers suffer more from this than other models,
Maybe we could do a poll?

Lowlight Series MMs are known to suffer from fuel vapourisation. This is due to the proximity of the fuel pipe to the exhaust pipe and the lack of a thick gasket between the carb and manifold. The solution is to slieve the fuel pipe past the exhaust or re route the fuel pipe and to fit the thick bakalite spacer between the carb and manifold as factory fitted on the later Series MM engines

Hi Mike, What have you used to shield the fuel pipe? My car is the white / red convertible that you took a look at for me a few years back. Alan

The simple answer is to mount the pump lower down - or fit a mechanical pump. No need for any insulations.

The problem with Series MMs is not the position of the pump, it is the closeness of the fuel pipe to the exhaust. I have sleeved the fuel pipe with a length of rubber tube

Doubt it - Minis run the pipe right beside the exhaust in a very confined space - and never have the slightest bother. Lowering the pump is the answer. Or of course - install a pusher pump at the rear level with the tank.