MG-Cars.net

Welcome to our resource for MG Car Information.

Recommendations

Parts

MG parts spares and accessories are available for MG T Series (TA, MG TB, MG TC, MG TD, MG TF), Magnette, MGA, Twin cam, MGB, MGBGT, MGC, MGC GT, MG Midget, Sprite and other MG models from British car spares company LBCarCo.

MG MGB Technical - Fuel pump not working

I have power to my fuel pump but no click or flow. Apparently it has points that stick sometimes..Can I open pump while on car or need to remove it. My Haynes book is kind of vague. I'v smacked it and no effect. Hope someone can explain it to me.

If it is shot should I replace it with a simple universal pump or send for the original type, pretty $.

Thanks, Morgan
Morgan

I replaced my pump with a new electronic pump from SU/Burlen. It looks like a original pump but it has no points. It works really fine but it was rather expensive. I think it is easier to install a original pump then to convert to some other aftermarket pump.

TL, MGB GT '66
TL

A "solid state" SU pump would be the choice IF an owner still has the OE hose fittings available to them on their car. By this point in time in the life of our cars, many of them have boogered up fuel lines from POs who have decided to use some other aftermarket pump. If a car falls into this latter category the owner might be just as well off installing a better aftermarket pump, such as an interupter style, or the like, or hassling with renewing the hose fittings for a new solid state SU pump.
Bob Muenchausen

"I have power to my fuel pump but no click or flow"

Just a thought: Depending on how you observed "having power" you may not have "Ground". If you checked power with a typical meter or test lamp by touching one probe to the pump power lead and the other probe to the frame, you could still have a open or marginal ground connection to the pump. As I recall on my 69 MGC, its grounded at the rear license plate frame.
Kelvin Palmer

You can get a new set of points --- no need to dump the pump. $7.95 from Victoria British.
Dan

Morgan - Please send me a private e-mai at the above addressl. I may be able to help you with your SU fuel pump problem.
Dave
David DuBois

Try the set of points. I bought my first MGB cheap because the owner could not get it to run for more than a few blocks. Turns out the points were not set properly and it was a newer pump to boot. You have to remove the pump to get at them but it's not a hard job. Your Haynes book should give you the infoto set the points correctly as it is a little fustrating to get them to click over properly. Check your diaphragm while you are at it.
Chuck

RB cars (I think it started with the RB) have the electrics-end of the pump poking into the boot/trunk area and hence are much easier to work on. CB cars will almost certainly need to have the pump removed to work on the points. My V8 had a pointless pump and I have just junked it for a refurbished pointy pump. When a pointless pump packs up you can almost certainly do nothing with it except swap it. When a pointy pump packs up you usually can do something about fixing it both temporarily and permanently.

My 2 penn'orth.

PaulH.
Paul Hunt

If you replace the points remember to clean them to remove any oxidation - can save hassle of having to remove and refit the pump if it doesn't work first time.
Richard
Richard Atkinson

... and always test before you fit!
Paul Hunt

New points are a service item that many people neglect. Most of our pumps are way past their sell by date and rather than buy points, buy a whole NEW SU pump and service it regularly - it will go on for many years.

I too tried the pointless pump and found it unreliable and needing constant adjustment to keep it running sufficiently well to feed my V8.
Chris at www.octarine-services.fsnet.co.uk

Morgan,

Definitely try Kevin's advice about making sure the ground contact is good first. If this checks out, I recommend pulling the pump and then getting a rebuild kit and replace the points. I did this on my 80B and it's been working flawlessly since.

Fritz
Fritz Wang

This thread was discussed between 22/10/2001 and 27/10/2001

MG MGB Technical index

This thread is from the archive. The Live MG MGB Technical BBS is active now.