Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Maintenance & Servicing need gas

out for a fall drive in my '64 +4. Putted to a stop. Smell of petrol. Open bonnet, sediment bowl loose, gasket had perished and chunks in bottom of bowl. I cleaned it out and refitted without gasket. Now will not pump fuel to fill bowl when
I turn motor over. Is the problem a lack of gasket or are other issues arising? The pin is in the pump lever. Noted that it could work way out but have peened it in so not the issue. And yes the tank has fuel. The sediment bowl has to be full before fuel to carbs, right? So let the guess begin. Help. Such a field of experts to draw from. Thanks. PS it was a beautiful day otherwise.

I guess that you have a mechanical engine-driven fuel pump, not an electric one. Without a gasket, the sediment bowl will leak air, and the pump would rather suck air than petrol all the way from the tank. If you had an electric pump, mounted near the tank, then I would have expected petrol to flood out of the bowl as soon as you switch the ignition on, hence my assumption that you have a mechanical pump (not uncommon in 1964). On one car I had many years ago (can't rember which) the pump had a lever on its underside which you could operate manually to prime the carbs without having to turn the engine over.
Hope this helps!

I'm sure that my pump has a manual lever to operate the pump without the engine running to prime the system.

I also seem to remember having to loosen the glass bowl (so that it wasn't sealed) in order to get it to fill on one vehicle, then tighten it up when almost full, but can't remember whether that was the Morgan or the TR.

Yep... You need the seal to get the suction. As you can see it is a simple assembly. You can get seal material from a car parts shop or hardware store and make yourself a temporary seal. Cork sheet, 1/16" to 1/8" thick will do. This is until you get the proper seal from a Morgan/British Car dealer. Got to make sure you get all the crumbled pieces out of the line.
I have a manual pump on my glass bowl fuel pump. Let us know if you have the little lever on the side of yours. I have a +4 1967 with the TR4A engine.

thanks guys...had no lever on pump to prime it. The fuel pump says made in Canada! so rigged up my shop vac to blow, duct taped a fitting I had that fit the fuel filler neck, loosened the sediment bowl and blew the gas into the bowl. A few cranks and it rattled into action. Does need to be a sealed system it seems. Now to order the right gasket. The temp one I made from a piece of that foam sheet you get that goes under your electric outlet covers for insulation. glad my garage has so much crap. Although the Misses disagrees. Same everywhere, right.

Same here in my garage, certainly. You never know when something might become useful. In fact I have a lot of my grandfather's crap - it's surprising how often I dip into his old tins of stuff!