Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Maintenance & Servicing Fuel leak

Hello,
I took my +4 to the garage today, due to a strong fuel “fragrance” which appeared in the cockpit.
I’ve just been told that the leak originated from a faulty fuel tank welding.

What should I do?
- Replace the tank?
- Car’s been out of warranty since Dec 2016 : do you think I can ask MMC for a complementary replacement ? Any personal experience on that topic?

I will try and post a few photos when I get them.

Many thanks,
Vladimir

If you're out of warranty, I can't see MMC falling over themselves to do anything for free, and their spares supply situation is pretty pants so you could be waiting months for a replacement anyway.

If it was me, I'd be straight on the phone to Simon at SiFab and get him to supply me with a properly welded replacement.

+1. Any weakness in the tank will be found by the flexing chassis.

If someone has reported a leak on a seam are they/you sure that is indeed the case.

Before you go the expense of replacing the tank , take a very good look at the hoses. You might have to remove some shielding behind the spare wheel carrier to look at it. There is often some chaffing , possibly due to between the tank mounted on the chassis and the filler cap mounted on the body, similar cause to DaveW mentioned above.

If all the hoses are fine , and the seam leak is confirmed I would definitely go to Simon for a replacement tank. Consider getting a stainless one for extra long life.

I had said fragrance recently, cured by an extra clamp on the fuel filler hose.

Likewise, we experienced the aforementioned fragrance on holiday in France last month, it only seemed to occur after filling the tank. It turned out that one of the jubilee clips on the fuel hose between the filler and the tank had worked its way loose enough to allow vapour to escape (there were no signs of petrol itself leaking). 30 seconds attention with a screwdriver sorted it after pivoting the luggage rack back and removing the spare wheel. Hopefully your remedy will be as straightforward, best of luck!

When the seams fail it's usually along the top sides of the tank. It's easy to confirm. Fill tank. When home, remove rear parcel shelf and hold a kitchen paper towel along the edges. Dab it along and the leak will be revealed as the paper absorbs fumes and/or liquid and reveals a stain on paper. I spent many hours trying to cure it. Problem was that petrol attacks all the fillers etc. Including the ones that claim to be specifically petrol resistant. All repairs failed within a couple of tankfuls until...........I decided to replace tank and just ran gaffer tape over the seams to temporarily stop the smell. Complete cure, never troubled me again i the following 4 years.
Nick

Agree with Andy G, check hoses first, my TR6 was awful and the hose looked OK but fumes somehow came through it, maybe it was breaking up inside. Changed it and it was fine afterwards.

I'm almost ready to change the one piece rubber filler hose on my Roadster. The current Trads have an aluminium chamber under the filler with two lengths of straight pipe - filler and breather. My replacement will be very similar to this and easier to change in future.

I agree with Andy G. Don't take somebody else's word. Fill tank completely, take parcel shelf out and spare tires and find the leak yourself. I have had clamps get loose and fuel drip on a seam, hoses that were rotted on the bottom that I could not see and also a seam in the tank that came loose or fractured. If you just do not want to get dirty or You are afraid You might diagnose it wrong, take the tank and Morgan to Simon. He will find the problem. Take Simon's advice. You will be glad You did. You are lucky to have Simon. The only good fuel tank guy in Seattle, hates to work on Fuel Tanks. He has all He can do to keep the Stationary Engines Radiators repaired.