Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Morgan Three Wheeler & Super 3 Fuel Filter Leak

The fuel filter is made from aluminium and the bracket holding it from steel, it sits just above the rear wheel in all the dirt and (salty) water thrown up from the road. Even with a rear wheel mudguard in place it's an ideal environment for Galvanic Corrosion. If you look at the video and photo attached this is what can happen over a number of years.

This is not my car but another TM'er who uses his car a lot, it's done over 40,000 miles and is a 2013 build car that has been regularly dealer serviced. The handbook states that the fuel filter should be replaced every 15,000 miles, so this should be on it's 3rd filter..... There is no record of when the filter was last replaced, if ever. The first indication the owner got that something was wrong was that the rear wheel lost traction as the tyre got soaked in petrol.

Next time you have the boot tray out, have a check of the condition of the fuel filter and bracket, if it looks corroded get the filter replaced. It is a Mahle KL167 and usually retails for about £40. There are instructions on how to replace it as part of the fuel pump replacement information on the MTWC website, free for anyone to access https://www.mtwc.co.uk/the-5-speeder/ . If it looks OK I would suggest putting some insulation tape or heat shrink between the filter and the bracket stop the electrolytic action. If you get your car dealer serviced then check that the filter has been changed every 15,000 miles, or 3 or 4 years if you don't do a lot of miles, as the problem is related to age rather than mileage. The filter is also the system pressure regulator and keeps the injector pressure at 58 psi, the fire potential for high pressure fuel spraying out doesn't bear thinking about. Check it out while your car is in the garage and the weather is bad.


https://www.dropbox.com/s/ga9v5a44goyv0pn/Fuel%20filter%20leak..mp4?dl=0

Thanks for the good tip. A preemptive strike to insulate/isolate that filter might be a good idea even on a newer car.

I made an isolate around filter
I changed it each year with my diy services.

What did you make for an isolator? Rubber sleeve?

Well worth replacing the filter. I've changed 3 now (on 3 different cars) and have been surprised how much grey sludge came out each time. Keep an eye on eBay - the last filter I bought was from a Landrover dealer and it cost me under £14 including p&p!

The Jaguar Land Rover part number for the Mahle KL167 filter is LWFL000021.

Thanks Planenut, great info.
Not a good advert for dealer servicing!

Best price Never seen
I paid between 30 And 50€
I put caoutchouc isolator around the filter

I get mine from Opie oils with all the other lubrication stuff.

My 2019 came with an isolator as I discovered.

You can see it on the filter peeking out from around the strap.

perfect alignment to pitch sharp objects flung from the rear wheel...…

Yes it is and that is why I have a full mud guard back there. I took the photo of the new symmetrical tire when I was refitting it into the space. Could not believe MMC uses an asymmetrical tire back there!!!

I think I now have this problem!
Went for a quick spin (in splendid isolation) yesterday, and smelled fuel, and quickly returned to base. On dismantling the boot tray it looks as though the fuel is squirting out as in the Dropbox video above, although at the back out of sight. I thought I’d have a look on TM before doing more, and quickly found this thread.
Thanks! Saved me a lot of time.
A bit disappointed as the only use this year till yesterday, due to the appalling recent weather, was a trip to Williams for a service, back home, and then to the MOT station and home.

The idea is that you see it here first and then fix it before it leaks . At least it saved a bit of time diagnosing. It seems that the dealers are not checking these filters for condition, let alone replacing them. They are supposed to be replaced every 15,000 miles according to the M3W service schedule but there is no calendar backstop, 3 or 4 years would be reasonable I would say. Make sure there is some insulation between the clamp and the filter body when it's replaced and write the date on the filter so you know when it was last changed.

Good suggestion Planenut. I wondered about the dealer just servicing the car and not catching something like that.

Arum I dont think going for "a quick spin" is in the spirit of things today. Would you consider driving 200 miles to Cornwall to "walk the dog" no you wouldn't. If you were to take your Morgan out briefly to check on a completed repair or to go to work or shops would be OK otherwise leave it in the garage. You should be able to check the fuel leak is sorted without leaving home.

Yes, I notice that even MMC has urged us not to use our Morgans for non-essential trips.

We would urge you to keep your Morgan in the garage, to follow Government advice and stay at home. The next adventure can wait, and when all of this is over, your next drive will feel like your first.

Simply amazing......

I agree, Tim.
I had been intending to go to Tesco to shop - normally go in the truck - but thought the Mog needed a run.
I have been very good!

our house is just about finished.... lots of winter "to do's" and checking on a bunch of stuff on my M3W is on that list

Could have just wrapped the filter in a new bit of rubber to protect it from the rusty bracket but decided that I was sick of all the knuckle skin that has been lost on its corners over the years when trying to work or clean in about the swing arm so went down the slightly more elaborate route;

One was supplied by Morgan;


Back half of clamp fitted to car;


Job jobbed;


Much swarf was harmed in the production of this clamp.

Nicely done Calum👍

Very elegant! Hoping it was done on CNC so you can do a limited production run....

Beautiful!!!

Excellent job! How did you buit it? You know someone with a CNC machine? Yourself?

Please make up a batch. They look great! Happy to send some funds!

+1

It was all done on a small and fairly inadequate manual mill that I got at the start of the year so that I could make a start on teaching myself machining. You would not believe the number of hours that went into making it...without this Coronavirus thing I wouldn't have been able to lock myself in the shed for the past week to do it.
Much as I would love to make a batch of them, the sheer amount of work involved and the likely number of pieces that would get almost all the way to being finished before taking a side turning into the bin when something goes wrong is a truly horrific prospect.
Saying that, if I could sell them at a price that covered my normal hourly rate I could probably get myself a CNC mill after making two of them!

Well done

nice.... where did you get the cast/machines bracket?

Just got the aluminium from eBay, a piece of 30x80 rectangular stock and some 10x40 flat bar.
I can pay more per metre if I go to a local supplier and have to buy 6m lengths!

Nice! 👍

Nice one ! I have a big lump of ally which is looking worried ....

I have noticed on my car that the two large bolts and washers coming from the seat belt mechanism, under the fuel filter also seem s to get corroded very quickly.
I can just about see this on yours as well.
I am wondering if this could be due to galvanic action as well, due to the frame they fasten down to being aluminum?

Looks great, shame no one will ever see it.

Google images “coil bracket for msd 8222 coil”

But i am not sure if the diameter is the same.

I've managed to get a replacement fuel filter from Opie Oils (thanks for the tip!), and thought it would be easy to fit, but the pipes do not want to come off the old one on the righthand (off side), or the end fitting on the left side. Before I do irrevocable damage, is there a trick to getting them off, or is brute strength the answer?
There isn't much room to get hands and tools in there.
Any thoughts from any of you who have done this job would be much appreciated.
By the way, I have done a lot of cleaning up in the area - next job will be a mudguard!
Thanks.

You need to push the tab to release the pipe fitting, then pull off. I just use a flat bladed screwdriver to push down on the release tab.

As Roger says and there are full instructions as part of the Fuel Pump Replacement instructions on here: https://www.mtwc.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/M3W-5-Speeder-fuel-pump-replacement.pdf. The fuel pipe connectors are a fiddle but they will come off eventually with a bit of wiggling and twisting. A mudguard is definitely a good idea. If you are practical you can make a better and cheaper one than the MMC option from a trailer mudguard.

Brilliant! Thanks, guys!

Done! Fiddly job, but with planenut’s helpful photo everything came apart and went k together easily in the end.
Next time it’ll be an easy task!
She fired up first time, and it would have been so good to go for a spin.
Still, plenty of cleaning to do, and then the mudguard.
Thanks again for all the help in this thread - much appreciated.