Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Maintenance & Servicing Plus 8 Fuel filler hose replacement

BenignMog: As the threaded ring has no flats to undo it, is it possible to tightly fasten a large Jubilee clip around it first, which would then present an irregular shape to get to grips with?

Please call me Lorne. I only use gomog because most moggers know me by that moniker.

I have had three Plus 8s. But only two at a time. I used to leave one at home in Quebec and the other with Mike Duncan and
John Worrall in Hartlebury. I also have a wife like yours. She would haul bulbs/ blossoms and horse manure in her 1967 e-type
roadster!.
There is a reason, probably forgotten aside from oldsters for your car to be considered special. Your Plus 8s was one of the first
of the 3.9 Hotwires, (I would need a picture of the right side of the plenum and the engine block number.
to confirm. The first Hotwires were made WITHOUT cats!!! More response and power, or so it was believed. Those who
own them have swagger rights! There were not that many made.


Agreed. Pictures and diagrams are always the best. I have learned that explanations, even the most pedantic ones (forgive
me) are the wisest for amateurs. It is better to bore someone than for them to get it wrong. I do not write for professionals,
though they can ...er....cock up a job as well. I write for owners.
I don't think I used a special tool to remove the threaded ring. From memory, I removed the hose clamp and hose from the tank
side first and stuff a rag in access hole on the tank. Then I would remove the other clamp at the filler assembly. Both
hose ends might need some "convincing". These thing are decided by the man on the spot.
Now you have unfettered access to the ring. Try holding it and turning the filler cap side to unthread, There are big multipurpose
soft-jawed pliers every good fellow like you should have around. You
may notice a watchpoint. Always put on a difficult-to-access clamp on with the release in a favorable position for next time.

After the ring is unthreaded completely.the exterior part of the assembly will fall off. Check the rubber gaskets. If they are old, replace
them. I use two per filler. On re-installation lightly grease the fittings and area under the rubber washers.

No.You got it. I find a key for my caps a PITA.

As for bendable fuel filler hose.. google that and buy a length to fit both sides with the right ID. If you can't find one, tell me.

Lorne

I agree, it's a pig of a job whatever I tried. If I was doing it again, I'd be very tempted to try one of these from Car Builser Solutions.

https://www.carbuilder.com/uk/budget-flexible-fuel-fill-hose-51mm-id-x-300mm-long

My experience with filler hoses may interest followers of this thread. I have a 4/4 that is one of the few with factory-fitted twin fillers, and when rebuilding the car, I replaced the original filler hoses with a pair of hoses supplied by John Worrall. These hoses were considerably more pliable than factory-fitted set, and this was, I think due to the wall thickness being only in the region of 2.5mm. However, even though they were relatively easy to install, they did have slight kinks when fitted. While there were no issues when filling the car, it just annoyed the hell out of me every time I looked at the hoses. So I decided to fit anti-kink springs to the two hoses. I failed in sourcing a standard anti-kink spring of a suitable size, so I approached a spring manufacturing company, Euro Springs Ltd, who were prepared to supply just two springs of a specified size (for a price). This proved to be the answer to my issues not only in removing the kinks but also in stiffening up the rear panel. Fitting was relatively straightforward and certainly easier than fitting a hose with an inclusive anti-kink spring

Thanks for this great idea Deejay. I will certainly try this if my latest non-reinforced hose proves not to solve the problem (i.e. without having to disturb / remove the two fuel filler cap assemblies). I am still awaiting receipt of my new hose.

This car seems to have been 'designed' and assembled with nary a thought for future servicing needs. Thank god that most of the nuts and bolts don't have similar plain cylindrical heads!

Hi Tiger Tim,

I found the same hoses that you suggest and actually shortlisted them. But when I measured the length of my OE 3.9 litre filler hoses, I found them to be 240mm long. Since the replacement hose in question is some 300mm with moulded smooth bore ends (the rest being corrugated and spring reinforced) cutting 60mm off the length might not allow them to be fitted over the tank and fuel filler cap pipes without leakage, not to mention the added stiffness of a spring reinforced hose. For this reason I have opted for a non-spring reinforced smooth-bored hose that can be cut to any length without fear of leakage and is (hopefully) much more flexible for easy fitment.

I like the price though, especially since the closest Mr Morgan gets to listing my 3.9 hoses is his Plus 8 4.0 litre hoses at £174.92 each excluding 20% VAT and shipping costs, so £419.81 for two hoses plus shipping costs. OK, this hose has a slight bend and a flared end but surely this doesn't justify such an inflated price? I can buy a hi-tech TV for the price of just two pieces of hose. I expect to pay premium prices for uniquely Morgan Plus 8 parts but this is highway robbery for lo-tech rubber parts in my view.

By the way, spring reinforcing a hose is designed to prevent it kinking when bent and also to prevent it flattening if used for suction purposes (such as emptying garden ponds and clearing boat bilges). I am sure it is not spring-reinforced solely for its use as a fuel filler hose; this is just a supplier suggesting the use of its spring-reinforced hose for fuel filler purposes.

That is a great link, Tiger! I have bookmarked it. It is expensive but not in comparison to others.

For those you wish more of the same, check out https://www.amazon.com/Automotive-Replacement-Fuel-Filler-Hoses/b?ie=UTF8&node=15721491
I am Canadian and we simply buy anywhere in the world that suits the issue. Of course with a British car, most stuff I use comes from the
UK..(duh!) but I have also bought from Germany (Kaufelt & Koopmann), China, Italy, Australia and the US. The latter two have simply
amazing automobile aftermarkets.

Remember, flexibility not only is easier to fit but won't rip off in mild impact and cause serious ancillary damage.

Lorne

Lorne,

Thanks for your comprehensive reply. I have PM'd you with the details of my car.

I didn't imagine the filler cap base would rotate in its hole through the panel. I thought it would have been located by a flat or something. So great information there and your more general disassembly instructions.

Very much appreciated.

HERE'S AN UPDATE

THE OBJECTIVE: To fit replacement fuel filler hoses on my 1990 3.9 litre Plus 8.

THE PROBLEM: Finding a hose stiff enough not to flatten at the 45 degnree bend yet flexible enough for it to bend through 45 degrees (and more) to get each end onto the oulet below the fuel filler cap and the inlet on top of the fuel tank. The vertical space between these two tubes is probably about 6 inches or less.

HOSE TYPES: Thus far, I have ordered two 0.5 metre lengths of 51mm inside diameter fuel-resistant hoses. First, the wire reinforced type was far too stiff to bend whilst attaching it to the two connector tubes in the limited space available. Second I bought a length of plain cotton-reinforced rubber hose that was so flexible it flattened where it went through the 45 degree bend between the filler cap and the tank.

THE 45 DEGREE BEND
The following adaptions were made to the soft rubber hose.

Stiffening Spring - I tried using a home-made spring (as suggested by BILIBIB) that I made using 16swg stainless steel wire. I tried this spring fitted around the outside of the hose and also down the inside of the hose. The spring was very difficult to produce and did not improve matters overall. From the photos provided by BILIBIB, it seems his hoses are much longer than my own (which measure about 240mm long from end to end around the outside of the 45 degree bend).

Internal Bent Tube - I sourced on eBay, a very short piece of 2 inch O/D stainless steel tube comprising just a 45 degree bend eBay 45 degree stainless steel pipe. I pushed this down the inside of the hose to the position where it was to bend through 45 degrees. The idea was that this steel tube would act as a mandrel inside the rubber and prevent it from flattening. This didn't work either; the hose just bent immediately next to it! This is because bending a straight piece of hose through a 45 degree bend involves the rubber compressing on the inside of the bend and expanding around the outside of the bend. Clearly, even cotton reinforcement provides little maleability within the rubber. If it didn't, the hose would fall off its end connections.

CONCLUSIONS - My sole conclusion is that the only fuel filler hose likely to work is a piece MANUFACTURED with a 45 degree bend in it.

MY LATEST ACTIONS - I Googled for a fuel filler hose including a 45 degree bend and ignored the genuine Morgan hoses whose prices suggest that somebody is having a laugh at we owners regarding pricing. The first I found was a rubber fuel filler hose offered by MERLINMOTORSPORT.CO.UK Merlin Motorsport Fuel Filler Hose reasonably priced at £31.74 plus delivery and who later confirmed that its overall length was 10 inches (255mm).

Whilst Merlin answered my question, I found another hose offered by AUTOSILICONEHOSES.COM Autosiliconehoses Fuel Filler Hose that was even more reasonably priced at £27.34 (with free delivery if ordering two pieces). This hose was fuel proof thanks to its 'Fluoro Liner' and more than adequate in overall length. So keen was I to end this harrowing saga, I had ordered two silicon hoses even before Merlin had confirmed the length of their own hose.

So now I wait with baited breath. Will this silicon hose prove as easy to fit as I had imagined at the outset?

I've always found silicone hoses to be softer and more flexible than their rubber counterparts ... hopefully this holds true for you.

K