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New car, new problem

Sorry, deleted original thread about the Minor cutting out or not starting when warm.

My money is on the petrol filler cap. Had exactly the same problem years ago. Blamed the fuel pump initially, as it was seriously hot and famously unreliable (SU - similar to yours?). Had to abandon the car one night, went back next morning (surprised to find it still there, including wheels). Having thought about it overnight, recalled that I had managed to lose the filler cap when refuelling - God knows how - so bought a cheap rubber cap to do for the moment.

Anyway - next morning, having wondered about venting, went back to car and removed the rubber cap. Not so much an intake of air - more a mighty bang as the petrol tank resumed its original shape. Large hole bored in rubber cap with a penknife, ran perfectly thereafter.

Of course the reason the fuel pump was hot was that it was trying to do the impossible. A herring of the red variety.

So - next time it happens, just take the filler cap off and see if that solves the problem.

Good luck,

GMack

Reply to
Geoff Mackenzie
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The car currently sports an almost new lockable cap, apparently after half a tank of petrol got siphoned out, according to the person I bought the car from. I can certainly try taking the cap off next time I have a problem, but surely a cap that isn't cheap ought to be vented, though I can't actually see where the air would get in, unless it creeps down the keyhole.

Jim

Reply to
Jim Warren

Probably something like vented down the keyhole. Remember that you aren't using fuel at a great rate and temperature changes occur slowly so the hole size required for venting is small. Now if you were Nick Mann running his old MM with the twin turbo V8 with injection and nitrous you might want a larger fuel cap vent. On a similar note a guy I know had to his tank crushed on a diesel Ford when the tank vent blocked, a common fault IIRC, and the pump kept pumping till it couldn't draw anymore, the atmospheric pressure acting on the evacuated tank crushed it.

Reply to
David Billington

Reply to
Mike.H.

You are right, it is worth checking, but after the more likely candidates have been eliminated. But according to the paperwork, it had a 6000 mile service and MOT only 100 miles or so ago. It is not likely that gaps set during the service would need fiddling with after so little mileage.

And I have had gaps close on another car (Rover P4) in the past, and there was a noticeable misfire on tickover when hot, that could be felt at the tailpipe. I haven't noticed that on the Minor.

Jim

Reply to
Jim Warren

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