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MG MGA - What have I found in my Fuel Tank

Removed the fuel tank in readiness for a clean up and found this dished washer and screw rattling around inside the tank – see photo. Does anyone recognise these items? Did wonder if the outlet pipe had anything attached to it inside the tank such as a filter that these may have come adrift from? I know some people put nuts/washers and so on in tanks to clean them out but the match of the washer and screw was too much of a coincidence.

K Garner

I think it is the cork gasket retainer that is the last piece to screw onto the underside of the petrol cap. Stops the gasket falling out. ...............Mike
m.j. moore

Mike is correct. A picture is worth a thousand words.

Steve

PS. My cork gasket looks like time for replacement!

Steve Gyles

Had one of those in my tank too! Replaced the gasket and screwed it back on.
Ed Bell

Many thanks for the answer guys, will check the gasket and petrol cap tonight. The PO had attempted to seal the sender unit in with Silicon Sealant - not a pretty sight.


Kevin
K Garner

I've an interesting story about sealing a sending unit with silicon. During a trip to a recent GT a friend's newly restored A quit running. Long story short, the fuel line was plugged by a piece of silicone. The restorer has used silicon to seal the sending unit. It appeared that a plug of silicon was pushed into the tank when the sending unit screws were installed. It was somehow sucked into the fuel line, blocking it. We had a fun time finding and fixing this on the side of the road!

GTF
G T Foster

That's why I always tell people to put a rag in the filler neck before doing anything at all with the fuel cap.....
dominic clancy

On second thoughts the cupped disc in question can't be anything to do with the cork gasket and I think it's purpose must be to drain petrol which splashes up the filler tube back into the tank. The disc's diameter is justly slightly smaller than the opening hole in the tube. If it were left out and, say, a small washer substituted then petrol splashes would drain from the dished closing disc onto the gasket and if the seal wasn't perfect all round petrol would leak outside. I can't think of a better reason for it being there....................Mike
m.j. moore

Another thing to watch out for...a couple of years ago I installed a new sender unit, which came with a "rubber band" around the float piece, presumably to keep it protected in the packaging...I thought that this was part of the float, and installed the unit. What happened about two months later, the "band" broke up, and the pieces kept blocking the inlet pipe, especially when on a low fuel load. We had to remove the tank to get the pieces out.
Gary Lock

K

The washer and screw you are showing holds the sprung loaded metal seal onto the cork gasket. The washer in your picture screws hard up to the post in the cap and the larger cupped washer can move into the cap. There is a very heavy spring behind that so the larger washer seals onto the cork gasket. If you have lost the spring I may have some spare ones which I bought from Lee spring after my zinc plater lost mine in his vat of acid!

You ought to make sure the cap seals aagianst the filler tube.



John Francis

Just checked the petrol cap and the washer and screw are in place and secure so one of the previous PO'S obviously replaced these after dropping then into the tank but ..... no cork gasket on the filler tube so another purchase required. Don't recall there ever being a significant smell of fumes but better to be safe than sorry. JF thanks for the offer but all looks well regarding the spring.

Kevin
K Garner

This thread was discussed between 16/05/2010 and 18/05/2010

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