Fuel hoses under the car?

[jondhm]

Hi folks

Just checking the state of the fuel hoses under the bonnet of my GT6 Mk3.  Are there any fuel hoses under the car I need to look at, or is it metal pipes all the way to the fuel tank?  

Many thanks

[Clive]

Sometimes a joiner near the front outrigger, and also at the rear where it goes into the tank. 

Assuming there have been no repairs in the past......

But once jacked up, the pipe should be easily seen all the way. Worth doing as it takes minutes to check for any damage etc.

[Colin Lindsay]

Early GT6 screw straight into the tank so a metal pipe all the way underneath; not sure if this was continued in later models, but you'll see when you get down below. Otherwise as Clive has posted, sometimes a flexible pipe at the fuel pump / front outrigger area.

[dougbgt6]

Ah! Ha!  You've all missed the one in the passenger side rear wheel arch.  I know it's there because mine leaked.  2 gallons onto the floor of my integral garage.    House doors and windows open for a week, fortunately in the summer. 

Doug

[Colin Lindsay]

That's the overflow from filler cap area so if it leaked two gallons, where's it coming from?

[dougbgt6]

Colin,

On my MK3 the fuel pipe comes out the bottom off the tank, under the chassis then, in the passenger side rear wheel arch, up the side of the chassis. There is then a short rubber coupling and the pipe continues to the next rubber joint as the pipe emerges into the engine bay. It is the rear coupling that rotted away on mine and leaked the remains of the tank. Doubly annoying as I had just replaced everything else with R9.   

Doug

 

[jondhm]

Thanks, guys.  This is really helpful.

I have looked again at the Parts Catalogue and can see the rubber hose at the rear.  The next problem will be replacing it.  I think I will wait until I have the car on a 4-post lift and have someone else to help me.  That way I should be able to minimise the fuel spillage (also, by making sure there isn't much fuel in the tank).

John M

 

[Colin Lindsay]

2 hours ago, dougbgt6 said:

Colin,

On my MK3 the fuel pipe comes out the bottom off the tank, under the chassis then, in the passenger side rear wheel arch, up the side of the chassis. There is then a short rubber coupling and the pipe continues to the next rubber joint as the pipe emerges into the engine bay. It is the rear coupling that rotted away on mine and leaked the remains of the tank. Doubly annoying as I had just replaced everything else with R9.   

Doug

 

That must be a late MK3. Very late, as in: we're not making any more of these, so what do we do with all this left over fuel hose?

[dougbgt6]

Colin,

Joking aside, there are other bits on it that make me think that's EXACTLY what happened.

Doug

[Colin Lindsay]

I was joking?  

[Badwolf]

Usually at the end of a production run all the left overs are used and the model badged 'special edition' as a warning that nothing in the parts catalogue for your SE model will fit. Had several of those over the years. Now my Spitfire is the same, a sort of mongrel.

[NonMember]

Rover 216 SE had electric sunroof and manual windows. It was well known within the company that SE actually stood for "Sale of Excess".

[dave.vitesse]

30 years ago I bought a Maestro Mayfair. When it was delivered to the dealer it had electric windows and power steering. Not part of the spec or optional extras on that model.

The BL dealer had no idea why it had the extra bits not normally available on that model. The factory had not added any extra costs for these bits.

May have been for an employee who then didn't what/get the car.

Dave

[Colin Lindsay]

I had a Maestro City, it had nothing, not even five gears.

I used to call in at my local breakers and get all of the optional parts off other cars, usually for pennies, and add them. By the time I sold it,  it was quite a luxury 5-speed model.

[NonMember]

2 hours ago, dave.vitesse said:

30 years ago I bought a Maestro Mayfair. When it was delivered to the dealer it had electric windows and power steering. Not part of the spec or optional extras on that model.

There was a cautionary tale told on a quality course at Rover. At one time, the Maestro production line had a problem with paint blisters. The end of line quality inspectors had been instructed to check the paintwork carefully. They duly did so, in minute detail, and passed a Maestro City (basest of base models) as good to go, since its paint was good. They didn't even notice the VanDenPlas interior with leather seats that had been fitted in error.

[dave.vitesse]

I guess they were focused on the job in hand or it was before lunch time.

Dave 

[Bordfunker]

I always remember reading an article by Rowan Atkinson in Car magazine back in the 90's and he always reckoned the best time to buy a model was then it was about to be replaced, for two reasons:

• By then they had generally worked out how to build it properly!
• And the manufacturer usually throws all the options at the run out cars to get rid of them!

My wife bought her C3 Picasso when they were being phased out, £6k discount, and a bucket load of goodies to boot!

Karl

[dave.vitesse]

14 hours ago, Bordfunker said:

I always remember reading an article by Rowan Atkinson in Car magazine back in the 90's and he always reckoned the best time to buy a model was then it was about to be replaced, for two reasons:

• By then they had generally worked out how to build it properly!
• And the manufacturer usually throws all the options at the run out cars to get rid of them!

My wife bought her C3 Picasso when they were being phased out, £6k discount, and a bucket load of goodies to boot!

Karl

Very true, it pays not to be a trendy.

Dave

[Adrian]

Not wanting to spoil the flow of the Maestro conversation, my fuel line is solid from the tank to the engine bay. Enters as a short spur over the passenger side cross member where the rubber starts.

[Colin Lindsay]

On 13/01/2019 at 11:42, dave.vitesse said:

Very true, it pays not to be a trendy.

Dave

Plus, if you wait about twenty years, you can buy cars for a fraction of what they cost new, so it also pays to be patient.

[NonMember]

26 minutes ago, Adrian said:

Not wanting to spoil the flow of the Maestro conversation, my fuel line is solid from the tank to the engine bay. Enters as a short spur over the passenger side cross member where the rubber starts.

I'm pretty sure my GT6 is the same. The Spitfire is solid from the boot floor but that's not original - the original pipe was solid from the tank, with an olive coupling under the boot. The Vitesse has a rubber coupling in the boot (outlet from the top of the tank) but is then solid through to the engine bay.

[dougbgt6]

Strange then that the parts catalogue shows the rubber joint.

On ‎11‎/‎01‎/‎2019 at 18:10, jondhm said:

I have looked again at the Parts Catalogue and can see the rubber hose at the rear.

Doug

[jondhm]

Thanks, guys.  The feedback has been really useful because it has shown me where I ought to look, and has also alerted others that there is probably a fuel hose under the car which is easily overlooked with all the focus being on the hoses under the bonnet.

When the weather has warmed up a bit I'll have a good look underneath - easiest way to resolve this!

[dougbgt6]

The rear hose is easy to get to, just take the wheel off and there it is. Changing it is more of an issue. By the time I changed mine I'd lost the contents of the tank but I still got a good soaking in fuel. I had several showers that day! You could put a clamp in the middle of the new section, whip the old one off and finger over the pipe. Then whip the new one in, but you're going to get wet! You could take the sender unit off the tank and obstruct the flow, but you'll need a new sender unit gasket, they never go back the same.

Doug

[Colin Lindsay]

Stick a plastic golf tee into the pipe, it'll hold against a gentle flow of fuel. If you really need to, a cable tie around the outside keeps it in place more securely.