Gushing fuel

[Scougar]

For at least 8 months I have been able to smell fuel coming from my engine bay *somewhere*. Today, I think I finally found out where.

I was driving to work and noticed my battery light flickering violently for a mile. I rounded a bend and the car 'missed a beat' and jolted. I pulled over in a lay-by and started looking for the mystery short, knackered cable, or dodgy altenator belt. As I was looking round the engine bay (with engine still running), I noticed smoke vapour rise into the air. I thought maybe I had a leak or water turning in vapour, but then I noticed the fuel gushing from the the driver side fuel rail connection *eek*. I quickly turned off, and tried to tighten it with screwdriver but it wouldn't fit, so had to slowly get home letting the car coast IN GEAR with engine running, so minimise fuel consumption.

Anyway, quickly did that up and the other pipe just to be sure. Hopefully that will solve my fuel smell :D On the downside the car was still flashing its battery light at me :( It got less and less the warmer the car got it seems. But still had the occasional bright flash on braking.

Just glad the fuel didn't catch light and the battery light prompted me to have a look and spot the fuel!

Matthew

[Lunner]

VERY lucky, last thing i would have done would to have been to restart the car.....thats how Bayliss' car caught fire

[Scougar]

Thankfully it was a VERY cold morning with ice on the cars etc, and I only had to go back down the hill, it was that or not know whow the car brakes/power steering would react on some very tight corners :(

I didn't like starting the car again I can tell you!

I wonder if i'll get slightly improved MPG now lol.

Matthew

[FATBOY]

scougar. that car in your avatar. is that a metro? the GTE or whatever edition they done???

[Scougar]

Yup, it an older mk2 1.3 GTa (a-series engine, not the mk3 with the k-series).

Was a fantastic little car. Had a they bodykit, wide wheels (Which I have just pulled out of my garage 2 weeks ago!), the MG engine, sporty seats etc. Was a really good car, in some ways I preferred it to the MG Metro Turbo that I bought to replace it (it was certainly more reliable!).

If I could find one in good nick, I would own one again.. just something about the 80's look I like lol.

Why do you ask?

Matthew

[FATBOY]

i remember one of my dads mates had one. and in that colour too. my first car was an austin metro 1.0L :oops: had an mg spoiler and an mg steering wheel, thought it was well bad ass lol always wanted an mg turbo tho :(

[2 live]

lol. i had a few mg metros....only ever bought em for the engines to put in me minis tho lol.and the brakes. ;) hydro on the early ones was garbage lol

[Scougar]

I used to love mini's. Did 3 engine swaps on my first car.. 2x8500's then a 1000cc engine lol. Then had a mini park lane 1000cc which got rear ended by a woman in a bmw :(

Apart from that I've had 2X MG Metros, 1x Austin Metro GTA, 1x MG Metro Turbo. The turbo was so cool but, had continual engine problems with lack of boost. If only I'd known about turbo's more in-depth I would have sussed it easy lol. After that had a nissan primera, then a 280bhp 200sx :D and not onto the Clio valver.

Somehow I never managed to get an mg engine into a mini, but I did manage to blow the turbo engine/gearbox thanks to the gearbox gasket blowing out on the motorway, and then fitted an mg metro N/A and fitted it all back with the turbo parts lol. Went pretty well but eventually had the car scrapped because I couldn't afford to do a full restore like I had wanted to.

I still have the turbo bonnet in my garage, but through the seats and interior out 2 weeks ago. Hope to find a metro turbo again, I really quite liked them!

Matthew

[Jimbo5000]

I rounded a bend and the car 'missed a beat' and jolted.

Hmm that sounds familiar. This happened to my car a while back. I replaced the coil pack and the problem seemed to go away. However it did it again the other day.

I also have a smell of petrol every now and again. Have had a good look around but can't see it leaking from anywhere.

Think it could be the same problem??

[Scougar]

It all 'looked' ok, but the top two connections (rubber pipes) to the fuel rail had just come loose over the years I guess, hence why I could not find where the leak was coming from (i was looking for a split etc d'oh!)

Just check they are not loose (use a small ring spanner, 7mm I think).

Incidently, my battery had come free from it's mountings, so I put that back, and took the connectors off, and put them back on again to ensure good contact. I haven't had the battery light flicker yet, so hope it was something simple as bad battery connection :)

Matthew

[Bayliss]

VERY lucky, last thing i would have done would to have been to restart the car.....thats how Bayliss' car caught fire

well you got that one wrong

firstly i was driving my car and had no warning lights and the only warning i got was a boat load of smoke coming into the car and when i looked the car was pretty much on fire and i didn't get chance of stopping it! So starting it was no cause of the fire it was pure freak of nature and a leak of something or other somewhere.

And please, without trying to sound too arsy, will ppl stop using me as an example when they don't even know what happened.

[Lunner]

I was told your car leaked fuel and caught fire........his car was leaking fuel and he was driving it........hence it could have caught fire

[Bayliss]

no leaking fuel, just started smoking, no smell of anything really until smoke pured through vents and it was on fire across the top of the exhaust at the back of the car

[Scougar]

Eek, not nice!. Thankfully on mine it wasn't near anywhere hot and was a very cold day(frost etc). Glad I got home intact to sort mine out.

Thought I'd sorted the battery light problem as well.. but it's returned intermittantly :( Grr.

Matthew

[titcharoony]

so bayliss why did ur car catch on fire?

[Bayliss]

it still remains a mystery, i honestly don't know mate, but me losing the brakes suggest maybe a brake line or something like that plit, but in all honesty i don't know

[Scougar]

It was obviously clutch fluid ;)

Matthew

[titcharoony]

either way, i now carry a fire extinguisher.