reserve petrol tap under car

ButterFingers

ButterFingers

Active Member
hi there,
see picture of fuel tank tap under the fuel tank.
I assume that it is the reserve tap setup and discovered that there is nothing attached to it.
Its position is how it is at the moment, I found it and moved it before I realized what it was.
Is its currant position set for the main tank? should I put a spring on it to keep it in the correct position for normal running ( using the main tank).
P2092949.JPG
Peter
 
Hi, To a certain extent the position of the reserve lever is irrelevant, it depends which outlet on the tank sender is connected to which position. I will try and have a look tomorrow to find if I have a spare sender so I can say which outlet is which. If someone else knows before then please say.

Colin
 
thank you Colin for your quick reply, I dare not use the car for fear of running out of fuel after a short time in heavy traffic :eek:
Peter
 
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ButterFingers said:
I dare not use the car for fear of running out of fuel after a short time in heavy traffic :eek:
Click to expand...
If you have plenty of fuel in the tank you can drive locally with confidence as the reserve position only accesses a lower outlet on the main tank. There is no separate reserve tank as such, just a few litres that the main outlet won't pick up. So unless your gauge is on rock-bottom you can drive OK, just keep it half filled until you sort out the tap position ( or fit a cable.
 
I removed the boot rear shroud and behold the petrol tank appeared.
Its just behind the rear seats and on the outside edge, facing the rear is a very slim steel tank, I immediately assumed that this is the spare reserve tank????? by it size it could only hold a few liters of fuel, am I right or am I wrong in my assumptions?
Peter
 
It holds quite a bit, as it goes forward and down as well. The resereve tank is not actually a tank in itself, but there are two outlets from the petrol tank you can see. The main outlet goes up into the tank around 4 - 4.5".and it will appear that you run out of fuel when the level gets down to that. The reserve takes it fuel from the bottom of the tank so basically uses the last 4" of fuel in the tank.

 
Hi.
Have one of these tanks on my NADA and as far as I know they are a over flow tank for when main tank is full in
hot weather and the fuel expands.
There are no external breather pipes fitted unlike u/k cars.
Clive.
 
thank you all for your interesting replys, I learn something every time I come on the forum.
"Colnerov" = did you manage to find the spare fuel tap assembly and determine which way I should have the leaver pointing?
Peter
 
quattro said:
It holds quite a bit, as it goes forward and down as well. The resereve tank is not actually a tank in itself, but there are two outlets from the petrol tank you can see. The main outlet goes up into the tank around 4 - 4.5".and it will appear that you run out of fuel when the level gets down to that. The reserve takes it fuel from the bottom of the tank so basically uses the last 4" of fuel in the tank.

Click to expand...


Is that the way that the tank sits in the car, with the small flat area at the bottom ?
Peter
 
ButterFingers said:
thank you all for your interesting replys, I learn something every time I come on the forum.
"Colnerov" = did you manage to find the spare fuel tap assembly and determine which way I should have the leaver pointing?
Peter
Click to expand...

Hi, Sorry I got involved in something elsewhere, I'll try again tomorrow.

Colin
 
ButterFingers said:
Is that the way that the tank sits in the car, with the small flat area at the bottom ?
Peter
Click to expand...

It's very close yes. The small flat area is where the fuel level sensor goes. I was trying to get a high pressure fuel pump to fit into the tank, so had to have it as it sat in the car.

Richard
 
Hi, @ButterFingers . Looking at your original photo which has the sender with the electrical connections at the top and the pipe connections at the bottom, the main supply is the pipe on the right and the reserve on the left. I can't make out the pipe routes to the tap but the tap lever moves through 90 degrees, clockwise for main and counter clockwise for reserve. Normally you pull the reserve knob on the dash for reserve. So going by the lever on my tap (which is in the engine bay), the tap looks like it's in the reserve position.

Colin
 
I agree, there is a 'L' shaped passage inside the tap, so as it is rotated 90 degrees it lines up with the outlet and one or other of the inlets
 
thank you for your replys.
If the tap is left in the reserve position (current) and it draws from the very bottom of the tank, would I be OK by leaving it in that position so that fuel is sourced from the entire tank? just thinking...o_O

Peter
 
thank you arthuy, now I have an idea of how it is assembles and operates...
Unfortunately I notice that mine has a small weep and the O ring need replacing, that probably means draining the tank? hmm
Peter
 
I wonder if an ordinary O ring would do , or is there a special type made for petrol?
fingers in holes not possible, because when car on hoist for my height, to far to reach for shorties, although I do have a spare milk crate :cool:
Peter
 
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