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Technical Library - K&N- Q&A: "Petrol Tank Puzzle SII, SI Electrical Check" (January 2007)

Welcome to the third edition of the Problem Page, kindly supplied by Keith Martin & Nigel Cronk of K & N Classic Cars, who wish Seasons Greetings to all - and thanks for the positive feedback received following the first two editions: please keep your letters coming in. Now at last you've got the chance to find the answer to that problem that has been driving you mad with your E-type: don't hold back, get asking! Email questions to malcolm@e-typeclub.com or post to Malcolm McKay via the Club office. Where Keith and Nigel are unable to find a solution themselves, they promise to contact specialists in the trade for their opinion and hopefully find the answer to your problem. We can also have an open forum on some of the topics, as you can be sure that someone out there has come across the same problem - and found the answer!

Q As part of my rebuild, explains Chris Rooke, I'm asking for help refitting the petrol tank and associated breathing system. Mine being a Series II car there is rather a strange and complex fuel breather arrangement involving a separate small tank (what it does I've absolutely no idea!) and numerous pipes going to the petrol tank and to the outside of the car. But what goes where? Needless to say there is no information in the manuals about this as the exploded diagrams only cover Series I cars."

 

A The small breather tank was added to the Series II during 1972 to prevent petrol vapours escaping from the fuel tank and causing air pollution. Vapours are collected from three points in the fuel tank into the breather tank, from which the outlet pipe runs forward to the engine, where it is drawn into the crankcase emission control system and burnt.

 

Changes were also made to the fuel tank so that, when filled, there always remained some reserve capacity to allow the fuel to expand when the car was parked in hot weather, without displacing fuel from the tank onto the road.

 

From the picture of the fuel and breather tanks you can see the three vent pipes running from the fuel tank to the breather tank, the fourth pipe, which is the outlet from the breather tank runs forward through a grommet hole in the rear

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

he

Petrol Tank Problem

trim panel and removing the bulb holder, both the bulb and the earth connection checked out OK, but the warning jewel in the speedo face remained unlit.

 

The speedo was removed, a fiddly job at the best of times, and the instrument stripped out of its casing for a closer inspection. The culprit turned out to be the rubber lamp shield which confines the light

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

to the back of the jewel. It had completely degraded over the years and heat from the bulb had turned it to a sticky black blob of rubber that had totally blocked off the light source to the jewel! A new rubber shield was fitted and the light was visible once more.
bulkhead just in front of the petrol tank and is then piped forward to connect into the crankcase breather control system on the engine. No other breather pipes were fitted to the tank or filler pipe.
Q We were preparing a Series 1 for an MoT test recently and the electrical check showed that the headlamp main beam warning lamp in the speedo was not working and would have failed the test.

 

A Just change the bulb and we would be ready..? - But no! After detaching the

The other two pictures show the new tank filler pipe and drain fittings from the earlier tank arrangement where a single large vent pipe runs from the rear of the tank up to the filler neck. There is no provision for this larger vent pipe on the later tanks and the angled pipe stub on the filler neck should be sealed off. The remaining vertical pipe stub is for the water drain pipe for the tank filler recess under the petrol flap and should be connected to a single stub in the rear wing.

 

Then there was light!

Other Technical Articles:

Issue 7

Mitchell, Peter. Restoring An E-type - Not For The Faint-Hearted Part 4

 

Issue 9

Mitchell, Peter. Restoring An E-type - Not for the Faint-Hearted Part 6

 

Issue 9

Andrew Turvey's Technical Topics

 

Issue 20

Griffin, Tim, CMC Column "Substructure Fabrication" (July, 2006)

 

Issue 24

K&N E Q&A:

Gear change gremlins

Starting Woes

 

Issue 25

CMC Colume by Andrew Turvey "The Slammer: Doors"

 

Issue 25

K&N E Q&A:

Series I Not stopping

series I Slow Revver

 

Issue 26

K&N E Q&A:

Petrol Tank Puzzle SII, SI Electrical Check (January 2007)

 

Issue 27

K&N E Q&A:

The Editor's fizzing..., Overdriving E-type?, Stud breaker (February 2007)

 

Issue 28

K&N E Q&A:

All tanked up..., E-towing, Spokes in the wheel

Issue 28

CMC Column

Burning old fossil, by Andrew Turvey

 

Issue 29

K&N E Q&A:

V12 Exhaust Fumes, Noise from Under Car, Series II Missing Parts (March 2007)

Issue 30

K&N Q&A:

Handbrake hassle, Soft-top mystery

Issue 30

Newman, Denis "Experts' Wrinkles: The Club Technical Seminar at CMC" (April, 2007)

Issue 33

K&N Q&A 'SUs for V12s, Bung it here...'

Issue 33

CMC Colume by Andrew Turvey, "The Low-down".

Issue 32

K&N Q&A: Well Oil be Dammed.., Off With His Head!

Issue 31

K&N Q&A: Bumper rubber solution, Sparkless when hot.

Issue 34

CMC Column by Tim Griffin: Fitting Doors

Issue 36

CMC Column by Tim Griffin: Bonnet Gaps

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Issue 37

CMC Column by Tim Griffin: The Reliable Formula

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