MGTC Fuel Tank Reserve Capacity

[Freda]

I wonder if anyone is able to assist in a query I have with the fuel tank fitted to my 1947 TC. I`ve had the car a couple of years & shortly after taking ownership was planning to take it out for a short spin. Before leaving I dipped the fuel tank with a measuring stick which showed fuel depth of about 15cm (6") (I don`t rely on the low fuel warning light which is at best erratic & at worst wildly inaccurate !) As I was only planning on going a couple of miles & back I assumed this level of fuel would suffice. However shortly after leaving home & climbing up a steepish hill she started cutting out, I managed to turn it around & coasted back down on to the level. She started again but ran erratically & on investigation there was an intermittent fuel flow from the pump. I put a gallon of fuel in the tank which sorted the problem & that got me home.

My query is - how much useable fuel (depth wise) normally lies in the bottom of the tank before the pump starts pulling in air & runs out ? I`ve subsequently marked my fuel dipstick so that I never let it run below a minimum 20cm (8") but it seems odd to me that the outlet from the tank to the fuel pump on my TC should starting drawing in air when there is still some 15cm (6") of fuel in the tank. Could it be that someone has at some earlier stage fitted a tank from a TA or TB which I believe had 2 x outlets & a tap with a reserve facility ? Any clarification or thoughts would be most welcome. Regards Steve

[stephen stierman]

I have had my tank out several times and the fitting with the sock removed for cleaning and repair. As I recall that tank can get down to a couple of inches of petrol without issue, now going up hill may cause starvation, but the sock and fitting are not that tall. My warning light is fairly accurate and consistent and I may travel another 20 miles prior to topping up without concern if I have to.

[frenchblatter]

When my warning light come on I get avbout 10 miles, took me ages to work out that this was because I'd fitted a 4cm long pipe inside the tank pick up so as not to use the fuel from the bottom of the tank.