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MG TD TF 1500 - Picture of Overflow pipes

How far down the engine plate do the overflow tubes go?

A picture of the tubes and the bracket that holds them in place would be appreciated.
Bruce Cunha

Bruce-
These may help.
Cheers, Roy
Roy Challberg

See http://www.ttalk.info/td_pipes.htm for some. Bud
Bud Krueger

Here's a picture of the pipes on my car before rebuilding. I can't verify that it's 100% original, but what's in the picture is as it was when I bought the car in 1957.
Joe

Joe Olson

Joe: I cannot seem to find any original pictures ATM but my memory says yours are correct. Anything from 1/4" to 3/4" below the clamp seems acceptable. And they don't have to be even either. :-)
Christopher Couper

So they terminate on the engine plate, not below it. That is what I need. Thanks all.

Thanks Bud. I found those when I started. They helped a lot in getting the bends correct.

Got to say, bending that small copper is not all that hard, but getting it in front of the throttle rod took a few trys to get it far enough for the throttle to move without hitting the pipe.

Bruce Cunha

These are Breather Pipes, not overflow.

Make sure they do not become blocked by small critters.

Tony
A L SLATTERY

It us strange that they would change them on the TF and lead them through the hole in the bearer plate.
Ray TF 2884
Ray Lee

Ray, tgat was thrashed about here a few years ago. Seems inconceivable that a “mass” production car company would expend ANY resources to route a pipe through a mfg hole in a bearer plate. What reference are you using to come to that conclusion?

Regards, Tom
tm peterson

Tony. Interesting, I have never heard that explanation. Somewhat hard to figure why they would use a lot tube for a breather?

Bruce Cunha

I agree with Bruce. Why have a breather pipe so long and so small? I always assumed those were overflow pipes and routed to the front of the engine to avoid any overflow fuel coming in contact with the exhaust manifold/other hot engine parts. If it really is a breather pipe, seems a pretty short pipe is all that's really needed.
Jim Rice

Seems to me that the pipe has the dual function of both breather and overflow. Either way, the fact that it will pass fuel justifies its routing away from the manifold.
David Padgett

Tom,
In the "Original MG TF Gallery" there is a series of photos showing this.
TF 9054 has only 6000 miles from new and clearly shows this.
I bought my TF when it was only 19 years old and the pipes were routed this way.
I am as confused as you why they did it.
Ray
Ray Lee

They only act as overflow when the needles valves fail in some way, for the other 99.9% of the time they are breather pipes to the fuel in the float bowl - venting fumes well away from the manifold.
A L SLATTERY

You find out it is a breather when somebody fits the wrong washer between the banjo and the chamber lid.
The chamber starts to fill but air can't escape and forces the petrol up the jet. The level does not get high enough to shut off and continues to pump.
Ray TF2884
Ray Lee

I mounted mine in a similar manner but left them longer to end in front and toward the bottom middle of the sump. My car had an engine fire in it's early years, reason I made them longer. PJ
PJ Jennings

Hi all. What I always though odd is that the overflow pipes are higher than the tickler in the float bowl lid. The tickler doesn't have a seal and will overflow and drip down on the manifold before the gas level gets to the overflow pipes.

Butch
R Taras

The tickler should have a tiny fibre wsher at the top to act as a seal. They don't last long.

I did try small o-rings, but even those have a lifespan.

Cheers

Tony
A L SLATTERY

Tony:

Is there a source you're aware of for those tiny fiber washers? I don't see those listed/noted on either Moss or Abingdon's parts catalogs. Butch makes a good point which would render any length discussion on the overflow/breather tubes rather moot. The O-ring alternative sounds like a good work around. Can you advise the nominal size that fits properly? Also...I assume either the washer or O-ring would seat against the step shoulder of the tickler and the spring then seats against the washer/O-ring.

Thanks,

Jim
Jim Rice

Those washers must fall apart rapidly. I can't find a listing or part number in either the Burlen Su Referance catalog nor the BMC SU Carb service parts book. Curious.

Butch
R Taras

Is this the washer in question? PJ

PJ Jennings

PJ:

That looks like the washer used under the cap nut that secures the overflow pipe and float bowl lid. Maybe something similar, and smaller, is what's in question that would be associated with the tickler plunger. The tickler does sit lower that the overflow tube. There is no seal/washer that's been identified so far that would fit on the tickler to prevent fuel from coming out around the tickler before the fuel reached the overflow tube.

Tony alluded to that earlier, but so far a part/source has not been identified. Is the one you have a picture of one that fits the tickler?

Jim

Jim Rice

Jim, the one I showed is the one that goes between the overflow banjo fitting and the cap, not the upper nut, it takes a solid fiber washer. Now I know that I've never seen the one for the tickler, Sorry for the confusion. PJ
PJ Jennings

The pipes are both overflow and breather. Fires have been started because people cut them short, thinking they are only there for breathing.

Put an o-ring on the pin assembly as other makes did and they will not leak in an overflow condition.
Steve Simmons

Interesting discussion. My TF has 20cm (8") brass breather pipes fitted to each carb. When I was rebuilding the carbs, I noticed that the determined that venting/breathing on the rear was not working and replaced the slotted fibre washer between the float bowls and the pipe.

I also noticed that my carbs did not have a tickler. There is a hole there for one in each carb base however. At one stage I had a float lever stick and fuel ran out of the carb via the breather tube. The PO has fitted a longer piece of fuel tolerant hose to the end of the brass tube to direct it away from the exhaust pipe area. That seemed like a good idea at the time.

M Hyde

I was inspecting a 1951 TD/C the other day. It had steel overflow tubes. Similar to the MGB used.

I am assuming they were changed to steel from brass?
Bruce Cunha

Moss sold steel ones years ago. Not sure what they sell today.
Christopher Couper

The overflow tube serrated washers are sold by Burlen as a part of their gasket set. https://sucarb.co.uk/carburettor-kits/gasket-sets/h-type/h2-hv3-type-gasket-pack.html

May be easier to ask Joe Curto for some.
Lew Palmer

Chris. This car was restored sometime in the past, so it is a good possibility these are moss replacements.

I had two sets of fittings and found that it was easy to unsolder and solder in new tubing. As I remember, the tubing is 5/32. It took a bit of looking to find it. But I did find it at a local hardware store.
Bruce Cunha

This thread was discussed between 17/04/2023 and 08/06/2023

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