MG Car Repair: fuel pump failure, charcoal canister, circular object

Question
Hi - I've jacked the car up and put it on stands. I think I've located the pump but have had difficulty locating the mounting bolts. Just to confirm,  the pump is located by the passenger rear wheel. Also, I have a circular object mounted on the wall of the trunk back by the passenger side taillight. It seems to be connected to fuel hoses also. Any idea what this could be?
Thanks again,
T. Dunn

Answer
Hi Terance,

The can in front of the right rear tail light is a vapor trap to attempt to trap fuel vapor and condense it before it goes to the charcoal canister up under the hood. This is a sealed tank.

The mounting of the fuel pump (depending on the year model) should be strap metal bracket mounted to the car by two bolts and holding the pump with a strap around the solenoid (iron part) of the pump with a pinch bolt. A black wire (ground) attached to the pump and a spade connected wire on the plastic cap at the end. (Power wire). Late model MGB's mounted the pump so that the plastic cap end was inside through a hole in the front of the trunk.

Many times when a pump fails you can turn on the key just to Ignition and bump the pump with a block of wood or such and the pump will usually start running (clicking) This is a normal symptom of a pump starting to fail and you should clean the contact points in the pump and it may need to have the points adjusted.

Howard