MM Series service advice - Back to the roads again

[mistarkos]

Good day all,

I have a Morris Minor Series MM which I had restored about 6 years ago. For several reasons I left the car in the garage for about 3-4 years without moving it.
Tomorrow, Monday I will take it to a mechanic for a service and then I will paint it again.
Since the car was not moving for a few years I would like you to give me a few advises on what should I tell the mechanic to check for.

I've taken some notes on a few things that I believe he should check. (I have the Morris Minor MM Series Workshop manual and also the Spare Parts list)

Here are the things I wrote down:

• Petrol Pump - Contacts and filter clean

• Engine Sump - New Oil

• Air Silencer - Clean and add new oil

• Oil Pump

• Petrol Pump

• New oil in shock absorbers

• Engine Oil

• Breaks cleaning

Are there any other things that I should take into consideration?

Thanking you in advance.

Mario.

[MarkyB]

Probably worth getting the brake fluid changed unless you used silicone fluid.

If it didn't do many miles then changing the oil seems a waste.

[mistarkos]

any break fluid would do the job or is there a specific breakk fluid?

Thanx MarkyB.

[MarkyB]

I prefer silicone brake fluid but it's a contentious issue round here.

It doesn't absorb water from the atmosphere and so helps protect the cylinders from rust.

The standard stuff is DOT4 I believe.
Silicone is DOT5.

[mistarkos]

I don't think that would be a problem here in Cyprus. The weather is sunny all year round.

[fussyoldfart]

Good day all,

I have a Morris Minor Series MM which I had restored about 6 years ago. For several reasons I left the car in the garage for about 3-4 years without moving it.
Tomorrow, Monday I will take it to a mechanic for a service and then I will paint it again.
Since the car was not moving for a few years I would like you to give me a few advises on what should I tell the mechanic to check for.

I've taken some notes on a few things that I believe he should check. (I have the Morris Minor MM Series Workshop manual and also the Spare Parts list)

Here are the things I wrote down:

• Petrol Pump - Contacts and filter clean

• Engine Sump - New Oil

• Air Silencer - Clean and add new oil

• Oil Pump

• Petrol Pump

• New oil in shock absorbers

• Engine Oil

• Breaks cleaning

Are there any other things that I should take into consideration?

Thanking you in advance.

Mario.

Hi Mario,
The first thing to do is to turn the engine with the hand crank to be sure it is not seized.
Next check the dipstick to see how much oil is in the engine. Is it clean, or black? Drain and refill if it looks bad.
Try the starter with the ignition OFF until you see pressure at the oil gauge. That will prove the oil pump is working.
Check the fuel tank to see if it is sour. Your nose will tell you; old sour fuel should be drained and replaced.
Turn the key ON and listen for the fuel pump clicking. It should stop after a few moments when the carburetor is full.
With the key ON pull the starter knob to see if it will start. With a little choke it should.

If the oil pump works and the fuel pump works they will need no further attention for now.
If there is no sign of oil leaking at the shock absorbers and they seem to work, leave them alone for now.
Try the brake pedal. Does it sink to the floor? If not you can move the car and try the brakes. They may not work very well because cylinders tend to seize. Make sure you can stop it before you try to go anywhere. The brakes will probably be the biggest problem, those old engines were very tough.

Darrell McDonald

[mistarkos]

Hello Darrell,

Thank you very much for all the information.

At the front shock absorbers I see some oil arount it. Attached photo. I don't know about the rear ones. So I thought it would be better to change it.[frame][/frame]

[MarkyB]

I don't think that would be a problem here in Cyprus. The weather is sunny all year round.

I suspect there is still some moisture in the atmosphere, does it never get humid there?
This is a different issue to rust on the bodywork.

[mistarkos]

Marky you are right. Maybe we don't have much rain through the year but we do have humidity in the summer time. So I will use the silicon one.

[mistarkos]

How many degrees the distributor should be?

[mistarkos]

I was looking to find the water pump but I couldn't find it.. can someone tell me where the water pump is located at the MM Series?

Thank you.

[DAVIDMCCULLOUGH]

They dont all have waterpumps, its depends on the engine.

[mistarkos]

It's the side valve 918cc

[fussyoldfart]

Hello again Mario,
As someone has pointed out, not all Minor Series MM cars had water pumps. The early cars used what is called thermo-syphon cooling which depends on the heat of the coolant to cause it to circulate. If the dynamo (generator) on your car is attached to an extension of the cylinder head and the fan is on the dynamo pulley it will have no water pump. In 1951 or 1952 there was a change adding a waterpump to the front of the engine for better cooling. The dynamo on those engines is attached to the aluminum cover of the water-jacket on the engine and the fan is on the water pump pulley.

Darrell

[mistarkos]

Thank you all for all the information you have provided me. I'm just starting to get to know the engine of the MM series and also looking for some spare parts. It seems that mine is the early one without a water pump. The year of registration here in Cyprus says 1950.

Thanx again!

Mario.

[oliver-morrisminor]

Hi mate,
all good advice given,
but just for good measure
I would replace the Gearbox
and Diff oils as well.
Oli

[mistarkos]

Good morning Oli,

Thanx for the advice. Which one is the Diff oil?

[oliver-morrisminor]

Sorry it is the Aussie way to shorten all our words,
I should have said the "differential" or "rear axle" oil.

Oli

[mistarkos]

I thought so..

thanx mate

[mistarkos]

I will change the shock absorbers oil and I'd like to know how much oil should I fill it with. Shall I fill it all the way up or is there a maximum point?