Morris Minor Owners Club

Or there is something wrong with the pcv system and it is ingesting the oil this way.

Hey Fin

Biggest Congratulations on finally getting to drive Mog to school, that's just fantastic! Sounds like more "fettling" again for you though mind I find my speedo and cable are occasionally a problem too and yeah mine is LOUD as well, though I think I may invest in some "Modern" soundproofing material for it.
With going through that amount of oil on a trip of that length you would have noticed a plume behind the car on over run, just go for a drive down a longish steep hill and when you get to the bottom plant your foot on the accelerator, if you see a big cloud then its is burning it. Other than that if it was burning that much you should be able to see a slight discolouration on the chrome bumper or the paint work above the exhaust where it is getting blown back against the cars body work.
I'm going with it is probably leaking it more then burning it though. Lets face it most Morries don't need much of and excuse to leak a wee bit of oil. It's a factory fitted rust preventative isn't it?

Cheers
Gav

Another thing to try might be to temporarily disconnect or block the PCV system and see if the oil use changes. One thing that may be a factor is how the connection is made to the rocker cover. What type of oil trap or baffle is present. Some covers have none. You only want to be sucking fumes and making a slight vacuum in the crank case and not sucking actual oil.

Oh yes, I am quite fully aware the engine has been leaking badly for a while. The main problem is that the oil pump has no gasket, which is not my fault (but it is my fault that I didn't notice it and rectify it when I had the pump off!), and that I bungled the replacement of the sump cork seals after I took the sump off. Both things are on the list. I've mapped the leakage several times on cardboard; it looks something like this:

..................O...............................O
Front.....o......oOo...o....................Oo.....Rear
...................................................O

Where the front center group is the engine and gearbox (bold O under engine backplate), the rear center group is the rear axle, and the side three bold Os are the dampers I have yet to replace. Ignore the small dots; they are there to achieve correct location.

The exhaust pipe smokes some (not badly) when the engine is first fired from cold, but the smoke clears off as the engine warms. I attribute this to worn valves or piston rings. Once at steady speed, as for instance on the highway, there is no visible exhaust. There is however obvious carbon deposit on the bumper overrider inboard face, which the exhaust plume skirts as it leaves the pipe.

I have noticed a reduction in oil leakage since fitting the PCV system, so it is doing something, but the system's only been on the car for three days now. More experimentation is due. There is no oil trap or baffle, and this concept is new to me, but it seems like a good idea.

The important thing is you drove 130 miles! That is quite an accomplishment.

George

Thanks for that, George.

A little more information. I drove the car around town today (to go get more oil!), and it behaved happily enough. I was in AutoZone about ten minutes, and upon returning to Mog, found it had dripped about three drops on the asphalt, which isn't horrible. Before adding more oil I checked the level, and it read about 3/4 still, so it can't have lost much (though I understand this will necessarily be inaccurate due to the temperature of the oil). I added a pint, and will check it again tomorrow, and maybe go for a longer drive.

I also obtained some graphite grease for the speedometer cable, and I'll grease it tomorrow after classes. I hope I haven't done much damage to it. You may wonder why I didn't grease it before putting it in, and the answer is simple -- the inner cable felt greasy already! So I placed a bet that it had come pre-greased. My bet didn't succeed.

Some slight good news -- I just successfully aimed Mog's headlights, I think. Mathematically they're aimed correctly, but I have yet to road-test the new aim.

Here's a photo of Mog during the aiming process.[frame][/frame]

It's been a little while, because I got peeved in another thread and didn't feel like coming back (I know, I know), but there's been some good work done so I'll share that with you now. Sorry, there are few photos and lots of text.

In the United States, we just had a holiday called Thanksgiving (with which I'm sure you're familiar -- personally I wish more Americans used British holidays too, like Boxing Day). For Thanksgiving I received a week-long break from university, and of course I used that time to do Mog work! Driving around Fulton and the drive back home were reasonably comfortable and Mog ran well, though there were still some issues.

The first problem I tried to fix was one affecting the tachometer: the male bullet connector on the back (this tach is out of an MG Midget or perhaps an MGB) is not affixed to the plastic plinth, allowing it to wobble about and causing the tach to lose its reading. I tried to superglue the bullet connector back to its plinth, but this was only half successful, and the tach works most of the time but not always.

Next I had dad repair the radiator overflow pipe solder, which had cracked (because I'm bad at soldering). Dad used some special plumbing solder that did the job really well, and now the pipe does not leak! Huzzah! I had been losing rather a lot of antifreeze that way -- I think the cap, a new one from ESM, is not quite tall enough to seal correctly.

At the same time I changed the thermostat from 82 degC to 88 degC. This hasn't really helped the low running temperature (it was about 70 degC and is now about 75 degC, because it's cold out now), but I'm considering a radiator muff as the next step.

Next I tackled a big job that I'd tried before: removal of the differential. This was far more successful than I expected; upon removal of the propshaft and halfshafts, the diff nuts undid with relative ease and the diff slid out like a charm. I was surprised to find there was no gasket between it and the axle case. The next morning, the diff went to Mog's mechanic, who replaced the pinion seal in less than an hour (and evaluated the quality of the diff -- it is good and usable).

The next day I endeavored to put the diff back. I wasn't comfortable with not having a gasket though, so I spent an hour measuring and cutting and finally I made a gasket for it:[frame][/frame]Fit like a charm! The diff went back on with a little difficulty, but it did go on, and so far (having driven back to Fulton in the interval) the pinion hasn't leaked a drop. Sweet success!

The next major project was the speedometer. I wasn't having much trouble with it, but due to earlier trouble the odo was 63 miles off, so I endeavored to reset it via reversed drill. This process went well until I discovered that the odometer was failing again. Very cheesed off, I tried to fix it, but never tasted success, so out came the spare speedo.
I set the new odometer to the correct mileage by turning the odo wheels by hand, with the speedo disassembled, and this worked except one of the brass fingers that keep the wheels from turning at the wrong time had become bent and was failing; for every mile I gained 301 miles or so. So I removed the whole odometer assembly, axle then pieces, and repaired the finger, then reassembled it all. To my great shock, it worked! After about 200 miles, the odo is still working perfectly, and I have an accurate non-noisy speedometer to boot.

So that was Thanksgiving break. A few days before break, Mog and I crossed a milestone: 1000 miles driven since the end of the restoration. I'm averaging about 450 miles a month now. There are still issues of course, but I'm sloooowly resolving them, and at least now I can drive the beast!

The three most important things I still need to do: get much better soundproofing for the firewall, get the engine to slow down its leaking (or more likely rebuild it entirely), and get better brakes. These haven't been done because they're all expensive and time-consuming. I bid on a pair of Wolseley 1500 front brakes, but only barely didn't win them, having bid up to $450 plus a good $150 shipping!

To compliment you on having read all that prose, have a few photos of the car.[frame][/frame]Friends in the back seat -- but since you can't really make out their faces, I figure it's okay to share this photo. Proof positive that Mog can haul people besides me!

[frame][/frame]Here's where I live when I'm in Fulton: Remley Women's Center (the brick one on the right), a theme house on campus that specializes in women's issues. I'm the first man to live here. You can just make out Mog in the rear parking lot, center.

How about one more? I like this shot. [frame][/frame]

Good to see you back Fin

Mog is looking pleased with himself

Nick

Well, in the intervening time, Mog and I have driven about 2000 miles. The car runs all right, but the engine oil leakage got to be so bad that the engine is out right now, and all offending gaskets replaced (still waiting to see if the sump cork seals will compress sufficiently). The speedo got infected with grease from the cable, and then I bungled the repair, so it's dead now and I've got to wait for a spare to get bought so I can mix-and-match parts (I accidentally pressed the cone-shaped bearing inside the magnet wheel too far back, so now the needle wheel is too mobile and sometimes binds on the magnet wheel, a potentially dangerous problem -- if it binded during driving, the needle spring could snap). There's plenty of other stuff too, but it's been a pretty good car.

So I haven't updated in about two and a half years. Mog is still my everyday car. We're done almost 16,000 miles together. It smokes worse than a wet log on a campfire, and has very reduced power nowadays, but will be receiving a new engine soon. Let's start way back when...

April 2014: Having tired of the cartridge filter (who ever thought that was a good idea? Really!), I replaced Mog's with a spin-on type that I stole from one of the spare engines.[frame][/frame]It has never given me trouble.

Shortly after, I met my mum for some time together (yes, I'm American, and yes, I call her 'mum' for real) in tiny Linn Creek, Missouri, about midway between where I live and where my parents live. This is just a nice photo, I think.[frame][/frame]
May 2014: I graduated Westminster College. That summer, I stayed with a friend of mine in Fulton while I searched for a place to live of my own; this is Mog in her garage. Such luxury![frame][/frame]
Mog's 948cc engine was wearing down pretty badly by that point. I found a gentleman in southwest Missouri who had a 1275cc and gearbox from a '72 MG Midget for sale, and my parents were kind enough to retrieve it for me. It was dusty, but in fair shape.[frame][/frame][frame][/frame]
A number of small items happened on Mog around this time. The right-front damper sheared some bolts, and I had to remount it with nuts on the back, because the threads in the plate had stripped.[frame][/frame]
The top steering column felt bushing got replaced by the Mini nylon/plastic one in an effort to eliminate a clunking. It did not work, but tightened up the column feel quite a bit, so it was worthwhile. I think the ultimate problem is in the steering rack ball joints.[frame][/frame]
Tiring of being unable to use my aesthetically pleasing wing mirrors, I relocated them to the doors.[frame][/frame]
Tired also of freezing my fingers on the handbrake on cold mornings, I modified a bicycle handlebar grip to cover it. The fit is perfect! And I think it looks good.[frame][/frame]
Spring 2015: the rear dampers came off for two or three months for rebuilding. The cost of new or reconned ones was prohibitive (remember where I live), and so I was determined to fix the ones I had. Here they are cleaned up in preparation for disassembly.[frame][/frame]
The machine shop milled out the rear caps...[frame][/frame][frame][/frame]
...and, after they pressed the arms out, I removed the pistons to inspect the bores.[frame][/frame]
I procured seals of the correct dimensions (thanks to Declan's excellent how-to guide) and got some expansion plugs through my auto parts store job. The plugs got a small smear of sealant and tapped right in.[frame][/frame]
With the lip seals in place and everything carefully aligned, the arms could be pressed in with a simple bench vice.[frame][/frame]Refilled and remounted, the dampers haven't leaked a drop and work fairly well. I put SAE 30 in them, but will soon be changing that up to SAE 40, as I'm not satisfied with the shock absorption. (I have already put SAE 40 in the front dampers, and those are noticeably smoother.)

Let's have a brief intermission. The next post will detail the stripdown of the 1275. Stay tuned!

I stripped the ancillary components off the 1275 while spending a few days at my parents' home in that winter. In April 2015, my parents were kind enough to bring the engine and gearbox up to Fulton. At the time we were living in a house with a basement work area, and the engine and gearbox made their way in there.[frame][/frame]
The gearbox got cleaned up...[frame][/frame][frame][/frame]
...and the engine began to come apart.[frame][/frame][frame][/frame][frame][/frame][frame][/frame]
My overall impression was that the engine had seen some use, but was in good condition.[frame][/frame][frame][/frame][frame][/frame][frame][/frame]
Having never disassembled an engine before, these first glimpses into the guts of the beast were exhilarating![frame][/frame][frame][/frame][frame][/frame]
I then made a foolish mistake: I attempted to tap the harmonic balancer off with a hammer. You can guess how that worked out.[frame][/frame]
I encountered a few seized studs, but managed to get them all out before sending it off to the machine shop.[frame][/frame]
The pistons came out without any hullabaloo...[frame][/frame]
...as did the crank - though main bearing cap bolts are TIGHT![frame][/frame]
All went into buckets to keep things organized. These originally held ice cream.[frame][/frame]
To my amateur eyes, the block looked very good.[frame][/frame]
The bearings had some slight wear, but nothing severe.[frame][/frame]
...with the possible exception of this rod bearing.[frame][/frame]
This is the "rivet" that holds the engine number plate on. It's a drive screw - the threads are vertical enough that if you tap it with a hammer, it screws in. This one came out with a screwdriver.[frame][/frame]
...the other one was not so lucky. (The machine shop will remove it, and keep the block threads, I hope.)[frame][/frame]
I'm no fan of dual carbs, or of the crosspipe intake manifold that Midgets had, and so I happened upon this HIF4 on an Oselli Torquemaster and snatched it up. It got lost in transit across the Atlantic, was returned to the sender, who resent it...and I finally received it about six months after ordering it! [frame][/frame][frame][/frame][frame][/frame]
The HIF wouldn't fit down onto the Torquemaster, so I had the machine shop cut a spacer out of an aluminum block.[frame][/frame]
I procured a rebuild kit, and the HIF was easy to rebuild, after first dipping it in parts bath.[frame][/frame][frame][/frame][frame][/frame][frame][/frame]
The starter was in good shape. I cleaned it inside and out, and gave it some fresh paint. This is paint I ordered off Amazon that is (the seller said) the exact BMC green that Mog's engine would have been originally. (I know, starters were black, blah blah.)[frame][/frame]

Thinking ahead, I pondered what to do for an exhaust system. A local shop said they would be happy to fabricate the pipework if I could get them a flange to go onto the block, so I designed one...[frame][/frame]
...and had the flange laser-cut at Danuser Machine Company, where I work. Perhaps you've heard of us - we invented post hole diggers and three-point mounted grader blades back in the '40s, and sell some things in Britain from time to time. (I do customer service. )[frame][/frame]

It was summer by then and there was still work to do to prepare the engine for the machine shop. The head needed some attention - the springs and valves had to come out! I was disturbed to find that some of the valves were VERY tight in their guides, and two were tight enough that they needed to be tapped out with the hammer.

The springs also required the hammer treatment, but only because I couldn't find a suitable spring compressor.[frame][/frame]
Soon they were all out.[frame][/frame][frame][/frame]

That's the engine all disassembled and ready for the machine shop. It just found its way there about a month ago, and we'll talk about that in a bit - the next post will feature Mog's new front disc brakes! And assorted other things.

I work two jobs; there's Danuser, which is full time (40 hours a week), and there's O'Reilly Auto Parts, which is part time (20-30 hours a week). The consequence of not having free time anymore is that Mog's maintenance has fallen off precipitously, and I also demand more of it than I used to, since I commute all over town most every day.

Here's a nice shot of Mog at one of Fulton's lovely public parks, while I was taking lunch.[frame][/frame]
And here we are in teeny Mokane, Missouri, because both Mog and I felt like having a little road trip one evening. (This is about a year ago.)[frame][/frame]

One serious problem that keeps recurring on Mog is that the B-pillars, at the front lower corner of the side windows, are cracking. I welded these cracks during the original stripdown, and they've come back.[frame][/frame][frame][/frame]Sealed with silicone for the time being, because I don't have time enough to remove the windows!

I had had time to install a gas-charged lift support in the boot...[frame][/frame]
...but my makeshift bracket was a poor choice, and it ended up cracking one of the hinge studs.[frame][/frame]
A new hinge and a better-designed bracket cured that issue.[frame][/frame]

I also found time to paint some of the new engine's items (yes, that's a new harmonic balancer)...[frame][/frame]
...replace the worn steering rack dampers, here compared with a new one on the right (some effect, but no cure for the clonk)...[frame][/frame]
...have Mog's license plates renewed with an inspection...[frame][/frame][frame][/frame]
...and even order in a 3.9:1 differential for the new engine. It was in bad shape, but cleaning and new bearings helped that.[frame][/frame][frame][/frame][frame][/frame]

I also took apart the front-right damper mount, welded nuts on the rear of the plate (because the plate threads had stripped), welded it back in, and replaced the damper. I also changed out the upper trunnions and tie rod ends, and switched all the rubber bushings for poly ones for good measure.[frame][/frame][frame][/frame][frame][/frame][frame][/frame][frame][/frame]
And then I began the biggest project of recent memory: the disc brake upgrade.

I had originally wanted to go with ESM's Ford-based kit, but I discovered that the Ford the kit was based on was not sold in large numbers in the States. (Here, these particular models were a luxury marque called Merkur, and parts are virtually unavailable for them.) What's the point of the Ford kit if I can't get parts for it? Marinas were also quite rare here. I ended up using a hybrid setup, with Ford-based hubs and rotors, Marina caliper brackets, and MGB calipers, which are commonly available.

I painted the calipers in purple high-temperature paint, because why not?[frame][/frame]
Oh dear, I forgot to repaint the new trunnions and tie rod ends! Oh well, no time now...[frame][/frame]
The caliper brackets went on...[frame][/frame]
...and then there was lots of trial-fitting.[frame][/frame]
I had been cautioned that the hub would need some modification to clear the MGB caliper, but I didn't find this to be true; the hub and caliper fit just fine together. The caliper did not, however, clear the Minor rims.[frame][/frame]This was quite easily solved with spacers between hub and wheel.
All that was left was modifying the master cylinder (the worst part of the whole job!)...[frame][/frame]
...and setting up the pads. And, of course, lots of bleeding.[frame][/frame]

On the whole I'm satisfied with the disc conversion. The pedal is about as heavy as it ever was, though I did need to adjust the pedal travel to account for the greater amount of fluid used by the calipers (a remote reservoir, I believe, is not necessary). The most bothersome thing I have found is that the greater pressure required by the calipers bursts the (poorly manufactured modern knockoff) brake light switch.

After going through two standard brake light switches, I came up with an alternative solution: a pedal-actuated switch. A hole drilled through the chassis leg triangle box allows a simple open-on/closed-off switch to bear on the side of the brake pedal. It is not ideal, insofar as it requires a lot of adjustment before finding the correct amount of thread for proper actuation, but it does work.[frame][/frame][frame][/frame]If you're interested, this brake light switch is the same one my 1975 Datsun uses.

I've done a few small other things recently, like fitting LED strips under the dash wired into the door switches...[frame][/frame][frame][/frame]
...and beginning painting of some of the 1275 parts, like the rocker cover.[frame][/frame]
Mog also needed a new alternator a few months ago. I took that opportunity to remount the coil down on the inner wing.[frame][/frame]
Through O'Reilly Auto Parts, I can access yet another machine shop (I've used three now...). The O'Reilly machine shop polished up the 1275's flywheel for me, and mounted a new ring gear.[frame][/frame]

Where are we now? The 1275 is at the machine shop. Their evaluation? It is in excellent condition, except the cylinder bores were badly worn. The crank is perfect and the line bores are good, the con rods are like new, and there is no cracking; both the head and block decks have some scratches that can be polished out (probably). To take care of the cylinder wear, I had them overbore by .020", and I purchased a new set of oversize pistons. It was expensive, but this seemed like the best solution.

I hope you've enjoyed this long-overdue update. I would promise to be more frequent, but I won't, because I've done that before and broken it. But I know you guys love me anyway.

It's about midnight now, so I'm through. Ta ta for now!

Hi Fin, great to see you've not lost your enthusiasm or persistence while you've been quiet. Interested in your brake light switch mod as I'm thinking of doing something similar. Did you disconnect the original hydraulic switch, or are the two switches working in parallel?

Mark

wooohoo Fin, go Fella, that's one hec of a update, more like a photo essay, great to see you're still passionate about Mog, she's keeping you busy, keeping your brain sharp. Like that you had the pistons numbered up in ice cream tubs so they can go back in the same order they came out, good thinking. Also nice to see a little more local colour in your shots, really gives your thread a feeling of the Good ole USA. Keep em comin brother, and don't worry about delays and time lapses, life goes on.

Thanks for that, gentlemen - enthusiasm comes and goes but never fades completely!
Mark - the burst pressure-actuated switch allowed leakage, so I removed it and replaced it with a solid plug. The pedal switch handles the whole circuit. If you use a similar switch, file an amgle into the pedal where the switch bears on it, and file the switch surface into a round shape - if left flat, it can catch on the pedal and hold the brakes (and lights) slightly on. Very irritating! You might also use some silicone lubricant or similar.
David - local color is the spice of life, right? I'll get some more around-town shots up when I'm off work.

Received the oversize pistons today. AE Nural brand, apparently high quality, seem to be made of lightweight nonferrous metal. Quite pleasant to hold in the hand. [frame][/frame]

And now: the Pretty Picture Post, as requested by David.

At the start of this year, we moved out of our house (where the nice basement workspace was) into an apartment. The apartment has much less workspace, but I was willing to make this trade because it has things like insulation and reliable heating, which the house did not have.

Anyhow, here are Mog and Dullahan, my '75 Datsun, enjoying the snow at the new apartment building.[frame][/frame]
More of an artsy shot.[frame][/frame]
Mog in the rain at a local hardware store.[frame][/frame]
Mog next to a heavily modded VW, which I thought was amusing.[frame][/frame]
Back in the old house - a very steep incline allowed careful backing in to the basement. Here, Mog is parked with the boot just inside, awaiting loading of the gearbox, which would be checked over by a local transmission shop.[frame][/frame]
Fuelling up.[frame][/frame]
Several winters ago I drove friends around quite a bit. Here Mog's awaiting one of my friends for a 200-mile ride.[frame][/frame]