Morris Minor Owners Club

I have recently replaced my gear box (as well as doing a few other tinkers hear and their) as my old one used to jump out of gear 2.

This new one works like a dream, however it seems to get a bit hot. After a good long run from Gloucester to wolver Hampton today it was getting toasty warm around the cover plate, and the near the bottom of the gear stick and around the rubber part, it was pretty hot.

The plate over the gear box got warm before, but not as much as this one is.

Has anyone experienced problems like this before, is this normal for a Morris 1000?

Pretty normal on a hot day. After all - it's bolted to an engine running at 70/80 degrees C. I assume you filled the box with engine oil - and not EP90 ?

Is your clutch slipping at all? Mine used to chuck off a lot of heat after being driven 'slippy' for a while.

The Oil in the box is 10w40. The clutch seems pretty normal, and feels like it still has lots of life left in it.

As I said I have only just fitted the gearbox. When I first ran it, I ran it with the internal gearbox cover off (So you can see the road from inside) After turning the engine on (Almost instantly) there was smoking from where the speedometer cable screws into the box and near the gearbox mount/brace. It obvously couldnt be overheating at all because it had only just been turned on. I assumed it was old dirt being warmed up and smoking off. I am not sure whether this still smokes as the gearbox cover is now back on but this could be do to the heat??

The oil should be 20w/50? I doubt it would make much difference to operating temperature though?

i use 20-50 in my box but when I collected a rebuilt box the expert said that 10-40 gives a sweeter action with no drawbacks!

10/40 is ideal if the syncro is ok - less drag and less heat. Really don't understand your 'smoke' !!

Check the earthing of the motor/gearbox. It may be earthing through the speedo cable. Mine has an earth strap from the gearbox cross member to the rear of the box.

Ahhh - very good point!! That would indeed explain the instant 'smoke'.