Morris Minor Owners Club

This is a bit of a long shot....
whilst undertaking my very first service, ever, I was trying to get the oil filter off (and still havent ) and noticed this wire not connected to anything... .

Now I dont know if I knocked it off or if its always been like this but Im rather nervous now in case its something important. Can anyone tell me what its for / where it should go / should I not drive for the time being?.



Here it is from the top:



I know its not very clear to see where its coming from (I could try to get some more pics later) and therefor a long shot. I'd be grateful for any suggestions.

Thanks.

it is one of two wires, either it is for the oil preessure warning light (one of the orange lights inside the speedo) or its for the "oil filter replacement light" (another orange light in the speedo). if it is the latter then there is no need to worry, you can just leave it there. Check that you do have the oil pressure warning light working though, before starting the car you have a red and an orange light on in the speedo, then they both go out when the engine starts?

Picky

I can't make out the colour in your photo as it's got a black sheath over most of the length, but if you can tell us the colour someone will be able to look it up. It may be for the (now redundant) "oil filter blocked" sensor which would light an orange warning light on the left(?) of the speedo. If that is the case (may not be!) then it's quite harmless to leave it unconnected as long as it doesn't flap about and get caught in anything.

err

not sure what you are trying to point out mike? but are you sure its not the vaccum advance tube? i.e. not a wire but a thin tube that goes on the side of distributor and is fed from air filter/inlet manifold. that pops off really easily.

I can't quite make out the colour, but it looks like the one to the temp sensor (if you have one). They tend to be quite long with a black sheath.

If your oil pressure warning light comes on when you switch on the ignition and goes off when the engine starts then the mystery wire should be Green with a yellow stripe and it is the redundant oil filter lead.

Mike, re: oil filter if memory serves you have a spin on type? if thats the case and its being a pain to get off stick a screwdriver through it and unscrew!

I have a wire dangling in the same place, and it is indeed the blocked filter warning light. I've fitted the spin-off filter kit, so the wire is now redundant.
Let me just add...when I first got Rosie and went to do my first service, the old-style filter was pretty worrying when I took it off. The oil was congealed in there and looked like it had not been changed in a very long time. This leads me to deduce that the blocked filter warning light would only come on in an advanced state of blockage
The springs and washers on the filter looked a bit fiddly to me (and it leaked happily), and you have to refit them in the proper order....so a spin-off kit was one of the first things I bought (along with some nice, clean 20/50 oil )