Morris Minor Owners Club

Hi all,

I took the morris for a 100 mile round trip today and towards the end the accelerator peddle started to stick a little - if I floor it quickly and release it returns OK but normally it doesn't return that well and I have to put my foot underneath and pull it up that way.

I have just checked my manual and cannot see what mechanism is used to produce the spring return on the accelerator. Can anyone point me in the direction of where I should be looking when I check it out tomorrow in the light?

Thanks

Kirsten

Just the spring at the carb end that pulls the pedal back - if broken, obvious on the standard motor, not as easy to see on others

bigginger wrote:Just the spring at the carb end that pulls the pedal back - if broken, obvious on the standard motor, not as easy to see on others

Hi BG, thanks for that. I'll take a look - it's not standard carb - HIF44 - but think this works in much the same way. Oddly it still has a lot of the spring but not all. Maybe its long breaks without use are seizing it up somewhere?

Isn't it a coiled spring affair behind the arm the cable pulls on, then? They're a pig to change, but do-able

bigginger wrote:Isn't it a coiled spring affair behind the arm the cable pulls on, then? They're a pig to change, but do-able

Oh good, I just love pigs of a job!

Check that the cable hasn't frayed where it goes into/exits the sheath - can cause exactly those symptoms too, as it hangs up and stops the pedal/throttle returning properly

ok, thanks. I'll check that too then

If the spring is still there, then the 2 most likely causes are:
1) lack of lubrication in the cable istself.
2) a damaged cable (damaged inner or outer)

The coiled spring has a tendency to break at the bend where it enters the carb body too - but I might be picturing the wrong carb
a

You can also get these symptoms with a spring in place if the current carb return spring is starting to weaken. (They are often attached directly to the exhaust manifold/exhaust clamp- assuming your carb is simmilar set jup to standard), repeated hot/cold cycles can weaken the spring over time- or the wrong (too weak) spring was fitted. Buy the correct throttle spring for your particular carb from one of the usual suppliers and you may find your sticky throttle return problem goes away- it did for me.

I use a clutch return spring (MUCH stronger) ... mainly because I was driving down the motorway one day and the accellerator return spring snapped, resulting in my motor racing away like the dickens ... I stood there scratching my head on the hard shoulder for a bit* wondering what on EARTH I could use in place of the spring ... dug about in the parcel shelf for a bit looking for anything elastic, and turned up nada.

Then it struck me ... aha .. the clutch doesnt REALLY need that spring to get me home ... tada ... gotta love the minor for it's redundancy

I never took it off since, bought myself a new clutch return, and I quite like the extra resistance to the acellerator pedal.

* - what the chuff are we gonna do now that they are starting letting people drive on it in peak times?

KirstMin wrote: I'll take a look - it's not standard carb -HIF44

Just something to bear in mind, as everyone seems tp be assuming it's a spring between the carb and the mabifold
a

As Ray has said - almost certainly it's the cable that has reached the end of life. Simple test - disconnect it from the carb and see if the carb then returns to idle ok. Try to get the longest possible cable - to get a nice easy curve - and it's a good idea to carry a spare too!.
Don't fancy that clutch spring am - it will be putting a terrible strain on the cable - and on the carb spindle bearings !

Clutch return spring on throttle cable I do hope a spare throttle cable is carried, as if it's a proper clutch return spring, that's one serious spring for such a thin cable. Might improve MPG though due to tired leg

Hi everyone,

Thanks for all the useful info - I'll find out the state of the cable tomorrow as I can take a few hours off work whilst it's still light.

Question: if I need to replace the throttle cable for the HIFF44 is this different to the standard cable? IF so, any pointers to the correct one to buy as there seem to be a lot of different ones on the mini sites - different lengths etc?

Thanks

The outer cable clamping on the HIF carbs are totally different to the HS carbs. Your best bet is to source a bicycle rear brake cable and cut the inner and outer to suit.

Also the tension spring is built into the carb It sits behind the cam on the throttle spindle.

Hi all, worked out the issue: the cable was catching on the cam/arm which is attached to the carb - the bit of metal that 'feeds' the cable. For some reason, it appeared to have bent and therefore each time the throttle was released, the cable came out of the slot/feeder (whatever it is called) and got caught slightly.

This is the bit I am talking about - i had to open it up a little to prevent the cable from sticking (god knows why half way through a journey it started to stick!??)



Ta for all the help.

The idea of the quadrant device is to give a 'progressive' opening of the throttle - as you open it more then the angular movement increases for linear movement of the cable. Normally works very well. You need to make sure the extra inner cable length sticking out doesn't snag on anything! Looks clear enough in your pic - just a warning to others.