Morris Minor Owners Club

On the way back from Grantham, Lincs on the A1 our Morris Traveller 'Mavis' started to lose engine power, some smoke came through the air vents in the dash and then there were 3 mighty loud bangs from the centre of the car underneath (from what we gathered). Luckily we got it into a parking bay and have breakdown cover on the insurance (Mum and Dad are there now Im back home). I have since gone into the garage and noticed some blobs of what looks like oil on the floor, but only one of the blobs is fresh. Could this be an oil leak? It has broken down once before with similar symptoms but it has never had the loud bangs from underneath. Then we thought the problem was a loss of brake fluid (we later noticed it was leaking).

There are about half a dozen blobs on the garage before - because the car has been parked there we have not noticed it. Mavis had already gone on an outbound trip to Grantham and also to the supermarket today. We have only had the car for 2 weeks.

If it is an oil leak what is the next thing to do? The engine did not restart at all when tried. What else could it be?

The car was recently given a good going over by a local mechanic and is due in for a couple of items of minor welding on 7th. No other problems were found then.

The oil has been checked when we bought the car and again when it was checked over at the garage, and once at home, and we did not find anything to cause concern.

The car is a 1000, reg year 1970.


Any advice much appreciated.
Its my mum's car


Thanks

Chris

It is extremely common to have oil leaks from the Minor engines.
either from the front or rear crankshaft oil seals or through the drain hole
(with a split pin handing down) in the bellhousing. since you have noticed a fresh one and some old ones it would not appear to be a new problem
unless the latest one is much larger. It is the 'three loud bangs' which are worrying. If you have a starting handle you could see what it feels like to turn the engine over by hand. Has the oil level dropped dramatically?

What is the water level?
What did the smoke smell of?

Well its difficult for me to answer this as I was taken home by my father as we had some frozen food (just been shopping before it happened). However I was in the front passenger seat when it happened and the smoke smelled very fumy, we had to have the windows open and it smelt like burning. It did smell oily.

My parents have returned home - the breakdown truck has taken Mavis to a local garage and apparently the mechanic said it could be an oil issue going by what we have said. The breakdown man seemed to think it might be an electrical problem? He has managed to get the engine re-started.

As you can see Im not very technically minded but am learning the ropes as I go along!

I shall let you know of any updates in this. Wasnt the best way of introducing myself on this forum!

Hopefully i'll be here for a while and hope to get some good advice from you all!

Smoke and smell suggest a possible electrical wire has melted. It would be worth (a) disconnecting the battery and (b) removing the speedo and glove box liners in order to examine the wiring in the dash board. Also, does everything electrical still work - wipers, indicators, lights, horn, etc?

Oil level should be checked regularly, but small leaks are common and nothing about which to worry.

The intriguing thing is the three bangs. Really need to look at all things - suspension, gearbox, etc. A good garage should be able to find the problem quickly. If not, then join your local branch and ask for a local knowledgeable person to help out. It's worth joining anyway for all the other benefits.

Hope it all goes well, the Minor is pretty indestructible, reliable, and (in the worst case) usually easy and cheap to repair.

I should get your 'local mechanic' to have a look - after all, he has supposedly checked it all over for you! Could be very small problem - or very big. But if the engine restarted - there is hope. Did it lose any water - is there still water in the radiator ?

Yes there is still water in the radiator


I have joined my Mum up as a member this evening, but didnt put me as an additional member. I will ring up the society in the morning to see if I can be added on for the extra £2.50.