Morris Minor Owners Club

hi everyone
I could really do with a bit of advise please.

I recently had a lead free head fitted to my wife's 4 door morris (1300 midget lump)
after that we had a problem with the rocker cover gasket leaking, so iv replaced that with a new one, BUT i seem to have oil coming out of the oil dipstick hole.
is this rings gone or something else horrible its only happened since the new head went on.
I'd love some of your collective expertise please.
Thanks
Norm

are you sure its coming out there? i personally would be degreasing the engine so i could easily find the source. it would seem awefully wierd to have oil come out the dipstick hole (unless of course someone had though that the engine needed to be fill to the very top with oil, in which case the engine should work anymore)

Negative crank case pressure should keep oil in so check that the breathers are connected OK and not blocked....

Norman,

Do you have a photo of the engine bay so that we can see what crankcase ventilation setup you have?

The 1275 Midget engine usually has a vented timing cover, non-vented rocker cover, vented oil filler cap and a hose connection from the timing cover to the carburettor. This givs a slight negative pressure in the crankcase to reduce oil leaks - please note that it doesn't normally stop them altogether!!

Are you sure the dizzy O ring seal is'nt leaking?

thanks everybody
Iv'e cleaned down the block with gunk an took it for a couple of miles an now i'm back the dipstick hole and surrounding area is covered in oil
its getting dark but im just going to take a photo of it.
thanks so much for your help and interest
norm

iv done the photos, i just hope they are clear enough to show what your looking for.
i think these will come in three lumps cos i cant get my pc to let me send the all at once<br><br>

next one <br><br>

an again <br><br>

and lastly <br><br>

re the dizzy o ring seal it doesn't look like its the cause

It doesn't look like the rocker cap is vented...

Take it off, turn it upside down and you should see something that looks like wire wool inside. If not you need a different cap.

Check that the pipe from the vent on the timing cover is still attached to the carb

and finally thats a 1300 ital/marina engine not a midget one. The marina/ital unit is stronger

Or just vent it to atmosphere. Run the engine an take of the oil filler cap,look for an exessive amount of fumes,its possible the oil control rings have gummed up and the crankcase is pressurising. If this is the case try a good quality engine flush before you do anything else.
No doesnt appear to be the dizzy although i did have a similar pool of oil from a leaking oil pressure switch. Why is your vacume advance not connected?

Rod

I'd put my money on worn out rings. Old valves were not seating perfectly. New head gives you tip-top compression, and blowby

I agree - it's not a Midget engine - and it looks to me like not enough crankcase ventilation. Is that the original rocker cover, or did it get changed when the head was changed ? It will be down to excessive pressure in the crankcase - so you MUST relieve this - it may well be also blowing oil out at the rear crankcase 'seal' - have a look under the bellhousing - is oil dripping from the little 'jiggle' pin ?
I would fit a rocker cover with a vent pipe - and try running that to the carb, leaving the timing case pipe open to atmosphere - but turned down low in the engine bay so you don't get the fumes!
And yes - the vacuum advance must be connected for best performance.

The rocker cover is correct - it should not be vented. The crankcase ventilation comes only from the timing cover and a vented oil filler cap, which from the photos looks as if it is not? The crankcase needs a slight vacuum; this is only possible with a closed system and a restricted air inlet via the filler cap. An open vent anywhere is the same as no ventilation, but probably better than totally closed and pressurised!

I would try fitting a vented cap, without doing anything else, and see it that fixes the problem.

Yes, connecting the vacuum makes around town driving better and more economical.

But if it's blowing fume - a vented cap will just let it out all over the rocker cover (v messy) - and into the driver's lungs too! Hence my story of what "I" would do ! Vented rocker and run the timing case breather to below the car.

If thats the only leak has the dipstick got a seal on it?. Also cant see it in your pic but shouldn't there be a tube to support the dipstick
Ive got a slightly different arangement on mine i can take a picture of it tomorrow if you want

The important thing is to concentrate on things that have ben changed.

I think a compression test is the way forward then try it again with a squirt of oil in the bores to see how good the rings are.

The correct fitment with the timing case breather should be a vented cap. take it off and see if there is a hole in the centre on the inside.

What oil are you using? If it was filled with modern low viscosity oil that might explain the blow by. Ask who ever changed the head if they changed the oil.

Just a thought - I guess the head gasket could be blowing into an oil way, but the compression test will highlight that

Here's a photo as requested of the dipstick setup on mine hope it helps
When I built my engine up I didnt have a dipstick for it & the hole was slightly smaller than the minor one so that tube wouldnt fit .the dipstick im using is from a 1.3 maestro<br><br>