Morris Minor Owners Club

or something like that! Now I've got Molly back on the road and running nicely I've been hairing around west lothian and one signficant problem has come to light. In first or reverse (particularly reverse), when starting off she judders really badly. I have heard the gearbox steady cable can be a problem or the clutch? Any other ideas?

thanks in advance!


Rupert

Have you got an engine steady bar fitted? usually welded bracket slightly left and below the battery which attaches to the back left side of the engine. It stop "juddering" particularly when in reverse.? Comes in an engine steady bar kit about £14.00 from most suppliers.

It will most likely be the clutch.....

thanks for the replies
regaliaqueen, I have one of Mr Grumpys engine steady kits which does the job quite well. the original bracked under the battery has cracked so its not much use!

PSL184 - what in the clutch would make it do that? I'm not saying you're wrong - I just want to think through all the possibilities before I go ripping engine/gearboxes out! The car has been stood for a long time I seem to remember it not being too great when she came off the road.

thanks for the help!

Rupert

Is it not oil on the centre plate that causes judder?

8009STEVE wrote:Is it not oil on the centre plate that causes judder?

Yes - most common cause. I had the same problem on mine. I checked all the easy things first. Final check was the clutch plate which although had plenty of meat left on it was badly contaminated due to a failed rear main seal and badly worn crank. You can try burning the oil off by slipping the clutch till it gets hot and smelly - If this then shows some improvement you can be sure you are looking in the right place, however, if the oil has been soaking in for years it may not be too conclusive.

My Series MM judders when reversing uphill. It has no steady bar and in norrmal use it does not need one.
Possible causes:- weak engine/gearbox mounts, backlash in diff/rear axle (penty of that), clutch bedded in going forwards so doesn't like reverseing uphill with the trailer on the back (it starts smoking!)
Solution:- more revs and more clutch slip.

engine steady bar loose / missing / broken, engine & gearbox mounts in poor condition and condition of rear springs will all help to amplify judder. It shows up more in reverse on any Minor 1000.

However if the clutch is 'grabby' (e.g. caused by BURNT/sticky oil on the surface) this will also put judder into the powertrain even if everything else is ok.

Depending on how long it has been standing, the disk surface and pressure plate / flywheel surface could have deteriorated. A clutch can take a while to bed in properly. - heavy use when it is juddering is usually the worst thing you can do if the clutch pressure on the disk is uneven - this will lead to localised heating and cause localized glazing on the disk material. Over time this causes uneven wear and things will only get worse.
Hence it is advisable to be very careful with a new clutch - otherwise you are overheating it at the high spots before it gets chance to wear to an even surface.

I agree with the general diagnosis of oil on clutch. You can try to burn it off by selecting top gear - empty road in front - hand brake off - rev up hard and then lift your foot straight off the clutch. If it stalls - not much wrong there - if it continues to rev happily - then the clutch is well past it's best. But - this treatment may just give it some life for a few thousand miles by burning off some of the worst of the contamination.