Morris Minor Owners Club

ive just got a 1275cc engine. its out of a marina but it has been in someones basement for 15 years. everything moves right but i want to know what i need to service it. it dosent have a Distributor cap and there are two types you can get from esm. and were is the best place for ht leads and does it matter which spark plug i get. (champion or ngk)

thanks tom

It all depends on how it has been kept. If it has been stored in the dry with oil down the bores then I would take the head off and check the bores and decoke as necessary. Reassemble with new gasket and turn engine over by hand. It is then a case of checking the carb and all electrical components. Change oil filter. Messy on a Marina engine if there is oil in it.
Normal plugs are Champion N9Y or NGK equivalent. Top entry or side entry dizzy cap is up to you. Measure the total HT lead required and buy it by the length so that you have some left over for future use.
Fill engine with oil. Turn the engine over on the starter with the ignition off at least until the low pressure light goes out. If you are happy try starting the engine.
This is only advice and I accept no responsibility if I have omitted anything. It is up to you to satisfy yourself that everything is in good working order.

thanks for that and it has been dry stored and before it had been put away it had all new gaskets but i will change anyway he said it had only done 2000 miles after a rebuild.

I presume it was stored without oil. If it had the oil in it, then I'd remove the sump and clean out any deposits that may have settled.

thanks for that and it has been dry stored and before it had been put away it had all new gaskets

The advantage of removing the head is that you get a better idea of the state of the bores and get so see the head / valves.

If you can get it running before removing head, then when it's warm I'd do a compression test. [Normally If any are low, then repeat test with oil down the plug holes to see if it helps the rings seal - however in this case I'd be tempted to put oil down the bores before running it anyway]
The only reason I mention it is that if you've got a non-sealing valve it would be a shame to re-fit the head with a new gasket etc... and find out later on it needs to come off again.

If the bores have anything more than surface rust i don't see you'd loose anything by a short period of running - deep pitting will mean it needs a rebore and new pistons anyway.

Lastly if the water pump is fitted I'd remove and inspect it. The blades need to be all in order. Normally this is fine but the last thing you need is to find out the water pump blades rotted off and caused you to overheat.

i will check later ive just taken the mainfold off and found out the gasket looked new but had two cracks blew in it. also he said it had been reboured so it has, bigger valves and pistons it also has a road race cam shaft and phoshbronze (cant spell) rather then steel valve guides.

It should go quite well then

ive decided to get a new full gasket set and a bolt rebuild kit. so i can see if everything is ok.

The Marina dizzy uses a larger cap than normal Minor dizzy. I would oil the bores etc and make sure the engine turns freely - make sure there is oil in the sump, and prime the oil pump by squirting oil in the filter hole while turning the engine over backwards by hand - then refit filter (pre filled with oil if you can - but this will be messy!) - and then fit a starter and spin it up (use jump leads) with spark plugs out - until you get oil squirting out of the oil pressure switch hole - or better - fit an oil pressure gauge, and crank it till it shows 50 psi. If no gauge - refit the switch and crank it for another 10 seconds. - it should slow noticeably as the oil pressure builds! Then - re- charge the battery if it's not in a running car - and do the compression check as the engine stands. You are looking for ~ 160 psi. More is good, less than ~ 150 is poor for a 1275 engine
You do know the 1275 engine will need some 'work' before it fits a Minor ?

this one wornt because it was last in a minor . when he sold this minor he said the guy wanted the 1098 in it. but orignally a marina.
thanks for the advice.

Good luck!

started to strip today got the carb off the mainfold off and rocker cover and put some high temp paint on it.