Morris Minor Owners Club

Hi there what sort of Engine Oil should i use in my 1954 morris minor as i dont know which oil to use

20/50 is probably the best stuff, can be bought from any motor factor or even supermarket.

i was told that but thought id ask to make sure

Asda or Morrisons and change it every 3000 miles....

Yeah for ASDA - or Morrisons! But do fit a new filter. Which engine is it ??

948cc

Where did the 3000 miles interval come from?
Is it from a manual?
The first one I pulled off the shelf says 6000 miles which is from an Autoservice chart.
I can't find out how old this is but I'm guessing at late 60's early 70's.
There is only a limited amount of jus de dinosaur available and I don't think we should waste it.

The only place I've heard this before is on an American Mercedes forum which helped me understand why America uses so much of the worlds resources.

I'm not some green activist, I just think this is wasteful.

6000 miles fine if you want but I do mine every 3000 due to mostly short stop / start and around town driving.....
My old oil is wasted either - I have a multitude of uses for it

With the 948 engine - make sure the plate/spring/sealing washer are present inside the oil filter canister - underneath the paper filter! Also - fill the can with oil as best you can when you do the change, so the engine runs for minimal time with no oil flow until the pump gets the frwsh stuff flowing round.

Multitude of uses for it is fine, but this oil isn't any good any more isn't.

6000 miles came from 30 years ago. I'd expect even cheap modern oil to be capable of this.

I'm as sceptical as you like, but I'm willing to accept that dinosaurs aren't being made any more.

Also that chucking things away because they don't cost much I find distasteful.

If petrol is cheap why not buy a 7 litre SUV that does 12 MPG?
Does this sound familiar?

I don't even have kids, why do I care?

The way i think is If you buy a rebuilt engine and you want it to last as long as possible you use the best 20/50 oil going to protect your investment.

I change mine every 3000 miles so twice a year as i want my nearly worn original engine to last a lot longer. it has done 93000 miles and does not smoke or rattle or knock because i look after it.

As suggested in another message make sure all the oil filter parts are there as the original tecalemit or purolater filter systems do not work with springs or plates missing. That is why i have converted my engine to a moder spin on oil filter system so i know its being filtered properly.

James Stephenson

My old engine oil makes excellent 'lighting up' oil for Morayshire!

I've no idea what 'lighting up' oil for Morayshire! means but it sounds like it might give off stinky black smoke which I'm not keen on.

Maybe I'm actually a rampant green activist and should be a stones throw away at the climate camp.

I rebuilt my own engine which had done over 100,000 miles on old fashioned cheap and nasty oil not changed often enough.

I could easily afford to buy engine oil and pour it down the drain but it but that wouldn't make ant sense.

The point about the oil filter working is fine.

But chucking stuff away before it's time doesn't lead to Morris Minor ownership IMHO.

The lack of a simple clip to retain the oil filter spring and plate seems to me to be another Austin cost cutting feature. The Morris side valve engine filter spring and baseplate is held in place with a circlip so there is never a risk of losing the parts.
My Traveller OHV engine has been converter to a canister filter so no problem there. I just have to check my old 1098 engine to see if that has a complete filter.

Early 948 Minors DID have the clip I believe - I remember it being there on my old 948 ngines, and my TR7 also has the little safety clip!
As for oil changes - I certainly don't change the oil in my Trav very often -about 5 years ago now I believe! It's still sparkling clean - and the car has only done ~ 3000 miles in that time.
And it is ASDA 20W50 !!
'Lighting up oil' - rag soaked in oil is lit on the shovel - then dropped on a pile of timber in the firebox - which has also been soaked in the oil, and then more timber thrown on top! Coal is only added once the timber is well alight - to minimise smoke emission!