Morris Minor Owners Club

This is probably obvious - my 1275 engine has the oil filter high up on the engine block. When changing the filter is there a way of minimising the mess the oil will make when taking the filter off and then putting it back on as usually I refill the filter when I replace it. Just the distributer is below the oil filter. Thanks in advance, Jeff

Fraid not - it's a crap design! Could tip the car on it's side I suppose.......
Just wedge paper towels under it - and be as quick as possible.

A classic case of changing something for the sake of it. Nothing wrong with the canister on the Midget engine though it is probably slightly easier to unscrew, but that doesn't compensate for the mess. Rather than fill the filter you could fit it dry and turn the engine over on the starter with the ignition off to pump the oil into it.

Not familiar with what you have, but I'm assuming it sits horizontal. If it's the spin on/throw away filter type, you can punch a hole in it, having a container underneath to catch the oil. If it's the replaceable cartridge type, once it's off, you could maybe weld a drain cock a doodle diddley on it at a convenient place for draining in the future.

never put a screwdriver through a filter,what happens if it wont come undone,your in deep do do .

They will always come off one way or another
Drain oil first from sump then most of the oil will drain out of the filter....

It shouldn't! Good filters have a valve system in them - precisely to prevent the oil draining down when the engine stops - and then running with no oil for a few seconds on start up! This is often 'missing' in cheapo replacements - so always get the real thing!

bmcecosse wrote:It shouldn't! Good filters have a valve system in them - precisely to prevent the oil draining down when the engine stops - and then running with no oil for a few seconds on start up! This is often 'missing' in cheapo replacements - so always get the real thing!

Can't see how you would fit an anti drain back valve to the input of a filter? The unfiltered oil enters via the ring of holes/slots in the periphery- never yet come across one that shows any sign of multiple hole valving, though some have an inbuilt pressure bypass, so if the filter clogs, the engine continues on unfiltered oil and you know nothing about it!

Surely if Leyland had thought the design through they would have put an anti drain valve in the feed to the filter, like old British motorbikes had?

Dunno how it's done 'la' - but hopefully it IS!

A classic case of changing something for the sake of it.

they changed it because the old location wasn't any use for the Marina (hence marina engines having the sideways filter up high on the block)

Jeff, you'll find that very little oil comes out as PSL says, so nothing to get concerned about.
I wandered about this the first time I changed the engine oil on my 1275

Cheers, Colin

Anyone got a picture that they could post of "the sideways filter up high on the block"?
I'd be interested to see that. The 1275 engine in our MM has the spin on oil filter underneath the generator.
TIA

Yours will be the Midget engine if the filter is at the bottom - The Marina / Ital engine was as shown here...

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My apologies, although I don't think I'm to blame.
I don't know where the "a doodle diddley" came from or how it got into my original reply on this thread, but I didn't type it in or put it there.
Respectfully, Ken

Its because you can't type the word "c o c k" or any other "swear" word without the auto anti swearing filter kicking in