Morris Minor Owners Club

Hi

I have just purchased a Traveller.

It has been stored for the last 8 years. The underneath has been covered regularly in oil to protect it.

It is now leaking oil in a number of places. Can any recommend anything I can put on my drive to protect it from the leaks.

Ideally I would like something I an keep down and drive straight onto it. Currently I put a number or pieces of wood under when I park up.

Thanks
Andy

i know its not the best thing to look at but sand does the job well cheers
patricklambert

A drip tray

Trouble with a drip tray is I'll need a few to cover the entire underneath and have to place them every time I move the car.

Pressure wash the oil off ?

It is tricky protecting the ground from oil spots. I've had to do this on a commercial 'decorative' surface. We bought those 'cheap' plastic artificial 'tarpaulins' and laid them under a suspect engine and gearbox. As you want 'longer term' protection, perhaps buy 1000 gauge or similar building polythene, cut to a size bigger than the car area and weight it down?

The clue is in the common nickname - "Moggy". They don't leak, they mark their territory, like cats pee on your tyres. It's a behavioural trait: try to counter it at your peril.

The trouble with any solution like sheets of metal, trays, or tarps, is that you either have to put them out every time you park up, or risk it raining on them and washing the oil off in streams.

Kevin

cat litter soaks up oil well .

How about some sort of 'sump guard' to contain the oil, underneath the offending areas. I'm working on this idea myself.

The big problem with a sump guard type vehicle mounted drip tray is that it will collect oil until you park on a slope and then it'll dump ~half a pint of dirty oil just where you REALLY don't need it (like in a nice hotel courtyard when the owner let you park there as a favour )

What I've used over many years is a big sheet of hardboard on the drive. They will last 5 to 10 years out in all weathers and they are permeable enough to soak up the normal Minor oil leaks from engine, gearbox and back axle.
If they dry out they get lighter, and then they have a tendency to get moved in heavy winds, so mine normally had a couple of bricks on them.

After 10 years, the previously nice blockpaved drive looks shoddy anyway so I stopped bothering!

I take your point, but obviously a little thought has to go into it. For example shollow sides have to be incorporated into the design to prevent such spillage and along with other maintenance jobs on a Minor the tray will need periodic cleaning either by adding a tap of sorts or just 'mopping out'. I have however wondered if the airflow through the tray would blow the contents out! In which case a higher upturn on the end might be appropriate. I also wonder if the cars stability would be upset.
I expect I''ll find out. I want to move on from the board and pile of bricks on the drive!

Please see thgis link

http://www.mmoc.org.uk/viewtopic.php?f= ... il#p202702

He made me a tray to fit the minor and kept the templates so he can make some more.

I think I still have his phone number somewhere.

Checked out the link Roger, but I think in reality leaks are more likely to come from other places, so I personally have been thinking of a tray from the front of engine to the gearbox tailshaft, the width can be kept quite narrow.

If you are thinking of mounting something on the vehicle to catch the drips at all times, I wonder if this info. would be of use. Depending how much room there is: I'm involved with boat engine installations at times and of course, even if they don't leak oil gets in the under-engine/gearbox bilge. You can't lift that out and tip it away! Theres now a material wadding mat that placed long-term in the bilge, aborbs the oil but not the water that can be there too. Lift out wadding and throw away, place fresh. Idea? I don't know what its called though.

les you may need one the full length