Morris Minor Owners Club

Hi everyone,

Wanted to say hello and ask if anyone could give me some advice.

I'm a first time Morris owner (why did I wait so long?!?!) - Just got a 1964 Duo-tone called Monty which seems to be pretty much mechanically sound and runs really well with only a couple of small niggles.

I took it on a fairly ambitious 500mile round trip this weekend at it positively flew along and only got me worried a couple of times. 1st problem was that the engine cut out a couple of times while stop/start driving in traffic queues - I put that down to me being a bit heavy footed on the fuel. Next issue was that on two occasions after indicating the 35 amp "auxiliary" fuse blew - I also noticed that the light on the indicator stalk flashed weakly a few times when in the neutral position. I checked all the bullet connections and visible wiring (I've got the glove boxes out as I'm tiding the interior up a bit) and everything looks fine.

Other issue which may be related to the previous ones is that on the home stretch (literally a mile from home!) a loud ticking/tapping started - sounds like it's coming from somewhere high on the nearside bulkhead - around where the fuel pump sits. You can't hear it from the engine compartment and it goes (best impression here...) "ti,ti,ti,ti,ti,ti" for about 8 seconds, quietens down for 6 or 8 seconds and starts up again. Happens in neutral, stationary and moving and doesn't change speed or pitch.

Any suggestions as to whether everything is related or how to go about properly diagnosing what's up?

Many thanks in advance,

Billy T.

(PS hope this is in the right forum - wasn't sure if it should be electrical or mechanical!)

Welcome to the forum! The fuse blowing obviously means there is a short circuit somewhere. You need to track it down to when it happens - ie when indicating, or when braking and find the cause. Probably a wire chaffed through at some point. The ticking is the fuel pump - and that was also very possibly the reason the engine cut out. In hot weather some find problems with the fuel vapourising as the pump struggles to pull it up from the low mounted tank - to the high mounted pump. It can also be caused by a vacuum in the fuel tank if the little air hole in the cap becomes blocked. So, next time take the cap off and listen for any inrush of air. The vapourising problem is made worse if someone has fitted a completely unnecessary fuel filter in the suction line to the pump. If there is one - remove it. The complete cure is to relocate the pump much lower down in the engine bay - so it doesn't have to suck the fuel from the tank. It may also be worth checking/cleaning the little built-in fuel filter in the base of the pump - see page B8 of the workshop manual.

Thank you for the speedy reply and insight!

The fuses blew when the indicator was canceled and thinking about it I recently knocked the indicator assembly getting in to the car so maybe I've done something there. I've got a socket big enough to take of the wheel and get the bakelite shroud off for a look so that should perhaps be my first point of investigation.

No inline filter or blocked air hole - so all good there. I read that the contacts in the pump should be maintained/replaced at regular intervals - do you think it's worth doing now and might it reduce the noise? (It's loud!) Relocating the pump sounds like a fine idea - would I need to change/shorten the hoses or just make sure they are not hanging?

All the best,

Billy

Hi there - wrestled the steering wheel off and found the indicator assembly loose. Now that's sorted hopefully the fuses will stop popping!

Had a proper look at where the fuel pump sits - don't think I'll be moving it unless I really have to - looks beyond my meagre skills. Next steps are points and filter as suggested. Fingers crossed...

Well done so far! Yes - moving the pump down is not simple - but it is the cure for difficult cars. Try cleaning the points - but I doubt it will make any difference. Best hope is clogged filter!