Morris Minor Owners Club

hiya, i'm new to this game and being young(er) i don't have much spare cash. i have a '59 morris 1000 saloon 948cc n i was having problems with compression/fuel consumption and broke down a few times so i payed a visit to a local recommended garage. they replaced all four pistons and gave me new valves etc etc. they had the car for four weeks. now, just 6 weeks later i'm having trouble with compression and oil being forced up the breather pipe into the air filter and the fuel consumption. i took the car back to the garage, they said they didn't re bore and that the engine was running 75% efficient.

help please, what are my options and which is the best. i've been told if i have a re-bore i will need new pistons/rings etc.

i'm strapped for cash, wot shud i do now. shud i get a new/recon engine

thanks
r

there are always engines advertised in the club magazine, usually for around £40, also have a look on ebay. That would be a good option, as the labour charges for a garage to strip the engine out for a re-bore would be much higher than just an engine swap over.

Rolo, what sort of a garage did you go to? I don't know of any garage that would just replace pistons & valves unless specifically instructed & usually only then under protest . They have no way of guaranteeing their work & a reputable garage wouldn't risk it.
Are you sure it wasn't just a quick re-ring? Even then it's risky as you'd want to replace the conrod bearings also (unless like new), especially if replacing valves too.

I'd try & get some advice from this board for a decent garage.


PS - they're going to ask where you are, update your location in your profile before Kevin & Ray see this.

We might suggest that people add a location when people try to sell parts/cars without letting people know which part of the country/world they are in. That way they are more likely to get relevant interest - it's for their own benefit as well as everyone else's.

It's possible there was a damaged piston (holed in the top or melted by the rings) which might be why the garage replaced them. However if they didn't do a re-bore you've had a lot of money wasted!!! A rebore is roughly £20 and as mentioned - without one they take a huge risk that the engine is still duff.


Look for a second hand engine - £50 plus or minus a bit (club magazine is full of spares ads) and quite a few people are breaking rotted cars with good engines.

Good luck!

I'm surprised they didn't suggest a rebore! Doesn't inspire much confidence. Maybe the block has been bored out to maximum already, they should have said something though.
But did they only work to instructions?
Bet they didn't deglaze the bores

cheers for the help,

when i took it in they said that the pistons were holded at the top so he replaced the set, never mentioned a re-bore.

will now look for a second hand engine in my area, which is wigan in lancashire (will also update my profile!)

thanks for your responses, it's set my mind at ease

still angry at my wasted money tho !!!!

f.a.o. scott, reputable garage. owner used to have a minor 1000 too, that's why i went there, ah well.