Morris Minor Owners Club

Hi

I have been trying to get as much info about my new acquisition as possible. I have tried to make sense of the engine number but it doesn't seem to follow the coding explanation given on here and the web.

Can anyone explain my number please. It is V/189E/H5123. In between the first V and the H there looks to be a zero under the paint but I'm not sure.

E

Hi

Spent ages trawling through this site and the Web and can now answer my own question.

I scraped the paint from the number and now find that it actually is 10V189E/H51023

Apparently 10 indicates that the car is 1098cc. V indicates a vertical in line engine. 10V189E is the code for a post 1969 engine. H indicates high compression and the numbers are simply the engine number.

Problem solved.

Are there any NON vertical in-line engines ??????????

bmcecosse wrote:Are there any NON vertical in-line engines ??????????

There are in line engines that are tilted over at 30 or 45 deg for example. I can't name any, you can never see the engine under the air filter

Dolomite Sprints and the 1850's spring to mind as being a slant 4

The other alternative to Vertical is Horizontal. (Code H rather than the V) This will be the letter used in the mini for example or any other front wheel drive car in the range.

Are there any NON vertical in-line engines ??????????

Honda (and maybe some others) use vertical inline engines in outboard motors for boats.

As PGH says it really refers to transverse or longditudinal.

I was of course referring to NON-VERTICAL A series engines................. And the Mini engine is very much vertical - yes it may be mounted East West fashion - but still vertical! The V in the engine number has absolutely nothing to do with 'Vertical'.......

Got my info by searching on the web for 'Morris Minor Engine numbers' and followed the link to mgcars.org. This site sets out the sequence of the numbers and clearly says that the 'V' indicates vertical.

I stand to be corrected since I am simply guided by this site but to say that the 'V' has nothing to do with Vertical doesn't help unless you provide another option.

Certainly in an E-W config - a 10V engine was for the Vandenplas 1100. In the N-S config it follows on from the 10MA/10ME engines - and the V 'may' have something to do with the crankcase ventilation arrangements.

According to Ray Newell's book 'Original Morris Minor' all series V Minor 1098cc engines from chassis number 1248542 onwards (March '69) to the end of production were designated 10V-189-E-H (high compression) or 10V-189-E-L (low compression). This information isn't shown on the MG engine code sites though

The following is an extract from the mg site referred to above

'1970 onwards.
After 1970 the system was again changed, and simple types were just numbered.
85 848cc 99 998cc 10 1098cc 12 1275cc
16 1622cc 18 1798cc 22 2200cc

with either a 'V' or an 'H' after it. 16V meant vertical,( in-line), as in the Sherpa van,
or 18V as in both the later Sherpa and MGB, and Morris Marina 1800. 12V would be
in an Ital, and 12H in Metro, H meaning horizontal, (FWD.) It was the group of
numbers/letters after that denoted the fitment, ie, 18V-584F for a UK specification
engine on the MGB. 18H was in the FWD 1800.'