Morris Minor Owners Club

Hi,

My Minor fialed it's MOT last week (the first time in the last 4 years, so it was due a failure!).

Apart from a bit of welding being needed round the rear spring mounts it also failed on 'Movement in the Offside Front Damper'. The examiner said that there was movement in the shaft which goes into the damper when the front wheel was moved to check the bearings and so on. Whilst I can easily see where the movement is I am not sure if the fault is with the damper or if it is a problem in the front suspension allowing the movement in the damper. I would be grateful for any advice which may save me time/money in solving this problem.

Thanks in advance

Pat

Where exactly is the movement??

Hi,

If you 'rock' the front wheel the movement can be seen on the large bolt head which attaches the top of the front suspension to the damper inside the engine bay. The damper body is securely mounted, so the movement is between the damper shaft and the body of the damper.

Does that make sense?

Pat

Yes and it sounds like you need a new damper. They are not expensive and you need to exchange your old one. £17 + VAT from East Sussex Minors (for example).

Well there's the damper arm, one end bolted to the damper, the other end connected to the top trunnion. As you say its the end in the engine bay that moves on its shaft (presuming you checked the Nut is tight) then you probably need a new damper.
They are about £15 exchange, and come complete with the arm attached.

If it's not leaking which could indicate that the arm IS moving on the shaft as Ray suggests and not the shaft in the body thus damaging the oil seal.

Probably, or all the fluid has leaked out!

True, a puddle of oil directly underneath could be a bit of a giveaway, but MOT tester should have spotted that
Never had one of these arms off a damper, wonder if it's a parallel fit with key or tapered like trunnion end (and possibly keyed) ? If tapered fit then only a slight slackening of the nut would reveal a considerable movement of the arm on the shaft.
Would recommend changing both dampers if possiblle.

I would say definitely change both dampers .

Sorry to be a bit late with a reply but racer is quite right dampers should only ever be replaced in pairs,

dampers should only ever be replaced in pairs,

Err... why? Fair comment if both are similarly worn or useless, but a waste of money if not. Imagine if one fails due to a leak - why junk the other if it still works well?

why junk the other if it still works well?

Well I was always led to believe that the dampers were for keeping the tyre/wheel in contact with the road in an even manner and if one is worn the other wont be far behind it (unless it was a faulty recent replacement) so if you just replace one it will be far stronger than the other and you will not have even damping/stability especially under cornering/braking and as the last Mot failure was over 4 years ago the dampers must be of a fair age so replacing only one would be a false economy especially as they are not expensive.

Well I was always led to believe that the dampers were for keeping the tyre/wheel in contact with the road in an even manner

Yes, absolutely !

if one is worn the other wont be far behind it

This assumes of course that the dampers have always been replaced at the same time for 30 years or more and that they are in the same condition. Most cars don't come into this category - I had a failing o/s damper a few years ago and only replaced that side. The n/s one (a different colour so probably supplied somewhere different & fitted later) lasted for another two years. Both were replaced when I started to experience problems running over potholes, but changing them two years apart didn't cost me any more money - and there's no guarantee both would wear out at the same rate in future. The ideal situation of exactly identical damping isn't something you will definitely get even with two new dampers.

I had virtually exactly the same situation on my MGB (when it was on the road!) Changing the dampers a couple of years apart is not really a problem, but I suppose if you want peace of mind then change them all!

when you buy recon dampers check that they work by hand first.

Yes, like most things that you buy. It's a good idea to check them out as much as you can before fitting.

I learnt that lesson after fitting a nice new (recon) starter motor. Turned the key and.....nothing

Turned out it was faulty - I tested the next one with jump leads before fitting it.

It's good practice to clamp damper(s) upright in a vice prior to fitting, remove the filler plug and move the lever through it's full travel a number of times. This will ensure any air will be expelled and the fluid level is correct.