Morris Minor Owners Club

Hi Folks.

Have a minor traveler, has an electrical gremlin at the moment.
The problem is i cannot get a live ignition, have a good battery which is supplying the solanoid, no live wires either side of the solanoid, checked and cleaned the three fuses near voltage reg, still no joy, what am i missing here???
Paul.M

The big spade terminal to the solenoid supplies the rest of the car, just not the starter.
I'd give that a long stare.

The problem not completely clear - but check for bad battery connections and/or earth connection - and indeed as above ^^^^^^
Does ANYTHING electrical work....?

Hi Guys.

Thanks for the info, was trying with a new solanoid, put the old one back on and it became live again, still cant get it to turn but i think the starter motor is at fault, as i smacked it with a hammer a couple of times and it tried to turn.
Whats wrong with peplacement parts these days?? they seem so crap.
Anyone got a good starter motor at hand???

Paul.M.

Just pull the starter and service it - they are very simple. Free the brushes and oil the bushes - clean the Bendix (and DO NOT oil it) - and it should be fine. Why did you want a new solenoid in the first place?

Test it by putting it on the floor and connecting jump leads to the flange and terminal. It should spin rapidly.

Hold it down firmly with your foot if you do that - it will want to jump about!

Hello chaps.
Tried the service trick the other day, it doesnt spin very fast across a battery, they are very simple to work on.
Ordered a new one as their not that expensice compared with a modern car.
Replaced the celanoid because it was just clicking when ignition turned, as this component is cheaper than a starter it seemed a good place to start.
I also cleaned all connections and this made no difference.
Now i know the old seli is good i will tray the starter as explained above.

Paul.M.

The solenoid just clicking is often due to it not seeing enough power from the battery, are you sure it's good and fully charged?
If you have the cap type battery connectors replace them with the clamp type.

The earth side of the equation is just as important as the live side so don't ignore it.

There needs to be a good connection from the engine to the chassis as the rubber engine mounts insulate it.
A jump lead will do as a test for this.

Operate the solenoid from under the bonnet and listen for any sizzling noises, these are bad connections and will get hot too.

Hi.
Yeh i have replaced the battery connections with the clamp type, it had one lead type left on it so that was replaced.
Will check the engine earth situation and use a lead to test.
Thanks for the info.
Paul.M.

Hi Guys.
Some good news, got my woodie up and running after its long slumber, all be it a bit rough.
Can any of you good people provide me with the points and plugs gap??
Paul.M.

15 thou points and 25 thou plugs. But DO check the valve gaps too - 12 thou inlets and 15 thou exhausts - if you don't want the seats burning out , that is !

Hi Chaps.
Does anyone know if there is a spring in the oil cartridge ?? the reason i ask is because i changed my oil and filter and when i emptied the black crap out i found a spring in there, which i assume came out of the cartridge that holds the filter.
there is a long bolt, cartridge outer, filter. and the plate at the top of the filter, does the sring go over the long bolt??

Paul.M.

There MUST be a plate on top of that spring - and then the filter cartridge sits on the plate. If the plate is missing - the oil is not being filtered - and probably hasn't been filtered for a long long time..........

Hi.
Yes there is a plate on top of the cartridge, but where does the spring locate. does it go on top of the long bolt to offer some risistance when spinning it back on.

Paul.m.

No - I said there must be a plate ON TOP of the spring, and the cartridge then sits ON TOP of that plate....... The spring (obviously I think) sits in the base of the canister.

Bolt goes through the housing then the spring with the washer/plate on top followed by the filter