Morris Minor Owners Club

Can you tell me What is the Best oil level of MM1000 - Engine - What is the oil stick " Arrow mark" says ?

The arrow just points to the fill line.

The oil level should be at or just below the upper level line on the dipstick (marked "FULL -> I ")There are different types of dipstick markings and different length dipsticks! (Later models have a guide fitted in the block and "MAX", "MIN" markings) So if you are not sure then post a picture.

Too much oil is not a good thing and too little is much worse. Make sure the car is on a flat surface (front to back and side to side). A very small slope makes a noticeable difference to the oil reading. Also run the car, switch off and wait one minute to get comparative readings. Otherwise you will have slight variation in sump levels as it will be higher after standing than when just stopped.

Finally, 20w50 oil!

Not the , "MIN" mark OF MY dipstick (ONLY marked "FULL -> I ") How I Think The oil level sufficient to the engine - normally Now , oil have " 1/2 " of the mark - Look image[frame][/frame]

Measure the amount of oil it needs to reach the full line

The idea is that you should always fill up to the line. The car will naturally burn, leak or vent oil during use and so the level will gradually go down. Keeping topped up to the line means the car can always be driven distance without having to keep checking and topping up. If you fill below there you have less safety margin. Keep a record of how much oil you add then after some time you will know how much oil your particular car uses. Of course it is very important not to let the oil level drop too low.

If you are going a 'long' journey - no harm in adding a bit more to say 5mm above the FULL mark. And yes - use 20W50 oil.

What is the meaning of '' 20W50 oil ? What is the 20W "W" ? What is the 50? -- Why should I use 20W50 oil ? [frame][/frame]

That is the viscosity and temperature rating. The engine will run with almost any oil, but you need optimum pressure and lubrication. Look for SAE 20W50 API SE CC. Maybe it is difficult for you to find 20w50 oil?

Here is more information, but note that the author now uses 20w50!

http://mgaguru.com/mgtech/engine/of104.htm

Ok - can you tell me " temperature" - is this climate temperature of the country that use the car ? , I am not England , climate temperature of my country normally as at 12 noon about 28 C or 30C - so may I use 20W50 engine oil ? Is it depend climate or not ?

The 20 means that oil will behave like a thinner oil (20 weight) when the temperature- of your country or the car- is cold, making it easier to start and get oil flowing to all the necessary bits. Then, when its hot, the oil acts like a thicker oil, maintaining good oil pressure. 20w50 should be a good choice for a Morris in just about any climate.

Absolutely agree!

You would be fine with a straight 40 grade oil Sandun - SAE 40 (was Castrol XXL in the day) - you don't need the variable viscosity due to your nice warm climate! But if you can get 20W50 - then use it.

Thank you

If you are going a 'long' journey - no harm in adding a bit more to say 5mm above the FULL mark.

Never go above the full mark on purpose. It's far better to start full and finish up 5mm below full than to overfill.
If the car is using oil, then it need to be checked and topped up more often. If you need to top up often, then certainly don't be very fussy about getting it exactly on the full line, and spend your time working out the oil use rate so you can
a) know when to top up before it gets low
b) work out if it's getting rapidly worse!

5mm is unlikely to make a significant difference but it's bad practice - those who have overfilled 'too much' have risked engine damage. The least you will get is poor mpg from excessive oil level.

On many engines the max fill level allows the oil to sit below the sump baffle plate (where the sump oil is meant to be). The baffle plate mainly keeps oil present for the oil pump but has a secondary effect of preventing high pressure locking on hard braking / cornering events. Serious overfilling will create pressure locks - I've seen drivers complain of smoke and loss of power from overfilling. but it's plausible to have major damage.

How can you get 'engine damage' by overfilling 5mm on the MAX mark - please explain! Even if it was grossly overfilled - worst that could happen is for the crank webs to dip into the oil - obviously not ideal - but hardly 'damaging' !!!!!!!!!! Running even slightly low on MAX causes loss of oil pressure on hard cornering - which of course is instant death to the bearings........

20w50 should be a good choice for a Morris in just about any climate.

With 40 below not uncommon here in January, 5w30 is a much better choice for us in the winter. I'll save the 20w50 for the summer. 20w50 is hard to get around here, I get funny looks when I ask for it.
When starting a cold engine, in cold weather, if the oil is too thick the oil pump can't move it fast enough to provide adequate lubrication. I've seen numerous engines severely damaged due to fools starting them when they shouldn't have been started. Generally it's the rod bearings and crankshaft journals that get chewed up.

Exactly - in fact it's not unknown to shear the oil pump drive shaft. I thought you all used sump pan (or block) heaters in the wilds of Alberta??

When stuff like that happens I think it's God's way of saying, "You- or at least your Morris- shouldn't live here. Move south!"

bmcecosse wrote:How can you get 'engine damage' by overfilling 5mm on the MAX mark - please explain! Even if it was grossly overfilled - worst that could happen is for the crank webs to dip into the oil - obviously not ideal - but hardly 'damaging' !!!!!!!!!! Running even slightly low on MAX causes loss of oil pressure on hard cornering - which of course is instant death to the bearings........

Agreed, high oil level is not a problem on an old A series engine.

But in case Google points this thread to a search enquiry a bit of 'balance' is required.

Too much oil in a modern Turbo HDi though certainly is a major problem, it can get sucked into the turbo system and the engine will run away on it until it destroys itself, as many Peugeot/Citroen owners have found out the hard way.

Ah yes - that's a very different kettle of fish!