Morris Minor Owners Club

Hi all,

I need help! I have put a good original engine in my traveller, the only work I did to it before I fitted it was a reground crank and bearings, new oil pump, new timing gear.

The bores, pistons and rings were standard and well within the wear limits (bores had no wear), so they were not replaced.

on start up and warm up It had a bad oil leak from the back of the engine seamed to be from the rear seal and figured I had cut the cork on the sump seals too short, so I took it off cleaned it all and refitted with new seals etc, I used plenty of RTV on the seals just in case, started engine and warmed up seemed fine.
went out today and now its dripping badly from the "jiggle pin" (split pin) in the gearbox, it is engine oil, one drop every 6 or 7 seconds when running, there is a brief increase in the dripping when you turn the engine off (a drip every 2 seconds) then it fizzles out and stops?
I have read some accounts on here about incorrect crank venting pushing oil out in that area, well mine is old and has open vent on tappet cover and vent on rocker cover to air filter (both are not blocked).

could it be coming from the oil pump cover? it was loose and I only sealed one side (although I dont see how it could leak as the pump has a gasket?)
any ideas welcome ASAP, I dont want to take the engine out again if I dont have to, but need to get it fixed so will have to start pulling it out tomorrow afternoon.

Thanks and regards,
Eric.

What kind of crankcase breather set up have you got?
"one drop every 6 or 7 seconds " at tick over this is pretty terrible, are you sure it isn't overfilled?
What happens if you take the oil filler cap off with the engine running?

Hi,

The crank vents are the open pipe type on the front tappet cover and the pipe on the rocker cover that goes to the air filter box (cone type filter.

Not tried running the engine wthout the cap on, will give that a go before I pull the engine out just in case.

Best regards,
Eric.

when you take the cap off you will be able to see if the engine is blowing by the amount of fumes coming out of the filler,If the crank needed grinding then allthough no sign bore wear its possible that the rings were worn .Have you got good compression on all cylinders.if its blowing excessively then it will blow oil past the scroll seal and out of the back of the engine even with the breathers open.

What about if the oil pressure is very high?

I put a new oil pressure relief valve and spring in and when you drive about at decent engine speeds its running at 75 to 80 psi.

Could that be forcing oil past the side of the rear main and so past the seal?

Best regards,
Eric.

The high oilpressure will certainly make more oil available at the rear labyrinth, as it squirts out the edge of the journal - but it's crankcase pressure that will push it out... If you are sure of the gauge accuracy - you can safely drop the pressure to 60 psi. But normally - standard parts give 60/70psi..... As mentioned above - after a run to get everything hot, idle the engine - remove the filler cap, and rev up. Is there a plume of smoke/fume? The rocker breather works better when connected directly to the vent pipe on the side of the later HS2 carb. You say 'cone filter' - what type ??

I have an almost identical problem. I took an engine, replaced the bearings, put in a new oil pump etc and now oil drips off of the back of the sump. The higher the revs the worse it gets. I drove to Bristol and back from Worcester yesterday and found that there was barely any oil left in the sump when I got home...

I've also removed the sump and replaced the gasket but that didn't help. I've even had the engine out again to check that the oil pump gasket wasn't the issue.

I'm now thinking that it must be one of the following:
1. The oil pressure must be too high.
2. The channel that carries oil from the recess in the rear main bearing cap back to the sump is blocked or partially blocked.
3. There is excessive gas blowing by the pistons - I had a rebore and fitted oversize pistons and new piston rings so I doubt this.
4. I was supplied the wrong size bearings (i.e. they are too big, allowing oil to easily flow out).

I plan to:
1. Fit a new pressure relief valve - they're pretty cheap it seems.
2. I'm trying to search to see if there's a way to temporarily fit a gauge to the car to tell me the oil pressure.
3. Do a compression test to check that blow-by isn't an issue.

There is a kit available to prevent oil leaking from the rear of the engine as a last resort but this feels like the wrong thing to do. I would never feel comfortable driving the car again without knowing the root cause.

Please let me know the details when you find the cause of the problem in your car.

OK well good luck on fixing it. Let me know if it works. I too have this problem. Pouring oil. After talking to the experts at the local club, the overall consensus is that basically a new engine will be required. Oil is just seeping past along the back of the crank, as the top surrounding metal is damaged along with the crank. It could be rebuilt but the cost of the new parts and strip-down and metal work required will be almost the same as a rebuilt engine. Another guy in the club had a very similar issue, and a new engine was needed. I'm sure it can be fixed, and although my knowledge of the engine section of the minor is limited, thus a poor explanation, the experts at the club seemed pretty certain. Sorry to be so negative, just my experience.

I saw a mention to a kit that "cures" the problem. Don't waste time or money going down that route. Search for some other posts on the subject; and you'll find that the kit is a poor design and does not work. Unfortunately, this problem is usually caused by a worn engine; and the club experts have gained their knowledge form first hand experience. Sorry.

Some 'experts' at the Club Just where would one obtain a 'new' engine these days ??? Engine reconditioners just rebore, and grind the crank - they 'may' fit a new set of camshaft bearings if you are lucky. None of them will do any repairs to the labyrinth sealing arrangements........ As ever - you (all) must decide if the oil is leaking from the sump - oil dripping off the sump, or from the labyrinth seal - oil dripping from the jiggle pin. It can't ever be the oil pump gasket.......... If sump leak - the remedy is obvious, if labyrinth leak - check as mentioned above is for crankcase pressure by revving up the hot engine with the oil filler cap off. Yes - worn rear main bearing will mean a LOT of oil being flooded over the labyrinth, making it more likely to leak - and I suppose excessive oil pressure could have a similar effect. It's also possible for a crankshaft to have a damaged scroll I suppose - and this would be a cause. And the half-moon part of the labyrinth should have the fixing bolts loosened and be snugged down on the main bearing cap and then retightened after the main caps have been torqued down...... And - good negative pressure must maintained in the crankcase by connecting one or more of the breathers directly to the carb suction - or to the inlet manifold via a restrictor -or the PV valve system.

bmcecosse wrote:Some 'experts' at the Club Just where would one obtain a 'new' engine these days ??? Engine reconditioners just rebore, and grind the crank - they 'may' fit a new set of camshaft bearings if you are lucky. None of them will do any repairs to the labyrinth sealing arrangements........

Ok now you are just being plain difficult! You know exactly what I mean about getting a reconditioned engine. And although these are not 'new' they should be good as. And although they may not repair the labyrinth seals as standard, if they know this is the issue then surely they will?! (I have found a re-builder perfectly happy to repair this damage/fault) Also you will normally get an exchange engine rather than a direct rebuild anyway. And if for some reason /bad luck this engine has a damaged labyrinth seal also then you can just take the reconditioned engine back as faulty! I'd also appreciate it if you did not make such judgmental comments about the experts at the club. I have no idea what your is based on at all!

The idea that you just need a 'new engine' is not sensible. Especially as there is no such thing. Let the 'experts' diagnose the problem and come up with a cure!