Morris Minor Owners Club

I have just rebuilt my 1098cc Engine, with a new crankshaft, mains,big ends, also re bore with new pistons, the head was overhauled to take unleaded petrol, the engine runs and sounds great, the only problem is a oil leak from the split pin in the Bell housing, I ran the engine for half a hour and no leaks, but when you stop the engine it drips from the bell housing, about half a tea spoon then it stops, the rear of the sump is dry so the gaskets not leaking, I was told it could be the gear box leaking, is there anyway to find out which is leaking with out taking the engine out, the gearbox has also been overhauled with new bearing,etc, or is this a Morris problem and you have to live with it. Cheers

It's going to take a few runs, but the simplest way to tell which is leaking is to let it leak and then, after a period of time, check the oil level in both the engine and the gearbox. It used to be quite normal for engines to use 1 pint every 300-500 miles, but recent reconditioning has seen this greatly reduced, and it is not uncommon to find engines doing 2,000+ miles before the level on the dipstick starts to drop.

It should obviously NOT be leaking. You can look inside the bellhousing (remove the rubber bungs - shine torch in one and look in the other) to see if the box is leaking. If it is the engine - check the breathers and make sure there is no pressure in the crankcase. It 'may' get better as rings/pistons/bores 'run in'.

If you can push the split pin up and find a way to temporarily keep it there, it might just be possible to see from what direction the oil runs out, ie from the clutch/gearbox or flywheel/engine end.

what is the split pin for? often wondered....

To keep the hole from getting blocked.

To stop you pocking a finger in while the engine is running...........