Morris Minor Owners Club

Hi guys,need your advice once again,my car is awaiting for me to start work on her.I do start her up at least once a week,starts first time everytime too.When she starts up soot like particles come out of the exhaust (need a new one this one just started to blow),is this a sign of needing a decoke or what is it do you think??????
Pete

It's because you start the engine - and don't GO anywhere...... Stop starting the engine if you see what I mean.....

It does more harm to an engine by briefly starting it up and then switching off, this is when the wear takes place. Leave it alone until the car is ready then turn it over on the starter with the ignition off until the oil has circulated.

Thanks for your help boys,i did not realise that at all
Pete

If you want to do it ,start it and let it run until hot,giving a slight rev now and then,also keeps the battery in good state ,letting a battery stand for weeks is the quickest way of killing it.I used to do mine once a week when it was laid up.One start once a week will not hurt ,6 times less starting than if a daily driver But if you are not bothered about the battery then just leave it as said above.

Put a solar charger on the battery........

dosent keep the water and oil circulating though .if thats what he wants.and also if he dips the clutch engages gear and just moves it back and forth prevents the clutch sticking,if thats what he wants to avoid as well,and keeps the brakes free,and if he switches the lights and flashers on keeps conectivity ,inactivity like old age makes everything stick or fall off or out eventually,If thats waht he wants of course

is this a sign of needing a decoke

Not it isn't, it's just a by-product of burning hydrocarbons.

I wouldn't start the engine so regularly, once a month would be plenty to keep everything moving.
A solar charger would be a much better way of keeping the battery topped up.

Just cold-starting the engine and letting it idle is, like others have said, very harmful to it. It needs to be doing some work, i.e. moving the car, so it warms up quickly.

Using the choke is causing the soot (perfectly normal - just exhaust smoke due to the rich mixture), but using the choke causes more petrol to go into the cylinders, which washes out the bores and leads to rapid engine wear.

Just turning it over with the starting handle with the spark plugs out once a month will be OK, plus operate the brakes, clutch and leave handbrake off (provided car isn't on a slope - or chock the wheels), will prevent things seizing up, as other members have said.

You should inflate the tyres higher than normal and roll the car back and forth to prevent flat-spots.

If you're concerned about the battery probably the best thing to do is check and top-up the cells with distilled water, then regularly swap it over with a daily used car.

Hope you get it back on the road soon.

I might add that decokes do still need to be done in this day and age. Just done mine and the performance increase is definitely noticeable.

Thanks for all your help and suggestions,I am starting work on her next week,she has been standing 5 weeks,since i drove her from Scotland she has been idle since having her at home i noticed a oil leak (not serious though) so have to check that,and the clutch is not how i like it.The person i bought her of told me,only when i went to collect her though,That the clutch only needs depressing half way down to engage gears,(put it to the floor and it crunches)i like to put the clutch to the floor and then slowly bring her up and then engagement is then how i want it.I am going to fully respray her which is my skill.not very mechanically unfortunately.Was thinking of taking the engine out,using the haynes manual as my bible (wish me luck) try and get the engine bay painted too,then everything off and get down to body work and paint.
Pete

Wish I was skilled at bodywork! On mine most of the paint is the original 56 yr. old stuff, which has really badly faded! To make things worse, some of it was resprayed about 15-20 years ago by the p.o., presumably when most of the original paint still buffed up OK. So now I have a two-tone black car, some nice and shiny, some dull and faded.

BTW a factory workshop manual is your best bet, but to be fair I've never used a Haynes workshop manual.

You will indeed need considerable 'luck' if you rely on the Haynes 'bible'

hahahah cheers thats cheered me up,is it that bad the haynes!!!!!Well then what would you suggest???
Pete

The original BMC Workshop Manual is hard to beat. And no need to spend a lot of money on it either......
The Mini lads refer to HBOL - Haynes Book of Lies......

I have just bought online a morris minor workshop manual,cost me £22.00,and then postage on top,i have taken your advice and done this.I bought it from G S Jones morris minor parts,so i hope it really is that good????????????
Pete

Oh dear.....

Pricey for a Minor workshop manual, you can pick them up for a few quid at autojumbles.

Now you won't want to get oily fingers anywhere near this nice new book!

Yes i have made a booboo,seen the same manual on e bay for far much cheaper,oh what a fool i am,as long as it helps me then ,i will just have to grin and bear it

Cancel the order.......