Morris Minor Owners Club

Hi,

I've been a bit of a numpty and looking for some help. Went away on holiday for a fortnight. Came back and thought I'd take the Moggie for a spin. Started no trouble, went round the block and parked up outside whilst cleaning it up some more. Went to start it then, and wouldn't kick in. Starter motor is working, and almost started once but promptly stalled. Then wouldn't kick in at all. Pushed it back under the carport for the night.

Just gone to have another go, and realised I've left the keys turned in the ignition all night. Won't start, and seems sluggish on turnover. Will I have flattened the battery? How do I charge it up? Any particular charger to buy?

Any help much appreciated - TIA.

The battery will probably have drained and you may have knackered the coil, they get VERY hot with the ignition on and engine not running There are all sorts of chargers out there, just make sure you get one with 12 volt high and low charging - you don't need to spend a fortune. Remember to disconnect the battery and take it out of the car to charge it.

NO need to do that. Perfectly safe to charge it in the car. Or start it withe handle, or jump leads, and take the for a good long run .....!!++

bmcecosse wrote:NO need to do that. Perfectly safe to charge it in the car. Or start it withe handle, or jump leads, and take the for a good long run .....!!++

Hi,

I thought I couldn't jumpstart it - something to do with the earth? Or am I wrong?

panky wrote:The battery will probably have drained and you may have knackered the coil, they get VERY hot with the ignition on and engine not running There are all sorts of chargers out there, just make sure you get one with 12 volt high and low charging - you don't need to spend a fortune. Remember to disconnect the battery and take it out of the car to charge it.

Hi,

Would this one suffice? http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/6-AMP-12V-COM ... 2c85f899da

Nice and simple, it would do the job fine. But do disconnect the battery even if you do leave it in the car while charging.

There is no worry about the earth......where do these crazy ideas come from..... Just match + to + and - to -.......
And never ever leave keys in n the car _ if it had bee stolen the Insurance would pay nothing. Have you fitted a secret switch .....?

bmcecosse wrote:There is no worry about the earth......where do these crazy ideas come from..... Just match + to + and - to -.......
And never ever leave keys in n the car _ if it had bee stolen the Insurance would pay nothing. Have you fitted a secret switch .....?

I don't know - probably got my wires crossed (won't do that with the battery! ;) ).

I was in a flap and totally forgot about the keys. It was locked away anyway and tbf if they'd have started it they'd have deserved it anyway :p I've ordered a new ignition coil and battery charger, so will be working on it once they've arrived.

Thanks for you help

New coil' ..... Oh dear ... I see trouble ahead ...

Well I was a little impatient this evening and tried starting it up again - IT STARTED!

Not sure what the problem was, but my Morris has cured itself! <3

Well what do you know A running car and a new battery charger and coil on the way

Do NOT fit the new coil..

can i ask why advise not to fit a new coil?

Back when all cars had coils, many were manufactured in large factories with very strict quality control. Everyone relied on coils for transportation so the manufacturers made sure they didn't leave people stranded, since bad products would be bad publicity and would be terrible for sales. (It also helped that there were different manufacturers competing for the market)

Nowadays, the coil market is much different, smaller, and most of the cars that use coils are weekend toys or at the very least used sparingly. There isn't much competition and thus, quality is not held to the standard it once was.

This is true for coils, rubbers, as well as many other spares for classic cars sadly. So when possible, it's better to refurbish the original parts or find older parts.

On the other hand, thanks to better materials nowadays, some parts nowadays can be found in better quality than the originals; such as polyurethane suspension bushes and electrical cables with silicone insulation.