Morris Minor Owners Club

Hi all, my traveller squeaks like a family of mice has moved in the front, I've tried spraying any rubber I can see with silicone, no difference, any ideas please.

When and under what conditions is it doing it ?

If it's the bushings causing it, I use a rubberized grease (like brake caliper grease - the thiiiiick rubbery stuff) on assembly. Totally eliminates squeaking and is very weather-resistant.

If it's not bushings, could be loose suspension parts (damper, eyebolt maybe?) rubbing against the car body, or possibly a seized or stripped trunnion hanging up on the kingpin threads (only when turning). Could even be your driver's seat! Like our draggony friend above said - we need more data!

My first suspect item is the eye bolt/bushes/pin on the inboard side of the lower front suspension arm.
My second suspect item is the chassis leg around the eye bolt. They do tend to crack in a radiating form from the eye bolt chassis hole.
My third suspect item is the top trunnion pin bushes.
My fourth suspect item is the damper mounting bolts.

If the swivels have been regulary greased there should be no problem there.

If fitting new bushes - fit poly bushes and coat them with red or white grease before fitting.

It defo sounds to me like rubber squeaking, more on the near side. Is it easy enough to change the rubbers?

Fitting polybushes (particularly replacing the old rubber eye bolt ones ) about 18months ago for me made the maddening sqauking and squeeking at the front end dissappear.

Replacing the eye bolt bushes is reasonably easy (use the search facility for detailed instructions).
When ordering the bushes I would include the pin and I would personally order an eye bolt so that you can hit the problem running and have all the parts you may need to hand.
If you fit poly bushes to the eye bolt you may like to consider the fitment of a grease nipple to the eye bolt.
Do not fit a grease nipple if you fit the original type rubber bushes as the grease will cause the rubber to rot.

Thanks guys, very helpful as usual!

On the ESM web site I can find the poly bush kit, eye bolts sus 100a ! But I'm not sure which are the pins, sorry could you please tell me exactly what they are called or the part number! Cheers. I'm sure the more I get under her the more I will learn, thanks again, I speak for many people by saying it would be much harder to run cars like ours without people like you to help guide us!!

Here is an exploded view of the front suspension:-

http://www.moss-europe.co.uk/shop-by-mo ... minor.html

The item you want is No: 74 Pt No: AAA1407 (MOSS)

The eyebolt pin on the ESM web site can be found in the rear suspension section as the eyebolt pin and the rear shackle pins are one and the same item even though they may have different part numbers.

The part number of the eyebolt pin on the ESM website is SUS719.

http://www.morrisminorspares.com/rear-s ... in-p831376

Personally I would only use eyebolt pins with a UNF thread. I have found that those manufactured with a BSF thread do not seem to be well finished off at the shoulder and therefore tend to eat into the cup which is item No: 75 in the top link - Pt No: ACA5263.

Phil

Thanks Phil, Just what I need. Can I please ask, what, if any, advantages are there in using poly bushes over rubber?
Cheers Tony

Rubber parts are poor quality these days and don't last. Grease and fit some polys and you should be good. They're almost fit and forget.

The original rubber bushes from BMC were rubbish from new but that is all there was back then.
Some years ago Minor Mania made some nylon/plastic (generic term) bushes and those are fitted to the Minor Mania negative camber eye bolts I have.
I have also fitted Minor Mania rear spring bushes but they are just one tube and not separate bushes on the same pin.
The original way to get over the poor quality BMC eye bolt bushes was to fit modified J2/J4 front suspension metalastic arm bushes but they are virtually unobtainable now.
Those J2/J4 bushes could be fitted to the rear springs as well for longevity.
The poly bushes (there are several manufactures and different grades of firmness) are the best way to go when replacing the suspension bushes.
Immediately below is a photo of the Minor Mania negative camber eye bolts fitted with their nylon/plastic bushes.
The eye bolt pins are special one offs which I made to allow a mounting plate for the antiroll bar link joint to be fitted between the thick and thin arms.
The large black plates are incorporated into the mod to spread the load around the eyebolt hole in the chassis.
In the 2nd photo below is a Marina eye bolt bush (on the left) and a J2/J4 eye bolt bush (on the right).
Phil