Morris Minor Owners Club

Hi all,

This is a long shot as I can't detect where the sound originates and so may be a bit too vague for an answer. Within the last couple of weeks our 1971 traveller has developed a sound that I can only describe as a mild "wobbling" squealing squeak that when sitting in the front seats seems to be coming from the rear of the car, but from the back sounds more like it's all around the underside of the car. I guess it has a similar sound to cycling a push bike with completely flat tyres, only faster. It only starts once the car has had time to get to running temperature, only happens when moving and gets slightly worse with time. The sound neither speeds up nor slows down with increased/ decreased speed and going over bumps doesn't increase the sound either. It doesn't effect how the car drives.

I have given the car a service (it was almost time for this years service anyway) since it started, including greasing all round, brake check, engine oil change, filter change, gearbox oil top up, diff oil top up, carb dash pot top up, etc.

On inspection of all of the suspension the only issue that I can see is slight perishing of the bushes on the rear springs.

Has anyone got a suggestion of what it could be or which part of the car to next investigate. I'm under no illusion that my description gives that much to go on.

Have the propshaft universal joints been greased recently?

I greased them yesterday and previous to that, about 2,500 miles ago.

Dry or rusty spring leaves perhaps?

It only starts once the car has had time to get to running temperature

Is there any difference whether driving, coasting or overrun? Or even wven coasting with engine off?

It might be worth whipping the rear drums off and having a peek inside?

Sounds very mysterious, good luck!

The rear springs are very dry and rusty looking, so could have potential looking into that - would you suggest wd40 avoiding all bushes?
Doesn’t seem to be any difference weather coasting or overrun or anything of the sort. The only difference is when moving rather than idling.

Thanks for the suggestion, monty. I had a look at the brakes yesterday and all is well there. Agreed that it sounds a bit mysterious. I’m hoping to have it resolved by the weekend as we have a 350 mile round trip for Saturday. These issues seem to arise at the most inconvenient times.

WD40 would help or you could try spray grease.

Something to do with the heater? Only when fully warmed up should discount some suggestions.

Better to locate the fault before assuming any one particular method of removal of the problem is chosen.

Is the radiator still full? Any sign of a leak under the bonnet - could be a failed heater valve leaking or evena a perished hose.

Thank you for the suggestions. Great help as always from this forum.

The winning answer came from ianmack! I took the wheels off and cleaned the grit from the spring leaves and gave them a dousing in wd40 and according to my partner, who drove the car all afternoon, the noise has completely gone. I’ll take the car for a drive tomorrow just to make sure - not that I distrust what she says

Now to look into the fast and excessive ticking of the fuel pump...

Fast ticking of fuel pump.( ? ) Posssibilities : -
CARBURETTOR Punctured float , dirt in float needle ( keeping valve "slightly open " ), worn float needle.
FUEL PUMP Filter slightly blocked , needs cleaning. Pump diaphragm damaged. Valves blocked. Fuel lines partially blocked.

Check the easy things first ( battery disconnected , of course ... you don't want any ignition source when mucking around with fuel.
Car outside , not in a garage. Fire extinguisher to hand ).Make sure you have any necessary parts e.g. new gaskets ,seals before you dismantle either the carb or pump.
Good luck.
Bob

Thanks for the reply mogbob. I checked the simple bits at the weekend - jets in carb, float and needle, that petrol comes from pump to float chamber, points in pump. I still need to give the filter a clean.

I had thought it may be an air leak somewhere in the fuel system, but now that the hot weather has passed the problem has gone. Possibly fuel vaporisation from the heat?

It could be slight vaporization. My fuel pump ticks like mad on warm days such as the brief spell of summer we enjoyed last week. It's much quieter on days like today. Either way it seldom effects the car's running