Morris Minor Owners Club

Hi
I've removed various parts from the engine of my 1098 cc engine (1965) and after painting the block and am now in a position to put them back. I've bought new gaskets from ESM. The gaskets I've bought are:

Inlet/exhaust manifold to head
Water pump
oil filter case to block
tappet chest cover plate x 2
heater control valve
oil sump

My questions are please:
1 Should I smear all of them with oil, grease or something else before fitting?
2 The sump end caps are cork - what should they be smeared with?
3 I read online that these cork seals don't actually fit and need to be cut. Is that right?
4 Any further advice would be greatly appreciated.

Many thanks
Dave

Take good advice on sump end corks as if done incorrectly can cause leaks and lotsorecwirk.Please listen to those in the know.

All the gaskets listed except for the 1098cc tappet cover gaskets (which are rubber) should be smeared with grease.
The sump gaskets do not need to be cut but the sump cork end packings/gaskets may need to be cut to suit.
The BMC workshop manual is quite clear on the fitment process.

Make sure the mating surfaces are clean. My go to degreaser is carburettor cleaner which shifts muck really well. It's rather intoxicating stuff and eats disposable gloves so ideally not something to use in an enclosed area. Any dirt can form a track for oil to leak out. The most common mistake is to assume that a leaking gasket needs more torque. This is wrong. More torque distorts the gasket and usually makes the leak worse. I've made all of these mistakes!!! Persistent leaks are often due to incorrect or poorly functioning engine breathing. My engine does not leak any oil at all. This is quite a rarity for an elderly A-series . There is more oil on my garage floor than there is in Saudi Arabia and for decades I thought this was just something that these engines do. This was me being sloppy and lazy and with a bit of effort they can be leak free.

Stephen.

Thank you very much Phil.
The gaskets for the tappet cover that I got from ESM are actually cork (the other option from them was neoprene), so I assume I just grease those as well?
Dave

The 1098cc tappet covers are of a different design and require the rubber/neoprene gaskets. There are also rubber/neoprene seals and cup washers under the holding bolts.

Thanks Phil. I'll re-order the neoprene type.
Thank you for your advice Stephen.