Morris Minor Owners Club

hi

my dampers still leaking oil and i cant get it changed for another few weeks - do you think it might be ok to fill it up with thick oil for now, it may stay in more than a couple of days - i presume leaving it rattling isnt really an option !

cheers
grainger

Of course, obviously you are going to change it as soon as possible.
In the meantime fill with any oil to stop it rattling!! engine oil will do
fine. The only problem is that it is usual to change the pair when
renewing dampers.
Willie

Be careful with too thick an oil, the securing bolts tend to shear if you use thick oil.

yeah ive got a pair on my saloon but im going to have to find somewhere i can take it apart in the dry first

thanks for the warning - which bolts do you mean ? - the big ones that fix them to the bulkhead

cheers
grainger

If they run out of oil, they stop leaking.
The downside of that is that they also stop damping! That can be quite dangerous - and I'm sure you don't want to injure someone.

If they run out of oil, they stop leaking...
The downside of that is that they also stop damping! (but can give an amusing feeling of riding on a big sofa..... ahem, no! safety first) That can be dangerous - and I'm sure you don't want to injure someone.

yeah ive got a pair on my saloon

Do you mean that you'll take thme off another car? I did that until I found out that recon ones are not expensive. Did you price that up?

Grainger - yes the four bolts with locking plates attaching the units to the bulkhead.

hi

reconditioned are only about 25 quid each from East Sussex Minors so really i could buy 4 of them and change them all at once for 100 quid then i could forget them all - that is why i cant get the other ones off just yet, its going to take some time because iv got to find somewhere to put the other car once iv taken the wheels off it - and then keep my fingers crossed that the dampers are usable anyway

iv noticed my car has poly bushes on the damper arms at the top of the king pin, and i can see one is popping out, iv got to get that sorted as well

cheers
grainger

oh dear - ive buggered it up now, i put the filler screw back into the damper without a washer and now its stuck !! - can i take the cover off another one ? - if i open all the screws around the edge and lift the whole lid off with the filler screw in the top - or should i try and cut a slot in the top of the filler screw, i think, because its so soft i might just end up ripping the top off if i try that

cheers
grainger

Can you not leave it stuck in until you replace it??

well i was hoping to just keep topping it up for another couple of weeks, now it seems all the oil has leaked out - oh dear

cheers
grainger

that's a high leak rate!!

hi

iv just had the front two replaced, and it works like a dream now, steerings better, no rattling in the steering rack, lovely, almost like anew car ... only better.

they are only 16 quid + 10 quid deposit + vat each from ESM.

though the garage said id have never been able to do them meself apparently it took a lot of effort to get the top link off. i will do the back ones this weekend meself, its only three bolts each side.

i asked the garage if i should top the front ones up after a while, but he says no dont open them, they only need topping up when they are leaking which means they are nackered and should be replaced asap

cheers
grainger

I would recommend topping up on an annual basis (well I usually forget and do them every 2 or 3 years).
Small leakage is not easy to spot - especially on the rears so you may not know about it over a few years until they run out and it is picked up on an MOT, or the car is picked out of a ditch on a country road :-0

Yes I was suprised how reasonably priced the dampers were, I've just bought a pair which I hope to fit soon, should make for a more comfortable ride over speed humps!

mmm including the garage costs, its still less than 70 quid and round here with the twisty roads and potholes it made it pretty dangerous before, so im dead happy ... now ive got to get the back end sorted, i went out to change the back dampers today, but i can see some rot around the damper link arm bolt into the chassis, and the springs are past their best so im going to get it all done at once at the garage in the next couple of weeks

cheers
grainger

the springs are past their best

You mean the leaf springs have worn into each other?

they are very rusty, with big gaps between the leaves, the rust is caking off here and there but i cant see any cracks, for the price of a new set of springs, on top of this welding iv got to pay, for it wont make much difference.

the welding ? iv been quoted 550 quids worth !!! -( see my 'useful tip') but at least when its done it will be done for as long as i have the car, im going to really look after it ...

cheers
grainger

When you get it back make sure you spray Waxoyl into every box
section and crevice you can find.......on a warm day. It is not a
rust killer,but,if you spray those areas properly you will NEVER get
rust there again.
Willie