MAINTENANCE

GREASE AND OIL

 

Your Morris Minor will give you many years of trouble free service if it is maintained properly. Grease and oil is an important part of this. Where parts are moving there is friction. Friction can be reduced by oil or grease. If parts are left dry they will wear out in a short time.

In the following I will give you some guidelines, but you have to adjust this to the actual condition of your car and your driving conditions.

If your car has not been greased and oiled at regular intervals, you should shorten the intervals, or better take the part apart, clean and grease or oil it. The intervals I suggest are for cars in good condition and having fair driving conditions.

 

WEEKLY or before a long journey.

Check the engine oil level with the dipstick and replenish if necessary.
Check the water in the radiator. Do not top up if you can touch the water with a finger. If you top up to the neck, some water will be pressed out when the engine heat up and next time you check the water level, you will think it is using water. Fresh water added too often will speed up corrosion of the radiator and engine water chambers.
Check the tyre pressure. Correct pressure for cross ply tyres is 22-24 p.s.i. For radial tyres 30-32 p.s.i. The lower figure if you are mostly driving alone. If the car is mostly heavily laden the higher figure. If you are driving your car like a racing car, increase the pressure.

 

EVERY 5000 KM or 3 months.

Check the engine oil level with the dipstick and replenish if necessary.
Check the carburettor. Remove the damper unit and pour oil into the hollow piston rod to a point ½” above the top of the rod.
Use a grease gun on all grease nipples. There are 4 on the trunnions, 2 on the track rod ends, 2 on the propeller shaft and 2 on the handbrake cables.
There is also a grease nipple on the steering rack. It is recommended to use Hypoid 90 oil for this every 10.000 km. The same as you use for the differential. I have reconditioned many steering racks and nearly all was full of grease and it seems that it can also do the job. This is 11 grease nipples, but on elder cars there are also a grease nipple or a screw on the water pump and on side valve cars there is a 3rd grease nipple on the sliding part of the propeller shaft, in total 13 grease nipples.

 

EVERY 10000 KM or 6 months.

Drain the engine oil sump. Remove the oil filter, clean the housing and fit new oil filter. Fill with new oil. Capacity 3.7 litre.
Lubricate all parts in the distributor as necessary.
Add a few drops of oil through the hole in rear of the dynamo.
Check the oil level in the gearbox and top up if necessary. Only use engine oil in the gearbox. Capacity 1, 3 litre.
Check the oil level in the rear axle and top up if necessary with hypoid 90 gear oil. Capacity 0,8 litre.

There is much more to say about lubricating and this is only the very basic, which together with the video – link to video - will give you an idea about the job.

Best regards
Anton

June 2009