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Pitman's Motorists' Library
"The Book of the Morris Minor 1000 (All models to 1960)" by Staton AbbeyCHAPTER II
ROUTINE MAINTENANCE
[Spreading the Work] [Lubrication] [Occasional Attentions]
Regular maintenance which implies both lubrication and routine servicing is the best insurance against early repair bills. In the case of the Minor, the official service scheme calls for attention at intervals of 1000, 3000, 6000 and 12000 miles. There is a considerable body of technical opinion, however, to support the contention that most manufacturers' lubrication charts err on the side of safety, necessarily making allowance for the owner who tends to postpone routine servicing to the last minute: provided that maintenance is carried out conscientiously, the periods between the various jobs can, in many cases, be appreciably extended. On a car in good condition, for example, it should not be necessary to lubricate the various chassis points more frequently than at 2000-mile intervals unless it is operating under very adverse conditions of heat and unsurfaced roads, or continuous mud and slush - similarly, the use of modem engine oils and efficient oil filters should enable an oil change to be deferred until 5,000 miles have been covered. At least one major car manufacturer has simplified his maintenance schedules by grouping the jobs under 2,000 and 5,000-mile headings and the owner of a Minor could rearrange his schedule on similar lines, as shown in the chart below, by carrying out the 1000-mile service at 2000-mile intervals, combining the 3000-mile and 6000-mile schedules in one 5000-mile service and deferring the 12000-mile items to 15000 miles, including, of course, the 5000-mile jobs that would then become due.
Spreading the Work.Anyone who carries out the work at home, on the other hand, will quickly discover the shortcomings of any conventional system of maintenance when he finds, for example, that at the official 6000-mile service there are 31 jobs to be done and that the work may well take up the better part of a full weekend! There is a lot to be said, therefore, for spreading the load by making a list of all the items that require attention and incorporating these in a chart in such a manner that two or three jobs can be done comfortably once a week say, during the course of an hour or so on a Saturday. The manner in which this is arranged will, of course, depend on the average weekly mileage but it is not difficult to devise a programme which will ensure that every item will recur at the appropriate period say, once in every 5, 10 or 20 weeks, as the case may be.
A further advantage of such a system is that it is flexible - if mileage should accumulate unexpectedly, it is a simple matter to bring the series of jobs forward by the appropriate amount. In practice, too, an enthusiastic owner usually spends a good deal of time at weekends or in the evenings on tuning and adjustments so that a number of items receive more frequent attention than was anticipated by the manufacturer when drawing up the servicing schedule.
A final point: only experience can show, of course, whether or not it is necessary to vary the inspection periods on a given car. For example, worn steering bushes, which are still serviceable, will allow grease to escape more quickly than closely-fitting bearings and will require more frequent lubrication. The same applies to a greater or lesser extent to other aspects of maintenance.
The points at which lubrication and other routine attentions are required are shown in Fig. 3, but the more specialized aspects of servicing are dealt with in chapters devoted to the individual components. It should be sufficient to deal here, therefore, with one or two general points that are not covered elsewhere.
The routine checks that cannot be tied down to a strict schedule should not be forgotten: the engine oil and water levels and tyre pressures, which should be made at frequent intervals, and always before starting out on a long run.
Service A- All nipples (except steering rack): lubricate.
- Engine, gearbox and rear axle: top-up oil levels,
- Carburettor piston dashpot: top-up.
- Carburettor controls: lubricate.
- Air cleaner: check oil level: remove sediment if necessary.
- Battery: top-up cells with water - make hydrometer test if possible.
- Brake fluid reservoir: check level of fluid.
- Brake pipes and unions: inspect for leakage of fluid.
- Shock absorbers: examine for leaks.
- Tyre pressures: check.
- Wheel nuts: check tightness.
Service BCarry all of the Service A items plus following additional work - Engine: change oil.
- Sparking plugs: clean and adjust.
- Water pump: remove plug, lubricate with a few drops of SAE 140 oil, replace plug. If nipple is fitted, apply grease gun (2-3 strokes).
- Distributor: clean and adjust contact points - lubricate driving shaft, cam, and advance mechanism - check action of latter.
- Dynamo driving belt: check tension.
- Dynamo rear bearing: lubricate.
- Clutch: check pedal free travel - adjust.
- Door hinges, locks, etc.: lubricate.
- Wheels: change round to even-out tyre wear.
Service CCarry all of the Service A and Service B items plus following additional work- Gearbox and rear axle: change oil.
- Oil filter: fit new element.
- Valve rockers: check clearances: adjust if necessary.
- Carburettor and fuel pump: clean filters - check piston for freedom - check and if necessary adjust idling speed and mixture strength.
- Front hubs: check condition of bearings and seals - repack with grease.
- Trafficators: lubricate.
- Door hinges and striker plates: check adjustment and tighten screws.
- Rear springs: tighten securing bolts.
- Brakes: check and adjust.
- Front suspension: have height and steering geometry checked by Morris dealer.
- Shock absorbers: check for leaks - top-up if necessary.
Service DCarry all of the Service A and Service B items (except items 3 and 12) plus the following additional work- Steering gear: lubricate rack and pinion.
- Engine: remove sump and clean oil intake filter - refill with new oil (see Removing the Sump).
- Carburettor: clean suction chamber and piston: top-up dashpot - remove and clean float-chamber.
- Sparking plugs: as a precaution, fit new plugs.
- Radiator: de-scale, drain, flush and refill.
- Engine Test: make compression and vacuum tests to determine engine condition.
LubricationThere are many arguments in favour of the practical owner carrying out routine lubrication himself. Only two items of equipment are required, apart from the usual hand tools: a pair of ramps, on to which the front or rear wheels can be driven in order to provide adequate clearance for working beneath the car (assuming that a pit is not available) - and a good high-pressure grease gun. Messrs. Bowser, Monks and Whitehouse, Ltd., of Spring Gardens, Doncaster, make an excellent pair of steel drive-on ramps. Although the ordinary type of grease gun is quite efficient the side-lever type of gun that enables a very high pressure to be developed with little effort, and which has also the advantage of being fitted with a long extension tube making it easy to reach less accessible nipples, and a snap-on hydraulic connector which provides a perfect seal without the need for applying pressure against the nipple, is well worth its higher cost. The Colley Pup (obtainable from Messrs. Colley Nockolds, 41 Whitehall, London, S.W.1), is a good example of this type of gun at a reasonable price.
These items will render the owner virtually independent of a service station, and their cost will probably be more than recovered during the first few months of home servicing. There will be the added satisfaction of knowing that the work has been carried out conscientiously, that no greasing points have been overlooked or scamped and also that any signs of impending trouble have been detected in good time. Apart from a saving of upwards of £20 during a year (more, perhaps, if a large mileage is covered) the do-it-yourself owner is also freed from the need for making an appointment to have his car serviced (sometimes weeks in advance) and being deprived of its use for the better part of a day while it awaits its turn for attention in a busy service station. Fig.4. The grease nipples on the front and rear universal joints should not be overlooked. A large-scale lubrication chart, printed on stout paper and suitable for hanging on the garage wall, is always an asset. It is worth recording that such charts, covering a very wide range of cars and models in addition to the Minor 1000, can be obtained free of charge from the Castrol Chart Library, Castrol House, Marylebone Road, London, NW1
Chassis Lubrication.The most suitable lubricant to use in the grease gun is one of the modern multi-purpose lithium-based greases, which are suitable not only for the steering connexions, swivel pins, propeller shaft nipples, brake cables and pivots, but- which also should be used for packing the front wheel hubs. Each grease nipple should be wiped before the gun is applied, to avoid any risk of grit being forced through the nipple into the bearing. If the nipple is dented or otherwise damaged it is a simple matter to unscrew it and fit a replacement, which can be obtained from your Morris dealer. In an emergency, however, it is possible to obtain a satisfactory seal even on a damaged nipple if a piece of cheesecloth or other light fabric is first placed between the nipple and the end of the grease gun.
Many owners are unaware that every lubrication nipple contains a small spring-loaded ball valve which prevents the grease from escaping from the bearing. If a "worm" of grease exudes from the nipple when the grease gun is removed this valve is not functioning correctly and it is advisable to renew the nipple as soon as possible. It is an advantage, when greasing each steering swivel, to jack up that side of the car until the front wheel is clear of the ground. This will allow grease to reach the thrust faces of the bearings that carry the weight.
For oil-can attentions a good-quality light engine oil, or preferably an oil which has anti-rust properties, can be used in an oil can. Another excellent lubricant is an upper-cylinder oil such as Redex which tends to prevent gumming. Such parts as the distributor automatic-timing mechanism should not be forgotten - the small weights housed within the distributor body greatly influence the whole behaviour of the engine and the power output, fuel consumption, and performance that will be obtained, and should be lubricated as described in Chapter VI.
On parts such as door hinges and catches, surplus oil should be wiped off to prevent soiling of the driver's or passengers' clothes. A solidified lubricant, which is rather cleaner than ordinary oil, can be obtained for this purpose.
Gearbox and Rear Axle Lubrication.Heavy oil should not be used in the gearbox. Engine oil of the same grade as that specified for the engine (see Chapter III) is the correct lubricant. Fig.5. The gearbox is topped up through an opening in the driving compartment The teeth of the hypoid gears in the back axle, on the other hand, are subject to much higher stresses and require an oil containing special additives to maintain an adequate film of lubricant between the working parts. However good this oil may be initially, it begins to lose some of its properties after a period of service and the axle must, therefore, be drained and refilled at the mileage specified in the chart. Moreover, it is not advisable to mix "extreme pressure" oils, as they are termed. The correct grade is SAE 90 EP. Fig.6. Rear axle and suspension As the combined filler and level plug is at the side of the axle casing, it is rather an awkward job to inject oil unless a piece of rubber tubing is fitted to the spout of a forced-feed oil can. Alternatively, one of the inexpensive polythene oil cans obtainable from multiple stores, from which the oil is expelled by pressure on the sides of the container, will fill the bill admirably. Oil should be injected until it begins to overflow fromthe hole. Wait until the drips have stopped before refitting the plug.
Occasional AttentionsUnder this heading it is convenient to group those jobs to which it is difficult to assign any hard-and-fast mileage periods. Occasional checks and inspections are particularly valuable in enabling the owner to detect and forestall trouble. Small faults, which initially may only reduce efficiency, can lead in the end to more serious and expensive breakdowns. By keeping the engine clean, for example, oil leaks can be detected, while the removal of the accumulated road dust or oil from terminals and insulators will go a long way towards preventing leakage of electrical current especially high-tension current in damp or wet weather.
A careful inspection of the engine compartment, from time to time, will often reveal a loose nut or clip which might allow a cable to chafe, resulting eventually in a short-circuit.
The Fan Belt.The fan belt, which also drives the generator, should be kept free from grease and should be correctly tensioned. There should be a free movement of one inch at the centre of the belt. If the belt is too slack, it will slip - on the other hand, if it is too tightly adjusted, excessive wear will occur on the fan and generator bearings. It is a simple matter to adjust the tension by loosening the two upper mounting bolts on the generator and the clamping bolt on the strut, allowing the generator to be swung towards or away from the engine. To increase the tension on the belt, lever the generator gently upwards with a short length of wood. After the mounting bolts have been tightened, re-check the free movement of the belt.
Clutch Adjustment.As the friction linings, on the driven plate of the clutch, wear, the slight free movement that should exist at the clutch pedal will gradually be taken up. When all the free play has been eliminated there is a risk of the clutch beginning to slip under load, causing overheating and rapid deterioration of the linings. A free movement at the pedal of at least 1" should be maintained by releasing the locknut shown in Fig. 7 and screwing the adjusting nut the required amount towards the front of the car. If the clutch does not free properly when the adjustment is correct the trouble must lie at some point within the clutch mechanism and will call for specialist attention. Fig.7. Loosening the lock nut on the clutch adjustment When clutch judder develops the most likely cause is worn or glazed friction linings, a defective centre-plate or internal release mechanism. Before deciding to have the clutch overhauled, however, check the adjustment of the engine tie-rod (Fig. 8). The central hexagonal section should be adjusted so that the rod is neither in tension nor under compression when the end nuts are tightened with the engine at rest. The end nuts (which are self-locking) should not be pulled up too tightly as the rubber bushes are intended to give a certain amount of resilience. Fig.8. Engine tie-rodOf course any companies or products mentioned in the text may not exist today and any prices listed are of course no longer valid, so take company and product references with a grain of salt.
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