Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Morgan Three Wheeler & Super 3 Bevel box noise solution

My M3W just turned 1000 miles and I did a basic service on it. A 6.3 Qt oil change and filter ( used Mobil 1 for Harley Davidson's) and I used Moroso Climbing Gear Lube ( 90 Wt) in the bevel box. )

The bevel box noise went away. The loudest noise is now the exhaust, and a slight amount of transmission noise, but the ever present high pitched ( I can hear you coming) bevel box noise is gone!

This fluid is very sticky and the few drips I made formed long strings like molasses does. The task is simple enough, a oil pan under the bevel box, a large socket to remove the drain plug, and Allen wrench to open the fill hole, out with the old, in with the new! Took about a half hour, mostly because it was the first time I'd done it. Spills are hard to wipe up as its so sticky.

Cap off the drain, put a 1/4" tube x 3' long on the bottle of Moroso Climbing Lube, and fill the bevel box by squeezing the bottle until the fluid drips out at the the level of the fill plug.....less than half a quart.

Plug the fill hole, go for a ride.

Quiet .........

Just came back from 25 mile ride, what a pleasure to hear yourself think.

Bought everything from Amazon.com. I've used Moroso Climbing gear lube in other cars in long term operation, and its a great product.

Please try this too, and report.

As much as I would like this to be the cure, I'd recommend people do a cursory search on google with the words "moroso climbing gear lube" (without the """), and then read the warnings about it, and how it can rob other parts from oil because of the way it functions.

And then, before committing, go ask yourself how this bandaid solution will affect any future warranty claims that may happen down the line with your whining bevel box.

I've used this exact same lubricant in numerous rear ends over 13 years and up to 650 HP and thousands of accumulated street and race mileage with zero problems. I waited until 1000 miles on my M3W before I changed fluids in the hopes the noise would diminish on its own.

Seems to me that aeration and heat thinning of the stock lubricant contribute to bevel box noise. The stickiness of this fluid seems to prevent aeration and thus noise.

The SAE 90 weight is within the spec gear oil Morgan calls for.

My feeling is that Morgan is a small company with limited budget, and it is up to clients with shade tree mechanic experience to use past experience to improve the breed.

I doubt Moroso could be in business very long if their products caused the damage mentioned in a single web site article.

MMC impresses me as a family business making great products that automotive enthusiasts get to drive AND work on. To me, working on cars is more pleasurable that driving just driving them.

I have no expectations that a small company can either warrant or maintain its products. I live 500 miles from my nearest dealer, and 1200 miles from my preferred dealer. I'm on my own, and recognize it when I bought the car.

I work on my own cars for my own pleasure at my own risk.

This product works. I'm reporting my own experiences.

I'm sorry, I'm not going to attempt all sorts of bandaids on your say-so - especially not ones where it turns out it may do more harm than good in the long run, and might possibly void my warranty, just because you have tried it for other things and have taken a 25 mile journey in this application.

That "stickiness" you report is the exact reason that some people warn of using it. It's not the weight of the oil that is the problem, but that it sticks and does not separate, meaning it's basically clumping the oil together. That's only from a cursory reading and a very quick bout of research. There are other 90wt oils out there which does not rely on this form of adhesion.

In any case, my point still stands: You should consider any warranty issues you may have in the future by using this type (type, not weight) of oil, especially since we know that there is a problem from the get-go with the bevel box. This will only hide the symptom, and because of the properties of the oil, it might even make it into a real problem and not "just" a nuisance.

Except, you're not "improving" anything, you're applying a band-aid.


It's not just one person reporting it. Do you question the way Morosis "climbing oil" works is different to that of other companies?



Wow, you must be the dream customer. Engine blows up. No problem, there's no need to warrant anything, bevel box locking up in traffic. No problem, there is no expectation to have it fixed, a flaw that would require a recall: No problem either.



Yes, and try earnestly to make other people follow your example and actively trying to dissuade people from heeding other people's warnings and doing a bit of research.


Tell me more after 2000 miles.

I read the website warning and couldn't find anythng else about the stuff, so concluded that it was just one guys personal opinion?

I am aware that my BB gets noisier the hotter it gets, so the oil certainly needs improving, maybe this Moroso stuff could do it.

It would be interesting to have some feedback from Quaife, who make these things, about this oil.

In the meantime, I'll wait for mine to be changed under warranty, but Rufus, please keep us informed as to how things go.

I'm puzzled by the variability in the bevel boxes .
As far as I can gather Quaife have an excellent reputation and with modern machining accuracy and assembly standards there shouldn't be so many noisy ones .
Luckily mine started off quiet and has remained so for over 6000 miles, oil changed by dealer at 1000 and 4000 mile services.

Quaife are world class in what they do, however they do tend to be motorsport focused where transmission noise (straight cut gears etc)is not an issue.

Glad you've reduced your noise. My bevel box was due for replacement it was ok until 1300 miles then became very loud at 40-60mph. Then this happened.



The oil in the box was very sticky and "possibly" caused the seal to go.

Box replaced and 2k later all ok.

When it leaks it really creates a mess under the seats and prop tunnel

Not sure how your warranty would be affected if a different oil has been put in? & if found out

I was talking to the service manager down at the factory last week when I dropped my car off for its first service about BB noise and they have found that most of the noise is due to the metal to metal mounting of the BB. There is no anti vibration mounts or cushioning so you get a resonant harmonic vibration through the chassis which amplifies the noise. So they mounted a known noisy box into a car with some rubber cushioning and it was quiet.
If its a problem to some owners perhaps putting some high density rubber under the mounting flanges might be the answer.