Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Maintenance & Servicing Plus 4 Service - November 2014

Later ones went hydraulic... Not sure when, maybe with the Blacktop motor?

So today I set about the gearbox and axle............
Remember - always do the level plug first.

The gearbox level plug looks like something on an old BL car.
Or something FROM an old BL car



So In order to crack this off, I dug out my trusty, but ageing tool. Once loosened it will take a 14mm open ender.



The drain plug is very different. 15/16"AF of all things. Both were skimmed with what looked like red Hermatite.



Although the handbook states - filled for life, I don't really subscribe to this approach. A 2 litre ice cream tub is ideal for the 1.7L capacity, and can be disposed of at the end.



Here's the drain plug after being cleaned.



And here's the strange size - not metric.



The recommended grade of gearbox oil.



This is what came out - not as black as it looks.



This is my home made filler spout in place.



I use a 1 Litre ice cream tub for filling - in 500mil sessions so I can estimate quite well when the gearbox will be full.





Because the gearbox is angled over to the nearside at about 15 degrees, I lifted that side of the car when filling to get the right level.



Don't forget the propshaft UJ's. If you recall I enlarged the slot between floorboards earlier in the year to gain access to the front UJ. They don't need much grease, and not very often either.



More to follow..........

Next the axle, but first the handbrake. After reading this month's Miscellany, where there is a feature on a broken handbrake cable - I checked to see if my outer sheath had cracked, and on the offside it has. With rusty stains evident.So it's only a matter of time before the cable either sticks or breaks on that side. So I removed the two fixings.......



And this allows 3 in 1 oil to be dribbled down the inner cables. It won't do much good but might help a bit!



The axle level plug isn't like the S1 Roadster, which is a large bolt head, it's a 10mm Allen Key and access is very very tight up against the tank. The drain plug is the bottom bolt and is 15mm (or 19/32"AF).



The oil looks a funny colour here but it wasn't green or grey.



It wasn't as black as it looks here either!



I had some semi-synthetic gear oil left over from my first Roadster oil change, so I've used this with a slosh of friction modifier. The Roadster handbook was not exactly accurate, and since then I've used fully synthetic (after checking things out). This will do the job.



The usual tried & tested fill method - the rear has to be lowered to get the right level, before replacing the level plug. Again, both plugs were smeared with red Hermatite. I'm not fan of sealers on transmissions, but decided to use blue non setting sealer (was called Hylomar - but not sure if that name is still around).



All done, but ready for a thorough wipe down. It's a very messy job, and consumes vast amounts of rubber gloves and rags, and containers. But well worth doing.



The final job is to replace the tool tray and then give the inside a thorough clean - lots of oily fingermarks........

First time I used my Ezibleed it worked superbly. The second time it shot brake fluid out of the reservoir; so not longer a fan. No matter how I tightened it I could not get a good seal.

Too high a pressure, maybe? They only need around 10 psi to work properly.

Easy bleeds are great if used correctly. I run mine on 5psi and always use the correct lid for the master cylinder. I always have a watering can on hand, if you do get a spill water will instantly wash it away.

Maybe - ran the same 10 psi the second time as the first....maybe try again next time at 5psi.

I didn't know I needed a pair of these until you posted this.

Dave,
Thanks for a really clear and helpful service demo. I have always serviced my own cars (once out of warranty) and will be doing the same with my plus 4. It is a delight to have such clear information to draw upon. I look forward to your suspension overhaul post in due course.

David

Kingpin replacement is here:
http://www.talkmorgan.com/ubbthreads.php/topics/232240/Re_The_Kingpin_Job_Autumn_2014#Post232240

Leaf spring replacement:
http://www.talkmorgan.com/ubbthreads.php/topics/205842/How_to_Replacing_leaf_springs#Post205842