Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Morgan Three Wheeler & Super 3 Compensator dilema.

Hi All

Got the motor out today and stripped the compensator out to see what was going wrong.

The only thing I could find was the big nut that screws onto the crank shaft that holds it all together was loose! Not even finger tight. Harley D. quote 140 lbs/ft for this clamping nut but I cannot find out what it should be on the X-Wedge.

So the nut had come loose which stopped the belleville washers from exerting their force against the tri-lobe wheels allowing them to ramp over each other stopping drive to the flywheel.

After cleaning and inspecting all the components nothing looks worn except the tips on the lobes. So if the nut had not come loose there would not have been a problem even after 19,000 miles.

Dilema:

Do I

1. Replace the spring pack and lobe wheels and carry on with the original compensator design.

2. Fit the Centa compensator with the inherent problems that has.

3. Go the Krazy Horse route with Z4 doughnuts.

Your thoughts please.

Hmmm if you keep on driving with the old design you need to keep on greasing all the time.
The Centa has shown his own weak spots
Are there any owners with enough mileage to tell if the Crazy Horse solution is reliable in the long term ?
But ......... I'm missing the Phil Bleazey solution on your list.
If I was you I would overthink that last one.

A dilemma indeed as your HD unit has proved so reliable to date, and it sounds like it has not failed on this occasion and the loose nut was at fault.
I would be tempted to simply replace as is maybe adding some method to ensure the nut doesn't come loose in use.
Then reassess in another 20K miles - by that time the KH solution should be a known factor.

I wonder if MMC has any old stock compensators kicking around in the back of the stores they want to get rid of for a small fee🤔

Morgan probably do have a pile of old HD type compensators as I remember getting some core value back on my dead one when I had the Centa conversion done about 5 years ago. I know you have been very meticulous with the greasing of the HD compensator and it has lasted a remarkably long time but they generally don't last many miles, you may have been lucky. In addition to that they are not very good to drive with the HD compensator fitted, from memory, very clunky.

If you did go for Phil Bleazeys mods you will need to add the cost of a Centa unit to the price as you will require one to modify. Rob Pike seems happy with his KH BMW M4 Doughnut conversion when I spoke to him at Cadwell Park a few weeks ago and I assume that you don't require any of the Centa parts for that conversion. Not sure if Krazy Horse are doing the conversions at the moment though, that may rule out that option? If you are happy with the HD compensator clunking then Nippymogs idea, or your option 1, has a lot going for it and lockwire the big nut. It would certainly be the cheapest option.

I must have been lucky not to have any clunking or backlash from the HD compensator, it always felt solid.

Took ages to clean all the grease out of it though, it was well packed. Quite a lot had migrated right up the crank and into the stator/rotor assy. which lubricated all the bushes, a bit like a semi solid oil bath.

You might have a point with the lock wire though. The item in question is in picture 2, bottom row 3rd from the left. It is a big hollow bolt with an internal thread that screws onto the end of the crank.

Could you do some more pics of it please Lee, to understand what the options are for locking it.
Also if possible, what is around it and stationary relative to it when in situ.

Yes, I’ll mock it up when I get home tonight and take a few photos.

A few more pictures of how it all goes together.[img]https://www.tm-img.com/images/2019/10/15/IMG_6572.jpg[/img[img]https://www.tm-img.com/images/2019/10/15/IMG_6573.jpg[/img[img]https://www.tm-img.com/images/2019/10/15/IMG_6575.jpg[/img[img]https://www.tm-img.com/images/2019/10/15/IMG_6576.jpg[/img]

It was the big hollow bolt on the last picture that came loose.