Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Morgan Three Wheeler & Super 3 Centra Compensator falling apart.....

Yes Nestor, they will go in and work as well as with the modified set up - but why on earth would you want to fit a consumable item in a place that needs engine out to replace them?

The Centa Compensator is an interesting piece of machinery. It seems to have solved a lot of the driveline's engineering problems, but they haven't perfected the build quality of them or something. I recently had my car out and totally lost drive, so coasted to a stop. Tried restarting but the starter wouldn't even turn over the engine.

Towed the car to my local dealer and it was found that all four rubber bushings inside of the Centa Compensator had totally failed and disintigrated. Keep in mind I do not abuse my car, nor do I dog it. There was also a problem with the drive coupling. Keep in mind this is on a a car with 1300 or so miles on it.

I'm pleased to be able to pick it up this weekend, and I'm still absolutely in love with the car.

Thought I'd share this image of a Bleazey modified Centa in situ.

We are lying under the front of the car looking up at the Centa bellhousing, i.e. the engine is at the bottom of the photo and the gearbox at the top. You can see the circular plate that can be loosened off in order to extract the polybush rollers and also a brown tab of one of the rollers intended to make hooking them out easier.

Great photo, thanks! Are any dealers fitting Phil’s mod yet?

Not as far as I know. The best option is to go and stay with Phil for a couple of days and do the work (alongside him) in his cozy workshop. You get an education as well as a top-notch engineered solution.

Does anyone know if Krazy Horse are still selling their BMW drive coupling? When I enquired around 8 months ago they seemed a bit non-committal because I gather there had been 'issues' with the unit in their test car. Having said that, at that time they were all at sixes and sevens because Dan had just left and the workshop was snowed under with work.

Would this be normal wear for 3500 miles on the Centa rollers?







The front end.

Yes, no big chunks just fine bits of rubber, no problems.

Having had years of experience with this type of coupling in the Marine Industry - when Morgan introduced the Centa I did ask on this forum whether anyone had questioned it's projected service life and the ease (or otherwise) of changing the rubber element when the time inevitably came.

I don't recall getting much, if any, response.

I feel sympathy for M3W owners who were made to pay for the privilege of having their original defective compensator "upgraded" to a Centa and are now realising that they'll be faced with another large bill when the Centa requires maintenance or modification.

Someone, somewhere within the MMC needs to go back to college and learn some engineering basics.

Especially when so many bikes have shaft drive systems that work. I guess it is a result of fitting what I see as an over large engine.
I would have loved to see a Guzzi engine & drive train.