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

Do you think a silicone spray grease would work as it would be easier to get in there?

Amazon has long grease needles that may help get the grease further in.


High Noon

A few questions.

1) Probably a stupid one, but have Morgan taken into account that the Centa coupling needs routine maintenance and modified the later cars accordingly ?

2) What is the theory/benefit behind greasing the rubber elements ? Is it recommended by the coupling manufacturer ?

3) Has anyone had a look on the Centa website, they have some very interesting products ? Is one of their other coupling designs a better alternative ? I note they have one that is designed for replacement in situ for example. Not sure what sizes it comes in.

It's possible that Morgan chose the most cost-effective product rather than the best available and sourcing an alternative may be a better long term solution.

Phil Bleazey will be the best person to answer these questions, my take from having benefitted from Phil’s experience is as follows -

1) no they haven’t they appear to be happy with the prospect of engine removal as the only way to maintain the coupling
2) the grease reduces friction which occurs as the coupling locks up, this should help reduce break up of the surface of the inserts
3) the existing coupling is designed to be maintained in situ but MMC have put it in back to front and totally enclosed it, Phil’s mods correct their error by putting the removable retaining plate at the clutch end of the drive and then access is provided via a hole cut into the bell housing.

Ok, several answers in one reply - firstly well done Obie - neat job. Do let us know how the drive feels after greasing and how long the rubbers last.

I don't think that a silicone spray would be sufficient but I have not tried it so maybe? silicone grease is my choice because it does not attack the rubber and it withstands high temperatures and centrifugal forces.

Morgan/Centa have identified the undersized shaft in the crank case seal and rectified it but no better finish to the surface.

I have recently had a new Centa unit with splines that are almost a good fit on the crankshaft so that is an improvement.

I do not know if there are any other changes on the later cars but none that I have noticed.

I believe that the friction between the scalloped faces of inner / outer rotors and the rubbers is the main problem, causing some shearing action in the rubbers. certainly the silicone grease produces a smoother ride and may prolong the life of the rubbers but no data yet. The coupling manufacturer, Centa, are not allowed to discuss the Morgan application.

I don't know about Centa's other products but they are a well established company with a good reputation. I can not see them making a coupling which could not be repaired quickly, at sea, in bad weather.

Morgan did not just choose the Centa coupling but did considerable work prototyping it - I have seen the prototype. Morgan are also a company with a long and well respected track record and they deserve to be congratulated on producing such a fine vehicle in the M3W. The fact that there are things which the individual wants to improve just highlights its place as an enthusiasts choice and not some mass produced fodder for the lowest common denominator of the motoring world. I hope that everyone sees my work as being supportive of the machines and their owners and not as some attempt to pick holes in what is a splendid piece of work.

Phil,

Thanks for all your dedication and hard work and your positive response to it all at the end is spot on!

My M3W was actually tied up at my Morgan dealership most of the second year with compensator problems. Morgan and especially the dealership handled everything quite well. I know it’s easy to get frustrated and bitter at times but I can tell you after building several hot rods and working on classic cars for decades here at our High Noon Speed Shop all of them have challenges at times. Now that the end of the road for at least the current M3W model has come we all might just be very happy we have one!

And if you ever think the cost of a M3W is high you need to build a quality hot rod that I assure you it will cost more and you do all the engineering and work on top of that! Two to three years of hard work if your doing it on your own and you’ll never have something as cool as a Morgan Three Wheeler!

Thanks to Morgan for these awesome little three wheel salt lake style racers and guys like Phil that work so hard to improve a few things along the way!

Now I’m taking my coffee and going down to the shop and sit by my M3W and think back at all the fun times I’ve had ........

High Noon

Well said Phil, mind you I’d rather get the engine out of my M3W than out of my boat.

As suggested by Phil i have injected silicon grease into the Centa unit, easy to get all the way in using a large syringe with a small tube.
Been out for an essential journey and the result is a noticeably smoother ride with less vibration felt through the seat. Surprised that a bit of grease could have that effect, wonder how often it will need doing though.
Still got the annoying rattle and knocking sound at around 3.5k rpm though that i would like to get to the bottom of but try to ignore!

The rattle and knocking sound seems to be a common trait. That is right near the torque spike region where the engine is producing maximum torque and the Centa unit is desperately trying to absorb it. I think if you kept at that range long enough the Centa unit would discombobulate or something. I remember writing of this years ago when I put out some general guidelines on running this beast. The manual says to avoid lugging the engine at or below 2700 rpm. That's straight out of the S&S engine manual written for bikes. I would say that the real lower limit would be about 3000 rpm due to the increased weight of the car. As for ty[ical running I've found that 3700 rpm through the mid 4000's is the real sweet spot for this car. Everything smoothes out.

I had to replace the original H-D compensator at around 22,000 miles. It died catastrophically as in: It did not go... My current Centa unit has over 30,000 miles and during the chassis rebuild the dealer pulled the Centa rubber cylinders out and they looked barely used. They were replaced with a new formulation since the unit was out but it was not necessary.

This car is a torque monster. Never forget

Michael. have you gone to Stage 2 yet? It changes the sweet spot and smooths out the lumps that the engine is making, especially with Emil's fuel system mod.