Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Classic Morgans (pre-CX) Important Service Items Question

Hi Folks.
Having just completed my first summer of Morgan ownership, sadly its time to tuck her away for the winter. In doing so my thoughts are now turning to maintenance work and ensuring she is in tip top condition for a fair few miles next spring / summer including a fairly long road trip.

My car is a 2006 Plus 4 with approx 35,000 miles on the clock. The previous owner did most of his own servicing so I don't have an accurate list of work done and when, however he was fastidious about the car and the oil is still pretty clean so must have changed it not too long before I bought her.

Questions I have are:
I can't seem to find a definitive answer to which oil the 2.0 Duratec should have. 5w 20 and 5 w 30 are both quoted from various sources. What is the right oil?

Quantity - as far as I can ascertain is 4.1 litres inc oil filter. Is that about right?

What do people on here use as the preferred type / brand of oil?

I assume the Oil Filter will be the standard Ford Focus / Mondeo filter - however there appears to be 2 sizes quoted - the filter looks like its pretty large but without measuring it I'm not sure which it is - any thoughts?

Assuming the dif oil has never been changed - How often should it be done? How much does it take? What is the preferred make and viscosity?

I will grease the king pins - done that a few times already however what other points need greasing? I believe there are 2 or 3 around the propshaft ?

Anywhere else require grease?

Anybody know what the correct air filter is from? (Standard one still fitted)

I read a thread which mentioned cleaning / lubricating the rear leaf springs. What exactly needs cleaned and greased and how do I do that?

I'll be getting my local classic car garage to change the brake and clutch fluid when they do the MOT however I find that heavy / sharp braking causes brake squeal and occasionally a lock up - any thoughts on how this can be improved?

Any particular areas that should get attention with regard to handbrake / cable etc

The steering is pretty heavy on tight/low speed bends and roundabouts. I'll be asking the garage to check set up of the king pins / suspension / tracking. Previous owner fitted Avo adjustable dampers all round - Its possible they never got properly set up. The car feels cumbersome on corners and I would have expected it to feel a lot more agile despite there being no power steering.

Thanks for taking time to read through my ramblings - any advice on the points above appreciated and any other pointers please feel free to add.

I've thoroughly enjoyed trips out in the Morgan this summer and particularly enjoy getting waves / thumbs up and smiles from drivers of all sorts of vehicles including passing motor bikes!

Looking forward to next summer already!
Thanks in advance
C

Hi Snowcol. Have you rung Revolutions in Perth. They are a very helpful Morgan dealer in Scotland. I am sure they will point you in the right direction.

In this section of the forum is Dave's classic how to sticky thread with lots of advice.
Lorne who also post on here runs GoMog which has lots of advice.
I use motorcycle chain spray on the rear springs.
I'm sure owners of your car will comment on the filter, oil etc. The handbook should also state the oil type.

If the. previous owner kept no records, maybe he was not as fastidious as he appeared to be! I document every item when carried out.
Here is what I use, taken from the Morgan handbook where possible FOR MY 2011 Duratec +4.

Oil: Fully Synthetic 5w40 or Semi syn. 5w30; approx 5.8 litres inc. filter I have always used Shell Ultra.
Oil Filter: Mann W7015 or Bosch 0 451 103 603
Air filter: Bosch S3047
Gearbox oil: Morris Lodexol FS 75W90 2 litres. BUT, that is for Mazda box and you will have Ford MT75 so others need to advise. I change it at 25k miles.
Diff oil: 1.7 litres Castrol Syntrax LSD oil 75W140, but that has now been superseded by Castrol Transmax. Again, I change at 25k miles
Coolant: mine is orange and spec is Ford/Motorcraft Superplus WSS-M97B44-1 mixed at 50/50. I changed mine at 10 years.
Grease: one at rear u/v and possibly two at front. Front ones may not be. accessible unless someone has cut an access hole in the floor. Only a small squirt necessary to avoid blowing seals.
I also use some lithium spray grease on the universal joints along the steering column found under bonnet/wing
Spark plugs: NGK PTR6 F13 essential to remove annually and clean bodies, as they can corrode in the head with water ingress. Tighten to 14lb ft. only. I gap at 1.250 mm.
Handbrake: Some cables are prone to the outer cracking on the driver side where it bends down towards the brake drum. Easily inspected with wheel removed. If water enters, cable may break and it is a real pig to replace. (seats, transmission tunnel, gearbox tunnel all need to be removed.)
Alternator belt: 6PK1306
Re brake squeaks: Need to remove pads, clean out dust and apply a smear of coppaslip or Ceratec to backs of pads and any rubbing points.Pads: For me…Ferodo FDB832; Note” the pads (Austin Princess, believe it or not), are a little too big for the disc, so an unworn shoulder of a couple. of mm appears on the outer edge of each pad, as time progresses. It could be that which is causing the squeak. Remove pads and file/bevel off the protruding edges.
Rear brakes: cylinders are very prone to rust and seizure so need annual check. Part no. CW15953 Get garage to check when they bleed the brakes as many cylinders only last 5 years or so.
Rear springs: where access is available squirt leaves side on, with motorcycle chain oil. Use the stuff for o ring chains as it is safer on rubber components. You can get to rear shackles for a squirt, if you remove spare wheel
Re handling: how old are your tyres. check date on sidewall and if 8;years or more, get them changed, regardless of tread wear.
Good luck and happy morganeering.

Cheers Doug, some helpful information there for me too

Thanks, Dave.

Many thanks - Loads of great info there. Looks Like I'll have a few jobs to keep me going this winter! All part of the fun of owning a Morgan I guess!

I just found that the service record for my car is very thoroughly updated in the back of the Owners Handbook! I was looking for a separate book and didn't realise the info was there all the time. So It appears the previous owner changed the oil annually, has changed the Gearbox oil at 14,000 miles, the Antifreeze at 11,300 miles, Brake Fluid at 31,360 miles, Dif oil at 17,700 miles, So Not much needing done!
One thing I am going to do is change the Serpentine belt. How difficult is it to access the tensioner and the pulleys? If there is a heap of dismantling required to get at it then I might leave this for the garage, however if its simple then I'll have a go myself.
Again - any thoughts would be appreciated.

Bit of a strange question about access…because if you open the bonnet, you can see the belt and its route round the pulleys quite easily.
I have not yet changed my belt but keep a spare under the passenger seat together with a sketch of the routing.
Changing the belt should be a 5 minute job. The tensioner on the near side top of the engine is spring loaded, so merely apply a turning moment to the 15mm bolt to release tension is all that is needed. (longer spanner the easier it will be)
It will automatically apply the correct tension when released with new belt in place. Check point: make sure the belt is running in the correct/same ribs on each pulley before finishing.

Hi Doug,

I note you quote Castrol Syntrax LSD 75W140 for the diff, I thought a Duratec Plus 4 came with an open diff and only the Supersports and Roadsters received an LSD?

Can you clarify please?

Thanks, Dave.

Thanks Doug
I just had a look and just as you say - everything is accessible. I'm not very experienced with spanners but enjoy doing straightforward stuff. I've had cars previously where I started a job only to get to a point where I wished I had just paid someone with some skill to do it!