Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Classic Morgans (pre-CX) Plus 8 - Chronology

Andy (Mog615) has the SSL front and rear on his +8.

That is a beauty.

Just one thought - have you checked the date codes on the tyres?

Fortunately all 4 tyres were renewed in 2021.

I've just ordered a cockpit cover from John Taylor and am waiting to get the car booked in for a check-over and a couple of minor items sorted.

The only real issue is the engine "hunting" at tickover. The idle air control valve seems to be a very common problem according to two Morgan specialists I've spoken to. I'm not sure if there's more than one type, once I find out I'll order one and change it myself.

I know there's a lot of interest in insurance costs so just to mention. I paid £230 fully comp which includes Home and European breakdown/recovery and £100k legal expenses at Classicline. I was quoted £197 by Heritage which excluded legal expenses.

Insurance cost looks like a bargain. Has it got agreed value as well, together with mileage limit?
Pre 2000 +8 models seem to do pretty well when it comes to insurance. A friend in Somerset pays Classicline similar for a ‘98 model, whereas Plus 4s around 10-15 years old seem to be a good £100 more.
It would be most interesting to see what Peter James , the newly approved MSCC insurance company would quote. Give them a call…we could all do with a laugh!

"The only real issue is the engine "hunting" at tickover. The idle air control valve seems to be a very common problem according to two Morgan specialists I've spoken to. I'm not sure if there's more than one type, once I find out I'll order one and change it myself."
Try driving a while yet, with varied speed and driving style, including motorways if you can. See if the idle/hunting settles down. I have the later GEMS set up, and the iacv was fine, although I cleaned then changed it. In the end it was the tps(throttle position sensor) which failed spectacularly and limited me to 38mph and 1600 revs max- not fun on a 4 lane M25 in the rain at night! Oddly enough, I discovered a few days later that unplugging the sensor made the car default to maf readings only, so it didn't confuse the fuelling, and ran normally, but probably without engine management oomph. Subsequent changes identified that cheap Chinese copies are no substitute for genuine Landrover parts in this area.
Good luck, and I hope you get plenty of miles in.
Phil

I agree with Phil's comment above run the car for a while and make sure the fuel is fresh. If you still have the idle issue then before purchasing parts do the simple checks; check the condition of the spark plugs, check the air filter, check the timing then move onto replacing bits and pieces.

Regarding insurance, the policy is agreed value and 3k miles. Previous owner paid a very similar premium with another insurer so I don't see why it needs to be more.

On the erratic idle. I've managed to drive the car in various conditions and so far it hasn't improved. The problem is only at tickover revs, in all other conditions it pulls cleanly. I can't get it looked at until next week and as the valve is only £20 I've ordered one and will start from there.

Update.

Fitted the new idle control valve, started the car and the tickover settled immediately to just under 1000 rpm. Previously it would shoot up to 1800 rpm and then cycle.

Went for a drive and all seemed good until I came to a standstill in traffic, the revs don't go above 1000, which is a big improvement, but after a few seconds they do start to cycle and eventually the car stalls.

I've been advised that it may take some time for the system to stabilise so I'll just keep on driving it and hope is sorts itself.

On another subject, I'm pleasantly surprised how positive the gearbox is and overall I'm enjoying the car.

All sorted !

Having tried repeatedly, and failed, to book the car in with a local Morgan specialist, I took it to a classic car workshop that have done work for me before.

They put a smoke test on the inlet manifold and identified a couple of air leaks, one of which was the TPS.

I had also asked them to look for a fault on the electrical system as the battery would drain overnight. I was fairly certain this had been an ongoing problem.

Anyway they discovered that the supply to the Lambda sensors was the cause of the battery drain. Basically they were wired incorrectly, being supplied when the ignition was OFF and not when it was on. I can't quite get my head around this and am surprised that the car has recently passed the MOT emissions without problem.

I've yet to collect the car, but they've road tested it and it's running fine and the battery has stayed up overnight, which it didn't previously.

I'm now looking forward to a relaxed drive home without having to worry about the car stalling in traffic.

From your earlier thread:

Nothing to do with the lambdas themselvesper se. Merely their wiring. A saving of 200 parts & labor. The battery drain would have been a good clue.
With a drain, the guilty component (and related problems) can be detected by removing one fuse at a time while carefully monitoring the battery with a
20 pound digital multimeter.

You also discovered that issues with their non-Morgan engines and fueling systems do not require a Morgan specialist (bless the dears!). I often have to
convince an owner NOT to transport their mog hours merely to check an engine issue or change a slave cylinder.

Good work!

gmg