Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Maintenance & Servicing Roadster sump woes

Arriving at a roundabout outside Le Touquet rather quickly I was so busy checking the road signs and choosing straight on or turn right I didn't notice the raised lane divider until my wheels were about to straddle it I heard the kiss of metal on concrete and glanced at the oil pressure gauge, phew that was close, just jacked the car up and there is a witness on the sump and the bell housing

Ouch!

It is a curse, I had a close call myself at roadworks. A proud manhole cover, initially I thought to put the wheels either side for a smooth passage, then at the last second remembered Franks' woes last year and just saved the day.

I scraped mine for the first time at the Bourton on the Water Mogtalk meeting a year ago. The British Legion car park has a deceptively large speed bump on the way out, and it was quite a bang. Remember that the pressure won't fail until the sump empties, so stop and check underneath before carrying on. Also remember that the lowest point is basically in line with your clutch foot (RHD cars). Although I have a modified Mulfab sump in stock I haven't fitted it yet, because it's Mondeo and needs the composite gasket. I'm holding out for a thick flange later sump, and I may have some news on that front quite soon.

Ouch Richard!

I've stopped driving the Morgan up to one of my favourite Cotswolds pubs, The Mount at Stanton...... coming down from their carpark ( a very steep hill) you have no choice but to go over a vicious speed bump. Even crawling over it most of the underside caught it and attracted a huge amount of attention from the local population!

Flippin' eck guys! Glad I read this post!
Thanks!

I guess there's something to be said for a sheet metal sump.

Thanks for posting. We can all learn for these shared experiences.

The low sump issue is one of the main reasons I discounted a roadster when I was buying my car.

I'm still trying to work out the best angle to get into my garage. Straight in I scrape every protuding bolt, the cross member, and the silencer support bolts, that are all under the car at the point midway between the front and back wheels. The best I can do if I go at an angle is to scrape the silencer bracket bolts.

The manual says that the car should have a ground clearance of 10 cm but I seem to have between 9 and 9.5 cm. The dealer says that the suspension springs are ok and I am now wondering if the tyres that are fitted are a slightly lower profile than some other brands. They are 195/60 15, I think Toyo but really can't recall and the car is a ten minute drive away at the moment.