Talk Morgan Forums Thread Like Summary - Plus 8 - Chronology

I'm considering getting back into the fold with a Plus 8 (trad).

Where can I find details of the various iterations through the years?

A car quite local to me is available - a 3.9 mid 90's. is this a good "vintage" ?

Thanks for all the useful info. I've bought it !

It's a 1995 model and almost completely standard as far as I can see. It's in very good overall condition and has been undersealed from new. Hasn't been used much in the last couple of years but I drove it home around 30 miles this afternoon and it goes very well. The only obvious issue is an erratic tickover which I doubt is much to worry about. 30k miles and I got it for less than £25k which I think is a good price. The owner needed it to go due to storage issues and I was the only caller he'd had. Shows how depressed the market is I guess.

It's a few years since I've owned a trad Morgan so I'm hoping I gel with it.

Some pictures.

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.

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

Well the car is a revelation after having the various, quite minor, faults rectified. I can only assume that the previous owner was badly served by whoever looked at the car for him. A Morgan main dealer were the last to service it.

Anyway I thoroughly enjoyed a decent length drive and the car performed faultlessly. I've ordered some stainless door checks from Librands and will probably go for a spare wheel cover. Can anyone recommend a supplier ?

The front suspension is definitely next on the list. I wasn't happy with it on my 3.7 Roadster and I fitted the SSL kit. I feel it will make an even bigger difference on the Plus 8. Before taking the plunge, I'll have a chat with a friendly independent that I respect, unfortunately he's not local to me otherwise I'd ask him to do the work as well.