Morris Minor Owners Club

Hi all,

I have a quick question which will probably seem pretty silly to a lot of you so forgive my ignorance. My last experience of a manual choke (before owning my Minor) was on a 1979 Mini. I remember that on the Mini, you pulled the choke out and twisted it to lock it into place. Should it do the same on a Morris Minor? I only ask because I can't get the choke to lock in the 'out' position on my recently acquired Moggy and I just wanted to double check I wasn't missing something obvious before ordering a new choke cable! No matter how I try to twist the choke knob, it slides back in as soon as I let go.

All answers welcome, even humerous ones!

Chris

Yes it should lock but the mechanism does wear out. In the mean time standard practice is one or two clothes pegs depending on the weather.

use a clothes peg!

The choke should twist and hold. If yours doesn’t it is probably worn, or someone has fitted a duff cable.

You could fit a new cable but the time honoured remedy is to use a clothes peg.

Ah! Great minds think alike.

Aha! The old clothes peg ploy. Brilliant solution until I can get around to replacing the choke cable.
Thanks for the advice guys!

Chris

My missus uses the unit to hang her handbag.

ESM, and presumably others, sell a cheap version and an "original" version of the choke cable. I had a basic version (not from ESM) which didn't stay out, and replaced it with an ESM original which does twist and lock.

I think I've seen references to the cable being a rigid piano wire - neither of my aftermarket ones were rigid.

The one on Basil seems to have indents on the Pull Knob somehow, so it kind of has several 'click stops' without any need to twist.

But then with Basil, it could just be a non original Knob, although it does match all other controls.....

I cured this problem by fitting a Marina cable which is perfect, apart from the non original appearance.

geoberni wrote: ↑Fri Sep 06, 2019 10:33 am The one on Basil seems to have indents on the Pull Knob somehow, so it kind of has several 'click stops' without any need to twist.

But then with Basil, it could just be a non original Knob, although it does match all other controls.....

No, I suspect it is original as my SII has exactly the same set-up although, presumably due to wear, it only locks on 'fully out' and 'slightly out'. However, those two settings are all it needs - 'fully out' to start and then 'slightly out' until the engine warms up

Mines the same, pulls out with click stops then rotate it to clear the clicks and it will go back in.

Alan