Morris Minor Owners Club

I have noticed that when I am going over bumps etc that there is a knocking sound coming from what sounds like the dashboard area (could be below). It sounds springy...

Does this sound familiar to anybody? Does anybody have any ideas what it may be?

Thanks, Aaron

maybe the damper, its on the other side of dash, check the oil level first aaron, steve

STEVE, what wheels and tyres are you running on that black beauty??

Hi Steve,
When you say the other side of the dash, does that mean under the bonnet, or at the back of the dash? Being uneducated as far as these cars are concerned, what does it damp?

Thanks, Aaron

The dampers (shock absorbers) are under the bonnet on each end of the square beam that runs underneath the battery.

hiya willie ,youre too kind im sure!, minor development 5j ,175 70 14s, Aaron sounds like a workshop manual will be some help ,very cheap on ebay,go for a later one ,steve

Urgently check the mounting bolts for the dampers - and as above - check the oil levels. Also inspect the bump stops and the rebound stops - are they present ? Try bouncing the car by leaning repeatedly on the front section at the radiator - then let it go. It should settle immediately (if not sooner) - if it keeps on bouncing there is a problem with the dampers.

Thanks guys. Now I know what dampers we are talking about (I thought that maybe the Minor had some other kind of damper for something else other than suspension ).

Ok, I will have a look at the dampers.

One thing, which may be tell-tale is that when the car is parked on the drive way, it does seem to sit at a very slight angle. I thought it was the hand-brake being weaker on one side than the other (along with part of our driveway being a slope) causing the slight difference in the resting angle...

Thanks, Aaron

BTW, Manual on order!

One thing, which may be tell-tale is that when the car is parked on the drive way, it does seem to sit at a very slight angle

In tha case check the eyebolt is sitting in the chassis leg properly. The chassis leg hole may have ovalised or corroded.

And nothing to do with dampers (unless falling off!) - they only damp, they do nothing for ride height.

Ok, well, when I have parked the car on the flat, it sits level, so I am not going to worry about that for the minute. I gave the car a push up and down and the passenger side bounces up and down a few times. The drivers side comes back up and stays there. So could this be low oil or a damper in need of replacement?

I am going to have a look into the oil level anyway to see where it is.

What kind of oil should I put in there, is it engine oil, ATF or some other kind of oil?

Thanks, Aaron

The easiest available and suitable oil is hydralic jack oil.

If it turns out that the damper is passed it's sell by rather than just requiring an oil top up then, if finances permit, it could be worth changing them both. Chances are the other one is of a similar vintage.

The chances are, if the damper is that low on oil, then it'll need replacing anyway. Though it might just be that is hasn't been topped up for a while.

When you top up, take it for a short drive then check for leaks - or as I found, a puddle of oil on the tie plate .

IIRC they're only about £15 exchange and not too difficult to replace if you've got a jack and a manual.

All the best

Ben

I have checked both dampers, the drivers side (which comes right back and stays back when I press it down) had fluid coming out of the top. The passenger side (which is where the noise appears to be coming from), has no sign of oil. So, I will try to go and get some oil this evening.

Should this be something that halfords or similar sells?

I agree, if it leaks after I have filled it, it will be replaced (in symmetry). Replacements do not seem expensive and look reasonbly straightforward for my first Minor repair (though I may regret saying that)...

Halfords DO sell jack oil.

Ok, I have filled the damper with oil.

The noise that started this thread has gone - thanks!

But, the damping on the side I have filled up is not as good as it is on the other side, i.e. the passenger side bounces one more time than the drivers side when I push down on it.

So, does this mean that the damper is gone, or do these things trap air etc that may need to be bled out for the damper to work properly?

Is there a proper way to fill it up, or just pour (albeit rather slowly) through the top?

Thanks, Aaron

Best really to drain out all the carppy old oil - it breaks down over years of being forced through small gaps - often smells foul too! Then re-fill with oil of your choice - regulars on here know I recommend 20W50 for better damping, but not all agree, so it's your choice - then bounce the car and keep topping up - lots of air will come to the top. keep going - but even so - over the next week more air will appear - so check and top up every couple of days till it stabilises.

I also have less damping on the near side, but will change that damper soon. Arroncollet, it may be an idea to clean up the damper to keep an eye out for leaks. One of mine was almost empty. I filled it up with 20w50 as per BMCEcosse's advice and it improved the damping, but even with this thicker oil it leaked from the centre spindle (correct term?). Will change before MOT!

Also when filling its worth bouncing the car, then waiting, the level will most likely drop, but it can take a while for the bubbles to work their way up to the top.

bmcecosse wrote: regulars on here know I recommend 20W50 for better damping, but not all agree

Including, I gather, the development engineer who oversaw the design and production of the dampers. Better to stick with the correct type of oil.