Car Care and Service Manual

Do-it-yourself servicing and maintenance for practical owners


The object of this website is not just to record what must be done and when to do it;a manufacturer's handsite does that quite adequately.

Here, in addition to the usual maintenance details, an attempt is made to explain the "whys" and "wherefores" of the various jobs not only for the benefit of the comparative novice but also for the fairly experienced owner who is likely to tackle such work as decarbonizing and valve-grinding, brake-relining or attentions to the carburettor and ignition system, which do not call for the use of expensive service tools or equipment.

The average handbook either ignores these jobs or dismisses them some­what arbitrarily as the province of the local dealer which can be infuriating to a practical owner who possesses a reasonable range of hand tools and the ability to follow straightforward instructions!

A chapter has been added which deals, in addition to strictly practical matters, with engine tuning kits and some worthwhile accessories subjects which are likely, sooner or later, to engage the attention of any enthusiast.

Thanks are due to B.L.M.C. and to a number of other firms that have supplied information and illustrations, and in particular to Mr. David Lambert, of Lambert's Garage, St. Osyth, for providing facilities for taking the majority of the photographs actually "on the job."

Emergency Starting

If the battery has insufficient charge to turn the engine over with the starter motor but is providing sufficient current to operate the ignition system, it is not possible to start the car in the usual way by enlisting the aid of friends to push it at a relatively low speed with top gear engaged, since the slip in the torque converter will be1 sufficient to prevent the engine rotating. It will be necessary to tow the car at a speed of about 20 m.p.h. before the transmission will drive the engine. If this can be done, the drill is to set the mixture control, if necessary, switch on the ignition and select second gear manually when a speed of 20 m.p.h. is reached. Then depress the accelerator sufficiently to enable the engine to start. If the engine is new and has not completed its running-in period, however, a road speed of about 30 m.p.h. must be reached and D must be selected.

The Minis On The Road

We can now turn to an assessment of the road manners and handling characteristics of the cars or vans, mainly for the benefit of a driver who has no previous experience of these models and therefore lacks a yardstick by which to judge the performance of a particular car perhaps a used example that he has just purchased or is intending to put through a fairly comprehensive road test.

The points that will be emphasized are those that will give a fairly reliable indication of its general mechanical condition. It is impossible, of course, to lay down hard-and-fast standards, as so much will depend on the mileage that has been covered since new or since an overhaul was carried out. A certain amount of latitude must therefore be allowed, but it should also be remembered that, initially, these cars set a very high standard and will amply repay any work put in by a keen and conscientious owner.


The engine should be smooth and quiet, apart from a certain amount of "buzz" from the cooling fan as the speed rises, and a noticeable but not un¬pleasant whine from the constant-mesh gears that convey the drive from the engine to the gearbox, which are always in action, even when top gear is engaged (for details of a really worthwhile sound-damping kit, see Chapter 12).

Drivers of earlier models often criticized the gearchange on the score of stiffness in action, particularly "across the gate" between second and third gears. This tended to wear off, or at least become less noticeable, as the mileage mounted, and the change was, in addition, noticeably improved on later cars. As with many popular cars, difficulty is sometimes experi¬enced in engaging first gear when the car is at rest and as this gear is not synchronized on earlier cars, the double-declutching technique must be used when changing from second to bottom gear with the car on the move. In other words, the clutch must be momentarily engaged when the gear lever has been slipped into neutral, the engine at the same time being accelerated to synchronize the gears; the clutch is then depressed and the gear lever moved into the first-gear position.

The experienced driver will probably double-declutch even when changing between the upper ratios, since the synchromesh is not very powerful and can be overcome even when making moderately slow changes.


The baulk-ring synchromesh gearbox fitted to later models, however, was a great improvement and eliminated most of the complaints associated with earlier cars. Modifications to the remote-control gearchange on earlier Cooper models also cured the irritating rattle that developed at certain engine speeds, but as the nylon cup incorporated in the ball-and-

Fig. 5. The Austin Mini Countryman Mark II, counterpart of the Morris Mini Traveller




 
 
 
socket of the lever on later cars wears, the rattle can recur. The simple cure is to remove the gear lever and fit a second spring inside the existing spring. This will make gearchanging a little stiffer but will save a great deal of wear and tear on the driver's nerves!


While on the subject of troubles which develop in early Minis, the tendency to frequent breakage of the exhaust pipe cannot be overlooked. Owing to the design of the exhaust system, the pipe absorbs a considerable amount of the engine torque reaction, as the engine attempts to rock on its mountings. An engine tie-bar is fitted but when the bushes become worn the exhaust pipe eventually fractures, either at the manifold joint or at the bracket at the gearbox.

On pre-1964 cars, the remedy is to fit pairs of special cones, which are obtainable from most accessory shops stocking Mini gadgets, to the tie-bar bushes. The trouble is not likely to occur on later cars nor was it experienced on Cooper models, which have different mounting arrangements.

Finally, if you have an early model which is not fitted with the sixteen-blade fan, a lot of engine noise can be eliminated by substituting the latest pattern. It costs about £1, but you will have to remove the radiator in order to fit it.

Engine and Transmission Lubrication

On conventional cars the engine oil has only to lubricate the engine itself. The gearbox and the final-drive gears in the rear axle have their own supplies of lubricant which, unlike the engine oil, are not subjected to extremes of heat, dilution by condensed fuel and contamination by carbon particles and by acid moisture. On the Minis, however, the engine, "gearbox" and final-drive gears share a common supply of oil, since all the gears and the differential are carried in the crankcase beneath the crankshaft.


It should not be necessary to emphasize, therefore, that "cheap" oils are likely to be the most expensive in the long run. Similarly, any temptation to delay oil changes beyond the recommended mileage is likely to result, sooner or later, in "expensive noises."

This is particularly important when an automatic transmission is fitted. Other types of automatic gearboxes normally call for the use of a special fluid but extensive tests have shown that normal engine oil can be used satisfactorily in the Mini automatic transmission provided that the oil is changed regularly at 3,000-mile intervals and that the oil filter is renewed at least at 6,000-mile intervals and more frequently if the warning light glows. After the specified mileage, changes begin to take place in the engine oil which alter the friction characteristics of the clutches and epicyclic brake bands in the transmission, upsetting the smooth operation of these units.

Owners of new Minis are sometimes worried by heavy oil consumption during the first few thousand miles. Oil may disappear at the rate of a pint in every 150 miles but experience has shown that after about 3,000 miles the piston rings should have bedded-in and the consumption should drop to a much more reasonable figure. By the time that about 5,000 miles have accumulated, for example, it should not exceed about 500 miles to the pint, although Mini-Cooper engines arc rather more thirsty if they are driven hard. Early Coopers, incidentally, gained a reputation for very heavy oil consumption but modifications which were incorporated in later versions reduced their appetite to a more acceptable figure.

Owing to the fact that the engine is not shielded by a warm radiator from the flow of air through the front grille, a good deal of sludge tends to form on the valve rocker gear and inside the rocker cover. This can be prevented by drilling two ,?, in. holes in the oil filler cap; but do not do this if a special crankcase ventilation system is fitted . It also helps to blank off the grille during the winter months.