Viktor Günter Motorsport in Cologne did an excellent job again. I asked them to check the ignition, the carburetor and help diagnose the “overheating” issue. All of this is sorted out now. They asked me to do a short test drive and the engine runs great. But the planned 20 minutes’ drive back home revealed the next set of issues.
Let me begin with the least worrying point. The old Lucas starter motor is not working perfectly anymore. Something I ignored for the last two years. Even before I started the restauration it occasionally had issues – but most of the time is will start the engine fine. VGS noted that in their report and when I wanted to head back home the starter failed. After a few turns of the ignition key, it will work again. My preference would have been to get a Wosp Hi-Performance starter but a simple replacement part from AutoDoc only costs a third of this.
Switching from my 1967 MGB GT to the 1984 Morgan 4/4 feels a bit like awkward time travel in the wrong direction. The Morgan feels like a much older car compared to the MGB – especially when it comes to the steering. Reginald Bishop’s cam steering box in the Morgan was invented in the 1920s and common until the 1950s. Compared to the rack and pinion steering the in MGB it feels less precise. And the fact that there is a blown 10A fuse for EZ power steering signal wire tells me I need to check my wiring again. After a round of RTFM I realized 15A are required. Another task I need to add to my list is to check the wheel alignment as vibrations above 80km/h were quite strong.
With its 86HP and the 3.3 ratio on the rear axle the Morgan is anything but fast. And due to the quiet exhaust – you can hear every movement of the wooden frame when driving over bumps or taking a sharp corner. This is something I need to get used to again and the first few kilometers were a bit nerve-racking. I will double check all bolts again and verify that I have tightened them correctly.
The new Smith digital speedo has been calibrated and works precisely – but not all the time. Sometimes the needle jumps up- and down and this can only be caused by – yes you guessed right – an issue with my cabling.
After about 15 minutes driving and doing around 120km/h on the Autobahn – the engine suddenly lost power for a brief moment. I noticed that the red warning light I added for the Inertia switch was on for a second – indicating that the fuel pump doesn’t have power. The connector doesn’t lock correctly on the switch. I will simply replace it and hope that this was the issue.
As written before – the “overheating” issue was diagnosed by VGS as a fault temperature sender. the connector is causing a high resistance – therefore the Smith gauge shows 120 to 140 degrees Celsius. The new fan override switch works well.
But the worst was yet to come. The oil pressure also dropped. I immediately stopped and saw lots of oil spray on the right side of the car. The entire right side of the engine bay was covered with oil. It wasn’t obvious right away, but on closer inspection it looks like the dipstick oil seal failed. There is a piece of pipe for the dipstick that has a friction fit with the block. The engine was rebuilt in a professional garage, and I honestly expected that small items like the seal would get renewed. But looking at the fragments I seriously doubt this. Even though it is a small issue – it is only problem above that I don’t know how to fix properly. Neither in the Ford Escort book nor online could I find information in the right size of the seal. The best idea I have so far is Loctite 5910…. but do I try to pull the tube and set it back in? Or do I just apply around the old seal?
Most of the required parts are ordered already and should arrive just before the weekend.
Fixing C6622 
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