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Towing a Morgan ?

To: <morgans@autox.team.net>
Subject: Towing a Morgan ?
From: "George Dow" <gdow@pylon8.freeserve.co.uk>
Date: Mon, 26 Jun 2000 13:56:34 +0100
Hi Guys
            John`s unfortunate experience while trying to make Mid-Ohio and
his reminder on possible towing probs...........

"I also remembered that Fred Sisson told us never to tow a Morgan from the
front because it lifts half the Moss box internals above the oil level ( or
something like that) and preservation of Moss boxes is more important than
Stradivarius violins".

Perhaps it`s worth a mention that the Rover box as fitted to the +8`s should
not be towed? I had a suspicion about this confirmed by a more knowledgeable
+8 owning Range/Land rover Dealer in the U.S.

Seems the Box is lubricated by an oil pump which is driven from the input
shaft (engine side), when towed, as the car is in neutral, the pump is not
driven, equates to lack of oil in vital places........new box reqd?

There are ways round this.........By disconnecting the propshaft at the
diff, This keeps the box oil tight during the tow! Make sure you tie the
shaft in, as I suppose you don't want to loose it during the tow.

The story I partly remember was of an unrelated break down (alternator I
think) with this kind of box fitted to the car. The tow truck driver knew
the possible probs and disconnected and REMOVED the shaft. The car was
repaired by others and the shaft replaced. Off  down the road went the owner
to another breakdown this time a gearbox replacement..........Prob was that
the suspended tow had allowed oil to drain through the hole in the tailshaft
where the prop should have been........ Resulting in low oil in the box! The
guy who fixed the alternator, not unusually did not think to check the gbox
oil..........

Hope you make it to Mid-Ohio next year John, good story and thanks for the
much needed gbox reminder.

Begs a question though........How often should the average Mog owner check
his nuts?

Were talkin torque here.

Cheers,   George.
Glasgow Scotland.



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