At
the beginning of the Roadster Series II production (early 2008), the MMC
made some modifications to the rear suspension. They attempted to address
an axle
wind-up issue that was causing the prop-shaft to impact the car in
its most extreme expression. Their original solution was to fit a single
Mulberry
anti-tramp bar on the right hand side of the car. These anti-tramp
bars were already being used in paired sets on racing Roadsters.
Traditionally,
anti-tramp bars are always fitted on both sides of a car. But it was felt
that a single bar would do the trick, cost less and the space on the right
is partially obstructed by the battery and its fittings. The first cars
with the Mulberry bars did well. Mulberry anti-tramp bars are designed
for Morgans. They are additionally unique as the end at the axle is fitted
with a compliant bush, press fit into the bar and through which a graded
metal attachment bolt is placed. This compliancy allows the suspension
to operate fully and freely, unlike many other anti-tramp solutions that
inhibit the up and down movement of the suspension.
After the first few cars so fitted, the MMC decided to copy the Mulberry design in hope of saving costs. In doing so, however, they used different fittings and changed the all-important bush to something less compliant. Anti-tramp bars on these Roadsters have a tendency to shear their bolts at the axle saddleplate and bend or break their fitting bolts at their front. The improper but most common solution is to greatly reinforce the ends of the bars.
The MMC now makes the assembly with a more compliant bush and higher graded fittings than these first copies. These are a better idea for someone with this problem. The ideal fix would be to fit two quality anti-tramp bars, one per side. There are some doubts as to the long-term affect of a single anti-tramp bar on what is a performance sports car.
SUSPENSION NOTE (EARLY 2009 TRADS)
Sometime
in 2008, the MMC realized that their new 4 leaf rear springs were losing
their ride height, allowing the rear ends to prematurely sag to an unacceptable
degree. There seems to have been an attempt to address this first with
a higher arc specification but ultimately this did not provide the desired
result. At some point, the company turned to a new, higher quality
spring supplier with an excellent reputation. (And the cost of Morgan leaf
springs since doubled.) Apparently, on fitting the first batch of
these springs, it was immediately apparent that the arc specification given
the supplier was now too high. So as to use these springs, the company
fitted "lowering" plates between the leaf springs and the saddle plate.
These are used by racers to give a car a racing profile (see racing Roadsters).
In this case, they lower the ride to a more normal height.
However,
in fitting these plates it is necessary to use longer u-bolts. Morgan rear
u-bolt length is very important. If they are too long, they will bend and
crack the thin horizontal flange at the ladder frame of the chassis.
If the thin flange is broken, a crack in the perpendicular "strength) section
of the frame soon follows. A SPECIAL NOTE must be attended to by these
owners. The newest leaf springss have the correct arc and ride height WITHOUT
this plate. When leaf spring replacement becomes necessary, the plate should
be discarded and NEW shorter u-bolts used rather than the originals with
these "transition" cars.
It is very easy to damage the Roadster sumps and much more through a DDE (Deadly Domino Effect). The Roadster clearance at the sump is only 3.35" on the right hand side and the sumps are made of cast aluminum. Cast aluminum sumps can crack like egg-shells. The Plus 8s had the same clearance and were frequently bottomed at the sumps as well. However, they were made of steel (the Company did not long switch to aluminum sumps as Land Rover did). Steel dents rather than cracks. It was/is a simple matter to remove them and bang them out.
Damage ranges from a cracked sumps and a slow leak (which
must be caught before severe internal engine damage occurs from oil starvation)
all the way through a crack sufficently large to suddenly void the engine
of oil up to a domino impact that damages the gearbox, propshaft and differential.
This far, there is no steel sump available. So the best fix so far is that
of Peter Mulberry at Mulfab. Mulberry
increases the clearance at the right side by cutting down the sump. The
cost is very reasonable, and there is no waiting time as Peter inventories
pre-made replacements. Your old sump, in damaged or undamaged condition
will need to be traded.
| N.B. One of the most dangerous aspect of this issue is the solutions that are being tried to cure it! Invariably, these aggravate the problem and the potential for and extent of damage. For example, the Factory sells a "sump guard". It consists of a thick aluminum plate which straddles the bottom front of the engine compartment and is attached to the chassis at the thin flange and the thicker vertical section. However, it stops before the sump and as the sump descends lower than the chassis, it is still solely exposed to impacts.). The plate vastly increases the dangerous low clearance area (100-fold) and this will make road impacts far more frequent. It will also affect engine bay airflow. Aftermarketeers are also offering owners undertrays....with the same sad results. |
To source a new sump, pre-2006 (aka Roadster I) sumps are the same as those from either a Mondeo ST220 or a Jaguar S-Type (99). They should be very easy to find at any break-up yard in the UK. Post-2006 (Roadster II) are a mildly different matter. The post-2006 Roadsters use the engine from made-for-USA Ford entry level 4x4 called the Escape. From memory, I think Morgan is the only company using them on the east side of the Atlantic..so exact version used sumps will be an impossibility locally for these. However, you will find both sumps easily enough in the US and at reasonable prices. In all cases, a profesional can adapt the earlier version to a later Roadster.

Oil = Mobil 1 5W30, Castrol Magnatec 5W30
Oil Filter = Fram PH5803, K&N HP-2010
The Roadsters use a different belt and pulley than its Ford Escape brethren.
Replacement parts are:
Pulley: Gates GAT38008
Belt: Gates K060747