Moss Motors, Ltd

Has anyone any experience with installing and using the Moss Motors spin-on oil filter adapter on a TF? I'm thinking of purchasing and installing one, but I just want to do some due diligence and see what the opinions are specifically for a TF. I'm interested in, any issues with installation, clearance problems, cautions, etc.

Dave.

I have one on both my TF and MGA; very easy to do. Fairly decent access from the removable louvered panel in the inside fender-well. Much cleaner/easier to replace the filter on the TF than the ‘A’.

Saturday,

I received my spin-on oil filter adapter and installed it Saturday. Took my time and made sure that there were no old squared-off O-ring bits left in the seat. I also took the time to clean up the area so that I didn't get grimey oil over anything that got within arms reach.All in all, it went in really easy. Everything was nice and snug and I was pretty pleased with my self. And then I started the MG. Now that's a new sound "squish.....squish....squish". I shut it down and got out to investigate, I must have lost 2 quarts of oil all over my garage floor. More that the oil drip pan could handle. I'll spare the rest of the details but it involved the rest of the kitty litter, and a trip to the local auto parts store for a big bag of absorbent. All in the warmest day we've had this year.

 Sunday morning,

 Jacked the car back up to pull it all apart and figure out what I messed up. Nice thing about cleaning up all around the oil filter yesterday, as it quickly becomes apparent that neither the oil filter or the adapter were the cause of the oil gusher. I confirmed this by taking a clean rag and wiping it around the filter base. I looked around the rest of the engine to see if I could locate the source of the flood in my garage and without restarting my engine, I've been unable to locate the source. So here's the big question, with a new adapter and filter in place, what would cause a leak like this and where?

Boy, does that bring back memories of teaching Junior how to change the oil on the family chariot, and not checking that the old filter seal had come off with the old filter.  He got the bonus lesson on cleaning oil off garage floors, too.

A sure-fire way to find the leaker/gusher will be to securely hoist the TF up on to 4 floor jack stands, top off the sump,  roll yourself under the oil filter area, and have your significant other crank the engine, or start it for that matter.  You'll find the source soon enough ...  There's a gasket missing or somehow misaligned somewhere.

Well, It's Sunday morning and not to hot to work on the car yet. The car's up on jack stands as opposed to just the hydraulic jack and I've enlisted my son to crank over the engine. A few turns and thar she blows, the oil is clearly coming from between the oil pump and the adapter plate. Well, at least I know were to focus my attention and it's easily accessible. I remove the filter, and before it turns on the threads 4 revolutions, the adapter nipple starts to spin out. Reminds me of a dental implant I had several years ago, but that's another story. Upon inspecting the seal, I notice that it appears that it's slightly out of round and I suspect that it's enough to allow several quarts to escape. At this point I compare the old seal with the new one and notice that the old one has more surface area and is more interested in maintaining a circular shape. So, out goes the new and in goes the old. Everything goes together and it time to turn the engine over. With me watching. Ha. Guess what, the old seal didn't work. After taking things apart again and comparing the old and the new, I discover the the OD of the new is greater than the OD of the old. I wonder if it shrunk. Oh well, it's time to figure out how to get the new seal in and keep it circular. That was solved with a little axle grease. No more leaks until next oil change.

The bottom line here is that because the adapter plate nipple likes to spin out of the hole I guess I'm going to have to go through this procedure everytime I change the oil filter. Can I use Loktite on the nipple?

davez:

Can I use Loktite on the nipple?

Sounds like a good solution to me! 

ps - don't forget to add a ZDDP additive to your new oil ...

I use Rotella T Diesel oil. No ZDDP additive needed.

Thanks for the help, Dave. 

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Dave - I am not familiar with the Moss spin on filter adapter, but I am familiar with the seals used in the base of the filter mount on the oil pumps.  I Gained that familiarity after pumping the sump dry and hammering two rod bearings because I used the wrong gasket and didn't get it seated clear to the bottom of the grove that it is supposed to reside in.  Again, I don't know what seal was supplied with the adapter, but if you go down to NAPA and get a Fram CH814PL or equivalent, you will get 2 or three gaskets with it.  You want to use the gasket that measures the closest to 0.080 in width and then carefully install it so that it is solidly to the bottom of the groove.  It helps to use an inspection mirror while installing the gasket to insure that it gets to the bottom of the groove and does not get twisted in the process.

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Cheers,
Dave
http://homepages.donobi.net/sufuelpumps/

I’m not sure, but I think there should be a locking tab that goes under the ‘nut’ part of the nipple and locks it onto the adapter face.  I would look at my car but don’t plan on changing oil for a while.  Best check with Moss.

I'm definitely calling Moss as soon as I get a chance. I was just talking with a friend that used to have a 65 MGB and had experienced the issues. He recommended using Permetex on the seal to keep it from deforming later. I'm not convinced, cleaning up Permetex can be a chore especially in locations like these. I think that finding a wider seal from say a Fram filter mentioned above may be the better solution.

As for a locking tab, is MGAdavid referring to a lock washer, or star washer? As that wasn't part of the kit or in the directions, I'm not likely to volunteer to be the tester on that. Steel lock washers or star washers would chew up the aluminum adapter plate. Again, a call to Moss is in order to see what they recommend.

Don’t want to take the oil filter off. But I believe the washer is shaped like the capital letter ”Q” but with a straight tail.  The tail is placed between two “pins” that are on the outside face of the adapter plate, the nipple is then tightened up and part of  the “O” of the Q is bent up to lock one of the flats on the nipple nut.

That sure sounds like a different adapter plate. My adapter plate doesn't have any pins. And it didn't come with a locking washer as you described. In fact it didn't come with any washers, just the o-ring seal.

I received an email from Lawrie Alexander of Moss that seems to have clarified the cause of my problem. When I removed the old canister filter and inspected the face of the oil pump, I couldn't see a groove that the seal ring (o-ring) should slip into. When the canister came off, there was also an o-ring that came with it. According to Lawrie, there is a grove but apparently an old o-ring has completely filled it and due to the difficult viewing of the seat, I was unable to detect it's presence. So now I need to pull it all apart again and use a dental pick to extract the old o-ring. At least it supposed to be cooler this weekend.

 I'll post again after I've confirmed this and made it right.

Dave.

A. DON'T use Permatex. It won't help. In fact, remember that before it dries, cement is an excellent lubricant!

B. My understanding is that they have been significantly reducing the ZDDP in Rotella T as well. I have been urged to start using an additive in my diesel truck, for what it's worth...

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Motorbill
From Lola to Land Rover, If it's British and has wheels, it's likely I've bloodied me knuckles thereupon

I have one on my 54 TF and the only problem I have is that the seal for the adapter has failed after only 2 years and leaks between the block and the adapter. And moss does not even sell a replacement so I am looking for a new O-ring.

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1954 MG TF 1250cc
Fully restored
She's a driver not a show car.

I recommend you call Moss regarding the seal. They are sending me a replacement seal.