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MG MGB Technical - Changing Inverted Filter assembly

I scanned the archieve, and could not find anything.

Is it possible to change the inverted assembly to a more conventional one as some 71-74 were fitted with? Does the oil cooler line start at the same place? VB has a kit for the 62-67 models to replace the cartridge. Does it work for the 18 V. Tired of cleaning up the mess.
Thanks in advance.

Shareef
Shareef Hassan

Shareef;

MG used the same block for all years of production with the only difference being whether you have a 5 main bearing or 3 main bearing crankshaft. Therefore, the oil filter attachments are interchangeable for all years.
Ron Kluwe

Shareef - I have a adapter for a hanging filter that uses a spin on filter. I took it off of my engine and went back to the inverted filter because of the difficulty in accessing the hanging filter to change it (not all that difficult, but requires removing the wheel and getting under the car). If you are interested in the adapter, e-mail me and we can work out a price. Cheers - Dave
David DuBois

Interesting to see this thread. Wondered about switching over but saw something about alternator equipped cars (I have 69) not working well as Dave describes.
J.T. Bamford

I know that the 67 and older cars can have the spin-on adaptor hanging down. Mine is real close to the starter, however, and I heard that the downward hanging ones will not fit 68 and newer cars with the pre-engaged starters. All of the newer cars seem to have the spin-on filter standing up. Perhaps the 4 sysnc crowd can answer the question.
Jim Lema

Jim, could you take a photo by any chance? I have a '66 car and really want to convert to stop oil draining from the filter.

Thanks,
Tim
Tim Jenner

According to Moss the hang down kit for the 62-67 will not fit alternator equiped cars. Jim said his hang down is close to the starter. I believe the starters on 68 up cars are longer than the early starters. My 68 has the inverted filter and my early 74 has a hangdown filter. It has a factory hang down adapter that was installed on cars made from December 73 to Feburary 74 according to Clausager. The cooler hoses were supposed to be different but mine are the same on both cars. The hoses enter the adapter at about the same location. The filter is small, I believe it is the same as a midget filter. The filter hangs at an angle and is about 3/4" from the starter. The adapter is angled toward the front of the car rather to the side as on the inverted filter. The adapter isn't available from Moss. I don't think it would be easy to find one of the hangdown adapters because they were only used for two months. FWIW, Clifton
Clifton Gordon

This is the adaptor that is on my 67.
http://www.mossmotors.com/Shop/ViewProducts.aspx?PlateIndexID=29601
The filter is about 3 inches wide and about 4 inches tall. Very close fit to the frame when installing the filter. I just jack the front a little and drain oil and reach in and remove filter. Installation of filter takes some practice due to the frame rail. Not sure if this would work on a RHD car.
Jim Lema

Hmm...that was my thought too, the steering column runs past that area. :(
Tim Jenner

From past research I recall that first the replaceable element type was hanging down, then inverted. That was replaced by the canister type inverted. Then aftar some years a hanging canister was used, but only for a few months and it went back to inverted. Makes me think that there was a *technical* reason for moving to inverted, not just space, which everyone forgot the reasons for until someone had the bright idea of making the canister type hanging. Then they soon rediscovered what the problem was and so had to go back to inverted.
Paul Hunt

The problem is not with the alternator, but the later starters. The later starters, with the integral solenoid does not allow clearance for the hanging filter. They will work fine with the earlier starters, but are a PITA to change, requiring removal of the right front wheel and crawling under the car to access the filter. Our car originally had the inverted filter and I went to the hanging type, but then switched back because of the hassle of changing the filter and the intention of changing to the later 4 syncro transmission and the later type starter. Oil drain back is not much of a problem with the inverted filters as long as one uses a filter with a good anti drain back valve shuch as the ones supplied by Wix (to name just one brand).
Cheers - Dave
David DuBois

I have worked on & drive a B every day for 35 years & I have put the late spin on filter on ALL of my motors (U.S. L.H. drive cars) with no problem with starters OR gen. cars. If I sell a rebuilt motor IT WILL HAVE a spin on filter. 3 or 5 main!
Glenn Towery

Glenn,

Is the late spin on filter inverted or hanging.

Thanks for everyones response
Shareef Hassan

HI,
I have often wondered if it would be possible to mount the filter remotely say, on the side of the engine compartment near the fuse box, with flexible lines to the spot where the upsidedown filter used to sit. Such a messy job changing the filter in its present configuration, always lots of cleanup afterwards. Alan
Alan

Anyone is welcome to correct me, but I think that Glenn's "late spin on filter" must be the one shown in the current Moss catalog, pg. 12. The others, the most common Inverted spin-on filter adapter and the much less common Hanging spin-on adapter (both shown at the top of the Moss catalog, pg. 13, will work, but each has its share of problems, depending on your definition of a problem. I would say that the latter two filter adapters are "challenged" in their respective positions by their nearness to some objects or slopping oil when changing.

I have the less common Hanging spin-on adapter on my 68, and altho it does put a longer filter closer to the battery terminal of the starter solenoid, making sparking a bit more easy. The block, frame, starter solenoid, and the filter adapter itself all conspire to make dropping the filter tricky but not impossible. You just have to be more aware. Its location still beats the pants off of the position of the filter on the Honda I used to own. But THIS is probably the reason this type adapter went out of favor and quickly. I put up with it because regardless of the filter I might use, I know the filter will always be full of oil immediately upon start up. How important that really is for daily use cars, I have never been convinced of, but I suppose it can be a problem for seldom driven cars.

The Inverted adapter always seemed the easier to deal with but nearly as messy as the OE inverted cartridge filter. Frankly, I think Glenn Towrey's solution, if it is indeed as I mentioned, is probably the simplest and least messy to deal with of all. I had that type on my 18GA engine in my MGA, and it was no more messy than the hanging filter on my GT. Beyond that, I would suspect that the issues become filter issues about anti-drain valves, etc. FWIW.
Bob Muenchausen

In order to fit the Moss hang-down filter conversion to an alternator-equipped MGB, you must first convert to a gear-reduction starter. After the starter conversion, the Moss hang-down filter conversion fits and functions very well. I have fitted the starter and filter conversion to a '73 and a '77. Both cars start wonderfully and oil pressure is instantaneous even after sitting for 6 to 8 weeks.
Charles Edwards

The factory V8 has a hanging canister filter immediately behind the radiator mounting panel and about as high up as it is possible to get. Having both I cxan say that it certainly is easier to do a clean change on the V8 than the roadster. But you will need the V8 hoses and steel pipe for the run that goes via the filter, of course. A late RB car probably already *has* the mountings for the V8 filter as the bodies were commonised.
Paul Hunt

This thread was discussed between 08/03/2004 and 12/03/2004

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