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MG TD TF 1500 - Which Oil Filter do I have?

I wish I could post pictures here....

I have a '52 TD (#11889) and I'm unsure what oil filter I have. I'd like to do an oil change, but don't know what filter element to order. Moss says I should have a "split bodied" aluminum filter assy, but the body doesn't appear "split bodied" (more than 1 piece) to me.

I have a digital image of the assy I can send or post somewhere, but I don't have the ability to post it.
Stan Griffis

Do you have the verticle filter with pipes?If so, the old Moss split body deal has a big nut or bolt on the bottom. The original filters had a seam roughly in the middle, with a flat bottom. Moss recently advertised an original appearing filter body that the bottom unscrews from. So, which do you think you have?
George Butz

Stan,

The split two piece oilfilter was a popular after market accessory for T-types. Chances are what you have is the stock style, factory supplied one piece (Steel) oil filter. You toss the whole thing when you replace this guy. Hence the popularity of the two piece aluminum replacement assembly, you only replace the internal element. Send me a picture and I'll tell you what you've got.

Ciao, Ben T.
Ben Travato

Send me a photo and i will post it on my site and everyone can take a look......
g.b.lawson '53TD

Just added the photo:

http://www3.sympatco.ca/gordonblawson/td/tdfilter.jpg

It is just like my chrome one on the '53... the one i love so much????
g.b.lawson '53TD

http://www3.sympatico.ca/gordonblawson/td/tdfilter.jpg
g.b.lawson '53TD

Stan,

Why don't you consider getting a modern, spin-on filter adapter manufactured by Bob Grunau. These use a Fram PH3600 filter that I can buy at WalMart for about $4.50 Canadian.

I believe he sells these in the $60 range (Can.).

While the short-term economics aren't attarctive, the long-term are.

Bob Grunau = grunau.garage@sympatico.ca

Gord Clark
Rockburn, Qué.
Gordon A. Clark

Stan - The element that you need is a Fram CH814PL or a Hastings P172. I am sure that there is one of these elements made by just about every filter manufacture in business. The cost is about the same, or less than Gord quotes. What you have is a oil pump and filter assembly from a later engine (in fact, I suspect that if you check the engine number plate on the crankcase under the front carburetor you will find that you have a later engine than the one listed on your car's maker's plate.

Gordon - You should either get the spin on adapter from Bob Grunau as Gord suggests or take the housing in and get the chrome plating removed. Whoever put chrome on something that is going to get oil all over it needs their head examined (hope you weren't the one). Oil on chrome makes for about the slickest thing on earth as you have found out. That housing just painted is no problem to handle whatsoever, I do the one on our TD about 4 times a year and have never had a problem. YOu need a 3/8W box end wrench with the box end slightly bent (as they normally come from the factory). Put it on the bolt facing such that the wrench body slants toward the front of the engine. On ours, it takes about two or three turns with the wrench and from there I can turn it off just by twisting the housing. The bolt stays in the housing and the whole thing is just lifted out. If the bolt doesnt't want to turn with the housing, you may have to run a tap through the female threads and a die over the threads on the bolt (and get rid of the chrome :) ).
Good luck - Dave
David DuBois

As a PS to my last posting, if you will ask the parts store an oil filter for the MGA or the early (66 or earlier) MGB, they will give you the correct filter. Cheers - Dave
David DuBois

That's the oil filter fitted to my late '53 engine (28839). I use a NAPA 1300 element, ~$5US. The tool that I've found easiest to use for removing it is a 15mm GearWrench from Craftsman.

Stan, there may be a small nameplate on the housing, possibly saying 'Tecalamit'.
Bud Krueger

Stan, it also looks like you have the later finned oil sump. I am away from my MG books right now but think this takes 6 1/2 quarts as opposed to 5 1/5 for the earlier smooth sump. As David mentioned you may have a later replacement engine.
Regards,
Dennis
Dennis Sexton

Would any of them have had a stock chromed cannister...am surprised the p/o might have chromed it... although he put the finned valve cover and side plate on it? I am picking up one of the spin on types (as much as i don't like seeing the filter name hanging out there)... Is the old cover adaptable any way to cover the spin on?
g.b.lawson '53TD

It almost looks like a hex head where the early banjo bolt would go, and a bolt/plate over the early style filter bracket- maybe the late pump fitted to an early engine?
George Butz

Gordon - None of the oil filters came with a chromed housing. As for being suprised that the P/O chromed it, one of our members even had his brake drums chromed - there is no accounting for taste;) . It seems to me that I recently saw something on using the old cover over a spin on filter, I'll do some checking. Mean while, you could always just paint the spin on. Cheers - Dave
David DuBois

David
Chromed brake drums? That's almost as flash as whitewall tyres!
John James

I doubt the engine isn't original as the vehicle has been in the family for 50 years (since 54) and the number matched when my father purchased, and hasn't bee replaced since. He reports that at some point he did "something" w/ regards to the oil system, but when pressed couldn't remember exactly (it's been quite a while).

What is sounds like is that he retrofitted a later TD oil filter assy to the '52, does that sound (look) like what happened?

WRT to the attachmnet bolt (righthand side) I haven't removed it yet to sdee the sixe, but I've got 3 filters on the way from LBCC and I guess I'll find out then.

I appreciate all the help!
Stan Griffis

Yikes! I need to start proofreading, or, stop typing during happy hour.

"attachmnet bolt (righthand side) I haven't removed it yet to sdee the sixe" should read:

attachment bolt (righthand side) I haven't removed it yet to see the size.

Stan Griffis

Stan - If the car has been in the family that long, I think you would know if the engine had been swapped. It looks like the oil pump/filter was changed instead and George is correct regarding the extra hex head on the bottom right of the crankcase being about where the oil line for an early filter would hook up. Whatever the situation, you definitely have a later oil filter on the engine, which has a changable (and reasonably priced) cartrige in it.

John - Chrome brake drums really paint a picture don't they? It does, though make the point that somepeople will chrome just about anything. I have also seen MGBs with chromed heater housings.
Cheers - Dave
David DuBois

Wile our tastes today may not be there, got to remember that these were 50's cars, the age of Chrome.

With the exception of cars restored to be original, I have not seen too many TD's that were exactly the same. Personal customizing was a part of the 50's (seems to be coming back today)

This is actually one of the things I like about the TD. They left a lot of area for personnal customization. Mine has a number of chrome bolts under the hood. The carbs and intake manifold are polished to a high shine, even the cover band on the starter was plated by the P/O and I have had the car for 30 years. I left these "modifications" as they reflect a personality of the P/O also.
Bruce Cunha

Bruce - You are correct and I perhaps should not have sounded quite so derisive about the additional chrome on everything in sight. I do not care for a lot of additional chrome, although in some cases I have to admit that some of it looks good (even our member's chrome brake drums have a certain appeal). I do, however object to chrome in places where it makes maintenance difficult such as on Gordon's oil filter housing. Chrome and oil makes for an exceedingly slippery item and definitely makes changing a filter on our cars extremely difficult. Whoever had the housing chrome plated, probably didn't know or think about the degree of difficulty they were imparting to a simple oil change by doing it. Once done, the cost of chroming it was so high that they couldn't justify having the chrome removed. Cheers - Dave
David DuBois

Its not only the T Types we have an MGA coupe here in Europe with Gold Plated cable outers (as well as various other parts)

Clive Skelhorn
Clive Skelhorn

Stan: You have a later engine with a Purolator filter assembly. You state what your car number is but not your engine number.

Look at the block and find the engine tag. A brass (maybe painted over) octogon plate on the side of the block. Check the number stamped on it.

http://www.mgcars.org.uk/mgtd/mgtd_production.htm#Feature

Use your browsers Find feature to locate instances of Purolator on the page and click to see picture.

Now look just above the brass plate and look for a number stamped on the block. On the picture below its just hiding behind the carb overflow line above the plate.

http://www.mgcars.org.uk/mgtd/Pictures/NewPhotos/MyTd3.JPG

It should match the one stamped on the plate. It may not match. For instance many cars had their registration number be the engine ID. So to keep the car registration correct during an engine swap they would pry off the old ID tag and put it on the replacement engine.

Chris
Chris Couper

Chris - That sounds (and looks) like what I've got. The engine number on the brass tag is 12186, which matches the one stamped just above it on the casting of the block itself. I believe that number's in the right range for car number 11889. The car/body/number plate was lost off the firewall 2 repaints ago, in about 1968, but the since cars been in the family since '54, I'm confident that my father's recollection that the engine is original is true.

When I mentioned what I'd learned so far, his memory improved and he recalled swapping the older style filter system for the 'newer' (since when did 48 yr old technology become new?!).

Thanks all, and also, the oil pan isn't finned, so can I assume it's not the (later) aluminum one someone asked about?
Stan Griffis

Stan - "since when did 48 yr old technology become new", about 47 years ago, which Knowing how the time flies, was about the day before yesterday to your father :)
Cheers - Dave
David DuBois

This thread was discussed between 06/08/2004 and 17/08/2004

MG TD TF 1500 index

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