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MG Midget and Sprite Technical - 2nd Gear

Ive seen mentions but i have not found the threads on it, so here it goes-

My 74 Mg midget (1275) will not shift up into second, it will only downshift into it. Even then it slips out of second.

I am not planning on removing the engine any time in the distant future so, is there anything that I should really worry about in bypassing second gear?

And, also, being without much knowledge of cars and having recently acquired this car, i noticed that it leaks trans fluid slowly, where do i fill that? i have looked and looked and have yet to find where to fill it. My guess is its on the passenger side under some excess carpeting but i have not had time to check that out.
SB Brecklin

Fill point is passengers side on the tunnel, big oblong grommet. The fact that it drips oil is a good sign that it still has ome in it.
Depending on your state of tune & mileage, you may be ok for ages or not, but it sounds like the box is worn.
My last ribcase had the same symptoms & after nearly getting Tee boned at a roundabout when it slipped out of 2nd i changed over to a Ford box & have never had a gearbox problem since, see the other thread for peoples various comments.
Brad (Sprite IV 1380)

That'd be drivers side over here!
PS Get a book, at least a Haynes manual.

FRM
FR Millmore

It's worth noting that whilst this 'pop' can be a symptom of a knackered box, it can also be a problem with the remote. I switched my box for a brand new one a while ago, keeping the same remote and had the same issue.
Rich Amos

I have the Haynes manual, but as hard as i looked at the diagram for the gearbox, i could not find the fill point.
Thank you for the advice, but, I do not think that I will be removing the engine anytime soon so a change of gearboxes is pretty much out of the question.
SB Brecklin

Right where the tunnel starts to narrow, below and behind your right knee. Big rubber grommet under the carpet, and a pipe plug on an angle in the gbx.

FRM
FR Millmore

In regard to your 2nd gear problem...

At some point one of the DPO's of my Midget replaced the engine and transmission. The trans that got stuck in was rebuilt (poorly) at some point prior to my purchase of the car. The car would shift into second, but it became increasingly difficult to get it into second. Eventually, I could not upshift into 2nd, but could downshift into it. Finally the transmission would slip out of 2nd.

During the (poorly done) reassembly, the 1st gear ring was allowed to slip out of place. The balls and springs that lock the gear ring in place were launched into the case. The only thing keeping second gear engaged, was the detent in the shift rods. The gear ring was not locked in place by the small steel lock balls and had a fair amount of fore/aft play. This eventually ate away the side of the shift fork.

As I stripped down the transmission, I discovered the springs wedged into various grooves in the gear clusters. The lock balls were stuck in the sludge in the bottom of the transmission case.

When I get home after Christmas, I'll post some pics showing the damage to the shift fork.

You could jack the car up and remove the inspection plate on the side of the transmission case. See if you can find any visible damage to the shift fork. Then you could have someone shift from 3rd into 2nd, then try putting a little rearward pressure on the 1st gear ring with a screwdriver or pry bar. If the the gear cluster slips fairly easily back into 1st, there's your problem.

The only way to fix this would be to pull the engine and transmission and rebuild it properly.

When I rebuilt my transmission, I had a REALLY fun time keeping the 3 lock balls compressed while trying to slip the 1st gear ring over the inner gear. I launched all 3 lock balls into various corners of the shop several times before I got it right. I wound up using a hose clamp to keep all 3 springs compressed during assembly. Even then, it took several tries to keep the clamp lined up without launching parts under the workbench.
Ryan N.

This thread was discussed between 17/12/2009 and 25/12/2009

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