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MG Midget and Sprite Technical - 2nd to third

hi guys: so what's this all about: newly rebuilt gearbox in a 1275 midget but now it won't change up from 2nd to third. The lever seems to meet a solid deadend on trying the upshift.
1st to 2nd and reverse all ok
Any ideas?
many thanks as usual!
David Cox

Can you select fourth?
Dave O'Neill 2

David I had the exact same issue with my ribby gear box before I went to the datsun, I got carpet installed by professional carpet installers... they left it in gear, the car moved back and forth acrooss the floor, when I went to drive it home it was a bear to shift....

DONT Force it. I did and it shifted pretty good after that, but it sure was noisey from then on esp. in 3rd sounded like a chain rattleing around inside the gear box, but lucas oil additive sure quited it down...I never have cracked open the case to find the issue, but considering thats black art, I wouldnt know what I was looking for...Ill certianly follow this thread with intrest.

Prop
Prop

What Dave asks...

If you can't select the 3rd/4th plane, you should check the position of the rods under the gear lever when in neutral; are they all lined up?

A
Anthony Cutler

Ant,

Don't think you can do the check on the rods lining up as all you see is the remote extension socket under the gearlever.

Richard.
richard boobier

On mine I could easily shift into 4th...it was just that 2nd to 3rd, it was like shifting into a non-existant gear...only a block of metal, you could actually bounce off by raming the shifter trying to engauge 3rd with no grinding noise or damage (Im guessing)but without going into 3rd. but I could down shift from 3rd to 2nd, but rather stiff.

Like I said ...not an issue for me anymore, as I forced it and it shifted easily from then on all thou vary noisey, and now its just a shelve weight / space waster because of the datsun 5.

prop
Prop

thanks for the replies, men.
Lovely day here to day and I have done 34 miles in the car down the lanes, roof off.
It seems that the trouble is entirely in my left leg! Matching the car's speed to engine revs and/or giving a momentary blip in neutral seems to remedy the fault. I am guessing that it also takes a few miles for the new innards to run-in. I suppose I am just learning to drive again! How we get spoiled with modern machinery that takes just about any sort of abuse from the pilot!
David Cox

Sounds like a synchro problem if you have to do all that blipping between gear changes. Was it a fully rebuilt 'box or just a repaired one?
Bernie.
b higginson

Bernie: sometimes the change is as smooth as an angel's kiss.. .. it's not everytime that a mid way change in neutral is needed. Box rebuilt by Ken over at Klassik Trans in Wolverhampton [what a nice chap!]
David Cox

It sounds like you might be going a bit too far to the right and engaging the reverse selector fork, which won't move in a forward direction.

I sometimes had that problem in my racer in the heat of battle. It's a real PITA and loses a lot of time while searching for the right slot.

I toyed with the idea of fitting a stronger reverse detent spring, but it was one of those jobs that I never got round to.
Dave O'Neill 2

you're right Dave [from Solihull down the road...]
Too much right hand [no comment!]
50 miles around again today and all is well!
David Cox

Or in my case, not enough right hand...sometimes seek reverse & find 3rd.
DL Rhine

<<sometimes seek reverse & find 3rd.>

presumably in a 1500!
Dave O'Neill 2

I've run into people who had problems finding the 3rd/4th slot because they didn't realize that when you slide the shifter out of second it goes into the 3rd/4th slot because of the spring loading in the lever mechanism. They would try to push it into the 3rd/4th slot causing jamming at the non-existent 5th gear location. Once they understood how it all worked, the problem went away.
Martin Washington

Martin: you're right. The gear virtually shifts by itself under the action of the spring. Another problem sorted... .. I wonder what'll be next? Because there WILL be a "next" ... ...
David Cox

Dave, yes it is a 1500...the more I drive it (purchased in June), the better I'm getting at it, but there's the occasional slip up!

Dave
DL Rhine

David. Glad to hear your problem seems to have gone away. Maybe it was just the "newness" wearing off. Were you being ironic when you said (what a nice chap!)? What has he said about the problem?
Bernie.
b higginson

Bernie: Not in the least ironic: Ken is a smashing chap who apparently used to be the gearbox man for the MGOC. I recommend him without hesitation.
David Cox

This thread was discussed between 06/11/2009 and 09/11/2009

MG Midget and Sprite Technical index

This thread is from the archive. The Live MG Midget and Sprite Technical BBS is active now.