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MG Midget and Sprite Technical - Midget 1500 timing cover seal

Just jumping over from the T series group, but a friend with a US spec midget 1500 was told by his shop that the engine needs to come out to change a timing cover seal and gasket. Factory shop manual does not call for that but does say engine mounts must be loosened and engine raised to get clearance to remove the damper. Any confirmation or tips I can pass along?
John Quilter (TD8986)

I don’t think the engine needs to come out.

I’m not sure how much clearance there is on the exhaust. May need to separate the pipe from the manifold.

Don’t forget to fit the pulley before tightening the cover bolts, in order to centralise the seal.
Dave O'Neill 2

Fit the pulley and then rotate the engine a couple of revolutions to align the oil seal before tightening the cover bolts.

Take care not to overtightened the bottom three bolts which go into the alloy bridge piece on the block. The other bolts are all into steel but these are into alloy and will strip easily if overtightened and then the gasket seal will leak. Access to these bolts is very restricted even with the front off the engine raised, but it can be done!
GuyW

Uprated steel bridges are available to replace the existing alloy item.
Greybeard

Must be a modern development Grey - well in the last 25 years or so. Do they still use the little wooden wedges? I always thought it comical that The British car industry still included wooden components in their engines in the 1980's.I

The other common fail with the alloy bridges is people using a longer bolt - possibly because they had stripped the thread in the alloy. The longer bolt grips the remnants of the thread deep in the hole and tightening then punched right through the casting into the sump chamber. And that DOES make the oilleak!
GuyW

Thanks, all. According to the WSM you home market folks have it easier with no catalytic converter, air pump and other complications in the engine bay. Good tips about centralizing the seal.
John Quilter (TD8986)

This thread was discussed between 11/09/2019 and 12/09/2019

MG Midget and Sprite Technical index

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