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MG MGA - Alice in Wonderland

Like Alice things just get curious and curiouser. Was still battling with my A g/box rebuild and have just overhauled the clutch hydraulics. A bit of an improvment. At times, as usual, shifting was like hitting a brick wall. Off with the shifter top ,again !
All free and no slop. The selecter, going into the box, moving side to side to line up the 1-2 or 3-4 is very loose, no resistance, but doing its job of selecting. Should it rattle from side to side like this and be dependant on the spring loaded gear lever to steady it ? Back togather all is well as long as I hold the gear lever lightly to the left or right as required to select the 1-2 or the 3-4.
I don't intend to open the box again but like to know what's going on.. Thanks Sean
S Sherry

If you position the hand lever in the center, half way between the 1-2 and 3/4 positions, it won't go into gear. That's because you would be trying to push two shift rods at the same time, and there are interlocks to prevent that.

The shift lever should move side to side from 1-2 to 3-4 in neutral with force of a single finger. The coil spring on top of the level half-ball should provide enough friction to prevent the lever from rattling side to side. You do indeed have to press the lever either left or right before selecting any gear 1-4. You cannot push it fore/aft when in the center.

There is a small ball and spring in the lower lever at bottom of the hand lever to prevent vibration and rattle in that joint. If this spring or ball is missing the hand lever may vibrate with lots of noise right at highway cruising speed, around 4000 rpm (+/-).
Barney Gaylord

Thanks Barney, I now understand why the gear lever socket ,brass bush and the two springs are so important. To quote a fellow member from the U.K." I wonder how many G/Boxes have been condemed because of the remote selecter housing being worn and sloppy " Sean
S Sherry

This thread was discussed on 18/02/2011

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