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MG MGA - Timing gears

When removing the Crankshaft gear to replace a crankshaft, must you remove both the Cam timing gear and the Crank gear at the same time? Any details on the procedure would be appreciated!
Thanks
WMR Bill

you must remove the gears together as there is not enough play in the chain to remove only one.
J Heisenfeldt

Should be a master link so you can remove the chain, then do what you need to with the crank and its gear.
Del Rawlins

Most cahins didn't have joining link. It it has make sure tghe clip is to the front or it will hit the tensioner plate.
Garth
Garth Bagnall

And make sure the clip is "trailing", ie, the closed end is in the direction of chain travel. However, most timing chains do not have a connecting link in them but are rivetted endless.
If you can move or bend a chain significantly sideways when it is lying flat on a bench, this is a sign the chain is worn. A length change (stretch) will usually not be discernible. The wear occurs in the bushes, which cannot be seen as they are under the rollers.
Peter.
P. Tilbury

If you have a chain with a master link, replace the chain, the master link is the weak spot.
J Heisenfeldt

1 - the pushrod MG engine has no timing gears. It has sprockets (gears drive other gears, sprockets engage a chain) OK, I know, overly pedantic.

2 - while the master link style of chian shouldn't really be a weak link (no pun intended), you win races by eliminating all possible causes of failure and was most MG timing chains are endless style anyway, it makes sense to only use that style for replacement.

Just be careful and lever the cam sprocket off at the same time as you remove the crank sprocket. Large flat blade screwdrivers work pretty well for this.
Bill Spohn

>Most chains didn't have joining link. It it has make
>sure the clip is to the front or it will hit the
>tensioner plate.

Well, you just made my day. My clip is on the back side, because I wasn't able to get the link to go in from the rear. Seems like if the fit were that close, the ends of the master link studs would also get buggered by the tensioner plate. I wonder if somebody didn't just put the clip on against the rotation, and the plate didn't actually strip it off?
Del Rawlins

This thread was discussed between 17/07/2008 and 22/07/2008

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