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MG MGB Technical - wont go into reverse

79 mgb wont go into reverse all the sudden it doesnt grind and i've never had problems with it its almost like it doesnt exist anymore...heeeellllppp
JS Cook

Could be that the locating bolt on the selector shaft has worked loose.

You can get to it by draining the oil and taking off the side cover without having to take the box out of the car.
Chris at Octarine Services

If you put it into first and let it rock before trying to engage ?
RMW

Before you panic, check the fluid level in your clutch master cylinder. Usually, if clutch hydraulics are failing, it will grind going into reverse, then it will grind going into first. Then you can't get into these gears at all. Then you can't get into any gear. I admit, your case does not sound like the usual hydraulic failure, but my rule of thumb is to check the cheap fixes first.

Chris, aren't those locating bolts wired in position? I did have a selector just plain wear out once. The box wouldn't go in first because the selector was so rounded off, it couldn't be engaged. As you say, though, if this is the problem, it needn't be a horribly expensive repair.
Allen Bachelder

Allen,

The selector locating bolts are locked by a locknut - the saddles on the end of the selector rods are wired.
Chris at Octarine Services

Chris,

Thanks. I stand corrected. The old memory just isn't what it used to be.

Allen

I am having a simlar problem, grinding when putting into reverse, what is the correct fluid to use? And do I fill it into clutch master cylinder. I have not noticed any leaks but petal has been soft, do I need to bleed line.
Ed

Use brake fluid - Dot 4 (unless you know you have a silicone fluid in there)

Fill the clutch master cylinder to just under the filler neck.

Then sit in the car and pump the clutch pedal up and down for a minute or two - rest for a minute and then pump again for a minute.

This will expel most air lock problems - if it doesn't then bleed the system conventionally.
Chris at Octarine Services

If the gear lever seems to go into gear but you do not get any drive it could be that the overdrive has failed. When my 75 roadster did that a few years ago it felt like reverse had disappeared, but the other gears worked fine.
IR Tapner

Sudden shifting problems can be exploded driven plate in the clutch. Won't expell all the bits until you separate the cover from the flywheel.

Mike!
mike!

This thread was discussed between 18/07/2004 and 26/07/2004

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