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MG TD TF 1500 - Transmission noise

I have a 1955 mgtf with a very sharp metal vibration sound when I shift through the forward gears. I am not sure about reverse. It is very pronounced when I give it the gas in each gear. I have had the remote control completely rebuilt. Installed bushings and replaced the rod and in this case the shifter lever had to be replaced due to previous unexplained modification to the shifter lever cup. The tranny shifts and down shifts very well through all gears and does not pop out of any gear during operation. Tranny fluid is at proper level and clean. The previous owner disclosed this issue prior to the sale of the car and the price was adjusted accordingly. I took a chance that it might be the remote control but after rework it actually made the noise more acute. It appears that I must remove the tranny from the car and investigate it further. I do not know if any of the tranny bearings have been replaced. Any advice? Andre
A.D. Andre de la Chevrotiere

As crazy as it sounds, check the timing on your distributor. A peculiar quirk of the TD/TF is a pronounced rattle of the gearbox shift lever upon acceleration if the timing is too far advanced. Not all cars have this malady, but quite a number do.
Lew Palmer

I had a worn tail shaft spline in a car of mine years ago and it made a similar noise under acceleration. It may be worth checking yours out for wear.
Max Irvine

I second Lew. Retard the timing a few degrees and give that a try. George
George Butz

or, the anti-rattler might not be anti-rattling as good as it could.
L Rutt


Timing has been set to slightly advanced. It had been more advanced. No change! If you are referring to the anti-spring on the shifter or the spring on the rod in the remote control then they are both working correctly. Thanks! Andre
Andre de la Chevrotiere

>>>sharp metal vibration sound when I shift through the forward gears. I am not sure about reverse. It is very pronounced when I give it the gas in each gear.<<<

I know we talked about this in Oneonta,, BUT,,,

#Is the noise there only on accelleration??

#Is the noise there if you are in a gear and not applying the gas??

#Is the vibration a constant sound, not varying in frequency as the cars speed increases??

# are there any wear marks along the trannie cover or frame? maybe caused by a broken trannie mount allowing the engine/trannie to rotate under acceleration??



SPW
STEVE WINCZE

Andre,

This may be off base concerning your issue, but it certainly worked with my 54 TF for the noise issue.

The tranny was noisy in all gears, and difficult to shift without grinding when I first got the car years ago. It was suggested that I change the tranny fluid to RedLine MT90, which I did.

The transformation was instantaneous. The Gear changes became much smoother, and the annoying/worrisome noises disappeared. That was over 10 years ago, and the issues have not returned.

There have been lots of discussions on this RedLine MT90 over the years, and many of those here that use it have been pleased with its results.It might be worth a try.

Gene
G Burgess

G Burgess: I did the same thing with my high mileage Morris Minor 1000 transmission a number of years ago and my internal buzzing noises went away completely. No difference in shifting even in 25F weather.
John Quilter (TD8986)


I took the car out yesterday to clarify and answer some of the questions that Steve asked. The noise is not evident in reverse and 1st gear. 2, 3rd. and 4th. gear the rattle is very evident and increases with speed. When the car is at idle, and in gear the noise is not there even if you rev the engine. I have verified that the first motion shaft bearing, center mainshaft bearing , and rear mainshaft bearing have been replaced. When the car is up to speed the noise is minimized or gone. I appreciate the advice about the transmission fluid and will consider this when the issue has been fixed.
Andre de la Chevrotiere

Andre, have you checked if the tailshaft/propshaft spline has been greased or if it is worn?
Max Irvine

Andre where are you located in Ct.?
We have many MG T owners in the state.
Have one of them drive the car & get their opinion.
Len Fanelli

Len, thanks for the advice. I took a MG "T" specialist out for a ride and we both agree the tranny must come out. I am in the process of taking it out now.
Andre de la Chevrotiere

I would like know what resolved this problem with the gearbox noise. I am experiencing the same symptoms as Andre with my MGTF gearbox. Thanks.
DBW Wright

A.D., in '74 my MGB had a strange noise in forward gears. After the cluster gear lost a tooth and I took it out, I found that the shaft bearing had worn allowing the gear to move off-kilter. It didn't take long, I'm glad you're taking care of this sooner rather than (as I did) later.
MAndrus

I have a 1954 TF. I finally gave up on the original "gravel grinder" and installed a Ford T9 box. Now I sing while shifting:"Pack Up Your Troubles in Your Old Kit-Bag, and Smile, Smile, Smile"

(Sorry, couldn't resist it)

Regards Jan

TF 7481
Jan Emil Kristoffersen

I tried to e-mail Andre,, but no answer,,, but I believe it ended up being a problem with the crank,,, not the trannie,,
SPW
Steve Wincze

Steve and I talked about the posting this morning and I apologize for not bringing this issue to closure. The noise and vibration ended up coming from the crankshaft. The previous owner who installed the original crankshaft back into the engine installed the center main bearing cap backwards. The end bearing caps were installed O.K... The center cap was installed so that one side of the cap was not sitting in the recessed cap step but on top of the cast support. This left a 1/16 gap between the cap and bearing and the journal of the crankshaft. The noise and vibration was caused by the crank flopping around during acceleration. The crank was magnafluxed and it failed due to cracking in the radius of the bearing journal.
During the process of elimination I checked all the items suggested by my fellow MGT owners, both in our local club and on this BBS site and nothing eliminated the issue. Like yours it shifted and down shifted O.K… We took the tranny out and it was inspected and found to have some internal shaft play but no enough to be the cause of the noise. I was loaned a second good tranny that was installed and the engine was run. The issue was still there. Prior to the tranny swap I had the remote rebuilt and replaced the throw-out bearing shaft that did have some play in it. It’s funny as you check each suggestion, you push, shake, rattle each item and you try to replicate the noise. That throw-out bearing shaft had enough play in it to simulate the noise so we went ahead and replaced it. Bottom line: take each suggestion and eliminate it. I doubt that you have an engine issue, but be patient and work your way through it.
Andre de la Chevrotiere

Thanks. I am gradually trying and eliminating possibilities suggested by my friends and by BBS sites. So far I have not found the problem. I don't think the engine is the source of the problem but I don't really know right now.
DBW Wright

Hi. I had a persistent, rattling noise and had the remote rebuilt. Still there. It eventually turned out that some DPO had fitted a caged roller bearing between input shaft and mainshaft, and the cage had broken up.

Regards, David
D A Provan

This is one for the records and how we can sometimes chase our tails almost forever. I fought a rattle in my transmission for 2 years in my '53 TD driver. I tried adjusting the timing and doing all of the things that this board had suggested. No improvement. I took the remote off and had it bushed to a close tolerance with no improvement. I took the gearbox apart again even though I had rebuilt it recently and went through every part to make sure all was good. Checked the driveshaft, engine mounts, etc., without the slightest sign of a bit less rattle. It drove my wife and I nuts. I finally resorted to driving with a lap blanket over the shift lever to minimize the noise.
I have an identical '53 TD that has been restored to a level that allowed me to recently earn an AACA Senior Grand National Award. It had no rattle at all. For some peculiar reason, I took the stock black shift knob from the show car and exchanged it for the round walnut MG crested aftermarket knob on my driver. No more noise! It turned out that the threaded insert in the aftermarket walnut knob installed in my driver was loose in the wood allowing the knob to rattle. A couple of drops of CA glue on the insert-to-wood area solved a two year problem. Two drops of glue!

Mark
Mark Strang

This thread was discussed between 17/09/2013 and 17/02/2015

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