At 10:46 PM 8/28/95 -0400, Jurgman@aol.com wrote:
>Hi all,
>
> I have a '78 'B that I've nearly rebuilt from ground up. Only problem is
>now my engine is ailing and my transmission is screaming for attention. I
>get around 150 psi in my first and fourth cylinders, while the two middle
>cylinders only give me around 100 psi. Pretty big disparity there, eh. So
>what are my options. Do I rebuild the whole engine? Do I need new cylinder
>sleeves, can I get by with bigger rings, or can this only be determined by
>yanking the engine out and opening her up. The reason I ask is that I can
>only get parts mail order, much like many of you others, and I would love to
>be able to order everything at once and rebuild the whole darn thing on one
>good weekend.
>
>Second question; I am having problems with the gear change from 2nd to 3rd
>or from 4th to 3rd. As I push it into 3rd, I get quite a bit of resistance
>and I can feel the gears grinding. Could this be the synchro? Am I totally
>off the mark? Would a repair only involve replacing maybe one gear?
>
>Please give me some advice. If I determine that this whole project costs me
>more than $750 in parts alone, I'll be forced to sell this jewel. I would
>really hate to sell her, since I spent my whole summer replacing tons of
>rubber parts, rebuilding brakes, and redoing the interior.
>
>Thanks in advance,
>
>Jay
>
>
Jay:
MGB's are prone to blow headgaskets between cylinders #2 and 3. Have you
pulled the head yet to check that possibility? It is really easy to do and
might change your mind about selling the car. There was a discussion of this
problem on the british car net a few months ago. If that does turn out to be
the case, be sure to check the head for warpage using a straightedge, or have a
shop do it. It may be necessary to mill off a little of the head while you
have it off so that you have a flat surface to mate with the block, but you
wouldn't object to a little more power would you? Just don't overdo the head
milling; gasoline/petrol isn't what it used to be and you might have
driveability problems with too high a compression ratio.
The crunching gears in third are also a common problem and probably mean
that the synchronizers on the third gear are shot. Does the clutch have
sufficient free play and act normally in the other gears? If so, you probably
are loooking at a transmission/gearbox rebuild. This is not for shadetree
mechanics! I don't know how skilled you are as a mechanic, but I would leave
this one to someone who is accustomed to working on british cars. The cost is
not too terrible and a few months of driving the car as it is probably won't
make the transmission too much worse than it is now. Good Luck!
Lew Dove
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