Ben-
I have retrofitted an O.D. in my B, and love it. There is a substantial
reduction in NVH associated with cruising at 3500 vs 4200 or so in straight
fourth, and for a long journey, this will make things more pleasant.
I do not think that you need worry about the health of your motor, however,
running without overdrive. John Twist recently had an article in the NAMGBR
magazine on this issue.
Your concerns of accidently reversing the MG O.D. tranny with the O.D.
engaged are unfounded. The O.D. is designed with a safety switch. The
first is a 3/4 enable. It is closed in third/fourth gear and supplies only
supplies power to the overdrive solenoid when closed. Therefore, the only
way to reverse the car with the overdrive engaged is if the owner
purposefully overides the function of the switch.
All said, I don't think that the overdrive transmission deserves any of the
bad press that it seems to get. It is generally very reliable, and if not
DPO'd, is pretty much fool-proof too! They aren't found in every junk-yard,
but they are readily available with a little searching, for less than the
cost of the 5-speed adapter kit. Plus the addition of the O.D. makes your
car worth more, whereas I doubt that the 5-speed will have the same effect.
Regards,
Chris Delling
> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-mgs@autox.team.net [mailto:owner-mgs@autox.team.net]On
> Behalf Of Ben Ruset
> Sent: Sunday, May 03, 1998 2:54 PM
> To: mgs@autox.team.net
> Subject: 5 speed vs. OD conversion
>
>
> Okay -- here's my dilemma:
>
> I don't want to keep my standard 4 speed. The thought of pushing my B to
> the high rev mark and leaving it there frankly scares me.
>
> I'm considering my options. I know OD is nice - it's original equipment,
> bolts into the car nicely, etc -- but is also hard to find and even harder
> to find one working perfectly.
>
> A 5 speed is good because I don't have to worry about going into reverse
> with OD engaged, there are many Z car transmissions around, etc -- but the
> conversion kit is expensive.
>
> What's a more sensical way of doing things??
>
>
>
> BEN RUSET - ICQ # 10364973
> The MGB Haven & MG Cars Webring
>
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