OK guys, now it's MG gearbox reliability 101...
1.What's the weakest part in a MG gearbox? Well, I know, the engineer who
designed it... But alongside with him is the clustergear shaft and the
roller bearings. Third in the list is the cluster gear itself, but a very
far third...
2.What can you do about it?
There are many approaches (is this the right plural spelling?) to that:
a)don't let your girfriend drive your MG! I know it sounds "macho", but I
know of a girl who blew my gearbox away: my very ...sister! And, really, I
NEVER saw a women that drove a MG the way it is meant to be driven. That
applies to your mother-in-law, your "ex", your "maîtresse" or whatever
woman you are with. Besides, there are much more interesting things to do
with a woman in a MG than to let her drive. On that last matter, I suggest
that you buy an MGB-GT or, better yet, a MGC-GT rather than the roadster...
OK. To serious matters.
Well, I am very happy and proud to tell you what I consider to be the best
kept SECRET in the the MG world. If there was ever a flaw in the MGB-C
design it is IT : there is not enough roller bearings to support the
clustergear on the shaft. That's the bad news.
The good news is: it's so simple to get over this problem, one wonders why
the Abingdon factory didn't do it in the first place in the very first
years of production!!!
Until the model year 1966 there were 3 roller bearings supporting the
clustergear. Then, in 1967, and until 1980, MG added a fourth roller. Proff
that they knew that weak point!!!
So what's the problem? Four is not enough. Go for six rollers and adjust
(ream or cut off) the spacer in order to let space for the two or three
additional rollers on the shaft. THAT'S IT!
Now if you want to go that extra mile and be VERY serious, get your
clustergear shaft tufrided. Some shops can do it, or get it done.
And use Red Line MT 90 in your tranny. And drive girls, don't let them
drive you...
You wondered why the MGB-GT V8 gearbox went off every 6 months? Why your
MGC transmission acted as if it was made in the twenties... Now, YOU know.
Pierre Racine, Montreal, CANADA.
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