first encounter with an 803 gearbox? + leaky carb

[barnettiuk]

Greetings all.

I've had two Travellers, and a '55 saloon with a 950 engine and box, but I haven't owned a Minor for a few years now. I did manage to pass the bug on to my son, who bought a '56 2dr three years back. He's living in London at the moment so he's got my Honda C90 and I've got the Minor. (Result!!)

Just picked it up from the menders.

Despite my best efforts there was a fair bit of gear crunching on the way home. Now I'm a bit out of practice with Minors, but this was quite a lot harder than the 1098s or the 950 box in my '55- but this was my first encounter with the 'pudding stirrer', I recall the '55 had the short gear lever, as it would nearly foul the old-style handbrake in second. I noticed that you had to rev it really quite hard to get any degree of smoothness changing, say third to fourth, and the gears seem quite widely spaced. My son was told it had a 950 engine but the box feels nothing like the 950 in my '55.

Advice welcome.

Also smelt of petrol in the cab (perhaps not helped by my beloved son and heir having removed the glovebox liners and anything else that might restrict airflow/noise from the bulkhead). Nothing immediately obvious on opening the bonnet, nothing gushing out, but running my finger under the carburettor bowl a drop of petrol was forming. What to do next? Renew the bowl gasket?

cheers
Ian

[bmcecosse]

You pretty much describe the 803 gearbox perfectly! Either live with it - or fit a 948 gearbox ( which can be done retaining the pudding stirrer if you wish. The fuel will be running down from the carb main jet 'seals' - which if the old 803 carb are made of cork....... Can you give us a picture of the carb?

[mike.perry]

Check the carb for any fuel stains, overflowing float chamber or fuel on the choke lever which comes from the jet, assuming an SU H1 carb. You will need a seal kit. If the bowl is overflowing then adjust the float level
The 803 gearbox has very low intermediate gears and a low diff (they had to make it seem faster than a Series MM), which means thrashing it up to 30mph and chugging away in 4th. The effect seems worse if you have a 948 engine, good for hill climbing though. If I were you I would practice my double de clutching.
OK As a Series MM owner I am slightly biased!

[JOWETTJAVELIN]

I have no trouble with the 803 box. Changes should be made decisively but slowly, allowing the synchromesh to catch up. On the level it will go into top at 18 MPH, and you find that moving the lever slightly to the right when going from 3rd to 4th avoids a lot of crunching.

I am fortunate that mine was rebuilt in the 1990s and has only covered about 10,000 miles since, I doubt if the parts are obtainable now.

[barnettiuk]

bmcecosse, this is a pic of the carb-

cheers
Ian[frame][/frame]

[bmcecosse]

Ah well - that's an H2. An HS2 will bolt straight on.

[IslipMinor]

Didn't the H2 have a single central screw retaining the float chamber top, where the HS2 had the 3 small screws as in the picture? Is the float chamber attached to the body with a banjo type fitting, or a small tube running from the base of the float chamber into the bottom of the jet holder? The first is H2, and the second HS2.

The air cleaner is the later 948 'Dry-Type', and the rocker cover labels look like those from a 948 as well - is there a plate towards the front of the engine, under the front tappet chest cover with 950 on it? That would confirm the claim of a 948 engine being fitted.

[bmcecosse]

I did wonder about the 3 screws lid...

[mike.perry]

An HS2 would normally have a plastic damper cap, no problem fitting a damper with a brass H1 type cap though

[bmcecosse]

Aye - the brass damper top led me towards H2 - but I do suspect Richard is right enough.