Gearbox tensioner

[lencot76]

I have just ordered a new gearbox tensioner cable,the old one was shredded.How tight should they be and is there a nut either side of the crossmember bracket,on the cable end

[MarkyB]

It should be neutral, neither tight or slack.
I think there is an adjustment nut and a lock nut to keep it in place.

[mogbob]

As Marky says ..it's one gearbox steady wire 10G263 , two nuts FIX139 and one washer FIX157 ( ESM ).Tigthened to the neutral
position.
Bob

[lencot76]

Thanks for the useful info .I phoned Mazda the other day,to ask what the hub nut on our car should be tightened to .The girl put me through to the technical department ,when I asked the technician what the ft lbs the nut should be tightened to he said fairly tight.I said that cars vary from a few foot lbs to 150ft lbs and should I tighten mine to 40-50 or more .He said yes thats about right.Oh for knowledge

[MarkyB]

Have you downloaded the workshop manaul?
Just google "morris minor manual" it's the top hit as a pdf file.

[lencot76]

I have a workshop manual,but there is no mention of the cable and no drawings show it it must be an old one

[philthehill]

Has been in the BMC and BL wksp man for some time.
Section AA36.
Diagram taken from BMC wksp man AKD530E issue 5 and is also in BL wksp man AKD530 (14th Edition) and those between and is effective from car No: 264013[frame][/frame]

[lencot76]

Isee it now,I have been looking in the gearbox section,since itis connected to that

[philthehill]

The 1/4" UNF bolts are pretty feeble and soon work loose and ultimately strip the threads unless kept tight. I always recommend that at the first sign of looseness the threads/bolts are increased to 5/16" preferably UNC. It is an easy conversion to do and there is less chance of the threads coming loose or stripping.
The fitment of the wire and modification of the gearbox cross member should in the first instance have included instructions for increasing the bolt size to 5/16" UNC in the gearbox casing but as an expediency BMC choose to use the bolts already there.

[lencot76]

Having worked forAUSTIN MORRIS/ BMC/BRITISHLEYLAND/BRITISH MOTOR HOLDINGS However they changed their name they were still the same!!!.Nothing surprises me,how a company could use so many different thread sizes is amazing They probably found a few tons in one of their underground tunnels they had.

[philthehill]

The problem of different threads used by Morris/BMC/BL/BML etc arises from the various companies that have been used over the years to supply parts and that goes back to the first world war (and possibly earlier) with the acquisition of Hotchkiss (French armaments company) machinery and the system continued with each company being drawn into the Morris empire and the engines being used. At one time Morris because of a shortage of engines used an American engine in there cars as they were readily available of the shelf. Badge engineering is nothing new.
The problem these days with pattern parts is that there is a tendency to use UNF threads instead of the original spec and you just cannot get original spec mostly just metric from your local motor factors. Most threads and sizes are available off the web and at usually reduced prices which is were I get most of my nuts and bolts etc.

[bmcecosse]

Never known these to work loose -you must be putting enormous strain on them Phil!

[Declan_Burns]

Phil,
They went further again. The XPAG/XPEG engines used in the MG T series were also "Hotchkissed" to the extent that nearly all the fasteners have metric threads and Whitworth heads due to the spanners available at the time. They are commonly referred to as "Mad metrics".
Regards
Declan

[philthehill]

I personally have never had to replace the gearbox tensioner bolts on any of the gearboxes (948cc/1098cc & 1275cc) fitted to my Minor but have had to replace and mod quite a few of other peoples over the years.
Now I do not require the tensioner as I have the Ford gearbox fitted and any fore and aft movement of the engine/gearbox is controlled by the gearbox hybrid (part Ford part Minor) mounting which sits inside the Minor gearbox cross member.