Issue with 3rd gear!

[martinminor89]

Hello all!

I've got a situation with my Minor. The car will NOT go into third gear, and just makes a horrible grinding noise, the rest of the gears, 1st, 2nd & 4th are fine, 3rd however, is not.

Any suggestions what it is, and what could solve it will be welcome, sort of needed urgently.

Thanks all

[Corn22]

Swap the gearbox is the best bet. You can pick them up quite cheap but obviously don't pay much for untested ones.

[bmcecosse]

Does indeed sound terminal - swap the gearbox.

[martinminor89]

Would using gearbox oil be worth a try? to eliminate any possible faults, I can get hold of a gearbox, but I'd prefer to have the car up and running sooner rather than later

[Corn22]

Would using gearbox oil be worth a try? to eliminate any possible faults, I can get hold of a gearbox, but I'd prefer to have the car up and running sooner rather than later

Don't see why that would help getting it into 3rd, I think it is terminal in this case

[martinminor89]

Ah I see, I've been having a few difficulties with the clutch too, I think it's set too high and could need replacing, might as well kill two birds with one stone and get both then

[liammonty]

Would using gearbox oil be worth a try? to eliminate any possible faults, I can get hold of a gearbox, but I'd prefer to have the car up and running sooner rather than later

It sounds as though it's too far gone for that, but when you fill the replacement box up, note that it takes engine oil and not gearbox oil!

[amgrave]

The doggy clutch wouldn’t be the reason you are having trouble engaging gear would it

[bmcecosse]

Can't be helping - but surely would affect other gears - especially 1st/reverse more than any of the syncro gears.

[martinminor89]

Well, also yesterday it started pushing out of 2nd gear, not too sure if that makes a difference, as I say, I'm not brilliant with cars as I haven't even been driving that long, I'm by no means a qualified mechanic

[liammonty]

Well, also yesterday it started pushing out of 2nd gear, not too sure if that makes a difference, as I say, I'm not brilliant with cars as I haven't even been driving that long, I'm by no means a qualified mechanic

It's terminal - source another one and get it fitted.

There are numerous smaller Minor traders out there who are seldom mentioned on here, many of whom will likely be able to supply a second-hand gear box in known working order. It's worth doing your research and phoning around a few. I don't know where you're based, but there will likely be somewhere near you. Not all of them have websites, so it seems that these days a lot of folks just don't bother with them, which is a shame! Bull Motif, ESM and the other big suppliers are mostly good, but don't tend to supply much in the way of second-hand stuff.

I personally would be wary of 'reconditioned' gearboxes, as I've heard some horror stories of people paying huge sums for rubbish. I guess there is a limit to how 'reconditioned' they can be, as certain parts aren't even available readily any more. Again, do your research if you're planning on shelling out a lot on a recon unit.

As an aside (and I'm not trying to be patronising here, so please ignore if you already know this!) but presumably you're aware that the Minor box has no synchromesh on first gear? This means that you can't engage first gear when you're moving (unless you're au fait with double-declutching) in the same way that you can in a modern car. I've heard a few tales of people wrecking gearboxes because they didn't know about this and had been routinely sticking the car in first gear whilst on the move.

[bmcecosse]

As above -search for a 'good' secondhand box and swap them. Attend to the clutch at the same time.

[martinminor89]

Well, also yesterday it started pushing out of 2nd gear, not too sure if that makes a difference, as I say, I'm not brilliant with cars as I haven't even been driving that long, I'm by no means a qualified mechanic

It's terminal - source another one and get it fitted.

There are numerous smaller Minor traders out there who are seldom mentioned on here, many of whom will likely be able to supply a second-hand gear box in known working order. It's worth doing your research and phoning around a few. I don't know where you're based, but there will likely be somewhere near you. Not all of them have websites, so it seems that these days a lot of folks just don't bother with them, which is a shame! Bull Motif, ESM and the other big suppliers are mostly good, but don't tend to supply much in the way of second-hand stuff.

I personally would be wary of 'reconditioned' gearboxes, as I've heard some horror stories of people paying huge sums for rubbish. I guess there is a limit to how 'reconditioned' they can be, as certain parts aren't even available readily any more. Again, do your research if you're planning on shelling out a lot on a recon unit.

As an aside (and I'm not trying to be patronising here, so please ignore if you already know this!) but presumably you're aware that the Minor box has no synchromesh on first gear? This means that you can't engage first gear when you're moving (unless you're au fait with double-declutching) in the same way that you can in a modern car. I've heard a few tales of people wrecking gearboxes because they didn't know about this and had been routinely sticking the car in first gear whilst on the move.

This isn't something I knew at first, not being able to put it into first gear while moving, as I've only had the car a few months, I had to re-learn this and stop trying to put it into first as I was slowing down, is there a chance I could of been the reason it's messed up despite only having it a few months? or is this likely to have been messing up over time before me?

[dudload]

did it not make an absolutely horrible crunching noise when you tried to engage first though? that normally stops people pretty sharply!

[liammonty]

martinminor89 - It won't have helped, but from the nature of what's failed (i.e. not first gear) I suspect it was on its way out already. Just make sure you don't do it with the new box!

[martinminor89]

Yeah It was very early on, the crunching noise wasn't something that sat right with me. I've been advised by a gearbox specialist from Portsmouth that it could well be the intermittent washer between second & third, which is why it's chucking me straight out of second and refusing to go into third, albeit allowing me to go into fourth.

[bmcecosse]

That is exactly what it will be - but the damage has now been done to the other gears with the crunching and jumping out.

[martinminor89]

That is exactly what it will be - but the damage has now been done to the other gears with the crunching and jumping out.

I see, do you think it would be worth buying a new 2nd & 3rd gear and having them stuck in? certainly cheaper than a gearbox

[liammonty]

No, because firstly it wouldn't be much less labour to do that than to overhaul the whole thing, and secondly when it's taken apart, you will find that various other parts are worn and need replacing too. I suspect first gear, together with the laygear will also be on their way out if it's had a few shifts into first on the move.

[bmcecosse]

Not too sure you can easily get 'new' gears anyway - there will be so much other damage in there it's just far better to get a 'good used' gearbox and stick it in. Is it a smooth case box - or ribbed ? Why on earth would you have been going into 1st gear (or even 2nd gear) when 'slowing down' ??? Never heard of such a thing.... Brakes are for slowing - gears are for going.