Gear box assistance for newbie please

[Mermancdi]

I have got a 1970 traveller I am repairing , the thrust bearing is very very noisy I can get the gears ok but they are a bit flabby but when car is moving I can change gears ok carefully, anyway I can tell ifs it’s the clutch and thrust bearing or is it a bad gearbox , don’t want to fit new clutch etc and then gearbox still not feel right any simple way to tighten up the gears , the clutch pedal sits slightly low ( I m o ) can this be adjusted or bled , is gear box mounts hard to change and are they expensive as I feel when driving some mounts might be worn.
Any assistance would be great unfortunately I don’t have a ramp and not as supple as used to be so just going to be working from below.
I see reconditioned box’s are away up around £800 and hard to get sent to ballyclare Northern Ireland.
Regards .
Stevie.

[Bill_qaz]

Try looking this video for clutch adjustment section
https://youtu.be/ScloEDuLI_w?si=61EziEgOz6DCgjyH

[Mermancdi]

Thank you very useful.
Stevie G

[Mermancdi]

Try looking this video for clutch adjustment section
https://youtu.be/ScloEDuLI_w?si=61EziEgOz6DCgjyH

Thank you Bill very useful

[Mermancdi]

Can I ask if cars been sitting about and thrust bearing is noisy would it do any harm to put a spray of the likes of wd40 up in where the arm goes into the box to see if it helped.
Thank you
Stevie G

[philthehill]

I would advise against putting anything that is classed as a lubricant i.e. WD40 into the bell housing. It could start to make the clutch slip and the starter Bendix stick.
The carbon thrust does not need or react to lubricant in any positive way.
If you have a problem you need to remove the gearbox and check/replace the thrust bearing and anything else that is suspect/worn. The problem is not going to get better only going to get worse and I would say more expensive.

[Mermancdi]

Thank you philthehill / Yea see what you mean at moment after checking there's no real play in clutch pedal in car yet clutch pedal is quite low to floor so I suppose it’s gear box out the best I can do on my own is replace clutch , pressure plate and thrust bearing , would not know much about working within gearbox , is there a bushing or anything bottom of gear stick where goes into the box a novice can replace or repair , might tighten things up. Hope I’m not expecting too much out of an old gear box compared to modern cars .
Also if car is jacked up on stands is it not too bad to remove gearbox from below to fit clutch. Lifting engine and box out together is not really an option as no lifter and just working on my own.
Thank you.
Is there anywhere in particular I can buy parts , clutch etc
It’s just half of what I want postage to here in n.i is a pain.
I have radiator out and flushed waiting on new water pump and thermostat and housing all being replaced. Although the thermostat housing was 1hr to remove but all stripped down now.
Stevie G

[Jim McCrae]

You can easily replace the bushes and springs on the gear lever and this should remove some of the slop from the gear change. ESM and Moss both sell all the part in an anti-rattle kit.

It is certainly possible to drop the gearbox under the car and to leave the engine in place. Removing the transmission cover front floor from inside the car will make access easier. It is a very long time since I did this but it can be done without an engine hoist. Please make sure that the car is securely supported on axle stands with chocks under the wheels before venturing underneath.

It would also be worthwhile to examine the clutch operating mechanism and replace any worn parts while you are at it. The bushes will almost certainly need replacing but any wear in the levers and pins will affect the clutch action.

Good luck!
Jim

[Mermancdi]

Big question can a novice mechanic fit one of these kits them selves without needing a bearing press etc it
MG Midget / Morris Minor 1098 / 1275 Gearbox Bearing Overhaul Rebuild Repair Kit Item contains The item contents consist of 1x Input Shaft Bearing, 1x Main Shaft Front Bearing, 1x Main Shaft Rear Bearing with 2 shims, 2x Lay Shaft Bearings, 1x Gearbox Gasket Set, 1x Rear Oil Seal Set and 1x Lay Shaft.
Based on the 4 speed manual gearbox .
If these were fitted are there lots more bits needed to carry out
what you would call a refurbished box , if so I presume they would be easy enough to do while bearings are out. But what other parts are needed. ?
Opinions please and thanks.
Mercmancdi
Stevie G

[Mermancdi]

You can easily replace the bushes and springs on the gear lever and this should remove some of the slop from the gear change. ESM and Moss both sell all the part in an anti-rattle kit.

It is certainly possible to drop the gearbox under the car and to leave the engine in place. Removing the transmission cover front floor from inside the car will make access easier. It is a very long time since I did this but it can be done without an engine hoist. Please make sure that the car is securely supported on axle stands with chocks under the wheels before venturing underneath.

It would also be worthwhile to examine the clutch operating mechanism and replace any worn parts while you are at it. The bushes will almost certainly need replacing but any wear in the levers and pins will affect the clutch action.

Good luck!
Jim

THANK YOU JIM APPRECIATE YOUR ADVICE.

[Jim McCrae]

Firstly, The minor transmission is an 80 year old design. It is never going to be as smooth and slick as a modern car. With some relatively straightforward maintenance (anti rattle kit, clutch mechanism repair, gearbox mount replacement) you can probably make some improvements to your car and get it closer to working as it was originally designed.

Secondly, the clutch does eventually wear. The thrust bearing is a common failing and when it wears it does make gear changing difficult/impossible. If the maintenance above doesn't cure your difficulties that would probably be the next step.

Thirdly, if you can change gear and the gearbox does not make any major noises, I would not rush into replacing or rebuilding it. A full gearbox rebuild is a big task for an inexperienced mechanic. It would be wise to seek professional advice before undertaking that.

Jim

[svenedin]

Morris Minors were often used by driving instructors because they were robust, easy to fix and easy to learn on. In fact, like so many people, I learned to drive on a Morris Minor. It is important to know the difference between faults and normal characteristics of the gearbox and clutch. Maybe the OP could have a drive on another Morris Minor? I think what catches a lot of newbies out is the fact that the gearstick is not sprung to sit naturally between 3rd and 4th. I had a very worn gearbox (I had worn it out) but that still worked well for me until a gear lost a tooth and it failed with a great deal of horrible noise. I then had a professionally rebuilt gearbox and I found it tight and difficult for maybe 5,000 miles (and 2x oil changes). It is OK now but still does the occasionally refusing to go into 1st from stationary.

Stephen

[Mermancdi]

Thank you guys really appreciate your opinions, I have ordered all new linkage / springs etc anti rattle kit and ordered a Borg & beck clutch kit and got a engine hoist so lifting engine out as new water pump to go on , thermostat and new cover , all new hoses etc also putting new universal joints in drive shaft then going to clean and repaint engine and engine bay while it’s out so thank you will
Let you know how it turns out and if it improves. If it does I think I might need to improve brakes. lol.
Stevie G.
Mermancdi.
Still
Learning way round the forum so excuse me if I post or answer wrong way.
Ps. Do you get a members badge or anything when you join up.

[kevin s]

I rebuilt the box on ours last year, nothng to difficult, a puller and something to warm up various parts (I used the gas bbq) was about all that was needed, the old box was noisy but worked OK we changed it because a horrible screeching noise started, that turned out to be a seized prop uj. It's strange now having none of the chacterfull noises and a smooth gearshift.
Getting it out from underneath was a matter of lowering the back of the engine till it amost touched the bulkead (after loosening the engine mounts and exhaust) un bolting the box and turning it by 90 degrees at which point it slid out easily, having my 21 year old son an a 4 post lift makes it a lot easier too!

[Mercmancdi]

[Mercmancdi]

Engine out thrust bearing was totally thrashed along the one in the fork. So should see improvement with new clutch and all new linkage and rattle kit fitted plus springs , going to change universal joints on drive shaft while I am at it and with engine out new engine mounts & gearbox mounts. Only one not sure of is the rear gearbox mount is it hard to change once cross member is dropped and drive shaft dropped off. New water pump , stat and housing , heater control valve and the proper copper vacuum pipe fitted from distributor to top of water pump and then on to carb , last one was just a bit of rotten pipe pussed on at distributor and over top of rocker to carb so hopefully with original vacuum it might be easier to fine tune the engine.