gearbox rebuild advice

Discuss mechanical problems here.
Forum rules
By using this site, you agree to our rules. Please see: Terms of Use
Pete plate
Newbie
Posts: 3
Joined: Thu Mar 16, 2023 9:34 pm
Location: UK
MMOC Member: No

Re: gearbox rebuild advice

Post by Pete plate »

Hallo, I am returning late to the party after an absence of some 10 years which is when I took my traveller off the road for a little repair work...
In my previous time I downloaded a marvellous gearbox stripdown PDF from here. Unfortunately the link does not seem to work now! Am I doing something wrong, please? (sorting out gear jumping is one of my winter jobs!)
Manythanks, Pete (plate?)
User avatar
svenedin
Minor Legend
Posts: 4651
Joined: Fri Aug 29, 2014 9:27 am
Location: Surrey
MMOC Member: Yes

Re: gearbox rebuild advice

Post by svenedin »

There's a very good guide to rib case gearbox rebuild (I am almost positive the one you refer to) here:

https://www.dorsetmmoc.co.uk/wordpress/ ... ebuild.pdf

Stephen
1969 1098cc Convertible “Xavier” which I have owned since 1989.

Stephen
Pete plate
Newbie
Posts: 3
Joined: Thu Mar 16, 2023 9:34 pm
Location: UK
MMOC Member: No

Re: gearbox rebuild advice

Post by Pete plate »

svenedin wrote: Wed Nov 19, 2025 6:27 pm There's a very good guide to rib case gearbox rebuild (I am almost positive the one you refer to) here:

https://www.dorsetmmoc.co.uk/wordpress/ ... ebuild.pdf

Stephen
Thanks very much! The link shown in previous comments came up with "Error 404" which just about sums me up!!
Your link looks great!
My main problem is removing the front cover held with 8 1/4 UNF nuts. In the past this has just lifted off as the various available guides describe. On this box it is very definitely not coming off, curious! I may end up butchering it off and replacing with a spare one

Thanks again, Pete
User avatar
svenedin
Minor Legend
Posts: 4651
Joined: Fri Aug 29, 2014 9:27 am
Location: Surrey
MMOC Member: Yes

Re: gearbox rebuild advice

Post by svenedin »

The front cover may be held on with some kind of goo. Welseal is often used but it is a devil to separate the parts later.

Welseal is actually shellac. It softens with heat and dissolves in alcohol. Try warming the front cover with a heat gun. As shellac solidifies as it cools you will have to try to get the cover off when it is hot.

That is if we are talking about the same cover because the front cover has 7 studs and nuts, not 8.

Stephen

IMG_1571.jpeg
IMG_1571.jpeg (1.95 MiB) Viewed 29919 times
1969 1098cc Convertible “Xavier” which I have owned since 1989.

Stephen
Pete plate
Newbie
Posts: 3
Joined: Thu Mar 16, 2023 9:34 pm
Location: UK
MMOC Member: No

Re: gearbox rebuild advice

Post by Pete plate »

Thanks again for giving me hope! I will launch my hot air gun at it when next I venture out in the cold! 7 nuts, my typo error!
User avatar
Bill_qaz
Minor Legend
Posts: 2167
Joined: Fri Jan 14, 2022 7:31 pm
Location: Oxfordshire
MMOC Member: Yes

Re: gearbox rebuild advice

Post by Bill_qaz »

If enough length available double nut and removing the studs may make it come off easier :tu1:
Regards Bill
kevin s
Minor Legend
Posts: 1466
Joined: Tue Mar 26, 2013 8:20 pm
Location: Chelmsford, essex
MMOC Member: No

Re: gearbox rebuild advice

Post by kevin s »

Fitting a front cover with a iip seal is a worthwhile mod as well, easy to do if you have ascces to a lathe or you can buy them ready done.
User avatar
svenedin
Minor Legend
Posts: 4651
Joined: Fri Aug 29, 2014 9:27 am
Location: Surrey
MMOC Member: Yes

Re: gearbox rebuild advice

Post by svenedin »

kevin s wrote: Wed Nov 26, 2025 9:50 am Fitting a front cover with a iip seal is a worthwhile mod as well, easy to do if you have ascces to a lathe or you can buy them ready done.
Yes you can buy the modified front cover with modern lip seal from ESM.

What I would say about this mod is that it does need a bit of thought about whether you want to do it. The scroll arrangement tends to wear gradually and give a lot of warning that it is worn and leaking oil. The lip seal can fail suddenly causing an oil drenched clutch and failure to proceed. This happened to one of the cars on Minors on Tour to France this year. If you do change to a lip seal it would be advisable to change it whenever the opportunity arises e.g when changing the clutch. It is a lot of work to split the engine and gearbox just to change this seal if it does wear out and of course the seal costs next to nothing.

My car does have this mod but I am inclined to think that the scroll is more reliable and durable.

Stephen
1969 1098cc Convertible “Xavier” which I have owned since 1989.

Stephen
kevin s
Minor Legend
Posts: 1466
Joined: Tue Mar 26, 2013 8:20 pm
Location: Chelmsford, essex
MMOC Member: No

Re: gearbox rebuild advice

Post by kevin s »

All 3 gearboxes I stripped to rebuild ours had been leaking quite heavily through the scroll and given that I wanted to run a modern multigrade gear oil it was really the only choice. Properly installed and with oil inside a lip seal shouldn't catastophicaly fail they usually just begin to weep at the end of their life, after all virtually every car built in the last 60 years has used one in this application.
Post Reply