Morris Minor Owners Club

Hi. Just lately I have noticed a problem selecting first gear. I have the original 803 engine and box (long gear stick) and when I have been sitting at lights with the box in neutral it is sometimes very hard to select 1st again. I need to force it, sometimes into 2nd then 1st.

It slides in easily once I've done this and I can easily select 1st and 2nd. also, if I'm rolling slowly in 2nd gear I can select 1st easily if I do it slowly (no synchro obviously).

It only seems to be an issue when I have been in neutral with engine running, like at lights. Clutch is adjusted OK and no probs with 2nd, 3rd, 4th when driving. Any ideas?

Because there is no synchromesh on 1st or reverse, (don't ask me for the technicalities) it is perfectly normal to select another gear which lines up the cogs and then move the lever into 1st.
If you cannot select 1st quietly after another gear then the clutch rod needs adjusting.
The proceedure is to sit at the lights in neutral, blipping the throttle, select 2nd then 1st when the lights turn to amber then when the lights turn to green drop the clutch and blow the Porche alongside into the weeds.

And snap a half shaft

Sometimes 2nd is tricky too in the same situation - It is not clutch related, no "crashing" involved just won't move into the gate. Feels more like a selector problem. The 803 box has the stick going straight in.

The problem can be caused by the clutch dragging slightly. It will feel perfectly OK in normal driving but the plates do not quite separate so the gearbox input shaft keeps turning. A small adjustment to the clutch rod should cure the problem.
Synchromesh is a luxury anyway, practice double de clutching and you won't miss it.

Yeah clutch drag would be my guess too...

Worth checking the oil level in the box - and is the correct 'engine oil' - and not EP90 or similar! But I would say - if it's recently become worse - it is a clutch drag problem.

Oil is fine (and yes it's engine oil )

I think you're prob right, will adjust clutch up a few turns and see if that makes it easier.

Thanks

Have adjusted clutch by winding nut as far to the back as it will go on the adjustment rod. Seems to be a little better, will check on my next long drive.

I am always a little confused by the adjustment on the rod. My understanding is that as the clutch plate wears you wind the nut towards the FRONT of the car to get correct free play, so in this respect having to go all the way to the back means my clutch has plenty of "meat" left on it, and as it wears I will need to progressively wind it towards the Front. Is this correct?

As the clutch plate and carbon thrust bearing wear, the biting point of the clutch pedal will move towards the floor. Winding the adjuster nut up the rod will shorten the rod and move the biting point back towards the top of the pedal travel.
When the clutch starts slipping it will be time to change the drive plate and probably the thrust bearing. I find that it is not always necessary to change the pressure plate, others may disagree.

The pressure assembly should outlast many plates, and carbons! But of course in our 'wasteful' lifestyle - many urge you to just change everything and throw away perfectly good parts.

Mike when you say "up the rod" I presume you are saying moving the nut towards the back of the car?

Mine is already right at the back of the rod, and clutch plate and bearing were fitted new only 2,000 miles ago.....

Were all the linkage parts replaced at the same time? -clevis pins, the two metal strips, bushes, maybe the threaded rod itself and even the "crank"

These can create quite a bit of slack if they're all worn.

I cut some more thread on the rod which solved the problem.

Still doesn't answer my question - If I am right at the back of the rod now will I move the nut forwards to the front as the clutch wears? In other words, I have plenty of adjustment left?

Looking from the front of the car you should be able to turn the nut clockwise which will shorten the rod and take up any slack in the linkage.
If the rod is fully adjusted then there is a problem somewhere. The only thing I can think of at the moment is that you have fitted the wrong clutch release bearing. The 918, 803 and 948 clutches use a different bearing to the 1098

David,

Are you adjusting the clutch to give the specified 3/4" free play at the pedal? Is the clutch return spring fitted between the release arm and the engine backplate?

Thanks Mike. Have had a further fiddle. With 3/4" free play at the pedal I still have some thread at the back. The locknut was not tightened right up, which it now is.

There is a fair bit of lost motion in the relay - the holes where the linking bars go have widened and the bars are loose inside them, meaning the pedal has a little upwards motion (I can pull back about half an inch from rest). Plan to fit a full new relay kit which I think might solve things.

David,

The pedal should be pulled right up to its stop position, even if the linkage is worn a bit. Is the correct return spring fitted from the end of the clutch release arm to the engine backplate, and is it pulling the whole linkage and pedal to the full 'up' position? Without the spring the carbon thrust bearing will be in contact with the pressure plate and likely to wear very quickly.

Yep, spring is correct and pulling the linkage firmly forward. The problem allowing the pedal some backwards movement is in the relay shaft - the holes for the linkage bar are too big from wear and are allowing the linkage bar (attached to the pedal) to move. On the Series II it does not have the plates like later cars, it is a short linkage bar which goes in the holes.

Have ordered some new parts from ESM to cure the lost motion.

Just a final update - I ordered and fitted all new relay parts from ESM, using the plates instead of the older style rod. The old rods and relay shaft were very worn. Now the entire relay mechanism is firm and tight and the clutch works like a dream. I still have about an inch of thread towards the back of the rod and the pedal free play is exactly right. 1st gear slides in beautifully.

Thirty pounds well spent