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Finally got around to doing an engine oil & filter change today, after nearly 5 years (albeit less than 3,000 miles with the old, now and again topped-up stuff).
A quick drive about the local roads to warm it up, then drained it off (the old oil was a bit black) and replenished it with Halfords Classic 20W50 and a Mahle OC21 filter.
Also checked the gearbox and back axle oil levels, and did a bit of repainting of the engine bay, where some brake/clutch fluid had spilled from the remote reservoirs and caused some stripping and surface rusting of the metal.
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Mar 13, 2022 20:02:08 GMT
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Following three Sunday afternoon's worth of fairly leisurely spannering in between Sunday roast dinners, it was out with the old gearbox again today; it was crunching going down from 4th to 3rd and the 1st gear is missing a tooth.
Also, the carbon clutch release bearing, only fitted some 12,000 miles ago in July 2013 (see Page 7), was worn down to about 1mm of remaining material, so I caught that just in time before it ruined the clutch thrust pad. A New Old Stock one has been ordered.
I'm hoping to fit another MG Midget close-ratio gearbox which I bought recently from an MMOC member.
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Apr 10, 2022 20:59:15 GMT
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Today, I finally got around to fitting the replacement gearbox. It was quite tricky, as I had to separate the exhaust mid-section and loosen the engine mounts in order for the slightly longer than standard MG Midget engine to tilt down just enough to be able to get the gearbox on, which has to be fitted at an angle of 30 degrees or so to clear the steering rack, then turned into position to line up with the engine backplate:  Close ratio gearbox fitting (1) by mtjhunt, on Flickr  Close ratio gearbox fitting (2) by mtjhunt, on Flickr View from the engine bay bulkhead:  Close ratio gearbox fitting (3) by mtjhunt, on Flickr All bolted into place on the engine. The car's been stuck in the garage for so long now that the offside front tyre has gone flat:  Close ratio gearbox fitting (4) by mtjhunt, on Flickr Wee video of 'the struggle was real', working in a fairly dark, cluttered garage:  Close ratio gearbox fitting video by mtjhunt, on Flickr Just got to refit the gearbox crossmember, hydraulic clutch linkage, propshaft, exhaust, gearbox cover, seats and carpet, oh, and remember to fill the gearbox with oil... |
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Not the easiest to fit are they, I had the benefit of my 19 year old son to do the lifting and a 4 post ramp when we fixed the clutch but it was still a struggle. (our gearbox is beginning to sound like a bag of nails so will need doing again sometime soon as well)
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Indeed. The gearbox 'only' weighs 20kg or so, but wrestling it in and out of place is quite a struggle, particularly on your own. I also had to remove the remote linkage to clear the tunnel. A couple of strategically placed trolley jacks fore and aft to support the weight helps no end, if doing the job without a ramp/pit. My back and neck nevertheless ache a bit today!
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Apr 18, 2022 20:25:57 GMT
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Finally completed the installation of the MG Midget gearbox today, topped up with fresh oil (Halfords 20W50) then took it for a short spin to buy groceries. It runs well, and has got rid of the annoying worn synchromesh crunch when going from 4th to 3rd, so I'm happy to have it back to being more useable again.
Just got to rectify an annoying irregular misfire now; not sure if it's carb or ignition related - I topped up the SU HIF carb dashpot prior to setting off, but it still creeps in under acceleration now and then...
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great it's all done, does the midget box make any noticeable difference?
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Cool little car, I really like this one
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1941 Wolseley Not Rod - 1956 Humber Hawk - 1957 Daimler Conquest - 1966 Buick LeSabre - 1968 Plymouth Sport Fury - 1968 Ford Galaxie - 1969 Ford Country Squire - 1969 Mercury Marquis - 1970 Morris Minor - 1970 Buick Skylark - 1970 Ford Galaxie - 1971 Ford Galaxie - 1976 Continental Mark IV - 1976 Ford Capri - 1994 Ford Fiesta
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Thanks for the comments! The car feels a little perkier, with a gearbox better matched to the engine. Not a hugely noticeable difference, but a subtle and pleasant one.
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Jun 26, 2022 20:40:12 GMT
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After fitting the replacement gearbox, all was well for a while then I noticed an annoying noise from the bellhousing when idling, a light grating/rattling sound, which disappeared with the clutch pedal pressed down, then came back once released.
I suspected that maybe the NOS release bearing had started giving up the ghost already, but a look in the inspection hatch on the side of the gearbox revealed it to be fine.
However, the fingers of the (diaphragm) clutch looked a little rusty, so today, I used a thin paintbrush to dab on a bit of copper grease on the fingers, close to where they meet the release plate/ring (that the release bearing rubs up against), turning the engine over on the starting handle so I could grease all the fingers.
Only took it for a brief test run, but it seems to have done the trick.
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Interesting. Is the gearbox fitted at that angle as standard? I've been wondering how gearboxes fare when canted over at extreme angles.
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No, those angles are from the removal/installation, where you need to twist the gearbox a certain number of degrees (approx 30) to clear the top of the gearbox bellhousing and starter motor from the steering rack, to be able to pull it away from the engine. Skip onto 2'25" if you're in a hurry!  This YT clip shows the gearbox in its normal position, once installed: |
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I got around to doing this on my Minor this week - changing the Tex mirror 'Rawlplugs' for Rivnuts:  P1030555 by mtjhunt, on Flickr Certainly holds the mirror base on much more securely, with none of the usual vibration. |
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Jul 27, 2022 20:48:14 GMT
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I've been using the Traveller as a daily driver for the last month or so, clocking up about 100 miles per week and the regular use has generally improved its running quite noticeably.
However, I noticed the offside front wheel was feeling a bit loose with side-to-side play, so today I jacked it up and nipped up the wheel bearing/stub axle nut, which despite being held with a lock washer and split pin, was only finger-tight. This seems to have solved the problem.
I also fitted a new driver's sunvisor clip, to replace the old glued-together one.
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After using the Traveller for pretty much the whole of July, covering 500 miles while I waited until August 1st to re-insure my modern(ish) 'daily', it's now relegated to occasional use duty again, and today to improve it a tad, I swapped the top radiator hose for one that fits better, having a pre-formed radius, giving a neater look when you open the bonnet.
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Aug 30, 2022 17:49:07 GMT
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Managed a little routine maintenance on the car yesterday, greasing the front suspension trunnions, propshaft UJ and handbrake cables, using left-over grease to smear on any surface rust spotted underneath.
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Sept 4, 2022 18:53:25 GMT
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Sept 11, 2022 19:58:59 GMT
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Well, having watched the Italian Grand Prix, it seemed a good idea to take the Traveller out for a spin to test out the Weber (albeit a Spanish version).
It started easily enough, and runs pretty well (I tweaked the idle air mixture and throttle stop screws a bit once it had warmed up, to get a good idle speed).
Still needs a little fine-tuning I think, but I'm quite pleased with it so far...
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Well, the Weber went well enough once under way and warmed up, but proved somewhat troublesome to start (no choke control fitted to this one), and I couldn't work out how to connect the crankcase breathing properly so it ended up sucking oil out of the engine and blowing it out of the exhaust with a cloud of smoke following me down the road!
So, today, I reverted back to the trusty SU HIF44 again, which has always started easily and run well - better to have good overall driveability at all speeds rather than some slight gain at maximum rpm that a Weber might give.
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