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Grinding Gears

To: mgs@autox.team.net
Subject: Grinding Gears
From: Aeseeyou@aol.com
Date: Fri, 22 Jun 2001 14:27:08 EDT
Hi ,,,,,,
Shortly after buying my car (1978 MGB) and driving it for 2-3 days under 
almost every condition that I felt necessary to uncover any possible 
problems, I started to notice that once in a while the transmission would 
sound like it was losing syncro from 2nd into third gear. Also going into 
reverse became a real challenge. Finally it (the clutch or tranny) just 
locked itself up so it wouldn't shift at all with the motor running. Oh, 
Great what am I going to tell the wife...? "Joe Sports Cars" great deal of 
the century is now sitting in the street unable to shift or start in gear 
without trouble! What the heck was it! I somehow narrowed it down to either 
contaminated fluid in the slave cylinder/clutch reservoir or the syncro is 
gone altogether. Great, just Grrreat! Using all my mechanical skills I parked 
the "B" and started to talk nice to it asking it to please behave.I also 
checked the fluid reservoir tucked up behind the brake servo unit, the clutch 
reservoir was indeed in need of fluid. Lots of it! And after I topped it off 
I made sure that the system was devoid of any air or foamy bubbles . I then 
checked the oil level in the tranny to make sure there was enough. Everything 
seemed to be A-OK!  So being rather tired, I caught up on reading /answering 
some sorely neglected e-mail, and then got some sleep! I awoke the next day & 
went to move the car to let my wife out. I used my own starting mojo. 1st 
Check oil & water levels  (1.) Key on; (2.) Let fuel pump click awhile;  (3.) 
Turn engine over couple of turns (4.) press gas pedal 1/4 way down then 
relese -or- enough to prime the carb..Then (5.) It should start as soon as 
you turn the key. Never let the cars starter just keep turning the engine 
over and over. ( I never let starter turn over for more than 5 seconds! If so 
there's something wrong) Anyway, As soon as I went to shift the car it 
felt...newer, not as loose as before. Hmmmm. And the grinding had all but 
disappeared (except when I forget that reverse isn't 2nd or vice -a- versa)! 
Any all I can ascertain is that over the period "it" sat awaiting "it's" 
Prince in shining armor ....Me! It lost a lot of hydraulic (Brake) fluid and 
started to suck air into the lines when I drove it and pushed in the clutch 
to shift. The only time it makes that awful >>GRAWKRRRKK<< noise is if I try 
to go into 3rd to fast without completely missing the gates. But the darn box 
feels heavy-enough to handle all I can give it with its 90 some H.P. And 
anyway its not an automatic, heck if I want quiet shifts & noiseless motoring 
I'll drive the Jaguar. or place an order >>www.mgcars.co.uk/mgf/index.html<<  
Now, theres an interesting group of MG's. AND see how prominent the MG logo 
is featured on the cars. This might be the start of something good! 
G'day...Albert Escalante 1978 MGB; 1977 XJ-6L; 1957 3.4 litre saloon 

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