MG Car Repair: 77 mgb clutch, clutch disk, clutch pedal

Question
I have a 1977 mgb that has been sitting for5 years. I have the car running and can shift it into 1st gear. The remaining gears I cannot get it into. When I try reverse it grinds. Any suggestions on what to do or what might be wrong.

Thanks
Scott

Answer
Hi Scott,
First gear has a syncro as does 2nd, 3rd %26 4th. Reverse does not have a syncro. If you can shift from neutral with the engine running into 1st without a grinding, you should be able to shift into 2nd, 3rd %26 4th too.
Any time you can't shift into reverse from neutral it is because the clutch disk and input shaft is spinning at engine speed. Either the hydraulic system is not working correctly or you have warped disk or pressure plate or a binding up pilot bearing.

The first test is to hand push the clutch pedal to the floor. It should start out as about 1 inch of free play and then the pedal should be hard and hard to push all the way to the floor. If the pedal starts off soft you have air in the system and that must be bled out until the pedal is hard to push as soon as the 1 inch free play is taken up.

If the pedal is hard as it should be then you probably have a problem inside the clutch which requires the engine to be removed to gain access.
Howard