MG Car Repair: 58 MGA Transmission, gearbox oil, hub assembly

Question
I drove the car about 40 miles and parked it. I now seem to have a problem when shifting from 1st to 2nd. I get a slight grinding of the gears when this shift is made. There is no evidence of grinding when shifting to any of the other gears.  The gearbox oil was at the top line of the low mark, so I did add oil to bring the level into the normal range.

I recently installed a new generator and fan belt, and it was on a test run after this installation that I noticed the grinding.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Fran


Answer
Hi Fran,
When the gears clash shifting into one gear and not into others, it is an indication of a worn syncro. The syncros are like small clutches that get the gear spinning at the same speed as the hub assembly that you are trying to get that gear connected to. If it only clashed AFTER you added oil it could be you used a heavy grade of oil and the syncro now slips rather than grips the hub assembly. If not then the oil had nothing to do with it. You also may have a clutch release problem. This would be noted by a grinding when going from neutral into first or reverse.
2nd gear syncro does normally ware out before the others though because it is used more and the different gear ratios involved.
You should read my tech tip on my web site on how to prolong gearbox life.
http://mg-tri-jag.net/tech4.htm
Howard