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MG MGF Technical - Gear selector cable rubber boot

One other thing I noticed whilst rummaging around the underside of the car was that the rubber boot around the engine-end of the gear selector cable and the rubber rings that protect the two ball joints (I assume that they are ball joints) are worn. Anyone know if these can be easily replaced? If those joints can be undone and re-connected without a problem, one might be able to stretch the new rubber boot over the cable end.

Thanks

Chaz
C Golvala

Chaz,

I replaced both the ball joints on my F last weekend. Piece of cake.

Like you, the long rubber grommets had disintegrated multiple times around their circumference. Result was several rubber, erm, polo mints spinning uselessly round the linkage. I didn't bother 'reinstalling' them.

If these are available separately, I'd surely be interested, if even to stop the build up of road grime on the mechanism.

Col

Colin McIlwaine

I've no idea whether these are available as separate parts. You'll need access to EPC, or else get friendly with your local parts department.
Rob Bell

>rubber boot around the engine-end of the gear selector cable

Not availiable.
Use a piece of bicyle hose and two cable straps to replace.

http://www.mgfcar.de/defects/ersatz_durch_fahrradschlauch_t.jpg
will look like
http://www.mgfcar.de/defects/keiner_von_unten_gucken.jpg
Torsten Ohms *special design*

Ball joint... we had a thread recently.
Not availiable, no BS or ISO or DIN standard.
13mm ball to M6 inner thread, special length.

Dooh, I think I'll order the 150 pcs I got quoted recently and sell them at the BBS for huge $$$ and get rich.
;)
*Tom the bracket*, and *Dieter the ball joint*. Main BBS suppliers.. LOL

Another _trick_:
Buy a short gear cable, use the ball joints only andf keep the cable. The installed cable will break in any way at any time and you will own one already.

Advantage, you get two of ball joints. The one at the gear selector is the same size, but without rubber.

Cheers
Dieter
Dieter K.

People with Mike Satur's SSK gearshift fitted are likely to have some OE balljoints taking up space in their garage. Mike himself probably has many and, I'm sure, would sell them very cheap.

Per
Per

Hey, Dieter,

Nice job with the bicycle tube... I'll do that tomorrow after I (fail to) do the rear bearings ;-)

The 'recent thread' was probably mine... bell crank assembly is available from B&G (*without* the slick shift): BELL CRANK ASSEMBLY (BGF7052). About Stg£40.

Contents:

Two ball joints
One bracket
Miscelleanous bolts'n'stuff

Col
Colin McIlwaine

Thank you all for the information. Colin, when you say it was a piece of cake, what was involved? Can you describe the process so that a feeble amateur like myself can assess whether or not to tackle it? Dieter, are there any notes with those pictures?

My gear stick works fine, so I don't think I need to replace the ball joints, though the rubber surrounding them is worn. Certainly the rubber boot is currently composed of several polo rings as you say! The key question from my point of view, therefore is whether you can "undo" the ball joint in order to slip over a new boot or bit of rubber hose.

thanks

Chaz
C Golvala

Chaz,

I followed the (subset of) instructions on Tony Green's site...

http://www.apttony.co.uk/Servicing/FittingSSK.html

... for replacing the entire mechanism with a SSK. If you can wait until Monday, I'll email you some more detailed pictures of the bell crank (which I'll take tomorrow doing the inner-tube thing).

Take it easy,
Col
Colin McIlwaine

Thanks for the link. Being very bad at car DIY, can anyone explain a few things mentioned in Tony's instructions?

To do the rubber boot, I think I would need to prise the bottom ball joint off the L-shaped bit of metal - how easy is it to fit back on? Assuming I can get the replacement boot/hose over the cup end, I'm fine, but if not how do you detatch the ball joint from the cable? Is this what Tony's site means by "Unscrew the gear cable ends."? If so, do I then have to maintain the cable length/tension?

Looking at the pictures again, I wonder if I'm being completely daft and the ball joints come as a unit (see replacement parts from B&G and MS). If so, how are they attached to the cable and the metal bracket? If I decide to replace them both, how is the upper one, at the other end of the linkage, attached to whatever dangles from the gearbox?

Does anyone (Colin?)in fact have a couple of spare ball joints from a younger MGF (mine's a 1995 with 70K on the clock)?

Thanks for the further details - reduces the anxiety levels before I start fiddling and find I can't get things re-fitted!

Cheers

Chaz
C Golvala

Colin,

It's good to know my site is of use, but I must set the record straight!

It is not "Tony Green's site" but "Tony's Green Bullet site". LOL

I know the name is pretty naff, but I couldn't think of anything better at the time, and of course, once the first version was up & running, it stuck.

Tony
Tony Thompson

Big *grin* on Tony Green error :)

> once the first version was up & running, it stuck.

This is almost the same with us amateur techies&webmasters. (Me included).
Good mechanic skills *versus* good HTML skills *versus* best english spelling skills *versus* Writer skills. Including input from electricals, mechanics, IT guys, engine speciallists etc.

You can't get all together in one person. This is why this BBS is useful with all your different skilled messages combined with websides, search engines etc.

Never ending story.
Naff said, go on.

Chaz,
all the original gear cable ball joints are 'clip on'. (Nylon flat covered by metal)

You can undo from BELL CRANK ASSEMBLY with two big screwdrivers. Use them on both sides as lever parallel like a fork. Clip back without any tool by hand.
Then loosen the M6 nut (counter bolted against M6 thread in the ball joint case. Use two of 11mm (or 10mm?) fork spanner.

I assume you need not bolt off the ball joint to slip over the bicycle hose. The hose diameer will allow to push oover the ball joint.

No need to replace the upper (IMO). It has nearly nothing to work while gearing (left to right and reverse movement of the gearstick only as cross cable) and water ingress to the cable can't happen, cause it's hanging down vertical.

HTH
Dieter
Dieter K.

Gentlemen,

In no particular order:

Tony, many apologies! RTFM ;-) At least I wasn't saying 'Tony Green's *crap* site' ;-) Seriously, a life saver.

- o O o -

On the *original* crank, the two ball joints are integral parts of the bell crank (bracket); the sockets are separate. On B&Gs crank, each ball/socket mechanism is one unit; the ball end is *bolted* to the new crank.

In either case (MGR/B&G), the socket end is screwed onto the gear ends and secured with a counter bolt.

Chaz, I'll certainly mail you the old sockets (for free)... however I did replace them because the lower socket (back to front movement in the gear stick) was popping off the ball at inconvenient moments ;-) Let me know:

colin_mcilwaineNOSPAM@ie.ibm.com
(Remove the NOSPAM)

By the way, all the twindling with gear lengths (the new B&G bell crank has slightly different offsets) has improved my gearing no end... no trouble with reverse any more. Recommended.

Dieter, bicycle inner tube successfully installed. Will this increase my BHP? LOL ;-O

Lastly, I'm gonna put up a thread with another problem I'm having... please take the time to view, I'm at a loss.

All the best,
Col
Colin McIlwaine

>On B&Gs crank, each ball/socket mechanism is one unit; the ball end is *bolted* to the new crank.

Colin,
thank you for the description. Good to know they can be replaced or modified easy. Sounds like ISO or BS? standard parts. Didn't know about this option.
The original are welded though.


Rgds
Dieter
PS. as far as I know Tony, he'll not scalp you for the little *Green* error :)
Dieter K.

Gentlemen,

Thanks to all for advice and kind offers. Assuming the weather improves and I'm feeling brave, I will find a piece of bicycle inner tube and set to. I do wonder whether it is wise to undo the ball & socket joints however.

Cheers

Chaz
C Golvala

Make sure you remember which cable goes where!

Bruce
Bruce Caldwell

Chaz,

Did you get my old bell crank in the post and/or did you get a chance to do Dieter's inner tube thing?

Col
Colin McIlwaine

This thread was discussed between 18/02/2004 and 02/03/2004

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