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MG MGF Technical - Intermittent loss of gears!

Hi,

Just been out for a spin in the evening sunshine and I lost 1st, 3rd and 5th gears.... then 4th went... then all came back. The selection felt very slack. Then lost the ability to select 1st, 3rd and 5th again.

Sequence of losses and recoveries was repeated a couple of times, but we managed to limp home.

It feels like the gate has slipped!

Any ideas chaps??

Regards,

Graham
Graham Martin

Time to check the cables - it's not unheard of for the bushes at the end of the cable at the gearbox selector fork to come adrift (easy to see once under the car).

Curious that the gears came and went - when a cable snaps, that is usually it - and the same usually applies to a dislocated cable end retaining clip...

Odd.

Might be worth looking at the gear lever mechanism if everything else looks okay - but to do this properly, you need to remove a fair amount of trim...
Rob Bell

Thanks Rob, but I think I have narrowed it down to this fault recorded in the archives:-

http://www2.mgcars.org.uk/cgi-bin/gen5?runprog=mgbbs&access=&mode=archiveth&subject=69&subjectar=69&thread=2005011010562516048

Tell-tale residue of cable-ties implies that the clip has been missing for some time!

Price for the part has gone up a bit mind.. now 4.60 and delivery tuesday.
Graham Martin

£4.60? Blinking flip!
When this happened to me, I jammed it in 4th gear and drove to my dealer, grateful for a torquey engine. They didn't even charge me for parts and labour (10 minutes).
Steve Madden

Hmmm, thanks Steve for making my day... NOT!! ;)

Have looked online now and B&G are charging £4.09+VAT, Moss want £6.90. MGOC charge £1.82. All of those also have p&p to add too

I thought that maybe Sir Reg Vardy was ripping me off a bit, but it seems that's the price, and at least a quick detour to Houghton-le-Spring and I'll have it my grubby mits for that price. A sign of things to come perhaps?
Graham Martin

I've had a fair amount of 'goodwill' at Mr Vardy's Darlo outpost over the last few years given the amount I've spent on repairs. So much that they'll be naming a wing of the next City Academy after my MGF.
Still, a shame that your first weekend in a month without Test papers to mark has been spoilt, eh? ;-)
Steve Madden

emmmm, nervous now Steve, either I'm being stalked or your one of Richard's marking team!
Graham Martin

Second answer! Only realised meself last week when I saw your addy in Richard's email then remembered the other F at Cramlington (mine was the rusting, leaking, dented, anthracite vvc). No need to worry.
Steve Madden

Hehe, nice to meet you. You didn't see me trying to repair yet another crack in the rear screen 5 minutes before the meeting started then?

Which were you around the table? I took the position of swot, sitting on Richard's right, hoping that my ineptitude would somehow go unnoticed!

Did notice your car, and inevitably played the "who's F" game, failed miserably since obviously you're not her!!
Graham Martin

Last one in, sat near the door, sneaking out during breaks for a quick fag. I saw you drive off but was too slow getting the roof down to race you down the A1. I'll say hello next year.
Steve Madden

Aha, the only other person there with a sense of humour!! And funnily enough the other smoker too.

See you next year.
Graham Martin

Evening lads bill from hartlepool here my f needed new cables got a new long one from M.S. the short had to be s/hand also from m/s. cost £350 buy well worth it. ron payne of hartlepool fitted them in a day. then 3 weeks i sold the f to get a 2 year old tf.
W.J. REID

Just to close the loop, the clip has been collected, fitted... took a total of 60 seconds to fit... and gear change is back to normal.

Incidentally, and having been mildly shocked at the rise in price of this part from 40p 12 months ago to £4.60 now, I also bought a replacement spare wheel retaining bolt (yes the orginal refuses to budge) at a price of £2.19. There is a guy on eBay selling them for £9.99. Just wondering what's going on, it feels like a parts-price lottery!

As always, thank God for this BBS and all the help and support that emanates from it.

Cheers guys!
Graham Martin

Yes, it is a price lottery - and in a way it always has been, even from the early days... this BBS has probably saved me £££s when it comes to buying parts - and probably cost be more £££s when it's come to those inevitable darkside modifications! LOL
Rob Bell

This thread was discussed between 16/06/2006 and 20/06/2006

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