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MG MGB Technical - first gear problem?

Hi all,

New to the board, recently became proud owner of a beautiful 1971 B BGT in Tartan Red (previously owned two midgets, but this is my first 'B').
Overall, the car is in excellent fettle, and requires no major work (few small jobs though!).
One thing that I am a little concerned about- it can be hard to engage first gear,when at standstill. In motion, it slips in without a problem. Overall, the gearbox feels fairly tight.
Any advice as to a technique to make this easier, or if there is a potential problem gratefully received!

Thanks in advance,

Alex.
Alex Mears

Try engaging clutch, and putting it into second and then up to first. Or engage second, let clutch up just to bite point, depress clutch and select first. Seems to work, I think it slows the cogs down inside the box making selection easier. Enter gearbox experts hopefully.....
Michael Beswick

Alex, There's a post here entitled Difficulty engaging reverse gear which is somewhat similar. Have a look at this and let us know if your car grates engaging reverse gear as this will allow us determine whether it is a gearbox or clutch problem.
Iain MacKintosh

Bumping it towards 2nd before slotting it into first fractionally realigns the teeth, I get the same problem with reverse sometimes. I've never driven any car where I could guarantee to select first or reverse first time every time, but BL boxes of that era are probably worse than most, and it probably varies from car to car. However if it *grinds* when selecting reverse either the clutch is dragging (grinds all the time) or you aren't giving the shafts time to stop spinning (only grinds immediately after dipping the clutch).

BTW, Tartan Red finished with the 69 model year. After that it was Flame Red for 70 to 72, Damask to 77, Carmine or Vermillion after that. Of course a PO could have sprayed it a different MGB red, a different MG red, a different BL red, a red from any other manufacturer, or one of their own mixing!
Paul Hunt 2

Thanks for the responses, guys.

I took advice from the thread on engaging reverse. I've just been out for a spin (lovely!), and I tried the trick of heading towards second before engaging first, and it almost always works (when it doesn't, going to fourth then back does).

Sorted.

And to link in with that thread again, I always 'slap' into reverse- trick I learned from my midgets, I seem to remember.

Cheers again,

Alex.
Alex Mears

This thread was discussed on 17/01/2006

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