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MG MGB Technical - replacing clutch

Does anyone have any good advice that I might use in the replacement of my clutch and trow-out bearing; Any good web sites with pictures; I like directions with pictures;; Ha. After the car shows and british car drives are over in October the engine and tranny is coming out;
Ernie Broome

Ernie. No, I do not. This is not a difficult procedure, one which anyone who has some limited mechanical skills, is a careful worker, and has a copy of the factory workshop manual, can do. I did it, with good success, several times back in the "bad, old days"--i.e. pre-Internet. Today, it is something of a "rite of passage" among owners. A fairly easy task which, when done, gives you the confidence to do some of the more complex tasks which are sometimes required.

Bag up and label all of the various bolts involved. Take the time to replace the motor mounts and various transmission mounts while you have the system apart. My website, www.custompistols.com/ has the information about how to replace the pilot bushing. Take the flywheel to a good machine shop--they can resurface it and install a new ring gear, if needed. Plan on rebuilding the clutch master and slave cylinders when doing this and replace the flex line between the slave cylinder and hard line from the master cylinder. Do not forget to order the various copper washers needed for that job.

Pull the engine and tranny and separate them on the first weekend. Take the flywheel into the machine shop during the week and rebuild the clutch and slave cylinders. Install the parts the next weekend and re-install the engine and tranny into the car. Take your time and there are no real problems that will develop. Bleeding the clutch system takes a couple of tries, but is not a real problem if you have an assistant. If you do not have an assistant, some form of reverse bleeding process, or pressure bleeding process, will make it much easier.

Les
Les Bengtson

Les thank you for the infomation after looking into the workshop manual I feel I can do a complete job with alittle help here and there
Thanks
Ernie Broome

I use an old muffin tin to keep hardware sorted. I put a strip of masking tape between the compartments to label where the hardware came from.

Read the shop manual and look at the car at the same time to become familiar with the job before you take anything apart.

Clean any electrical connections and apply dielectric grease to the connections you have to unplug. This will help keep future corrosion away.

Look for any oil leaks that you may want to fix while the motor is out and you have easy access, ie. the side covers.

Plan on taking a weekend to do the job.
Hint: You don't have to remove the bonnet, just remove the support rod and tie the bonnet back.

Extra parts that you may need are hoses for the cooling system, fuel line, clamps, motor and transmission mounts, etc. When reading the manual and looking at the motor and transmission, make yourself a list of things you may want to repair, service, and/or replace. An example would be the step to disconnect the heater hoses. Are the hoses in good condition or are you going to need to replace them? Being prepared before you actually start the job should help make the job easier.
Kimberly

Ernie,
Good luck , I am in the middle of this process myself.
I should be able to pull the engine/trans tomorrow night if all goes well .
kevin donahoe

One more part you may need to purchase. The bolts on the flywheel have a plate that has tabs that bend over the head to lock them. If it has been taken off in the past, the taps may break off.

May want to just purchase one of these when you order your clutch.
BEC Cunha

One thing that caught me out was you need a much longer engine crane than the standard folding types, as the balance point of the engine is quite far back from the bumper. It comes out easily, as the crane draws it forwards, but you can't get it back!

I used one person on the crane, and two people pushing the engine to get it back. Next time the bumper comes off.
Martin Layton

Heaven forbid Martin, you have me worried now. I have a standard folding-type engine crane. No problem when I pulled the engine. Could you expand a bit on the problems you had trying to reinstall?

Thanks,
Tom
Tom Custer

Mine is a rubber bumper model, which I guess is longer.
Pushing the crane in from the front the engine ended up about 2" too far forwards. This was with the crane touching the cardboard I placed over the bumper.
Of course, I could have gone in from the side, but I always find that the wheels get in the way!
Martin Layton

I have owned two different engine cranes and both had booms you could extend. The one I have now doesn't extend as far as the older crane I had but it should be OK for the B. With the old crane it was almost too short for pulling the engine from a Jensen Interceptor.

Cliftom
Clifton Gordon

In addition to Kimberly's muffin tins, I find a box of zip lock bags a good thing to keep around during engine removal/replacement. I used to use masking tap and a Sharpie type marker to make up bag labels. Now, I pick up a sheet of the labels you use when making up mass mailings on the computer printer. Easier to use when your hands are dirty.

Engine cranes have never been a problem for me. I have one from Checker with an extendable boom marked 2 tons, 1 1/2 tons, 1 ton and 1/2 ton. The 1/2 ton rating has the boom extended the furthest outwards and the pick up rating of 1,000 pounds is almost twice the weight of the MGB engine and transmission. Cost of the engine hoist was under $200 when I purchased it about ten years ago. I also purchased one of the load level/load tilt devices for less than $50. This makes it much easier to get the engine and transmission out of an MG.

Normal cost of removing and replacing an engine (MG or not) is in the four to six hundred dollar range. This does not include any other work which needs to be done such as replacing the clutch, turning the flywheel, etc. A good engine hoist can be had in a take apart model which will allow the legs to be removed and the hoist stored in a less than three feet by three feet area. My hoist has pulled more than ten MG engines, several American car/truck engines, and has been used to move lathes and milling machines for friends.

I have not noticed any difference between the length of the boom needed when removing an engine from a rubber bumper vice a chrome bumper car. In both cases, however, I have had to put the front tires up on 2"x10" boards to allow the engine hoist to be removed and replaced when the weight of the engine and transmission are in the car. The boards, about a foot long, raise the front end of the car sufficiently to make it easy to slide the hoist under and maneuver it into the proper position.

Les
Les Bengtson

This thread was discussed between 03/09/2007 and 08/09/2007

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