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MG MGF Technical - Lost Gearbox control!

Hi all.

After owning the car almost a year finally the first problem arose... :( Yesterday in a parking lot I stopped in first gear and tried to engage reverse. Suddendly I heard a bang and lost control of the gear knob. That is: The car didn't disengage the first gear and the gear knob became very loose! I drove home in first gear, glad it was only 3 km...

At home I started to dismantle the central plastics below the gear knob I found out that aparently nothing was wrong. I went under the car (the gearbox command is placed near the exhaust) and disengaged first gear putting it into neutral. From inside the car I discovered that the gear lever works engaging 1st, 3rd and 5th gear, that is moving it forward. The problem is that it lost connection with the gearbox moving back (pulling the cables).

Can I fix it? Is the gearbox commamd working by cables?? I'm prepared to spend some time fixing it, as long as it is well fixed.

Thanks in advance,

Valter.


Valter Fernandes

Best of British to you matey!
Mega

One, it could be a broken cable, if you have to pay for it yourself you may as well find a few extra quid and replace it with the Mike satur unit.

I had a similar thing but that was just the gear linkage poping out from the gearbox. I had no idea at the time but an AA man fixed it in about two minutes by just poping it back in.
Tony Smith

Why do I never see Jonh and Mega here at the same time?
Tony Smith

Valter,

just got yor email. I'm sorry but I and obviously some more of the regular writters to the BBS get 'p**d' of all the spam written to serious questions and discussions.

Anyway, from what I understood...
Looks like one of the both cables is snapped.
http://www.lame-delegation.de/mgf-net.de/defects/defekter_faltenbalg.jpg
No need to look inside the car, cause it almost snaps rear.

You should try to get off the ball bearing from the ball joint at the gear change lever down at the gearbox. If the cable is broken, then you just can pull out the short part.
All further works is no simple DIY.
http://www.lame-delegation.de/mgf-net.de/sales/material_cp_2642.jpg
(Both cables dismantled)

Some more from my problem 2 years ago.
http://www.lame-delegation.de/mgf-net.de/gear_select/index.htm

HTH
Dieter
Dieter Koennecke

Once again thanks Dieter.

Iīve seen your page relating the problem. I must follow all the steps shown, right? I must dismantle some of the car's interior, right? Seems a very dificult job... I need to jack the car...

If I decide to get the dealer to fix it, how much should it be? I've you any idea? A lot of man hours, I suppose...

Merry Christmas,

Valter.
Valter Fernandes

No, only jack up the rear.

Then dismantle (pull off) the lower ball bearing thing from the ball joint.

I bet you can slip it out including the broken piece of cable then.

Dieter
Dieter Koennecke

Dieter,

I'm trying to reach an agreement with my dealer, so I haven't pull off the cable. The car is 2 and a half years... But this is something that shouldn't have happened!

But, I'm not sure if I understand it correctly: After I pull off the cable (that part is easy) what should I do to install a new one? I must remove it from the gearbox to the lever, right? And then I must start inserting the new one from the car's interior or from the back?

I'm a little bit confused. I know something about mechanics, but I'm affraid I'm loosing time with the car stopped. Would it be to expensive, I mean The labour hours?


Thanks a lot.


Valter Fernandes.
Valter Fernandes

Valter,

please check the archives due to repair costs of the cable.
Did it myself together with some guys in a very small non-MGR garage two years ago.

Required works where:
- Pull off ball joint of the broken cable
- Lower the rear subframe at the inner side for 5 cm only to get access to the flange plate for the cables. (Dealers will take off the complete subframe with engine)
- Loosen the flange plate and remove rubber bearings of all four cables (2x Handbrake, 2x gear select)

then inside the cabin
- seats out
- T-Bar off
- Radio console out
- Tunnel plastic out
(short.. inside everything out without the dash)
- loosen gear selector assy and lift upwards
- remove ball joint of the broken cable from the gear selector assy

Then push the broken cable complete as it is to the rear. Pull from the engine side until it's out.
Put one new cable back from rear to front and assemble in reverse order.

If this all gets done by an official dealer then they will for sure change both of the cables, cause this is recommended by MGR.

All written to the archives, as mentioned.

HTH
Dieter
Dieter Koennecke


And if You find this complicated - wait until the day the handbrake cables snap !!! The whole car is built around those 2 cables..... This is the reason why there is no Haynes manual on the "F". They just gave up and went to the pub :)
Hopefully someone (Mike ?) will make a nice hydraulic gear-change system (as on bikes ) in the not too distant future ! Sorry for the mode , been to the garage doing some work this afternoon. Too long to give the full story but some bits on this car is unbeleavable placed !! Sometimes just like locking the drawer and still manage to throw in the key !

I will be nicer tomorrow, all the best with change of cables. Probably best a dealer job. Watch out for serial numbers on cables as they are 2 different ones. Didnīt Dirk have some problem with getting the correct cables ? I think there is a lot in the archive on this....

Regards , Carl.
Carl

>The whole car is built around those 2 cables.....

Sounds so sarcastic, but I fully agree :)

Anyway, added Dirkies pictures to the webside.
http://www.lame-delegation.de/mgf-net.de/gear_select/index.htm
Of course no easy DIY job !! Just impossible without at last two hydraulic workshop jacks and the gears must be adjusted after replacement also.

Valter, may be the pictures of the broken cable location may help on getting any goodwill from MGR, but I daubt, even if I'm nearly sure that all ever broken cables show the same trouble at the location were the wire is pressed to the joint.

Dirkies
http://www.lame-delegation.de/mgf-net.de/gear_select/gearP001617.jpg

Mine (half cutted already to show the point)
http://www.lame-delegation.de/mgf-net.de/gear_select/gearcp_2706.jpg

My theorie is still the same. Some cables break, cause the inner wire is adjusted to far in rear direction.
The 'circular movement' of the far end (joint) makes stress to the 'riveted' location. The only prevention is IMO to pull/adjust the cable more in direction of the inner gear selection assy.

HTH
Dieter
PS. .. itchy fingers due to receiving emails from Carl :))
Dieter Koennecke

This thread was discussed between 20/12/2001 and 01/01/2002

MG MGF Technical index

This thread is from the archive. The Live MG MGF Technical BBS is active now.