MGB: How Tuff Is An MGB Transmission ??

The hubby and I sold a 1979B overdrive transmission to a very nice gentleman in Roanoke, Va a few months ago who owns a beautiful 79B purchased just a year or so ago. Now a little story about the transmission:

1. When the mechanic installed the transmission he had it wired so it would go into overdrive in every gear as long as the switch was on. It was driven that way for quite a while and yes also in reverse at least one time.

2. Later it developed a little oil leak and the gentleman took it to another mechanic who replaced the gasket and told him it had only leaked out about a pint of oil and he fixed the leak.

3. The buyer has been driving it for around a month and called us to say that it was shifting kinda hard but no clanking or clinking. We really didn't think anymore about it.

4. Yesterday the buyer called and said the shifter felt like it was glued and he had to use a great deal of pressure going from 1st to 2nd and from 2nd to 1st. Said he was going to a Jiffy Lube or something like that and have them change the oil. Later he called and was almost frantic. Said when they put it on the lift there was no oil at all in the transmission! Honest to goodness he had been driving it around all that time with no oil and not a fault of his own. Apparently the 2nd mechanic forgot to put the oil back in because there was no sign of a leak under the car or his garage at home.

5. After new oil was put in he called back and said it was very difficult to shift. We expected the worst but the hubby told him that maybe the oil would work through every crevice and cranny overnight and maybe, just maybe, it would lubricate everything and be all right tomorrow.

6. He called us today and said he had put a newspaper under it last night and there was no oil leak at all. Said he started it up, drove away, and it works great just as it should and the overdrive also works great. I think his words were "These cars can take a licking and just keep on ticking! "

Now what are the odds of that transmission going through all of that and still having life? What are your thoughts?


Your turn :)

Depends on much driving and what kind of driving he did while there was no oil in there. From the sounds of it he did very little. Residual oil left in the tranny probably saved it. But as a rule these trannies are nearly bullet proof.

Oh I forgot to mention he drives it daily to work and back and all over the place when he is off. Many times to North Carolina and back. Matter of fact he has driven it here quite a few times since the installation and that's a 100 mile round trip. He and his wife just visited the other day :)

Heck, you should try and buy it back from him!

I'd say he was very lucky and caught it just before he burned things up. that said, I would continue to drive it without worrying. These transmissions are very durable.

The lack of a lockout switch however will greatly reduce the life of the overdrive module and could lead to destroying it. Overdrive in first gear is very hard on the unit and will force it to slip. Using it in reverse will likely blow the thing to pieces.

If I recall, there are two LBC shops in Roanoke, Why in God's name is going to Jiffy Lube and quacks?

The MGB Transmission is VERY, VERY, VERY TOUGH.

But, only as tough as the lube that's inside it.

The guy sounds like a moron! I'm sorry if I sould a little harsh, or insenstive, or whatever you wanna call it.

But, what do you expect? The guy cannot even CHECK the fluid level in his car????? This "very nice gentleman" needs to start riding public transportation, because that doesn;t require you to have to check fluids. You just pay the nice man a dollar and sit down, a little while later, you're where you wanna go.

All I can say, is PEOPLE LEARN TO PROTECT YOURSELF!!!

You guys have gone way, way out of your way to help this nice man. And, I don;t doubt that he's a very nice man. But, he needs to be able to protect himself.

The thought of going thru life at the mercy of EVERYONE else, because I can't even check my own oil, really really scares me. Now, I know why these Jiffy Lubes and Midas's and such take advantage of people, charge for repairs that they don;t make, and generally rip people off. Because people allow it to happen.

His first mistake was going to a Jiffy Lube. NEVER DO THAT PEOPLE!!! If you can' work on your car yourself, then find someone that is a British Car Specialist, has lots of experience, and that takes pride in British Sports Cars, and will do the work that he's charging you for.

Despite, the fact that the "very nice gentleman" thinks that his transmission is "A-OK" now, it's not, that's for sure. If he drove around enough to make it so that he couldn' get the car in gear, then I guarantee there's plenty of nice blue gears in there now. If anyone has ever taken apart anything mechanical that broke because of lack of lubrication, they'll understand exactly what I mean by "blue" - I don' mean sad!

I may sound mean, and bad, but, I have a hard time feeling sorry for people that can't at the very minimum take care of themselves.

Who's really at fault here? I could definitely make an argument that the tech that didn' put the oil back in is at fault, but, I can also make a strong case that the person that took his car to JiffyLube is at fault too.

The Lock-Out switch NEEDS TO BE RECTIFIED, and the very nice man needs to take his car down to a trusted mechanic and have them take it apart and fix the worn parts inside, ALL AT THE EXPENSE of the person who didn' put any oil in it.

Believe it or not, this is SO PREVELANT in the automobile maintenance field. I personally know of 3 people that have had engines sieze because the tech forgot to put oil back in the engine.

Moral to the story: at the very, very, very minimum people, learn to check the fluid levels in your own automobile.

B

Ps. If this offends you, I have a great deal on some ocean front property in Barstow, the nice family that is selling it, has to sell and move back to Indiana to take care of their ailing Aunt that is dying and in need of your help!

B Trannys and rear end are as tough as Pig Iron.

Yeah, but I managed to nearly sieze my rear end! Of course I "knew" about the leak and it was pretty dry in there... guess I'm not the brightest bulb in the string ;)

Tougher than Whit-Leather.

Why the hell would you need OD on all 4 gears. Can you imagine 1st OD 2nd OD plain stupidity. Someone forgot to install the inhibitor switch and realized that it a bugger to install after the trans has been installed in the car.. So they straight wired it. DUMB decision. Some mechanic !! Afew more times in reverse and BANG no more OD trans and a $1000 to get it right again. Which brings me to the next thought....what is in the hole where the inhibitor switch is supposed to go? THe switch? If its there, wise up and wire it correctly. Some folks are just plain dumb as dirt.

I don't know why this guy kept bugging you. Did you offer him some sort of warranty or something?

I think I need to take up for the gentleman. He is not a moron and he just calls and visits to let us know how he and his wife are enjoying their MGB. He does not "bug" us. We had met both of them prior to the sell of the transmission and they are a very nice couple.

Although he is not mechanically inclined he tries his best to insure the correct maintenance is performed on the car. I wonder how many of us check the oil level in the transmission when there have been no signs of leaks after a professional mechanical replaces a simple gasket. His is a RB "B" and it doesn't have a dipstick. Both the mechanics that worked on the car own their own business and one of them is very well know for his work and I'm sure he expected quality workmanship. Like him I would not had a second thought as to whether the mechanic put oil back in after replacing the gasket on the transmission --would you? As for noticing the leak, the problem with the overdrive engaging in all gears, and the later difficulty in shifting from 1st to 2nd and back ---well he noticed all three and took the best actions available to him. I don't see him at fault at all.

As for the Jiffy Lube or whatever it was well it doesn't take a rocket scientist to drain and refill oil in an MGB transmission and he did take 20W50 with him to the place. He called us and asked what it uses. We do our own but I can see why he took it to one of those places for something so simple.

To be quit honest I thought by posting you, the experts, would provide intelligent comments and advice and I could tell him to check out the MGB Experience. Don't think I'll do that now. I'll just watch this thread go away.

Did you consider yourself a "moron" when you first bought your MGB?

Just my two cents :)

I agree with you Naomi. I have a lot of customers who depend on me to keep their cars maintain. Either they don't have the tools to do it themselves, or they can afford AND AREN"T TOO CHEAP to pay someone else to do it for them. Most of my customers are professional people who don't have the time to piddle with their cars. Besides if you don't know what your doing it can end up costing you more to DIY than it would have if you paid someone who does to do it for you right the first time. I can tell you from expereance. There are time when someone is in your shop wanting to visit while you are working or the phone rings right in the middle of doing something and it throws you off track. We are all human and are subject to make mistakes. Lord only knows I have made my share.

I don't think the guy was a moron, Naomi. Just the way you presented it, it sounded like the fellow was calling you a lot about a 30 year old transmission and it was concerning you. No offense intended and I hope I'm not considered one of the 'mob'.

scottydawg Wrote:

The solution to the Jiffy lube or Quicky Lube problem is to stand right there and be sure they do what you asked. Heck my shop doesn't mind that I bring in my own filter elements and my own anti wear additive to put in the motor..tranny etc.
Only reason I go there is so I don't later have to disposeof the oil. Wife drives an older Jag that holds about 2 1/2 Gallons of oil, so it's a pain to get rid of, and is really too much to put in the storm drain.

here. here. i've followed this site religiously for three months now and i've read enough to know that if Naomi thought he was a moron, she'd say so. if Naomi says that its understandable and the guy is OK, then thats enough for me.

sorry about your thread going south Naomi, it happens to all of us from time to time. i agree with your original post though, thats one tuff tranny.

Naomi Wrote:

You got way to much class to admit to being mad at anyone and there were a few replys that were somewhat sarcastic.I have my car up on jackstands at this moment and trust me if i had the dough it would be at pete cosmides motor-car garage,i got a herinated disc and a pinched nerve in my neck and i get dizzy when i look up for any lenth of time,its enough going to work and welding overhead aint no bargain anymore

To Naomi and the entire group. Sorry if I was too testy. I felt bad for the guy who it seemed was not getting competant care (the inhibitor switch wiring for one). I have been functioning on 3-4 hours sleep each night for too many nights.

Hard to believe the gearbox held up being driven without oil. Odds are there will be trouble in the future.
brdave

Tom Bedenbaugh Wrote:

Yeah the all synchro units are stout. If it was a 3 sychro I doubt that the outcome would be as good. They have an undersized layshaft and the needle bearings would have been powder.
Naomi, to answer your question about feeling like you were a moron when you bought your first B, my answer is yes. I was a college student with very little money and it seemed like the mechanic always needed more than I had. It didn't take too long to find a friend who had a B and was willing to hurry my learning curve along. That was back in 1968.

Naomi, I agree that the late trans is a tough unit. If it has been damaged is impossible to answer without a tear down & inspection. Obviously running without oil isn't going to help it. If it was mine, I'd dump the new oil now that it's been run and inspect for any metal particles. Then refill with fresh & hope for the best. Could provide some reassurance and oil is cheap, well in relation to transmissions.

Mistakes are made. I do my darndest to keep them at a minimum cause I hate comebacks. I did a T-bone hit on a Nisson a couple years ago that got 2 doors & a center post. Lady called to say the door lock wasn't working on the rear door. Turns out I missed the plug that makes it work. Not as drastic as leaving oil out or not tightening a wheel but I was embarrased none the less. Was she a dummy? No. If anyone was it was me.

I don't consider anyone a moron because they pay to have thier car worked on. Heck, that's how I make a living. I do think with cars this old, it is wise to seek out someone with prior experiance.

I do think your friend needs to make the shop that made the mistake aware of this situation. Hopefully the Jiffy Lube did or can provide documentation that the trans was empty when they serviced it. If the trans goes south in short order, I would assume the shop to be liable.

Good news is that the main box, with the exception of the mainshaft, is the same as a non OD unit. You can get them for next to free since as someone said "Tough as Pig Iron"

Lastly, Tell your friend to get the lockout switch hooked up imeadiately. No way will any human being remember to switch out every single time. Heck, I forget mine many times. Usually coming off an exit ramp. Doesn't hurt anything with the switch installed. Just a little surprise when you go into 4th gear.:)

Hope it turns out well for your friend.

Forgetting to put the oil in a tranmission, while not the sort of thing you want to happen, certainly does - and was probably an honest mistake. Taking it to Jiffy Lube - heck, why not? I don't take my MG's there for oil changes, but I take my other vehicles there. Only reason I don't take the B's is they don't have the filters, and the "edges" on the pit are too tall to get the car over them!

However - wiring an O/D so it engages in all gears is, IMHO, an unforgiveable error, or incompetence. As has been said - the inhibit switch is there for a reason, and it is not just to prevent O/D in reverse. The O/D unit cannot handle the torque that can be developed in 1st and 2nd gears, and should not be used in those gears. The repair if the O/D is damaged is costly and can be easily avoided with a properly working inhibit switch!

Eric steps off his soapbox!

wombat Wrote: