OK!! Heres another dumb question. How do I tell if I have overdrive or not. The dash has a disconnected cigar lighter mounted in the hole for overdrive switch. There is no brown wire lead for cigar lighter, but there is a yellow and a white wire, both are live and taped up. Looking under the car, there is a pipe (for lack of a better word) coming down next to the transmission from the under dash area. Looking closer, it appears to contain wiring that has been snipped off, can't tell the colors to much gunk. Haven't looked for the pipe and the scource of these wires on the interior side yet. The PO had this car for close to twenty years, with the motor and trans being rebuilt around 2000 according to his docuementation. He never mentioned anything about overdrive. Is it possible that the transmission is an overdrive unit, but not working? If so how can I tell? If it is an overdrive unit, what's needed to connect and get it working? Any other thoughts? As always, Thanks!!!!
MGB: Overdrive: Is It or Is It Not
You'll have to check under the car on the tranny itself....look for a tag that states something like this: Others may agree or disagree.
The tag on yourr car will be different as this is for a later car.
Sorry, I can't offer a picture of a 3 synchro O/D gearbox. I don't even know if they have a tag on them like the one pictured above. I do have a 3-synchro gearbox, but I haven't looked at it for a few years or too closely and it's stashed 100 miles from here, so I can't offer to go and check it for you.
I think you'd be better off looking for the general shape--the Spitfire overdrive trans I just bought was so filthy, it wasn't until I got it home that I realized the Laycock de normanville tag was actually there under the filth.
If the transmission is skinny where the drive shaft goes in there is no OD. If it's fat there you have OD.
This does not have OD
This one does.
Also, don't the 3-synchro cars have different shifters for OD vs. Non-OD? The non-OD handle has a kink in it and the OD handle is straight? Maybe I imagined this.
Ryan Reis Wrote:
Also, don't the 3-synchro cars have different shifters for OD vs. Non-OD? The non-OD handle has a kink in it and the OD handle is straight? Maybe I imagined this.
"
Thats correct, but sometimes you will find a later 4sync non od gearbox with the straight shifter stuffed into a mk1 B. The best method of confirming OD is to crawl under the car and look at the tail of the gearbox.
Ryan Reis Wrote:
Also, don't the 3-synchro cars have different shifters for OD vs. Non-OD? The non-OD handle has a kink in it and the OD handle is straight? Maybe I imagined this.
"
And, you'll also find 3-synchro OD transmissions WITH the 'crooked' lever, like mine. I know some have said the 'crooked' lever won't work with a 3-synchro OD tranny; I'll happily offer to let them drive mine!!
But the only real way to tell is to look underneath.
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