Borrowed the Keys
Today, 02:48 AM
#21
Running Guns & Moonshine
Thread Starter
The car is fixed now and the shifter works amazingly. Mark will be receiving back a brand new car practically. But maybe also a bill for my injured shoulder!
Pulling the lower boot I saw all 4 bolts had pulled out of the shifter tub. Inspection of the threads in the tub and on the bolts showed nearly zero damage. I chased the tub threads to clean them. I did see some glitter on the shifter cup in the tub and under that on the tub floor and got it out. The gasket with the shifter was MGW, but was the round cut gasket. This shifter is exactly like my own and the mechanism which moves is rectangular so I trimmed the interior of the gasket to match. MGW does sell the correct gasket style still if needed or should this one rip out. I just relubed the shift ball and was reassembling when the 4th bolt dropped into the tunnel plate. It luckily dropped right out the O2 wiring hole and was an easy retrieval. I had pulled the tub before realizing this though, and in the process learned that the only really firm bolt in play was that on the linkage bar.
I reassembled the shifter to tub, dumped the tub in, reconnected everything to the point of grip where they still allow slipping (not the 4 bolts for the shifter, these were systematically snugged down very firmly and the gasket squeezed to the point where it starts to bulge out). I put it in 4th to gauge how far front/back the tub needed to be.... I start with the linkage bar end juuust a hair clear of the tub when in 4th... and socked it all down. Sometimes depending on shifter and geometry you need to adjust the tub slightly forward from here but not this time. Spot on in all dimensions on the first try. I tested it while parked, then went down the street and back. Everything is PERFECT. I then took it for a longer half hour drive for gas and to spray the pollen off the car and back. Every gear is positive, fully thrown, and easily reached. It IS still a T56 so, yeah, there is resistance still to 1st gear but just normal now, no longer is anything trying to tear my arm out.
Solutions. Somehow or another I believe the initial install did not sit the ball deep enough in the cup. This was the likely culprit of the extreme effort required because the geometry was harsh. At some point later the 4 bolts for the shifter began backing out. Maybe? Maybe not? They did have one washer and one lock washer each so this baffles me somewhat. I did not reuse any of the washers and chose instead to just sink those allen head bolts firmly and let the very thick epdm gasket act as a pressure lock.
And I think that's it! This FRC can now be quickly and easily shifted. The MGW works as it should and is very fluid in its own motion. The transmission..... I might suggest trying a 3rd venom ring just to see how it feels (just the tip!) and adapt from there, but right now the car is very very drivable again and should be fun to rip around in the hills with CONFIDENCE knowing exactly where each gear is and just tossing it through. This is a true night and day turnaround for this car from where it has been. For one intended as a track learner it just made several huge leaps forward.
Pulling the lower boot I saw all 4 bolts had pulled out of the shifter tub. Inspection of the threads in the tub and on the bolts showed nearly zero damage. I chased the tub threads to clean them. I did see some glitter on the shifter cup in the tub and under that on the tub floor and got it out. The gasket with the shifter was MGW, but was the round cut gasket. This shifter is exactly like my own and the mechanism which moves is rectangular so I trimmed the interior of the gasket to match. MGW does sell the correct gasket style still if needed or should this one rip out. I just relubed the shift ball and was reassembling when the 4th bolt dropped into the tunnel plate. It luckily dropped right out the O2 wiring hole and was an easy retrieval. I had pulled the tub before realizing this though, and in the process learned that the only really firm bolt in play was that on the linkage bar.
I reassembled the shifter to tub, dumped the tub in, reconnected everything to the point of grip where they still allow slipping (not the 4 bolts for the shifter, these were systematically snugged down very firmly and the gasket squeezed to the point where it starts to bulge out). I put it in 4th to gauge how far front/back the tub needed to be.... I start with the linkage bar end juuust a hair clear of the tub when in 4th... and socked it all down. Sometimes depending on shifter and geometry you need to adjust the tub slightly forward from here but not this time. Spot on in all dimensions on the first try. I tested it while parked, then went down the street and back. Everything is PERFECT. I then took it for a longer half hour drive for gas and to spray the pollen off the car and back. Every gear is positive, fully thrown, and easily reached. It IS still a T56 so, yeah, there is resistance still to 1st gear but just normal now, no longer is anything trying to tear my arm out.
Solutions. Somehow or another I believe the initial install did not sit the ball deep enough in the cup. This was the likely culprit of the extreme effort required because the geometry was harsh. At some point later the 4 bolts for the shifter began backing out. Maybe? Maybe not? They did have one washer and one lock washer each so this baffles me somewhat. I did not reuse any of the washers and chose instead to just sink those allen head bolts firmly and let the very thick epdm gasket act as a pressure lock.
And I think that's it! This FRC can now be quickly and easily shifted. The MGW works as it should and is very fluid in its own motion. The transmission..... I might suggest trying a 3rd venom ring just to see how it feels (just the tip!) and adapt from there, but right now the car is very very drivable again and should be fun to rip around in the hills with CONFIDENCE knowing exactly where each gear is and just tossing it through. This is a true night and day turnaround for this car from where it has been. For one intended as a track learner it just made several huge leaps forward.
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