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MG MGA - T9 Access

I have a T9 gearbox installed and would like to get to the filler plug. I understand it is on the left of the gearbox and would like to know whether there is any hope of getting to it from under the car. There doesn't seem to have been an access way drilled through the tunnel.
(It is just nice to know before I don the oily trousers and grab the jack and axle stands whether i have any hope of success)
Graeme Williams

Graeme,
Yes you can get to the filler plug from underneath,
it is not very convenient but ok for topping up or checking oil level.
D Townshend

THanks D! I'll give it a try - it's good to have some hope that it will be successful before you start.
Whereabouts are you in Kent?
Graeme Williams

Graeme,
Near Rochester,contact me by email.
D Townshend

Graeme

I drilled and fitted a sump plug last Autumn and as DT says, it is then a bit fiddlesome finding the filler. I have an hydraulic hoist so it was fairly easy from underneath. You should be ok with jacking the front up, but of course that may have an effect on the true oil level. You will need some sort of squeezy bottle with a long length of tubing. Quite an effort, though, squeezing the oil up hill.

For anyone else interested in fitting the sump plug see my notes here: http://www.mgaroadster.co.uk/Ford%20Type%209%20Sump%20Plug.htm

Attached is Peter Gamble's schematic of the filler location.

Steve


Steve Gyles

Not sure the link above works. Try this: http://www.mgaroadster.co.uk/Ford_Type_9_Sump_Plug.htm

Steve
Steve Gyles

Graeme, I have my T9 box on the bench just now and so I have taken a couple of pictures of the filler for you to have a look at.
I hope they upload ok.
Cheers Colyn


Colyn Firth

Another closer picture


Colyn Firth

A picture of the drain plug as installed by Kentish T9 experts BGH Geartech of Cranbrook.
A fluid transfer tool is useful for putting oil into T9 gearbox.
For reasons I cannot recall it was recommended not to drill and tap a drain hole where the magnet sits on the inside / bottom of the steel body of the T9.
Alan

www.masckent.org


Alan Anstead

THanks for all the information. Colyn: while the box is handy, could you let me know what size the drive is? In the car it might not be that easy to fiddle about.

My box is good when warm but when cold first and second are difficult to engage until the oil warms up. I was wondering about adding Molyslip but there are differing views on this. (Alan - we can chat about this on Sunday).
Graeme Williams

I will check it out and let you know the drive size tomorrow morning Graeme.

My box also has a drain plug in the same place as Alan picture shows but it has a simple 1/2" square drive, a bit like the mini brake adjuster,
Colyn
Colyn Firth

Did a little reading. These gearboxes originally don't HAVE A DRAIN PLUG! Sealed for life. Hilarious. Says a lot about the build quality of the rest of the car.
A Bowie

Graeme,
from what I know about gearboxes, I wouldn't add Molyslip to the oil.
I believe that the synchromesh cones are like clutches that accelerate the gears up to matching speeds, so if you reduce friction then your gears may crunch more on the down changes.

Maybe Ford have an optional slightly lower viscosity oil for the box?
Colyn
Colyn Firth

"Did a little reading. These gearboxes originally don't HAVE A DRAIN PLUG! Sealed for life. Hilarious. Says a lot about the build quality of the rest of the car."

True, these gearboxes didn't have a drain plug as originally fitted in their Ford vehicles. However it is simple to drill and tap a hole to fit a drain plug to them.
If you source your T9 from Peter Gamble (High Gear engineering), he'll do exactly that for you if you wish, as he did for the gearbox I fitted to my MGA Mk II.

As for Molyslip, I'd be very hesitant. Peter Gamble had two T9 gearbox fail and returned to him around the time I was buying my T9 conversion kit and gearbox from him about six or seven years ago. Peter's impression from stripping down these gearboxes was that the bearing rollers had skidded rather than turned in these boxes, leading to the failure. Peter at the time thought this may possibly be due to the oil that had been used in these gearboxes being of an incorrect grade, and effectively "too slippery"! From that time on he became very particular about the grade of oil used in the gearboxes he supplied. He consequently insisted on including the oil he wanted used with my five speed conversion kit and gearbox that I purchased from him.
T Aczel

Like Graeme, my T9 box is tight on first and second when cold (using the oil Peter Gamble lists)

I took Steve's advice and fitted acces points in the tunnel for the speedo drive, filler plug and reverse light switch.

Regards
Colin
Colin Manley

I just measured the drain plug Graeme and it will need a 10.7mm square tool to unscrew it.
This seems an odd size to me as it doesnt really translate to inches either (0.42")?

Also the centre of the drain plug is 10cm up from the bottom of the gearbox.
Colyn
Colyn Firth

Colin
All the boxes I have fitted, and I have fitted a few, had fillers that took an Allen key.
Alan
Alan Anstead

Sorry, to correct my last post,I measured the FILLER plug as a 10.7mm female square plug and NOT the drain plug.
Colyn
Colyn Firth

Not that my memory is too reliable these days (!) but I do seem to recall Peter Burgess advising me to drill my T9 drain hole centrally underneath and, again I hope this is correct, through the position of the internal swarf ring magnet. And this is what I have - tapped a small metric bolt into the hole and does the job.
Bruce.
Bruce Mayo

I need to look to see whether I have a drain for the gearbox. It was apparently supplied by Hi-gear so may have. If not, I know a man who I'm sure loves drilling holes in T9 gearboxes but may feel that doing it on an MGA breaks Club rules!

And thanks Colyn for the data.
And thanks Colin for suggesting I may not be alone with the cold gearbox problem. It's just at the first roundabout on the way out!
Graeme Williams

Graeme,
My Hi-gear supplied box has the drain plug as shown in Alan's picture.

Regards
Colin
Colin Manley

This thread was discussed between 24/03/2016 and 25/03/2016

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