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MG TD TF 1500 - Gearshift rattle & shudder gone

A couple if days ago I was looking around at things to do on the TD since rain was keeping me from driving.

I remembered that I experienced some benefits from when I lowered my MGB's suspension and in the process installed new u-bolts on the rear axle. Apparently the new ones were tighter than the old ones because the car felt smoother, with better power transmission to the rear wheels. A feel thing, for sure.

It occurred to me to check the u-bolts on the TD and they were snug, but not tight. I tightened them up with a box wrench - nothing Herculean, but good and tight.

What a difference! Sometimes the car would judder if I didn't release the clutch just so, and the gearshift had a loud rattle under acceleration. Both things one hears are just stuff to live with in the TD world as nuisances.

Well, no more judder! It pulls away very smoothly in first gear, and no more jittery shifts. What a treat! I also noticed that the gearshift rattle is almost totally gone - what remains of it is much reduced, and sometimes not there at all.

So, maybe I'm just lucky or maybe this is one more thing to look at when one's car is showing symptoms. It feels like a different car - a much more pleasant driving experience, for sure, and I had no complaints before.

BobbyG
Bobby Galvez

Thanks for the tip Bobby,

I never have heard of the two, gear shift rattle and tight u-bolts being connected.

I have a car I know that has this problem, and in the spring, I'll try it out.

warmly,
dave
Dave Braun

Dave, I was quite pleasantly surprised. It's not to say that it's necessarily the cure in all cases, but in this case the difference is noticeable.

That said, it took a while for it to register. I was so pleased with the judder problem gone that it wasn't until I was on the way back that I also noticed that the rattle was absent. Well - not totally absent, it's still there some but it's more of a buzz than the loud rattle that caused one to want to keep a hand on the shifter to silence it.

Maybe it's blind luck, and maybe the two are related. I'm certainly no engineer.

BobbyG

Bobby Galvez

This is a big TD/TF problem. Years ago when The New England MGT Register began the "safety-fast" inspection program it was alarming how many cars had loose rear axle U bolts.
-David
D. Sander

Just a picture of what can happen if the "U" bolts are not kept TIGHT !!!!

STEVE WINCZE

The chafing noted by Steve can be further minimized by using a pair of Moss part no. 267-560 rear axle buffer plates. Moss shows these parts as "optional" on the T-series cars and many older restorations will not have them. A better picture of the buffer plates can be seen on the Moss website when looking at the parts explosion for the MGA.

http://www.mossmotors.com/Shop/ViewProducts.aspx?PlateIndexID=29226#10

Larry
Larry Shoer

The picture that Steve W posted is what my axle looked like. Only maybe mine was worse, I had the grooves welded up and ground smooth and then did the MGA buffer plate thing. It has been very satisfactory for the past 12 years.

The welding has to be done in small sections so as not to distort the axle housing.
Good Luck!!
Cheers,
Bob
Bob Jeffers

This thread was discussed between 17/12/2011 and 18/12/2011

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