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MG Midget and Sprite Technical - Timing cover removal - engine in car

Haynes said it was possible to remove and refit the timing cover with the engine in the car. It is but it would be very difficult with a standard car.

I wanted to stop an oil leak from the timing cover and replace the timing chain while I was in there.

Main challenges were removing the crankshaft bolt and replacing the 10 cover bolts. Both would be eased by undoing the engine mounts and lifting the engine.

KS Thompson

I would always lift the front of the engine when removing the timing cover. Can you even remove the pulley without doing so?...unless you have the 1500 crossmember?
Dave O'Neill 2

Yes, it is possible.
KS Thompson

On mine I cannot even change the fan belt without jacking the front of the engine up. That's with a T9 box fitted and using standard prop shaft, which puts it all forwards a bit.
GuyW

That is interesting, as mine has a T-9 too. Mine does not have a harmonic balancer pulley. Does yours? That could be the difference.
KS Thompson

Its a 1971 Austin Sprite, 1275 and yes, it has the thicker harmonic balancer.
I did the T9 installation and found I could just fit the standard length propshaft by moving the engine forwards.
I have an idea that some of the commercial installations use a shortened propshaft unless I am confusing that with fitting the 1500 overdrive unit, - which I also did.
GuyW

No you're right Guy.

My t9 install was a kit containing a shortened prop and front yoke to fit the t9. Standard thick pulley.

No trouble changing the fan belt, but have to jack the engine up to remove the chain cover.

Had to jack it up on the 1275 rwa too, with a standard rib case box.

I think that's it. It's only the dampened thick pulley that necessitates lifting the front of the engine to clear the cross chassis member.


anamnesis

I had T9 in our Frogeye and I had to have the supplied propshaft shortened by 1/2". I only noticed when I took the engine out to change the timing chain and found it had scrapped a bit of metal off the rear output housing.
Rob
MG Moneypit

KS Thompson,

What engine is in the car as it looks like a 12G940 head.
David Billington

Well spotted, David. It is a 1275 engine with a 12G940 head. Actually the Mini Cooper S Mk3 version stamped 12G1805. It is the one that reverted to smaller exhaust valves.

KS Thompson

KS Thompson,

Why don't you have a TV damper fitted to the engine? They were fitted as standard to all 1275 engines AFAIK due to the crank having a resonance at about 5500RPM, IIRC it's mentioned in Vizard. Having driven a 1275 with a known knackered TV damper it had a noticeable rumble in that range so went through it as fast as possible.
David Billington

The simple answer is it did not have one when I got the car.

Whilst a consideration, it has never been high enough up my priotity list to actually do anything about it. It is a road car and with 70mph available at 3600rpm, pushing past 5000rpm is rarely an issue.
Karl Thompson

Just in case it helps you, I had a leak that we thought was coming from the timing chain cover. Turned out it was a worn crank pulley.
We had to lift the engine a bit each time we replaced the gasket. Undo engine mounts bolts and gearbox mount bolts.
James Paul

Watch out for stripped threads on the timing cover screw holes where the PO has used an over long screw that has hit the block then stripped the threads as it continues to be tightened - resulting in leaks-or was that just my car!

S Macfarlane

Agree! Especially so on 1500 engines where the bottom 2 - or is it 3? - go into the alloy 'bridge' piece across the front bearing. Very easily stripped if tightened to the same degree as the other timing cover bolts which are into steel.
GuyW

Mine too and I slightly countersunk the front plate and timing cover to give flat surfaces, rather than pulled threads, for the gasket to sit between.
Karl Thompson

I had one 1275 engine where most of the 1/4" holes in the front-plate were in a bad way. I had to weld them up and re-drill and tap them.
Dave O'Neill 2

Hi,

Thank you for this thread, I'm just about to swap out a timing cover.

Could someone advise which way around the seal goes? A or B.

Regards Mark




Mark '74 Midget

B
David Billington

Many thanks Bill!

M
Mark '74 Midget

This thread was discussed between 03/10/2024 and 28/11/2024

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