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MG MGB GT V8 Factory Originals Technical - SD1 sump issue

Hello All,

On my SD1 engine there is a brace/stabilising plate which is spot welded to the bottom of the rear part of the sump (oil pan) and is then bolted to the underside of the gearbox.

I had to remove it by drilling the spot welds to get at the rust underneath it which was eating into the sump (it's the best designed rust trap I have ever seen!).

I haven't seen one on any other V8, so the question is do I need it? It's a bit flimsy, and as the bellhousing is bolted to the block anyway I wasn't going to re-attach it - I know it will only trap moisture and start to rust through the pan again.

What are your thoughts?

Thanks,

Liam

Liam H

I don't have one, but then again I'm using a range rover engine and sump.
Perhaps someone didn't have a clutch plate cover and this was their own fix.
Peter

The engine I got out of a P6 Rover did not have the plate & is still in use 18 years later in front of a Toyota g/box. The engine I got from an SD1 Rover does have the plate. Personally, I wouldn't replace it. I think it will only bolt up to a Rover transmission anyway. What have the T5 installers done ? Barrie E
Barrie Egerton

Thanks, it will stay off then.

Another issue - the sump is off because it needed a plate welding in to repair a hole the size of a golf ball (botched and hidden job by PO).

The plate we welded in from the inside today shows a couple of very small pin hole leaks on a water test. It takes an hour for a droplet to come through - not much at all really.

Rather than keeping on welding ad infinitum (it's 20 years old and I dont wnat to stress it too much) what would be the best way to seal these tiny holes considering they are inside the sump?

I will be using metal filler to fill the 'old' hole from the outside, can I use a smear of that along the weld seam inside the pan itself - or some gasket sealer (not sure I'd be happy with that?

How have people fixed pin hple leaks/cracks in the sump previously?

NB - C.f. my other post, I am getting near to firing it up - I will report back on the outcome with some photos. If it all goes wrong and I finally re-enter the atmoshphere somewhere in Australia I will pop in to say hello to the boys down there and thank them for their help over the last year or so.

Thanks,

Liam
Liam H

Barrie,

My Buick 215 does not have this plate. I won't be using one when I switch to the 3.9L, either. Doesn't sound necessary.

Liam,

Do they have JB Weld in the UK? That is what I would use.
Carl Floyd

Carl,

I have something called 'metalik' or similar -"replaces metal with metal!" is what it says on the tin. Is a two component thing (golf ball and pea), which sets in 5 mins and can be sanded etc. I use it on bodywork.


Sounds similar,

Liam
Liam H

I've got that plate on my 3.5 SD1 as well. Not sure about it's purpose other than what Liam mentioned. Guess it's just some kind of strengthener.

I'll check with my local Rover specialist to see what she thinks it's for.
Simon Austin

Hi Guys,
All the SD1 sumps have this plate, they also have a brace on the lift pipe.
The SD1 sump is a deep sump , and these are for extra strengthening. The one to the gearbox is to stop the sump from flexing (in theory). Leaving it off has never caused me any problems.

Regards
Jim
www.jrv8.co.uk
J Robinson

This thread was discussed between 06/04/2007 and 08/04/2007

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