MG-Cars.info

Welcome to our Site for MG, Triumph and Austin-Healey Car Information.

Recommendations

Parts

MG parts spares and accessories are available for MG T Series (TA, MG TB, MG TC, MG TD, MG TF), Magnette, MGA, Twin cam, MGB, MGBGT, MGC, MGC GT, MG Midget, Sprite and other MG models from British car spares company LBCarCo.

MG MGB Technical - dipstick location

I've recently purchased a 77 mgb with a 67/68 rebuilt with a Laycock OD in 3rd and 4th gear. leading me to believe I have the dipstick in the cockpit on the transmission tunnel under a rubber cap? BUT WHERE exactly? I'll have to cut some carpet probably and need to know exactly where this rubber cap with dipstick , with minimal damage ? Picture maybe.... would be helpful.
Thanks
JIM
ja kowbel

Good discussion on this issue about 6 weeks ago.

Thanks to that discussion, I found the dipstick on my 73B Roadster. It's forward of the radio console, on the top of the tunnel, in the space between the back of the radio and the firewall. The carpet from left and right sides overlap at that point. Lift the carpet and the rubber approx 3" diameter plug is right there. At least on my 73.

Assuming all is the same, once you pop out the rubber plug, you can reach in with a finger and feel the steel looped top of the dipstick. It is very hard to get a grip on and pull out with your fingers.

The solution is to get or make a hooked shaped piece of metal to reach in and grap it with. Something like a bent over screw driver tip will work. It pull straight up, but can be very tight due to the o-ring on the shaft.

Once out the first time you can put a cable tie on it that can be grabbed above the tunnel surface and easily pulled if you like. Or, like me, you can make a little hooked shape tool to keep in your tool box.

BH
BH Davis

The good news - Mr. Davis is right, that's where the dipstick should be.

The bad news - not sure about your OD trans, but the newer one dispensed with the dipstick. My '72 with the four speed has the *nearly* accessible dipstick in the location described. On the '73 with the OD, the hole has a screwed in plug, and the only "check" is the fill hole on the side.

Check is by getting underneath on a level, unscrewing the side fill plug and using your digit. Might as well fill it with 20W50 while you're there. Easiest would be to go to the local "quick change" place and have them handle it. Did that once - worked a treat as the Brits say. Bring you own oil, though.

I did decide to treat myself and have one of those places simply change the engine oil this past weekend on the '72. The clerk/grease monkey freaked because he couldn't find "MG" on his computer. Kept asking "MG? Who makes that?" Had fun and just said "MG". He even asked if it was a Mercedes-Benz. Hard to keep from laughing. Seems it took him off his game, but finally he agreed to drain the oil, switch out the filter, and install my Castrol for $20 cash and "I was was never there." Sheesh.
John Z

Jim. As BH has noted, the later models still had the rubber plug behind the console. You may have to move the carpet some to find it. Much depends on how the carpet was attached to the transmission tunnel.

But, I installed the earlier model transmission into a 79B and the rubber plug was directly over the dipstick for the transmission.

As to BH's "hooked shape piece of metal", get yourself a propane torch and a number two Phillips screw driver. Bend a right angle, or a little more, near the tip, and bend a right angle near the handle (without over heating the plastic/wooden handle) and this will do what you need to do. You can also bend a hook in a piece of 3/16" cold rolled steel rod and use a pair of Vise Grip pliers to hold onto the end of it to catch the dipstick. Both methods work quite well.

Chris Betson, who owns Octarine Services and seems to know what he is doing, likes the earlier model OD trannies better than the later model ones. He can give you the exact reasons if you visit his website. But, it sounds to me like you have a very good set up and should be happy with it.

Les
Les Bengtson

If you happen to have a cotter pin puller in your toolbox they work great for pulling the dipstick.
John H

From John Z's post: "The bad news - not sure about your OD trans, but the newer one dispensed with the dipstick. My '72 with the four speed has the *nearly* accessible dipstick in the location described. On the '73 with the OD, the hole has a screwed in plug, and the only "check" is the fill hole on the side."

My 73B with OD has the dipstick under the rubber plug behind the radio. As did my 72. Maybe they changed to a screwed in plug later in the 73 model year.

JIM - it may be a good idea to blow some compressed air around the dipstick before you remove it, as well as wipe the transmission around the dipstick with a cloth, then with your fingers before you remove the dipstick. My transmission was pretty dirty when I first removed mine, and when reinserting it, you could be pushing some dirt into the transmission.

I hooked mine with a coat hanger bent around, but the other ideas sound better as the coat hanger had a tendency to unbend as I pulled on it. Its in there pretty tight. Once I had it out, I twisted the coat hanger around itself a few times and it was good from then on.

Erick
Erick Vesterback

I believe the sidefill transmissions started with the rubber bumper cars for either 74.5 or 75 to 80, doing away with the dipstick. John Z's 73 has a 75-80 OD installed. In either case, the easiest way to fill it has been to use a simple plastic pump that screws on to the where the cap of the oil container goes. Three qts later, and Bob's your uncle.

Oh, and on the cars with a dipstick, I placed a small spring clip like rock climbers use. Sorry the technical term is escaping me at the moment due to cranial flatulence. Makes it very easy to hook with the Mk 1 digit and pull out.



Paul K

"carabiner"

amazing what a night's rest does for you

Paul K

Chrome bumper cars had the dipstick, rubber bumper had the side fill/level. The rubber plug is present on both, apparently superfluous on the rubber bumper, but it can be useful to run a hose through there and into the side-fill hole for refilling from empty.

I use a short length of braided nylon curtain pull-cord tied through the loop in the dip-stick. It remains in place between services and doesn't rattle.
Paul Hunt 2

This thread was discussed between 27/11/2007 and 01/12/2007

MG MGB Technical index

This thread is from the archives. Join the live MG MGB Technical BBS now