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 - Left over part ?

In the process of replacing the water pump on my 72B I appear to have 2 left over parts.

This is the price I pay for taking it apart 1 weekend ago and waiting a week to put it back together.

I removed the radiator, the alternator and then the pump.

And while I was at it I replaced the right side motor mount. Which was quite cracked but not broken.

I've since reinstalled the alternator, the water pump (and used all new bolts, as one was broken off in the block). The fan belt is on, as well as the pulley and fan.

I'm about ready to install the radiator after having combed out the fins and touched up the paint.

But I somehow managed to wind up with 2 parts left over and cannot yet figure out where they go.

1. A metal bracket 1/8" thick and 1/2" wide and a shape similar to the shape one creates when stretching out there thumb and index finger like a wide V. There are 3/8" holes at each and there is a nut attached at the center of the wide V.

2. A metal bushing or spacer approximately 3/4" high and 1/2" diameter. I only know this fell to the ground while removing things so I didn't see where it fell from.

As I explained the radiator is all that's left to install, and the alternator and water pump and pulley and fan belt all look lined up and everything is attached, save the radiator.

Any ideas! ? !

Sure glad I put all the parts in a bucket as I went, so I wouldn't lose anything!

Thanks.
R.W Anderson

http://www.britnett-carver.co.uk/mgpartsuk/prods/pc60.html
Peter sherman

I have the skematic referenced in the above link. The parts in question are not shown.

I suppose next time I should be taking pictures as I go - just in case; but a Water Pump replacement is so straight forward I never thought there'd be parts left over.
R.W Anderson

R.W. can you take a photo of the pieces and post? That might help identify these items.
Bill Young

Just guesses without pictures, but:

(i) the shim from the engine mount (assuming you have the round sort) which is a bit of a bummer as you would definitely need to put it back in, although I wouldn;t think this had a captive nut on it

(ii) the spacer from a metal fan, fits in the rubber grommets that cushion the fan from the mounting screws without which it would be difficult to tighten the affected screw

I'm not sure that there is a standard car with both of these bits (72 could be too early for i and too late for ii). Come to think of it, pretty poor guesses I reckon.

Neil
Neil22

Without photos 1. could be part of the early engine restraint system, replaced by a tube between the gearbox and rear cross-member. Part of the engine mount it hits the chassis part and stops the engine going any further. It used to bend in practice, hence the later system.

2. could be the spacer pressed into the upper rear bracket of the alternator.
Paul Hunt 2

I'll take photo of parts tonight, but may not be able to post them until Wed or Thur.

I don't think the bushing looking part is from the alternator, as there is one on the rear upper swing mounting bolt, and no place to squeeze one in on the front upper swing mounting bolt.

For reference my alternator has 3 points to attach it to block. The 2 bolts on top that it hangs or swings from and the lower bolt that has the adjustment bracket/arm with the slot on it.

And yes there is a wide "L" (same width and length as motor mount) metal bracket on top of the motor mount, that attaches to mount by 2 bolts on top of mount. What this bracket does I haven't a clue as it doesn't appear to attach to anything else, just gets bolted to the top of the mount.

Having the extra parts left over on this otherwise simple project is embarrassing and dumb. Reminds me of an old Bowery Boys (Dead End Kids) movie, where they had finished rebuilding a taxi engine only to have a box of parts left over. They open one side of the hood and dumped the parts in and started engine up and it purred like a Dussenberg! I don't think my MG will purr like a Dussenberg no matter what I do! :)

Photos to come soon, if I don't figure this out tonight.

R.W Anderson

RW. The first part you mention sounds like the adjustment bracket for the air pump. This piece attaches to the front of the water pump using the standard bolts. It uses two mounting points. Then, there is a fixed bolt/stud/threaded projection, onto which the adjustment arm for the air pump fits. Perfectly possible that someone removed the air pump and left the bracket in place.

Metal bushing. Always nice to remember, and make a written note about, parts that fall off. I suspect it may have been part of the alternator system. I have seen spacer bushings used, up top, to align the alternator pulley with the water pump and crankshaft pulleys. I have also seen there be a problem with the adjustment arm that pivots on the engine block piece and has the elongated slot for the alternator adjustment bolt. Take a close look at the alternator area and see if a bushing might have been used as part of its mounting system.

Photos would be good, but your verbal description of the bracket makes me fairly confident it is the air pump adjuster bracket. There are, to my knowledge, no pieces with use a bushing such as you describe except in certain alternator mountings. Still, be nice to see what we are writing about.

Les
Les Bengtson

Here is a photo of the two parts. Les' comment above may be correct for the bracket as the car doesn't have the airpump or other emission equipment on it. So the bracket may be unneeded. The bushing is a dirty/dark version of one that is on the alternator, with no place to put a 2nd one. I was just hoping there wasn't another point to connect the alternator in the back, that I somehow overlooked.
R.W Anderson

2nd attempt to upload with a dialup connection.
R.W Anderson

RW,
I agree that the bracket is for the air pump. Your spacer may be from one of two things - The original spacer on the alternator that was lost and replaced. It just happened to fall out from its hiding spot as you were removing bits. The other thought is that the space may be needed to mount up the air pump bracket to the old water pump. Different years / types of water pumps had mounting lugs of different heights.

Tom
Tom Sotomayor

I think Les has given the right answer.
May be a PO has removed some of the pollution items from the engine and let the difficult to remove air pump bracket in place. If there is no air pump on the engine any more, you will not need this item furter on.
The other bit seems to belong to the air pump kit too.

Hope this helps

Ralph
Ralph

I gave up on uploading photos, but the car is back together and everything lines up without the parts. I'm going with the theory that they are emission control related and left them off the car.

Thanks for all the help. Stay Tuned I've got more problems ahead. Opps! I have more opportunities ahead!
R.W Anderson

Anderson,
Email one of us the pictures before you go ahead with everything else, instead of trying to post it on here.

James
James

This thread was discussed between 15/10/2007 and 18/10/2007

MG MGB Technical index

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