75ZT Community

hi,
i use , t'other side usually, however feel i may get better luck here.
brought on by the snow probably but my clutch is having troubles at minute.
symptons:
gear change stiff and notchy, 1st is stubborn, 2nd will not engage just crunxches (used to just crunch slightly on downshift from 3rd and all the others get easier the higher up the box. clutch bite is right up at the top, i can take car out of gear without using the clutch, it has been getting worse every day. when in gear car druives no prblem no slip.
i have got stuck a few times in my cul de sac in snow and basically just wheelspun and powered my way out.....clever huh
left clutch smell in cab and thats why i think my clutch has know died.
however t'other side keep telling me about bleeding the master , clutch pedal operates ok. and slave well that will be replaced with clutch. gonna book her into a1 clutches in tipton as soon as they reopen but want to be sure its the clutch not the anything else before i commit.
money a factor (xmas)
sorry for long rant but want to give you experts the full pic for better answers. happy new year to you all anyway

Can I clarify what you mean by the bite is at the 'top'? Do you mean when the pedal is close to the floor, or close to fully released?

I would say clutch too, but that's why I want to be sure what you mean by biting close to the top, as it doesn't quite fit for a hydraulic clutch, but would for a cable clutch which the 75 doesn't have.

sorry, i mean close to the top of pedal travel. as in i only have to aplly approx 1/2inch to an inch to use clutch (in a fashion).

Hi Russell, sorry to hear of your problems, and hope its not the clutch,
being a Auto man cannot help, but I am sure more help will be along as soon as the Seasons refreshments have dried out.
Duncan normally has his finger very much on the pulse so to speak in these things.

A tricky one for sure.

The difficulty engaging gear is normally caused because the clutch is dragging. This happens when there's so little movement that it doesn't disengage properly. Refilling fluid and bleeding would help of this was the problem, but as you suspect, it's not consistent with the pedal bite being at the top. Normally the bite would be right at the bottom, near the floor, if this was the problem.

So we don't seem to be dealing with the standard hydraulic failure that most people report, so it's really a bit of guesswork. The only thing that makes sense to me is if the plate has started to break up and is dragging even when released. I guess it could be a gearbox problem (loss of oil?) but seems unlikely given the history just before it started playing up.

To be honest, I'd ask the clutch people what they think, and make sure that if they say it's the clutch, then replace it and it doesn't fix the problem, then you don't pay.

Finally, you might consider replacing the master cyclinder at the same time. Adds a bit to the cost, I know, but the master and slave seem to fail at similar times, plus the horrible grey goo I found in mine, I wouldn't like to end up in a nice shiny new slave cylinder.

hi,
just been out to car, i am a builder so wearing riggers most of time, bare foot took all trim off lower steering cxolumn. bite of clutch is halfway up/down on pedal travel. i was wrong i apologise. i had feel to top of pedal couldn't no oil anywhere, i did find cruise connection loose though...
i did notice was though there is a groan that disappears when clutch gets bite, only heard tonight because i had door open and sort of noise only owner would hear.
also may i ask why does 2nd gear lose out before others? when statioery engine running gear change is easier 1st is tougher still on an incline, an i live in dudley!!

No need to aplogise!

Anyhow, the analysis still pretty much stands. Bite is in the right place, not close to the floor.

Groan could be a couple of things. Could be the release bearing failing though this usually causes complete and instant loss of pedal (it doesn't come back up). Could be a problem with the friction plate, and would explain the dragging / difficulty in engaging gears. Could still be a gearbox problem, though wouldn't expect the noise to stop.

Why are some gears worse than others? not sure. Maybe the syncromesh is working slightly better on some than others.

Bear in mind, all of this is guesswork, based on how the system works. Problem is the symptoms don't quite fit the 'normal' failure mode where the pedal falls to the floor.

How about the cables going to the 'box either not quite in their guiding points or maybe even worn/out of alignment? I seem to recall something like this happening before with loss of certain gears and the problem was the cables that operate the gearbox having become dislodged or broken/worn.

popped out of first gear earlier with an embarrasing thud, have to hold in first gear and engage slowly , hoping for best!!
waiting for a1 clutches to reopen and can get somewhere. feel like im stuck at the guessing game at the minute, planning for worst=master cyl, slave and clutch itself....anyone feel like throwing away a grand im a good catcher!

That doesn't sound good. Can't see how the clutch would cause that unless it hadn't engaged properly because of the difficulty engaging.

Starting to sound more like a problem with the box, I'm afraid.

Or, it could be the selector cables as suggested. Usually caused by a problem with the lower mount. The one I remember the inner and outer starting binding. But I seem to remember in this case gear selection is fine when the engine isn't running, which would tend to contradict that.

a1 clutches inform me that gearbox is on its last legs. brownie points to mr duncan. i have managed to source local replacement for 100pounds, he is insistent that 2.5 and 2.0 are same unit is he correct. i would prefer auto apart from obvioua interior trim and selector and i think ecu for gearbox is this a viable option.

by the way thank you for the help

As someone once said, anything is possible. But it would be a massive job. New box, gearbox cooling system, ECU (Engine Control Unit) and wiring, reconfiguring ZCS codes, selector mechanism, and so on. Easier and cheaper to buy one already auto..

Are you going to replace the clucth bits while the box is out. Got to be worth it to save grief later

a definite YES i wish in hindsight that i had just started this job myself. will replasce with manual the breaker i am buying from has about ten kv6 boxes but states that there is no difference between 2.0 and 2.5 can this be confirmed, also what type of oil does gearbox need.

The V6 gearboxes are the same except for the 160psi the earlier 2.5 models.
Check the serial number of car first.

Part No: TRC000220N Transmission manual - new 190PS - 2500 cc - Petrol - MG ZT & ZT-T and 2000 cc - Petrol - V6 - Except: Bonnet Badge MG from Serial No:235526 £1149.00 + VAT

Part No: TRC000200N Transmission manual - new 160PS - 2500 cc - Petrol - V6 from Serial No:235526 and 2500 cc - V6 - Except: Bonnet Badge MG to Serial No: 235525 £1877.36 + VAT

The oil in mine is from xpart via Rimmers. I tried some Castrol which said it was the right stuff, but it was very notchy when cold.