checking gear box oil level

[Marigold]

Hi, Can anyone help me I have a mm van with a morris marina engine and gear box with an mg clutch. I have looked around to try and find the dip stick but can anyone tell me where to look and should it just be filled with engine oil? Thanks

[MarkyB]

I'm not sure what oil it will use but there is little danger of there being a dipstick fitted.
Take the rubber bung out of the gearbox cover and, with a torch, have a look around for a biggish bolt head, about 3/4 inch.
If you can't see one take that whole section of floor up and have another look.

[Marigold]

thanks for that, sorry for being really thick but where is the rubber bung likely to be?

[d_harris]

Passenger side of the gearbox tunnel, about 6" in front of the gear lever (under the carpet)

As for oil, the minor uses normal engine oil, I doubt the marina would be much different

[Marigold]

cheers, will look in the morning.

[Matt]

A marina gearbox uses EP90.

From memory (its been a while since my minor had a marina gearbox) the fill plug is on the drivers side of the gearbox and has a hex head about 3/4 AF

[Marigold]

I have found a hex bolt 3/4" under a rubber bung on the passenger side. but without a dipstick how do I know how much oil to put in?

[alex_holden]

Are you sure it's a Marina box? Perhaps you could post a photo of it from underneath. It if it's actually a Minor box EP90 will damage it.

The way you use a level plug is to park on a level surface with a drip tray underneath and then pour in as much oil as you can (it will overflow when it's full).

[Marigold]

is this any good or do you need a picture from further along. Its on the road at the moment and a bit tricky to get underneath to photograph.[frame][/frame]

[alex_holden]

Hi Marigold, nice looking van. I think that's a 1098 Minor gearbox, in which case it takes regular 20:50 engine oil.

[Marigold]

Thanks a lot for all the help. will fill it up then. Glad you like the van I didn't do any of the hard work on her but I am trying to keep her looking good.

[rayofleamington]

It could be a Minor 1098 box (most likely) but also the 1275 MG version had the same casing and very similar internals (a few bearings were slightly stronger, but that's about it.

Fill level is: keep putting it in until it starts coming out. (this applies to almost all gearboxes without a dipstick)

DONT: check the level or refill with engine running! The input shaft gears etc.. will pump the oil around the gearbox, so even if the oil quantity is very low it can sart coming out of the filler, giving a very false reading.