QuestionHoward
Thanks for the help so far. Got the jumping speedometer fixed with some white lithium grease on the cable.
The latest issue I'm working on has to do with the overdrive tranny I just installed. I don't know much about the history on this tranny. I bought it on ebay about 6 years ago and it sat in my garage while I contemplated which vehicle it would go in and gathered the initiative to put it in. I installed it about a month ago. It feels really good and tight. No excessive play in the lever (in fact there is none of the typical "looseness in neutral" that I'm used to with MGs).
It shifts fine and the overdrive works correctly. The issue is that occasionally, maybe 30 or 40% of the time, I get a slight grinding when I go into 3rd gear. It isn't every time and I can't force it to happen. Speed doesn't seem to make a difference. I think it is only when shifting up from second. I've not noticed it when shifting down from fourth.
It's a slight grind like the sychro mechanism isn't working properly. Is there anything I can do without pulling it back out again to help this problem?
The tranny was stored indoors and had little or no oil in it during that time. Is it possible that something needs to "loosen up" or am I doomed to yank it back out and open the thing up?
Dave
AnswerHi Dave,
2nd to 3rd is normally the slowest shift time and not a normal "first to go" syncro. In the dealerships I worked in I always found that 2nd was the first syncro to go from speed shifting and a most to use down shifting for street corners.
I can not think of anything that would make 3rd gear syncro ware out ahead of the others. So you should start thinking of other causes like, Excess end play in the mainshaft. End play in the first motion shaft (input shaft)(that would be very unusual)
Is there any difference in the temperature of the gearbox oil? Gearbox oil takes longer than engine temp to come up so you need to drive a while after engine temp is up to get the gearbox oil up to temp.
What grade of oil did you use in the gearbox?
Back when we were BMC and BLM took over we always used engine oil in all of our gearboxes. As soon as BLM took over they sent us a memo to stop using engine oil and go to gear oil. Within a week we had customers lined up in the morning with gear clash complaints. We quickly went back to engine oil and told BLM that they didn't know what they were talking about. (which history has shown true on every aspect of the car business)
Other than changing to engine oil (if you used gear oil) there is nothing you can do from the outside. The feel of the shift lever has nothing to do with the condition of the gearbox.
You should read my tech tip on extending the life of a gearbox on my web site.
http://mg-tri-jag.net/tech4.htm
Howard
