[30ONA]

Gwagensteve wrote:

Chock the car and jack up the drivers side rear wheel. Take the handbrake off. Start the engine with the car in neutral. Depress the clutch and put the gearbox in 1st gear. Keep the clutch depressed. Watch the wheel in your mirror. If the wheel turns, the clutch is not fully disengaging.

And you have shot syncros.

I have an lsd so probably Jack the whole rear axle?

[30ONA]

Final question on syncros.

Yesterday i went for a drive and used brute force for every gear change. No grinding but still a stiff shift. Is is not possible that if the clutch is not disengaging that it would effect all gear changes?

[Gwagensteve]

Yes, jack the whole rear axle up in that case

Yes, all gear changes will be affected with a dragging clutch.

[30ONA]

Gwagensteve wrote:

Chock the car and jack up the drivers side rear wheel. Take the handbrake off. Start the engine with the car in neutral. Depress the clutch and put the gearbox in 1st gear. Keep the clutch depressed. Watch the wheel in your mirror. If the wheel turns, the clutch is not fully disengaging.

And you have shot syncros.

I couldn't see the wheels move when putting into gear but they spin in neutral when I lift off the pedal. It's that normal?

Could it be the thrust bearing? I bought a Suzuki one but the mechanic said to use the one in the kit.

[Gwagensteve]

Yes, it is normal for the wheels to turn (slowly) in neutral when the clutch is engaged. That's just drag in the gearbox. So, with the clutch depressed and the back wheels off the ground, gearbox in 1st gear, the wheels do not turn?

If so, we'll have to discount your description off a "differential noise" when you put the car in gear with the clutch depressed.


No, it the problem has nothing to do with the thrust bearing.

[30ONA]

Ok just tested again because in not convinced I did it properly.

1. In neutral clutch engaged wheels spin slowly, increasing the revs they don't speed up. Press the clutch and they stop.
2. Holding the clutch down for a few seconds put in 1st or reverse and wheels don't move. However, if the clutch is engaged, wheels slowly turning, and I press the clutch and change into reverse or 1st straight away, there is a definite movement in the speed of the wheels

[fordem]

30ONA wrote:

Ok just tested again because in not convinced I did it properly.

1. In neutral clutch engaged wheels spin slowly, increasing the revs they don't speed up. Press the clutch and they stop.

You don't have a dragging clutch.

[Gwagensteve]

Which means it’s just worn syncros and the “differential noise” was a red herring.

[30ONA]

So the car is at the gearbox shop.
After a hot and cold test drive they could not reproduce the issue. I took it for a drive and could only do it in third gear on 4 occasions which I recorded on my phone. My best description is knotchy. As the issue is not able to be reliably reproduced I think I can rule out clutch and gearbox. An oil sample was taken showing no signs of steel flakes. So I'm wondering is the issue in the selector linkage . The bush from the stick did have to be removed from inside the selector box after it was rebuilt.

The other alternatives are try another oil and or wait till it gets worse.

[30ONA]

Oil changed to Castrol. No change.
Car is home 2nd 3rd still knotchy.

[30ONA]

I've rebuild my old linkage box and was going to replace it today. When i started to see how I could do it without removing the box and just lowering it look what I found.
That's not right. Don't know if it's contributing but failed mount and a missing bolt. You'd think someone would have said something.

[fordem]

That says a lot for the "quality of the work" done by your mechanic, but, no I don't think it contributes to your shifting issues - the shifter extension would (or at least should) normally be firmly attached to the top of the transmission and move as one with it.

[30ONA]

Well. Replaced the mount, missing bolt and swapped the shifter box. Was good for a bit. Now back as it was. 2nd and 3rd still an issue.
If the syncros are damaged with that show up in an oil sample in a few months?

Also the shift box had not been touched during the rebuild. 20 year old grease and bits of dirt in it. The shaft was gritty when sliding it.

[fordem]

An oil sample can only reveal "damage" that has occurred whilst the oil being sampled has been in use - don't expect it to show wear that occurred before the rebuild or before the last oil change.

[30ONA]

9 months of driving, two different oils, three drivers, oil sample by independent group. No evidence of issues. But living with the car is stressful. Yesterday did quite a bit of driving and nearly no issues, 2nd still stiff.
But then other days, horrible 2 3 4th gears.

Could the old auto gear oil trick be worth a try? Gearbox shop still denying its the gearbox issue, how can I prove it to them?

[Gwagensteve]

Have you replaced the second and third gear syncros yet? If not there is literally nothing to talk about in this thread. No oil will fix worn syncros. No oil analysis will fix worn syncros. No period of driving it will fix worn syncros. Replace the worn parts.

[30ONA]

Gwagensteve wrote:

Have you replaced the second and third gear syncros yet? If not there is literally nothing to talk about in this thread. No oil will fix worn syncros. No oil analysis will fix worn syncros. No period of driving it will fix worn syncros. Replace the worn parts.

How do I convince the shop to fix the gearbox. They keep telling me there is nothing wrong.

[Gwagensteve]

After nine months of driving it around you have no chance as they can plausibly deny it was anything like it is now after they fixed it.

Time to find a new rebuilder to fit new syncros or a replacement gearbox.

[30ONA]

Gwagensteve wrote:

After nine months of driving it around you have no chance as they can plausibly deny it was anything like it is now after they fixed it.

Time to find a new rebuilder to fit new syncros or a replacement gearbox.

Is still under warranty and I have recorded everything to them in writing from day one saying I was not happy with it.

[30ONA]

So nothing in the oil and cannot consistently replicate the issue. So there is no signs of any wear inside the box since having it installed, which is a great sign and I cannot definitively say it has gotten worse. So I'm ruling out the gearbox itself.

After more test driving and lengthy chats, it seems something could be dragging and causing the input shaft to spin with the engine on some occasions. Could this be the spigot/pilot bearing grabbing the input shaft intermittently? I also now have an oil leak that seems like it could be the rear main seal. Could a failed pilot bearing cause the rear main to fail? Eccentricity/uneven rotation of the input shaft in the pilot bearing?

I'm considering dropping the box to replace the rear main and pilot bearing. I wonder should I also replace the whole clutch assembly? I'm tempted to just to the rear main and bearing and put the flywheel and clutch back. At least then I will know if its the clutch kit or the bearing. It's a Suzuki bearing. Can you install them incorrectly? I would think not, and that it would not go back together. Unless it's damaged/faulty.

[Gwagensteve]

When are you going to replace the syncros? I know you don’t want it to be the syncros, but there is no other plausible explanation for why the problem is gear specific. You have ruled out a grabbing clutch. If the pilot bearing seized you’ll have an almighty noise and the nose of the input shaft will wear and then things will mostly go back to normal.

[30ONA]

Gwagensteve wrote:

When are you going to replace the syncros? I know you don’t want it to be the syncros, but there is no other plausible explanation for why the problem is gear specific. You have ruled out a grabbing clutch. If the pilot bearing seized you’ll have an almighty noise and the nose of the input shaft will wear and then things will mostly go back to normal.

Yesterday I drove it round for about 30 min trying to getting to get the issue to happen and barely a peep a peep. Nothing in the oil after many ks. The severity of the grabbing or what ever it is has reduced. An internal issue can only get worse.

[30ONA]

Don't use Ipswich gearbox repairs. I showed them this and they still blame the clutch.

[Boggomobile]

Hi Everyone,

30ONA wrote:

Don't use Ipswich gearbox repairs. I showed them this and they still blame the clutch.

After following this comical thread since the beginning. I finally found something that I did not understand:
What are the photos/screenshots of?
Thanks in advance

[30ONA]

Boggomobile wrote:

Hi Everyone,

30ONA wrote:

Don't use Ipswich gearbox repairs. I showed them this and they still blame the clutch.

After following this comical thread since the beginning. I finally found something that I did not understand:
What are the photos/screenshots of?
Thanks in advance

Syncro metal in the oil pan.

[HarryPotter69]

what do you mean by syncro

[fordem]

HarryPotter69 wrote:

what do you mean by syncro

synchromesh rings.

You may not be familiar with the inner workings of a synchronized manual transmission, in which case, a google search will probably find you some detailed explanations, but the transmission has components known as synchronizer rings, sometimes called baulk rings or blockers, which are made of brass or bronze, both soft "yellow" metals, particles of which can be seen in the last two pictures.