Leaky side shifter

[Johnny]

I finally decided to try and fix the oil leak I've had coming from just where the bell housing meets the side shift transmission (bottom). There also is a small amount of oil coming from the rear of the transmission. I just pulled the transmission (wasn't particularly difficult, just heavy) set up on the workbench and removed the bell (clutch) housing. Looking in where the shaft comes out there doesn't seem to be an oil seal, is this normal? The manual really doesn't show one either, just a large ball bearing. I did find the bolts near the bottom (attaching the bell to the transmission) were somewhat loose which would explain why oil would be coming out there. Not wanting to dismantle the transmission unless I have to, could it be simply I am overfilling the transmission? Just after restoring the car I took it for a test drive without the transmission cover on and the transmission seemed awfully noisy. Anyway, since I now have it out of the car again, any advice as to what should be done to it? The transmission works fine, it doesn't stay in 1st gear unless you hold the shift lever up, rather useless gear anyway, the overdrive works fine, all other gears work fine.

 

[Keoke]

Johnny, what gear produced the greatest amount of noise when you were driving?? Yes a gasket{Joint Washer} exists to go between the tranny case and the bellhousing.---Keoke

If the tranny jumps out of 1st gear it is most likely the first gear hub that is worn,although it could be the shift rod detent springs are tired or the detents are also worn. Sounds like a good rebuild would solve all the problems.

 

[Dave Russell]

Hi Johnny,
See this topic:
https://www.britishcarforum.com/ubbthread...=true#Post92140

The fact that it doesn't stay in gear indicates that more serious work is just around the corner. Maybe better to do it all now?
D

 

[Johnny]

[ QUOTE ]
Hi Johnny,
See this topic:
https://www.britishcarforum.com/ubbthread...=true#Post92140

The fact that it doesn't stay in gear indicates that more serious work is just around the corner. Maybe better to do it all now?
D

[/ QUOTE ]
The only gear that jumps out is 1st gear. If I do decide to completely rebuild are there COMPLETE kits available and from whom? Also, I know this may sound strange, but how do you know (other than the obvious of teeth missing) whether or not you need to replace the main shaft? With the side cover and bell housing removed I can just move the input shaft slightly up and down, I mean very little, in fact the front bearing may be that cause. I've heard others talk about replacing the bearings but the car only had 87K miles on it, I wouldn't think a complete transmission rebuild would be warranted. Thanks to all who responded.
BTW Dave, I like the way your car looks in the beauty contest Coveland is promoting. Nice to be number 1.

 

[Dave Russell]

Hi Johnny,
The gear box is a very complex & not very intuitive collection of expensive parts. Parts are so expensive that a "kit" including everything that "might" be needed would be out of this world. The general approach is to dissasemble & inspect/measure all parts. There are a bunch of spring loaded plungers & detents which spontaneously disassemble when taking things apart. Also a couple of retaining rings that have to have a plunger depressed before they can be turned to unlock them. Lots of loose needle bearings of various sizes that fall out or get displaced when reassembling.

In general, the condition of synchronizers, plungers & springs, bearings, thrust washers, & shifter forks, may be suspect. A little gear wear is not usually a problem. An adventurous person with lots of time, attention to minute detail, armed with a good shop manual, & a Moss parts list could probably work through it. I did it successfully from cold a couple of times but now that I am old, lazy, & "wealthy" ha, I would just send it out. I would suggest getting help from someone in your club who has been through this experience a couple of times. A great adventure if you are so inclined. A first gear, which you are likely to need could cost $400 to $500 by itself. Add synchronizers & misc. bearings, plungers, & springs, you could easily be into $1500 for parts. Used parts are not likely to be much better than your own.

It is a hard decision whether to go into the overdrive at this time. Kind of depends on how many times you want to take things apart & how reliable you want the car to be.

If you don't want to take on such a project, there are a few experienced shops available, likely near to you, at least on the east coast. If I was in need of such service I would send mine to Bill Bolton in Oregon, since he is close to me.

The alternative, & maybe best, is to just drive it until it fails completely or you can't live with it anymore. Might be several years, maybe a month.

Good luck,
Dave

 

[Johnny]

Great advice Dave. I most likely will do as you suggest. I will replace gaskets and clean the sludge out of the case, and carefully reassemble what I have taken apart. Thanks again for the advice.

 

[GregW]

Hi Johnny,
You may want to get new bolts to mount the bellhousing to tranny. Hopefully the looseness is only from bolt stretch. I had a few go South on me. You feel resistance when tightening but they don't feel like they're cinching down. Here's what one of mine looks like.

 

[Johnny]

Whoa! Thanks for the tip Greg. I will definitely replace the bolts, with washers.

 

[Johnny]

As an update to this post. Many thanks to all those who posted replies. I now have new oil seals in both the bell housing and in the rear of the overdrive, plus I have all new gaskets installed. The leak apparently came from the front oil seal which was found to be broken. It was broken due to age, plus the bolts near the lower part of the bellhousing were loose allowing the oil to leak out. You see with the weight of the transmission and the tight bolts securing the bellhousing to the engine the gap produced allowed the input shaft to break the oil seal thus the leak. In the future I would reccommend replacing oil seals and gaskets anytime the transmission is out of the car. I learned my lesson.