3rd gear screamming

[tahoe healey]

Has anyone heard of this? While driving in hot weather this weekend I got screaming at middle to upper rpm in or out of overdrive in third eear only. Also hard to shift to other gears. When cools a little everything is fine. Oil level in gear box is okay.

 

[Dave Russell]

No -- I have never heard of this problem.

From your description I would guess that it might be some kind of lubrication related problem. If it were gear damage it wouldn't be heat related.

You could try changing gear box lube. Try one of the Red Line products. Just a guess. Sorry I'm not more help.
D

 

[tahoe healey]

Thank you, Dave. I've heard much discussion on the forum about this product. Where does one get this stuff. I believe there is motor oil currently if the box. Strange it seams heat related but only in one gear. I've found it is sometimes difficult to shift gears when hot(an unusual occurance around here) so maybe that stuff will help.

 

[Dave Russell]

I expect that rod shops & racing related shops will have MT90. You may have to call around a bit to find it. John gives the web site below.

A quote from John Loftus on another topic:
-------------------------------------
The MT90 is recommended by Redline for the Healey Gearbox/Transmission. From the redlineoil.com website it appears the 75w 90 is more for differentials. The MT90 is formulated for synchronizer performance to make the shifting easier. To double check my advice (i.e. I'm not a oil expert) you could call the folks at Redline ... I did once and they were very helpful.
----------------------------------------

The noise you are experiencing may be due to a marginal bearing in the gear box. No guarantees that this will fix it, but worth a try.
D

PS - If you put much heat insulation on the bottom side of the transmission tunnel it will block the cooling air flow over the transmission.

[ 09-23-2003: Message edited by: Dave Russell ]</p>

 

[tahoe healey]

Dave and all. The MT 90 did the trick. The gear box is sweet and much smoother. It runs cooler too. (less heat generated near the seats)Thanks. $40.00 is the cheapest fix I've had in a long time. There is a 15 mile up hill from Carson City to Tahoe which use to get the gears hot. Not today! I think the engine ran cooler too but I'm not sure. Temps were 175 at 60mph at the top instead of 190. Sweet, very sweet!

 

[John Loftus]

TH,
Glad to hear the Redline oil worked for you! I noticed a big improvement in shifting smoothness and 1st gear noise reduction so I'm a believer.
I would be surprised though, that the gear box fluid would make a significant difference in the engine temperature. Are you sure it's not just due to the outside temperature being cooler? Was there a lot of metal fillings, gunk, etc. in the strainer when you drained the O.D/gearbox?

Cheers,
John

 

[tahoe healey]

Actually it was pretty clean. I just think it was broken down old oil. It appeared to be engine oil of undetermined age.
It is fall and the air is cooler which also probably caused the engine to run smoother. I think the reversal of the coil leads(another post)helped too. But todays ride was a ten.

 

[bighly]

I purchased my Redline gear oil from a hotrod/performance shop. Call ahead as this may be a special order item.

Tracy

 

[tahoe healey]

I got the phone number form their web sight. They sent it out UPS and I had it the next day. I was impressed. They had a consultant who answered several of my questions.

 

[Hangtown Healey]

I tried the Redline. I couldn't stop the leaks and shifting was slightly slower. I went back to non detergent 30 weight like the book says.