TR6 76 TR6 J Type Overdrive

[Don_Houston]

My 76 TR6 has 23k miles and has been in storage for 30 years. One of my final items is getting the overdrive working. It appears that the solenoid is defective. Any tips on installing a new solenoid? They are pretty expensive and wondering what caused it to fail (old age?). Thanks!

 

[TR3driver]

Is the coil bad, or just the valve doesn't work? If it's the valve, you might try cleaning it and replacing the O-rings inside.

You'll need a special wrench to properly R&R the solenoid. The largest part of the housing is kind of weak (it just covers the coil) so it's much better to use a wrench on the flats. I cut down a cheap 1" open end wrench to fit.

 

[TR4nut]

Don-

Not sure if you've met anyone in the Houston Triumph club (Texas Triumph Register), but we have a couple of club members who can help if needed I think. One in particular rebuilds most of the gearbox/overdrives in the club.

We meet up informally every Saturday for breakfast, its a good time to drop by if you can. Closest to you in terms of breakfast spots is Seabrook Classic Cafe once in a while, or if you are free Sept 7 we'll be at the Busy Bee Cafe in Pearland. Drop by if you can.

Randy

 

[Don_Houston]

Thanks for the help and sorry I didn't get back sooner. I did put a new solenoid on and the OD works. Nice to have a fifth gear out on the highway. What is the recommended operating procedure? I don't see much use for the OD in 3rd gear (let me know otherwise). In 4th gear should I be above and/or below some rpm before engaging? Should I be accelerating or does it matter? Is there a recommended rpm range to disengage? I just want to make sure I don't mess up the OD. Many Thanks!

 

[TR3driver]

The OD is pretty rugged, you're not likely to damage it no matter what you do. But if you want to baby it, then shift like it was just a 5th gear: depress the clutch, flip the switch, wait the beat or two it takes to shift, then release the clutch.

With a J-type I agree, OD in 3rd gear is pretty much useless.

 

[MDCanaday]

You did not mention the flush out and cleaning of the filters.......A good OD deserves
respect and love and a good 70wt gear oil(synthetic) to make it to the next 50 years.
MD(mad dog)

 

[TR3driver]

True, they do require periodic maintenance, just like everything else. My personal favorite for oil is Redline MT-90, which is a full synthetic GL4 that has been specifically formulated for use in manual transmissions.

 

[Don_Houston]

Thanks for the great tips. Will do the maintenance. I was not using the clutch when I engaged the OD. Hope to get the car running reliably (see other thread on idle). Thanks!