• Hey Guest!
    British Car Forum has been supporting enthusiasts for over 25 years by providing a great place to share our love for British cars. You can support our efforts by upgrading your membership for less than the dues of most car clubs. There are some perks with a member upgrade!
    **Upgrade Now**
    (PS: Upgraded members don't see this banner, nor will you see the Google ads that appear on the site.)
Tips
Tips

TR2/3/3A Breakdown July 4

Share this page

RedTR3

RedTR3

Jedi Trainee
Offline
Any ideas on what I am facing here?

Here's the story: Driving the TR3 today, got a sudden terrible metallic rattling noise and vibration...to me it seemed like it was coming from the clutch/transmission area but I am not sure, it could be the engine. The Car runs and was actually driveable but extremely noisy and poor acceleration. Oil pressure seemed OK. The noise gets quieter if the clutch pedal is pushed down all the way. The head was re-done about 300 miles ago and that does not seem to be where the noise is coming from anyway.

I am going to have it towed to the shop on Monday, but I would appreciate any ideas on what this might be.

Thanks,

Tim
 
Last edited:
If you dare to run the engine (and you should consider whether this is prudent) then one of these can help pinpoint the source of the sound:

Mechanic's Stethoscope

Pretty hard to make a guess based on a description of the sound -- location is a better clue.

Again -- you do need to think about whether it is wise to start the engine again under these circumstances.
 
Any chance you have the later starter installed? I had a 3A where the starter drive fell apart on a long trip, and it made a huge racket. Didn't feel like I had much choice (couldn't afford a tow home or to pay a shop to fix it); but by the time I got home, the starter drive had exited through the bellhousing.
 
TR3driver said:
Any chance you have the later starter installed? I had a 3A where the starter drive fell apart on a long trip, and it made a huge racket. Didn't feel like I had much choice (couldn't afford a tow home or to pay a shop to fix it); but by the time I got home, the starter drive had exited through the bellhousing.
Click to expand...

You mean...

...like this?

null-3.jpg
 
If its something rattling around in the bell housing, you might be able to see or get to it by removing the clutch inspection plate.

Jeff
 
Yup, looked just about like that.

That cover plate doesn't let you see much (including the clutch); the flywheel fills the opening surprisingly well.
 
Well, the tranny came out and it looks like bad news. Clutch, pressure plate and flywheel all look OK...So that leads to most likely a broken crank...ugh, now the engine has to come out and off to the machine shop. This is going to get pricy. Anyway, thanks to all of you for your help, we'll see how this goes from here.
 
Back
Top