Moss gearbox hard to shift

[Chris24]

Hi,
here is my little story with my moss gearbox :
Knowing the bad reputation that they have and as mine could rotate until it was blocked after about a turn and a half of the shaft, I had initialy decided no to care about it and to go for a 5 speed.But of course I couldn’t resist dismantling it « to see how it works inside ». Very interesting! I could then identify that what was blocking it was a little chip of metal on the speedometer gear.
So to make it short, I reshaped the rivet on the first gear that prevent the operating part from getting too much backwards, cleaned everything, made the balls jump everywhere about 15 times and in the end reassembled everything following the instruction manual.
Here is my problem: Whereas 3/4 works fine, engaging or disengaging 1st is very hard.And it’s even worse with 2nd gear!
There is a feel that something is rubbing too hard.
At the moment, I put inside a casual transmission oil that was lying in the workshop, and I know that a good oil can make a difference, but my question is “is it normal when the gearbox is cold for it to be very hard to manœuvre?”
Concerning the past of that gearbox, I know that the top cover has been out at least once because there was silicone sealant, and someone had put a wire on the command shaft to prevent the first gear to go to far backwards. Apart from that, I don’t know how it drove as I am in the process of a full restoration.

[Gfhug]

I do like the way you’ve spelt manoeuvre, just wish I could get my iPad to write it the same way.
A recent report by CMC did emphasise that getting a Moss box properly set up is difficult due to lack of spare or replacement gears. The synchro being one cause of concern, of course not on first. Maybe you are seeing those points? Sorry I can’t find that report to show you.

Geoff

[Chris24]

Hi Geoff,
you’re absolutely right, missing parts can be an issue, and in the end, I think that I will one day put another gearbox, but I like to understand, and that gearbox is a real challenge ! Worn synchro will make it hard for the gears to engage,and would be revealed when the car is moving but my problem is different, I have something rubbing too hard. What surprises me is that theoretically with the wear of the plungers and surfaces , it should be easier to move the gears!

[DWW]

I have a perfectly working Moss box but still went for a five speed full syncro box. I have to hang on to my Moss box for the sake of the heritage certificate....I strongly recommend the five speed full syncro upgrade a vast improvement the driving experience.

[Chris24]

Hi,
I have tried two things with my moss gearbox that is on the bench: Filling it with another oil, and heating it with a heat gun. It makes engaging and disengaging 1st and second a little better, but still very hard.
I have seen those tags on the synchro, could it mean that they have been replaced at some point?
I know that my car was lightly restored in the usa, before it was stopped for years.

[Heuer]

There is some more information on the Moss box here:
viewtopic.php?p=41114#p41114
Moss box explained: http://www.jag-lovers.org/xk-lovers/lib ... ygears.pdf
Moss box gasket set (scanned at 100%): https://www.dropbox.com/s/kqp0noi5idx9t ... t.pdf?dl=1

Filling with Redline MTL oil improves the Moss box and it gets better over time and use. One of the main causes of not being able to get into first gear is the rivet which has to be the correct size and height. All explained in the 'Box of Mossy Gear' article.

[Chris24]

Thank you very much,
That’s a lot of information!
And “it gets better over time and use” is something that sounds good to me!
I will either stick to my not perfect moss box or try to find an alternative as getrag, zf or another brand .
I have read that a getrag 265/5 would fit.
Any other precise references?
I find it a bit expensive to spend 8 or 10k£ for a tremec.

[Heuer]

Getrag is horrible in the E-Type, but great in the XK's. There are no good 5 speed alternatives at the moment so persevere with the Moss. I have one in my FHC and it is great for normal driving. I have a T5 in my OTS and it is fantastic for hooligan driving but it has been out twice because of issues.

[Chris24]

I would sincerely prefer using the Moss box.
I was checking the “drivenman” conversion that looked appealing, and half the price of the t5.

[angelw]

Chris Wrote:

I was checking the “drivenman” conversion that looked appealing

Hello Chris,
I'm currently fitting a T5 total kit supplied by The Driven Man, sourced by the owner of the car to an S3 E Type and have had numerous issues.

I'm not sure if the same applies to S1/S2 cars, but the rear of the gear lever housing, a part specific to The Driven Man assembly, interferes heavily with the transmission tunnel to the extent that the tunnel cover can't be moved forward enough to be attached to the rear surface of the fire wall. That affects the fit of the Centre console, which in turn, affects the fit of the Radio Facia Panel. The blued are in the following picture shows the area that fouls with the Top Cover. The Blue is bearing blue I applied to see exactly where the interference with the top cover was. This was just one of a list of issues experienced with The Driven Man kit.



The following picture is of a T5 Gearbox that Mal Woods in Queensland supplies with a gear lever housing CNC machined from billet aluminum. You can see from this picture; the rear of the gear lever housing is actually forward of the Companion Flange and therefore, well and truly clears the transmission tunnel.




Regards,

Bill