The 'E' Type Forum

Hi everyone,

I'm Peter and I have just acquired my first E-Type - a 1974 S3 Roadster

The car is in generally good order but has a couple of jobs to sort urgently before I can enjoy the car this summer.

I need to replace or get rebuilt the gearbox that has a weak 4th synchro and makes an awful metallic rumbling noise when accelerating hard in low gear, a vibration can also be felt through the gear stick. I assume the bearings are badly worn?

Can anyone please recommend a good gearbox builder or supplier for an exchange gearbox? I am based in Lincoln but will travel if necessary.

Whilst I have the engine out I need to remedy an oil leak on the drivers side rear of the engine. I cannot see where the leak is coming from, but it drips on to the exhaust pipe and smokes. Hopefully the leak source will be apparent once the engine is out! I intend to get the engine bay cleaned and detailed whilst the engine is out.

Any advice or suggestions will be extremely appreciated as I am an 'E' novice!

Many thanks.

Hi Pete,

I'm sorry I can't offer anything to the gearbox supplier issue - I have an aftermarket gearbox and no longer live in UK, however, welcome to the forum and to V12 E-type ownership - congratulations!

Lots of help here and I expect someone will be able to help with the gearbox.

Welcome

Regards,

Simon

Ring up David Marks in Nottingham ( 0115 982 2808 and www.davidmarksgarages.co.uk for thewebsite ) who will recommend to you a gearbox repairer or may be able to do it himself . Before you do anything , however, I would examine very closely the propshaft , its sliding splines, and most particularly the Universal Joints , as wear or looseness in these can mimic the symptoms you have noticed , so as to exclude this rather minor problem before you embark on major surgery . There should be no noticeable play either rotationally or in a vertical sense .

Again, on your oil leak problem, before you take the engine/box out, wash the engine down thoroughly and let it dry off, and then get some tailor's powdered chalk and puff it over the left hand side of the engine and then run it for a bit, preferably on the road. This should then reveal the route that the oil takes before dripping on the exhaust

Good luck with it all

Hi Simon and Christopher,

Thank you both for your welcome and comments, much appreciated.

Actually thinking about what you have suggested Christopher, I think you could be right, as in every other respect the gearbox is is really smooth and changes gear superbly and quickly, I'll get her on to a ramp and check as suggested.

I'm not too worried about the slight crunch when selecting top gear, simply avoided by double de-clutching which brings back fond memories of my youth driving cars with 'crash' gearboxes!!

Good idea with the powdered chalk. Hopefully it is something quite simple and easy to remedy - fingers crossed.

Regards,

Peter.

It also occurs to me that the rumbling under acceleration could be one of the exhaust pipes touching some part of the frames or bodywork . This often happens under acceleration as the torque twists the engine on its mountings , and it can be heard and felt as vibration . A check for this would also be advisable

Another thing I should have mentioned is that it is not unknown for the propshaft bolts to come loose !

Hi Christopher,

Thanks once again for your suggestions and pointers, it would be terrific if it was one of the minor issues you have highlighted :D

I have spoken with a company down in Leatherhead, Surrey - Hardy Engineering - who sound pretty good. They quoted ?500 to recondition the gearbox synchro's and bearings. He too suggested that it may be something other than the gearbox bearings rattling under load. He too suggests it may be worn/lose UJ's? He also suggested it may be the cross-member that has been incorrectly fitted or the gearbox mounts are perished or lose causing the gearbox to twist under high torque acceleration and touch the body-shell - all this things sound very plausible.

I actually collect the car tomorrow morning and carefully driving her the 200 miles home with my wife following in close formation! When I've had a chance to check the car and gearbox I'll let you know my findings. Thanks for all your thoughts.

Regards,
Peter.

Hi Pete and welcome.
Do make sure that you know exactly where the oil leak is before doing any work to remove the gearbox (if that is required to sort your gearbox issues).

It could be something as simple as the cam cover leaking at the back, but the worst case is a big job to fix, and makes S3 E Type owners run for cover! It is the rear crankshaft oil seal, which is an engine out and fully strip down job...all for ?5 of crank seal.

I've had it twice, and it drips enough oil on to the exhaust to cause smoke to drift out of the bonnet louvres when stationary....very worrying the first time you see it!

Dear Pete,

Solving a carnkcase leak may be as simple as making sure that the pcv system works. Rear crankcase seal failure has the same symptoms as that caused by thirty years of petrol residue blocking the tubing to the carburettors. The lack of crankcase ventilation results in crankcase pressure forcing oil out any way it can.

In general, for oil leaks, keep looking up and forward to the highest point. Favourites are leaks at the tappet block to head joints, forward and rear, because Jaguar in their wisdom used no sealant between the two. Reused copper washers on the banjo bolts or the half moon seals at the back of cams are another frequent leak point.

If you are travelling to Leatherhead, feel free to detour to Guildford if you want a second opinion.

kind regards
Marek

Hi Pete , if it did turn out to be a gearbox problem- Allgears at Worksop would be my choice , also close enough to deliver and collect .

http://www.all-gears.co.uk/gears.htm

Hi Mark, Marek, and Steve,

Thanks for your welcome, comments and suggestions, really appreciated guy's, I will be working on the car this bank Holiday weekend and will look at all the possibilities suggested.

Unfortunately, I've got ANOTHER problem that made itself apparent to me on the journey home after collecting the car yesterday. When going around round-about's with the car leaning as your turn, there is a metallic grinding noise coming from somewhere as the car loads up in the turn? Can't really determine whether the noise is from front or rear, but I feel it is possibly from the rear?

Thought it might be wheel bearings/drive shafts? - Any one out there have any experience of this issue or have a suggestion of what could be causing the noise?

Thanks guy's

Regards,

Peter.

Hi Peter,

It might be worth checking all of the exhaust mountings carefully around the centre boxes and the rear box. Check the 4 rubber rings and the hooks on the exhaust bracket and the body. At the back the metal tag on the box are prone to snap off leaving the box loose

The exhaust is very heavy and too low for its own good, and unless very well fitted will put a strain on the mountings.

Good luck

Kevin

Hi Kevin,

Thanks for the pointer. Since I'm investigating the other issues under the car this weekend I'll add the exhaust to my 'to do' list - looks like a fun weekend on my back in the garage

Is your grinding noise rhythmic. It is very common for the shields on the drive shafts to make contact with the hub carriers

Your grinding and gearbox vibration issue may both be a half shaft UJ or wheel bearing on one side if it varies by corner. The V12 engine mounts are more robust that the sixes but then the engine is heavier too.

The multi-way fitting at the back of the vee which caries the oil pressure warning light/sender is a common source of leaks that can dribble down. A bit of smoke wafting through the vents when stationary is not nice but I wouldn't take and engine out if that was the only issue. Soundsl iek it isn't though.

For the top gear engagement try double-checking clutch adjustment and function, not double-declutching. Top gear synchros have an easy life compared to the others so it may be a clutch drag issue. Remember the V12 slave cylinder works the opposite way to the sixes and pushes the release arm towards the front of the car. The bleed nipple arrangements are a bit better too, so a quick fluid swap/bleed/adjustment might get you smooth gear engagement again. The boxes themselves are very tough given even rudimentary care, although nothing lasts for ever.

Does the oil puddle at rest? Are you sure it is engine oil not gearbox oil or clutch fluid? If you still have the original ignition amplifier - especially if it's still in the valley of the engine, I'd budget for some kind of upgrade as the original electrical components are coming to (or past) the end of their design life. Fitting it onto the front frame rather than in the valley is a good help for keeping it cooler.



Pete

Hi Christopher,

The grinding noise only makes itself known when corning tight such as in a R/A when the car leans in the turn, so i assume it must be either the leaning of the body/suspension movement bring something rotating into contact with something static, when driving along at any speed no noise? I will check the shrouds when I'm under the car. Thanks for the suggestion.

Hi Pete,

I agree, top gear should be the last synchro to wear as it has the easiest life, especially as all the other gears are as slick as cream. no baulking or crunching. I will check/bleed the clutch as you suggest, and also the wheel bearings and UJ's for wear.

The oil does puddle at rest for a short period of time. But I think I MAY have found the source of the leak whilst looking very closely from all angles with a powerful torch, the leak appears to emanate from the cam cover directly inline with the starter motor that seems to catch a good deal of the leakage. I've ordered a new gasket and rear half moon end plug and some gasket sealant in preparation, but will not assume that is the only point of leakage so will be thoroughly cleaning and running the engine to confirm.

Thanks for your support guys :D

Hi Pete,

Just wondering if the grinding noise from the rear is in fact the tyres rubbing the body on corners? If the suspension is tired, or the tyres fitted are wider/taller than standard (205/70 R 15 is the correct size), sometimes if the body has been repaired and the wheel arches not exactly placed in the same location or even if the rear camber is incorrect, the rear tyres can foul the wheel arch with quite a startling sound. Something to consider?

Regards,

Simon

Hi Simon,

Interesting suggestion? As it happens I believe the rear springs are on the soft side and I intend replacing them complete with new dampers as a matter of course. I'll check the tyre's and wheel arches and see if they do show any signs of contact, and if so why they have a clearance issue on roll or full deflection?

I was hoping to have been 'under' the car this past Bank Holiday weekend investigating the issues and looking at all the possibilities suggested by everyone, but an unexpected convoy of visiting friends and relatives throughout the long weekend put paid that good intention . I'll have to make the effort this week as I really do want to sort these irritations and have some fun with her before I start serious work on the car in the Autumn with the intention of getting her completed ready for next spring - I'm an optimist by nature!

Regards,

Peter