Gearbox sounds and worries

[baldyz1]

I have a series 1 with a manual box and Laycock Compact A overdrive. This is a 2+2 hence I able to fit the overdrive.

The car was rebuilt over the last ten years but in the first 8 years by so called specialists and in the last 2 years I have been finishing or fixing what they did. It is a beautiful car now but nevertheless frustrating to take so long.

The gearbox and overdrive were completely rebuilt however on my first runs in the car 1st, 2nd and 3rd gears have a fairly loud howl and 4th is okay. On the first quick run around the block there was no sound. I am concerned that there may be no gearbox oil i.e. they forgot to fill it when the box was fitted. I have run the car around 3 miles tops at low speeds and low revs. If there is no oil do we think there will be permanent damage to the gearbox and overdrive? Further clue is that the overdrive solenoid clicks but the overdrive does not engage. This is further suggesting to me no oil.

I have ordered Redline MT90 gear oil and a remote filler so I will be checking it all obviously. An oil change won't be the end of the world if its empty.

So the questions are simply;

1) If I have run a few miles with no oil in the gearbox will it be badly damaged.
2) Is the gearbox oil shared with the overdrive. Its a 4.2 Synchro with Laycock Compact A.
3) Will I be able to fill from below as I don't want to mess up the interior which is all finished now and I don't believe the grommet lines up in any case.

All help on experiences with this greatly received.

Many thanks
Chris

[madjack4]

Hi a few years ago a friend of mine had a clutch fitted in a toyota he drove it about 100 miles with no oil in it it was very noisy we filled it up and it was perfect for another 5 years till he sold the car i would fill it and see how u go good luck

[baldyz1]

Hi Rob,

I am reading more and more and am somewhat more hopeful considering the shifts on the car were all smooth it just developed the whine which is when I stopped driving of course.

I have ordered everything and we will see if the sound goes away and the overdrive is still healthy. Given they were professionally rebuilt they will have lubricated to test and then drained I would suspect so there should have been some residual oil. Given she was not driven over 30 mph and for a short distance through each gear I could be lucky fingers crossed.

If someone could answer me on the question of the shared oil; overdrive with gearbox that would be a great help.

many thanks
Chris

[mgcjag]

Hi Chris...oil is common between gearbox and overdrive... however draining gearbox will not drain overdrive... yoy need to remove filter plug on side of o/d and clean it then refill from gearbox...run gearbox and then recheck level...have you damaged it? I cant say... Steve ps fill plug is on the side of the gearbox..could be either side depends on box..yes you can fill from underneath...a service manual for the car the gearbox, o/d came from is usefull...

[baldyz1]

Hi Steve,

Spoke to the really helpful guys at Overdrive Repairs in Sheffield who rebuilt my overdrive originally.

They felt with such short mileage and at low speed that the residual oil in the overdrive should have been enough to have saved it if indeed I have run without oil. Obviously the noise from the gearbox will not have been good for wear and tear but we will have to see what happens to the noise when I add oil. The gearbox may still be serviceable for many miles top come or else its a rebuild.

They advised filling the gearbox and as you suspected the oil from the gearbox will drain into the overdrive. Fill it to the top of the filler, wait 30 minutes and top up again. They said to not remove the small filter on the Compact A overdrive as I will never get it back in from under the car. I did read this somewhere else also.

I feel pretty stupid of course but I cant get a way from the fact that a professional should be expected to fill a gearbox with oil when they install it. They put oil in the engine and the back axle for instance. The person ultimatately responsible died in the last few years so I cant rant to him and the company he later worked for went bust a couple of years ago.

Many thanks
Chris

[mgcjag]

Hi Chris...my post above comes direct from a Jag service manual gearbox. O/d section...Steve

[baldyz1]

Thanks Steve really appreciate the help.

[abowie]

If they installed your gearbox and failed to fill it with oil that is a major error.

All of our rebuilt boxes come back from the gearbox specialist with a big red sticker with NO OIL stuck to the output flange. It doesn't come off until the box is filled by us.

I would be very unhappy if it were my car and this was what had happened. Of course it may turn out that there is oil in the box and there is another reason for your problems.

[baldyz1]

Hi Andrew,

Looking back at all the receipts from the last ten years. I bought the box and overdrive from Clayton Classics in Coventry. It came from a customers car who was changing to a five speed box amongst other upgrades. Clayton Classics assured me that the box was quiet but advised me to have the overdrive rebuilt as they could not guarantee its age or function which made absolute sense.

In a way then you could be right Andrew, as I had no opportunity to run the box there could be other issues at play. Claytons are reputable so I trusted their word on this and the car was low miles and still in their shop. The oil and pump device arrive in the next few days so once I drain (if there is oil) and refill I will update. Having almost completed the car to concours standard (the last two years myself) I have no heart to remove the engine and gearbox so I don't know what I will do if there is a problem. I would never go through this utter nightmare again. It has caused me a lot of stress over the years not to mention the costs which if I told people they would call me a fool. I will write an article eventually on this saga.

many thanks
Chris

[abowie]

Classic car restoration is just as you describe; a protracted journey with a lot of potholes in the road.

I worked part time for a restoration business for about 10 years, and currently have 7 classic cars myself, which is far too many. I've seen a few of the problems that can occur and I feel your pain.

Last year my 3.8 roadster developed a loud rattle from the rear of the engine, and it took me 6 months to build up the courage to sort that out. I was convinced it was inside the bell housing, and I replaced the clutch with a 9.5" one.

After all that work the noise eventually turned out to be that the return spring on the clutch slave cylinder was loose and the rattle was the clutch fork hitting the bell housing :-) Half a dozen people who know E Types listened to the noise; none of us picked it.

It's worth it in the end though, and all the trauma and cost fade into the distance as you get to enjoy driving the car.

I'd probably use Redline MT90 oil in your gearbox.

Let us know how it goes.