What have you done today with your Austin Seven

[Mike Costigan]

I have had two 3-speed levers break, but they have both been at the selector ball rather than the pivot.

[jansens]

I took out the engine I put in the other day. Seems something is a bit off in the gearbox. It all worked on the bench fine but now in the car the 1/2 synchro seems stuck. Bit of grit in the works maybe? Took the engine out again, box off and I will strip it all down and clean it all up again. I did have to modify my remote gear lever. I had made it far too short so I have reworked it to give me more leverage. Perhaps when struggling with the short version I put something out of whack in the box? With my little lifting scaffold though I can get the engine in and out in no time.

Simon

Did you put in new balls and springs Simon? This can make selection very stiff to start with.

Yes, on both the synchros and on the selector rods too. The 2/3 one seems fine. Pretty still but workable. Trying to get into 1st definitely seems stuck. I managed to do it once using a brass drift and a rubber hammer and I can see all the balls are in there. Typical, when outside the box it's all to easy to move it too far and have balls fly everywhere but now in the box it won't move at all!

Simon

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This is the odd thing. The reverse selector now won't go back far enough for the swinging gate to clear it. If you screw back the selector rod the selector itself doesn't move any further back. So something it hitting it or fowling it? Or stopping the reverse idler gear from moving? I think this is related somehow to first gear being hard to select but I can't quite see how. With the selector out though the idler gear slides back and forth fine and you can get the reverse gears engaged no problem.

Something much have gotten bent as it definitely all worked before I put it on the car. I set it up carefully to ensure the synchro cones weren't dragging when not in gear and so on. I think somehow I have bent something? What though? The only thing I can imagine is the reverse selector fork?



Simon

[Terrytuned]

Simon if the rear cover bolt is too long, the one behind the reverse gear it will stop the reverse gear from going back this bolt is shorter than the other rear cover bolts.

Terry.

[jansens]

Simon if the rear cover bolt is too long, the one behind the reverse gear it will stop the reverse gear from going back this bolt is shorter than the other rear cover bolts.

  Terry.

Ah, thank you Terry! That may indeed be what's wrong. I am at work now so can't check but when I reassembled it all I did notice the bolts being different lengths. I just put it down to mismatched bolts used over the years.

Will check as soon as I get home and report back.

Simon

[jansens]

Simon if the rear cover bolt is too long, the one behind the reverse gear it will stop the reverse gear from going back this bolt is shorter than the other rear cover bolts.

  Terry.

Ah, thank you Terry! That may indeed be what's wrong. I am at work now so can't check but when I reassembled it all I did notice the bolts being different lengths. I just put it down to mismatched bolts used over the years.

Will check as soon as I get home and report back.

Simon

Terry, I owe you a pint! That was it. An overly long bolt in the lower left corner of the gearbox rear cover. When I took it out you could see where it had been rubbing in the end of the bolt even. I swapped it with a shorter bolt and problem fixed. Since the top was off I also squirted some oil about (I haven't got the proper oil to fill it yet - I wanted Penrite gearbox oil but Repco said they don't have it in stock and since it comes in boxes of 6 they don't want to get it in to just sell me 1!) and that has also helped with selecting 1/2nd. It needs a good thump but I think that is down to the new balls/springs.

[Reckless Rat]

The gearbox just uses engine oil. SAE30 or 20W50. Don't overfill it.

[bob46320]

Yep - as Reckless says for oil. Use the engine dipstick through the filler hole to check level on 3 speed box, and use the same Full mark as the engine. 2/3 pint for 3 speed and 1.5 pints for 4 speed ?? - Cornwall Austin 7 site Technical Data section

[Terrytuned]

Simon the oil we use for any A7 g/box (see photo)    

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Gear oil is for gears engine oil for engines the semi syn oil we have used for years in 3 and 4spd g/boxes one pint/half ltr is all you need in a 4spd
  the fully syn oil we use for racing as the box gets extremely hot.
Terry.

[Reckless Rat]

I think 1 1/2 pints is far too much for the 4 speed box. It should be filled to the bottom of the filler plug threads and no more. Racing needs are another thing.

Info here showing a 4 speed crash box:
http://www.austinsevenfriends.co.uk/foru...il#pid7729

[jansens]

I am going to use Penrite Classis Light 20W-60 in the engine. Is that OK for the gearbox too? It does say to replace SAE30 where originally specced. I prefer using the same oil in both if I can.

Simon