Correct lubrication for your Austin.

[Robert Foreman]

I have a lovely little booklet about lubrication for your Austin.
    Interesting notes on three speed gearbox levels.

         

[Steve kay]

Most interesting. I’ve just come from the workshop to check how much oil to put into an empty workshop fresh three speed, which tuns out to be a subject much discussed!

[Colin Wilks]

Hardly dare ask this question Robert, but what's your take on the modern equivalent of Mobiloil BB?

[Tony Griffiths]

3-speed box "Between 1" and 2.5". That's quite a difference. I keep mine at the level of the lower letter L on the engine dipstick - that's 280 ml or 1/2 pint. If the lowest gear in a gearbox is half submerged, it should fling enough oil about to suffice. So, drain the old oil, put in an inch of new, put the car in gear, whip off the gearbox top - and drive off. If this causes the interior of the car and your trousers to be smothered in oil you'll know all is well. Otherwise, I wish somebody would repeat, using a 3-speed box, that wonderful hands-on experiment that Dave Mann carried out on a 4-speed box where 1/2 pint seems to have been enough. Summarising, he wrote; "I was given a 4-speed 2-syn box and carried out an oil-level test:
¼ of a pint - the oil level is barely up to the gear level with only a few drops being thrown up - too low
½ pint - at this I needed the top on the box to prevent oil from being thrown all over my bench.
2/3 pint gives 2” of oil measured above the drain plug
3/4 pint gives 21/2” of oil measured above the drain plug and 15/8” below the top of the oil filler hole
1 pint gives 3” of oil above the drain plug and 7/8” below the top of the oil filler hole
11/4 pint gives 31/4” of oil above the drain plug and level with the bottom of the oil filler hole.

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Hardly dare ask this question Robert, but what's your take on the modern equivalent of Mobiloil BB?

Might this be it? https://www.mobil.com/en/lubricants/for-...tra-oil-bb and this: https://petroleumservicecompany.com/mobil-dte-bb/

[Robert Foreman]

Colin, 
   I think you will find Mobiloil BB equates to SAE 30.

[John Mason]

Tony, I like the bit where it states for use where leaks are unavoidable.

John Mason.

[Andy Bennett]

I also love the honesty of the wording '...should be sufficient'.
You simply wouldn't get away with anything like that on anything these days. Everything must be specified to the nth degree and if you don't do it then a light will come on and our computer will know exactly what you did or didn't do.

[Chris Garner]

Similar, but different, Andy.
I have a '29 Morris Minor handbook somewhere showing, in the wheel and tyre car section, the front axle propped up on a pair of old house bricks!