Hi,
Yesterday, Geoff (G.W.) Nichols <nicholsg@bnr.ca> wrote:
> Subject: Nasty engine vibration in Alpine
>
> Greetings!
>
> When I got my Alpine back on the road, I couldn't help but
> notice the HEAVY vibration exhibited by the engine/transmission.
> This vibration happens when the car is parked but it can be greatly
> reduced by depressing and releasing the clutch a few times. When
> I am driving, the vibration is reduces significantly. I can see that
> the problem is related to the clutch, but what part of the clutch
> could cause the unbalance/vibration??
>
> Anbody care to speculate?
>
I'm not sure about Alpines, but TR's and some Fords I've
worked on have a little phosphor bronze bearing that fits in
the tail of the crankshaft. When you mate the gearbox to the
engine, the gearbox primary shaft passes through the centre of
the clutch plate and ends up being supported by this bearing.
If you leave the bearing out (easy in the heat of the moment)
then the primary shaft is unsupported, and can be off-centre
by as much as the play in the gearbox front bearing will allow.
BIG vibration follows on a TR, which goes away temporarily if
you push the clutch out and just happen to re-engage it while
the primary shaft is central. This sounds awfully like your
problem. If so, don't forget to soak the new bearing overnight
in warm engine oil before fitting it. This is the only
lubrication it gets for a lifetime of use...
On another subject, Jerome Kaidor <jkaidor@synoptics.com> wrote:
> Subject: Grease
>
> Hi!
>
> So, my fellow SOLs, what kind of grease might have been put into
> a TR4 rear axle bearing when it was new? The factory shop manual
> is no help: it lists the grease by long-dead brand-specific names.
> Something like "Duckhams super-glop 100" doesn't tell me much.
>
> ...
>
> General-Purpose Lithium grease
>
This is the one you want. As a quick visual check, the traces of
old grease in your TR4 axle should be a creamy light brown, unless
loads of dirt got in there. If it's a grey colour, probably it
has been greased in the past with a lithium/molybdenum grease.
Either is OK, but the non-molybdenum grease generally has a higher
melting point and stays in the bearing longer. The molybdenum
prevents seizing better, but tends to vanish in less than the
normal service interval, I find. The sodium and aluminium
greases are not in normal automotive use in the UK, so you're
pretty safe with a lithium base.
Good luck,
Bill
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