Dennis :
A few 'sparklies' aren't necessarily a problem in a gearbox that's never
had the oil changed. They could however, indicate the layshaft has
started to fail, which will only be apparent if you disassemble the
gearbox. It's unfortunately a common problem with these, and if so, it
will continue to generate swarf that will wear out everything before the
ruined shaft causes the box to pop out of gear under load.
The lever on the RHS is the "solenoid adjustment" lever. It should have
a small hole in the end, which is supposed to match a hole in the case
when the solenoid is energized and properly adjusted. You should be
able to slide a 3/16" rod (or drill bit shank) through the lever into
the hole in the case. However, many people have reported that it's not
quite right, and the only accurate way to set the solenoid is by
removing the valve plug and measuring the valve ball movement. Works
for me, though.
I don't know the minimum speed for engagement, it depends on the state
of wear, etc. 300 rpm (idle in 2nd gear) should be plenty with no load.
BTW, Herman van den Akker rebuilds gearboxes and ODs. He's not cheap,
but does outstanding work. There was a write=up of his custom made test
stand in the TRSC newsletter a few years ago.
Randall
Dennis Lambert wrote:
>
> I have acquired an A-type OD tranny (early TR-6) in unknown working order.
> I have inspected the gears from the top, and all look OK. When I drained
> the oil, no lumps of metal came out, but I had a few very very small silver
> sparkles come out in the oil. Are these indicative of something grossly
> wrong, or is a little metal in the oil to be expected? The oil was very
> dirty, suggesting it had never been changed.
>
> There is a small (about 2") lever on the right hand (drivers) side of the OD
> unit; what is it for? I can't find reference to it in my manual.
>
> I plan on testing the OD this week by spinning the tranny with a drill
> motor. How fast do I have to turn the input shaft before I engage the
> solenoid? (Actually, I'll be doing engaging the actuating lever by hand, as
> the solenoid seems to be shot).
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