[Healeys] Overdrive problem

Dave Russell rusd at sitestar.net
Tue Sep 18 09:38:08 MDT 2007


It happens sometimes. The cone clutch is disengaged from the OD position 
by a set of springs. It's engaged by hydraulic pressure. If the clutch 
facing gets worn or the springs become weak, the clutch may stick in the 
OD position. Some folks have been able to release the stuck clutch by 
rapping the OD housing with a lead hammer.

As was said, clearing the bleed hole in the operating valve might also 
cure the problem, it's easy to check. If not, it may be time for a 
general rebuild & new release springs.

Dave Russell

sbyers at ec.rr.com wrote:

>Hello, Healeyphiles -
>
>My BJ8 has developed a problem in the overdrive, and I would like to survey the wisdom of the list before getting too deeply into troubleshooting.
>
>The overdrive is failing to disengage SOMETIMES when I turn it off, although when stuck it will disengage itself after some delay (minutes, hours, or days) after I switch off the engine.   Overdrive engagement is normal and immediate whenever I turn on the dash switch in 3rd or 4th gear.  The complete history of this intermittent problem is too long to relate here, but when it occurs the car cannot be pushed backwards in neutral, and it will eventually clear itself.  With the Lempert diff and stuck in overdrive, the car becomes very sluggish to move away from a stop in first gear.
>
>Any ideas, or anyone else had this problem?
>
>Thanks,
>Steve Byers
>HBJ8L/36666
>BJ8 Registry
>Havelock, NC  USA


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