More Monaro Problems

[Yanayaya]

On the 3rd November I posted this thread about my power steering in the Monaro ( http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a... ) I'm sad to say that this wasn't isolated and the car needed another top up at the weekend. I can't see any signs of leaking in or around the power steering pump itself not the attached pipework so I'm speculating that it must be the rack that's at fault. I will try to inspect this myself in the next couple of days however I'm not looking forward to the results.

I hope I'm not becoming overly paranoid but I have noticed my transmission is also becoming noisy. Just whining a bit especially when in higher gears. I have seen posts about spigot bearings being an issue but I don't want to blow this out of proportion as I have no evidence that anything is actually wrong but it's a noticeable audible amount of noise coming from the gearbox. Is there anything I can do to investigate this?

I also got a hefty thump from the diff this weekend which although we've spoken in the past and we know that it's a common noise, this was a lot louder than previous times and was wondering if there is something I should be doing or looking into, people outside the car noticed?

I'm considering popping the car into the garage to have things investigated as there are a few niggling items as you can see and I'm not 100% sure where to start with them.

[S800VXR]

As a starter get the g box oil changed and then renew the diff oil and keep adding friction modifier till it runs smooth.

Dont for god sake let anyone who does not know these cars service these items though!

[mailer555]

S800VXR said:

As a starter get the g box oil changed and then renew the diff oil and keep adding friction modifier till it runs smooth.

Dont for god sake let anyone who does not know these cars service these items though!

just out of curiosity, why not, whats the complication?

[vxr2010]

I agree with the idea of going to some where you know to service it , I always use MF , the noises are more than likely totally normal , gearboxes wine all three I have had did and I never got any issues , diffs clunk , if drive train is doing its job then don't worry , if you want some one to listen to it go to MF if you are local and ask them , rack wise I would expect failure is less likely but never impossible , look at the positive if it's the rack put a peddlars one on its not silly money and car drives a lot better

[Yanayaya]

S800VXR said:

As a starter get the g box oil changed and then renew the diff oil and keep adding friction modifier till it runs smooth.

Dont for god sake let anyone who does not know these cars service these items though!

Thanks for the advice but I'd also like to know about the complications with servicing these items that my chosen garage might struggle with.
I'm nowhere near Monkfish Performance which really frustrates me (8 Hours and 13 Minutes away to be precise) I'm in Aberdeen However there are a couple of very good performance vehicle garages in my area which is why I'm asking about possible complications based on what you said.

vxr2010 said:

I agree with the idea of going to some where you know to service it , I always use MF , the noises are more than likely totally normal , gearboxes wine all three I have had did and I never got any issues , diffs clunk , if drive train is doing its job then don't worry , if you want some one to listen to it go to MF if you are local and ask them , rack wise I would expect failure is less likely but never impossible , look at the positive if it's the rack put a peddlars one on its not silly money and car drives a lot better

I agree that gearboxes whine and I think I'm just being a little bit precious to be honest. That said with a clutch change approaching next year would it be worth investigating and replacing the spigot bearing or is that a massive job? It just seems that whilst the gearbox was off the car I should get as much work done as possible.

I've seen the Pedders racks and I'd very much like one so I'll keep that in mind, if it's a simple fix for the current one I'll see about resolving that first.

I was hoping that changing the diff oil and the gearbox oil was something I could just do myself, after all the oils required are all available from MF and I change the diff oil and gearbox oil on my Cavalier Turbo myself but again I may not be fully aware of the specifics of the Monaro.

[throwyourbike]

The gearbox in my Ro has made whirring noises on and off since I bought the car almost three years ago. 25k miles later and it's still running, never got any worse.

[VinceM]

PAS fluid leaks may not be visible from the top of the engine you might need to look underneath, to see if any pipes have corroded (ie from rack to cooler perhaps). If you change the rack the alignment will also need to be done.

If the gearbox is out it is advisable to change the spigot bearing and slave cylinder at the same time and also fit a remote bleed valve for the clutch fluid. It might also be prudent to change the rear main oil seal, and you'll likely need to renew the flywheel bolts too.

Gearbox oil change made a world of difference on mine although it didn't really stop the whirring noises. It has been fine under my ownership for the last 18 months or so.

[vxr2010]

Diff and gearbox oil are easy enough to do , you should order some friction modifier if that's the right name , I used normal fill hole on the gearbox , and standard fluid others may do otherwise , as you are so far away from MF I'm sure other people use one more local to you

[jameshsv]

Castrol syntrax in my diff and coma plus atf in gearbox

[SturdyHSV]

According to the yanks the gearbox fill hole isn't high enough, and you need to fill it to there then top it up with x amount via a higher hole.

I forget where though and how much...

I'm sure if true monkfish can five you exact instructions

[VinceM]

Extra half a litre or so in the reverse switch hole.

[granjuiceymoose]

Yanayaya said:

That said with a clutch change approaching next year would it be worth investigating and replacing the spigot bearing or is that a massive job? It just seems that whilst the gearbox was off the car I should get as much work done as possible.

Im sure someone more knowledgeable than me will be along shortly but I believe the spigot bearing is only a £30 item and with the gearbox/clutch out is a very simple change, so is definitely worth doing without a doubt. New clutch and spigot bearing is on my list for next year.

[S800VXR]

Use a good local bod but make sure they use the right oil and use the right friction modifier in the diff. All should be well then.

On my old Ro I left the diff a little clunky at slow speed as its seemed to work better that way when used hard as a true LSD.

[monkfish1]

VinceM said:

Extra half a litre or so in the reverse switch hole.

Monaro ONLY.

[Kieranrob]

Yanayaya I use to use Clark motorsport when I had the Monaro and I had my clutch, spigot bearing and slave cylinder done there with no problems.

[Kieranrob]

Also my diff used to clunk a lot when pulling away and some friction modifier from Monkfish quietened it down.

[Yanayaya]

Thanks for the comments, this is a massive help to me. I have a local garage in mind who I think may be able to help me with the cars smaller issues so I will give them an opportunity to give me their comments on where the leak is coming from (assuming I don't find it at the weekend of course).

In terms of the noises from transmission it looks like there would be a massive benefit in changing the oils out. I'd rather do that job over the summer months but I'm not in a position to choose at the moment

Looking at the Monkfish website there are plenty of fluids available to buy from them. Can anyone advise me of the litre capacities of the gearbox, diff and engine please? Just so I can ensure I purchase the correct amounts.

Differential Oils
- Friction Modifier 0.118 Litres
- Royal Purple Max Gear Oil 75w140 1 Quart Bottle

Gearbox Oil
- Royal Purple Synchromax Oil 1 Quart Bottle

[monkfish1]

Yanayaya said:

Thanks for the comments, this is a massive help to me. I have a local garage in mind who I think may be able to help me with the cars smaller issues so I will give them an opportunity to give me their comments on where the leak is coming from (assuming I don't find it at the weekend of course).

In terms of the noises from transmission it looks like there would be a massive benefit in changing the oils out. I'd rather do that job over the summer months but I'm not in a position to choose at the moment

Looking at the Monkfish website there are plenty of fluids available to buy from them. Can anyone advise me of the litre capacities of the gearbox, diff and engine please? Just so I can ensure I purchase the correct amounts.

Differential Oils
- Friction Modifier 0.118 Litres
- Royal Purple Max Gear Oil 75w140 1 Quart Bottle

Gearbox Oil
- Royal Purple Synchromax Oil 1 Quart Bottle

2 bottles for the diff. You probably wont need the modifier. 5 bottles for the gearbox with a bit left over. Engine is 6.2 litres.

[Yanayaya]

monkfish1 said:

2 bottles for the diff. You probably wont need the modifier. 5 bottles for the gearbox with a bit left over. Engine is 6.2 litres.

If the modifier helps then I'd like to include it, just to make sure I give the diff the best care it can get. Although not needed would you recommend?

[monkfish1]

Yanayaya said:

If the modifier helps then I'd like to include it, just to make sure I give the diff the best care it can get. Although not needed would you recommend?

To much modifier will mean your LSD doesn't lock up at all. Nice and queit, but not much use in getting power to the road. The diff oil has a modifier blend in it already that is usually enough to make it work properly. Sometimes on higher mileage diff they need a little extra.