I'm Having a gearbox panic !!

[cornishtvr]

My First s2 and i love it ! the weathers getting colder down here in sunny cornwall so i moved my tvr into the barn this morning, only trouble was that it was grinding getting into reverse !! i woundered if it was because the automatic choke was reving the engine a bit higher hence the grinding so i let it warm up and it seemed to ease. i took it for a test drive to try and pinpoint the problem and it seems to reappear occationally with not much ryhme or reason ! all the gears engauge easily, is there a systematic method of determining where the problem lyes ?

[S3DaveP]

Hi, Try selecting 3rd or 4th gear before trying reverse, that used to work on my S3

Dave

[mep12345]

Also check the clutch hydraulic fluid levels - reverse seems to be the first gear affected if the clutch is not engaging correctly

HTH

Mark

[cornishtvr]

thanks guys, just been out to try and and get to the bottom of the problem, can you tell me if the clutch and brake system share the same reseviour ? also i cant see a fluid level mark, it looks a bit on the low side but nothing obvious ! my gut tells me its a problem here rather then the gearbox ?

[Spathodus77]

I always go into reverse via second otherwise car gives out a nasty sounding clunk...

Ralph

[phillpot]

mep12345 said:

clutch is not engaging correctly

Dis-engaging ?

Clutch fluid reservoir is seperate from brakes, its the little alluminium pot with a white plastic or metal lid on the bulkhead. level should be about half inch from top, its not too critical aslong as there is some in there.

[mikel003003]

hi jes, mine is always a bit tricky to get in reverse and goes in with a bit of a clunck next time we both get 5 come over and compaire

[Gerald-TVR]

mikel003003 said:

mine is always a bit tricky to get in reverse

but normally when its cold once warmed up then no problems. In and out of second/third also helps

Norman

[cornishtvr]

Gerald , why does it matter if its warmed up ? i had a look at the master and slave cylinder and there seems to be no external signs of leaks, i guess it doesnt rule out the seals going on one of the cylinders. i also had a look at the resevour and its quite full, can old hydrolic fliud be causing the problem perhaps ?

[mep12345]

phillpot said:

mep12345 said:

clutch is not engaging correctly

Dis-engaging ?

Thanks Mike Glass of wine is my excuse

[Gerald-TVR]

cornishtvr said:

why does it matter if its warmed up ?

cold oil = thick and sticky

[tubbystu]

I thought everybody went 2nd to reverse.

Is it the same gearbox in the V6 as the V8 ?

[cornishtvr]

why go from second or fourth from to reverse, is it to do with syncro mesh ?

[v8s4me]

Has this only started happening since the weather got colder? If you tried all of the above and there's no difference try a different oil. I put a semi-synthetic in my V8S box and it's made a huge differrence - it now works in cold weather for one thing! I've heard MTF 94 works well in the S3 box. Just Google MTF 94 for more info.

[cornishtvr]

its certainly seems to have happenend with the temperture drop, ill try a change of oil in the gearbox see what happens !, i think the hydrolic fluid is old as well so change that to!

[S3DaveP]

Going into one of the forward gears first stops the gearbox internals from spinning, and yes its to do with the syncromesh....try it and let us know if it helps?
Also starting it with the clutch fully depressed can help too.

[cornishtvr]

Yep that helps , does it mean my gear box is on the way out or is it a characteristic of this particular type of box ?

[S3DaveP]

It was normal for the 8 years i owned my S3 for, on the move the gearbox was fine, it was always notchy when cold and took a few miles to warm up especially this weather.
If it drives Ok when hot then you have nothing to worry about.

[Gerald-TVR]

S3DaveP said:

It was normal for the 8 years i owned my S3 for, on the move the gearbox was fine, it was always notchy when cold and took a few miles to warm up especially this weather.
If it drives Ok when hot then you have nothing to worry about.

^+1

[ketvrin]

Gerald-TVR said:

S3DaveP said:

It was normal for the 8 years i owned my S3 for, on the move the gearbox was fine, it was always notchy when cold and took a few miles to warm up especially this weather.
If it drives Ok when hot then you have nothing to worry about.

^+1

^+2

K