D-type OD filter access

[Waynebaby]

Hi All,

 

Perhaps someone can save me needlessly jacking up my Mk3 GT6 and grovelling on the garage floor? Is it possible to access and remove the OD oil filter with the overdrive fitted to the car and if so is this best done from below or from above?

 

Cheers

 

Wayne

[Pete Lewis]

 D  type, its tunnel out   as the filter plate is above the chassis rails

 

 the filter is on the passenger side , under a square plate,  inside is the gauze filter and up to 3 plastic 

magnetic rings which need a wipe to clean the gunge off them.

 

as the  tunnels out check the lever movement under the plate by the solenoid, energise the solenoid, in the lever is a 3/16" hole  this needs to line up with a similar hole in the case , use a drill shank as a gauge, 

 

 

Pete

[Waynebaby]

B**gger,

 

Taking out the tunnel has to one of my least favourite jobs! I noticed that the OD was slipping out of engagement under load when driving during the recent hot weather. The oil level is OK (checked via an access hatch specifically installed to avoid taking out the wretched tunnel) and so my next thought was to see if the OD filter was sufficiently blocked to be reducing the oil pressure as well as looking for signs of cone clutch lining material in the filter. Your advice has convinced me to try to live with it until the end of the season and add it to the growing list of things to keep me busy in a freezing cold garage this coming winter. 

 

Cheers Pete

 

Wayne

[Pete Lewis]

Another thing to check whilst youre in the mood ( however cold it is) on top of the od housing is a

plug which holds a small ball and spring inside is a tubular spool valve which gets lifted by the lever on the solenoid side, it has a tiny hole down its centre, it can get blocked this causes slow or non operations

 

but its still tunnel off Ha !

 

pete

[Waynebaby]

I bit the bullet and took off the tunnel to get at the OD filter and found a pile of what looks like Old Holborn ready-rub in the filter basket. I've cleaned everything and put it back together but I suspect that the cone clutch is on the way out. Needless to say the OD switch didn't work after I'd put everything back in the car, rendering the whole thing a useless academic exercise. I think I've got a broken wire somewhere (knew I shouldn't have taken the tunnel off!)

 

Wayne

[Pete Lewis]

If tunnel is still off remove the cover in front of the solenoid, inside is a small lever pulled by the sol.

in the lever isna 3/16" hole, when sol. Is engaged the hole in the lever aligns with a similar hole in the main case, use drill as a alignment checking bar.

 

solenoids have two coils the pull in takes about 10amps , when in theres a switch in end of the sol. Which

Engages thebbolding coil at 0.5amps

some switches can be checkec and cleaned some are solid state and not diy accessible

 

if you take the sol. Off refit with allen ken socket cap screws make future removal easy

 

make sure the sol. Core oslides easy and check the small hole in the top spool valve

 

that debris is from wear and tear but may be from many years of never been cleaned

dont read too much into whats been found until after all pther checks

[Waynebaby]

Hi Pete,

 

I did as you advised before putting the cover back on and checked the alignment of the operating lever (it was OK)  but lost my nerve when it came to extracting the operating valve itself. I traced the cause of the inoperative OD switch to a continuity fault with one of the wires that had got trapped between the gear lever and the rubber gaiter. When the monsoon abates I'll take the car for a run and see if the OD clutch is still slipping under load now that the filter is cleaner.

 

PS: I found out the hard way that you need to drain the gearbox before removing the OD filter cover!!

 

Wayne 

[Pete Lewis]

Leaving out the less obvious is always a good surprise ,

we all learn from the errors of our ways

keep at it all will come good.......one day

 

the top valve plug is easy , maybe over tighend, , with care to catch remove the ball and spring as you lift the cap

 

then just pull the little spool up and give it a prod with some old fuse wire or a good blow to check its

hole down the centre is clear

add it to the to do list .

[Waynebaby]

Good news and bad news.

 

The good news is that with the clean O/D filter in-situ the O/D actuation is now much quicker than the previous "count to four - thud" operation.

The bad news is that when the transmission gets warm the O/D clutch still slips under load.

Other bad news is that the wretched wiring in the gear lever is giving me electric shocks again, so the wiring insulation has got chafed somewhere (again) This has got me thinking about fitting a Mk1/2 switch on the steering column to get rid of the problem once and for all. Has anybody on the forum done this? It looks like relatively a simple thing to do with all the necessary bits being available from the usual suppliers.

 

Wayne 

[Pete Lewis]

Yes we fitted a column switch into a new column cowling. The long stalk lucas switch can be silly money..

 

just run the wires to where ever the relay is fitted.

 

if you rewire the gear lever use silicon wire its more flexible and takes the heat (try maplins or others)

 

If youre getting shocks the wiring has broken , I would sort that before you do any other work.

[AidanT]

I did it over the winter period as I could not keep the switch cap in place on the gear switch It's a gearbox cover off job but the wiring is very simple and you do need a new cowel as Pete says. Some switches are better than others to, mine at the moment is too loose to my mind It also takes time getting used to the change.

 

 

Aidan

[Pete Lewis]

not original but there simple toggle switches about with a long lever some even light up ...so you know if  in or out 

mount them under the dash on a support 

 

more original ..........

cowls are about , cant remember where i got mine from , file went with the car and so did the memory  ha !

 

rimers show 

 

https://www.rimmerbros.co.uk/Item--i-611974

 

https://www.rimmerbros.co.uk/Item--i-147280

[Waynebaby]

Thanks Pete,

 

i remembered I had a spare gear-lever loom in a drawer and figured that since I had it I may as well use it, so I've spent the morning fitting that. The usual after market faffing was required: the loom was about 6" too short (unlike the previous one from the same supplier), the bullet connectors were the wrong gender and the shrink wrapping at the gear lever end needed to be trimmed back to make the wires protruding from the stick short enough to fit the switch without them being bent back and broken. Other than that the spare part was perfect!! 

 

I may still go down the route of removing the continuity problem and moving to a dash or column mounted switch. I used to have a Scimitar with a simple toggle switch on the RHS of the dash which was OK until you wore gloves in winter and then my knuckles would catch it.  Canleys do an Mk1/2 escutcheon but it looks as if only Rimmers have all the bits to do the full job of swapping to a column mounted switch.

 

Either way I think I'll get the bits in and add it to the list of things to do the next time the tunnel is off. At the present rate I need to make sure I have all the bits by next week!

 

Wayne

[Gully]

Thanks Pete,

 

i remembered I had a spare gear-lever loom in a drawer and figured that since I had it I may as well use it, so I've spent the morning fitting that. The usual after market faffing was required: the loom was about 6" too short (unlike the previous one from the same supplier), the bullet connectors were the wrong gender and the shrink wrapping at the gear lever end needed to be trimmed back to make the wires protruding from the stick short enough to fit the switch without them being bent back and broken. Other than that the spare part was perfect!! 

 

 

Wayne

That's interesting - I bought a spare from Paddocks in amongst some other stuff and was surprised at how short it was - certainly considerably shorter than the current 'patched' one. The heat shrink is also a cut to fit / expose the contacts!

 

Gully