How much of an oil leak is acceptable

[Pete Lewis]

if thats leaking the seal inside is shot.  next problem will be oil in the speedo head as it winds it way up the cable , and you get fast needle readings .

get it sorted quick before you invite anther headache 

 non overdrive speedo drive   body  0 rings  119099   and  end  seal   108757  used in a number of boxes 

eg  https://www.canleyclassics.com/triumph-herald-1200-gearbox/

Pete

[iana]

Thanks Pete, new seals ordered, guess I need to drain the gearbox to fit them? I’ll get the manual out and have a read.

[johny]

The non OD speedo drive is just about level with the oil fill plug so some oil should come out but if you have a 'bung' ready you can remove it without much spillage.... 

[iana]

I’m just thankful for all the help from the forum, I’d be totally lost without it. 

It’s a J type overdrive gearbox so I’m guessing I’ll need to drain a good litre or so out. Seals are on the way, along with a new gasket. I’m reliant on post now so hopefully I can start on Thursday. 

This issue now explains why the foam surround was covered in oil as since I’ve swapped the tunnel there’s nothing to soak the oil up. 

I’m just hoping it hasn’t reached the speedo - Pete is there a way of checking?

[Pete Lewis]

without removing the mechanism from its case  >....NO, but if its reading ok with no wild needle swigs accept its ok 

maybe pull the inner out and clean it off , graphite dust is best , i have a jar of non transposing grease  which 

smells awful, we hade to have on tachograph calibration , quite useless as we only fitted electronic ones 

no idea why ive kept some ...might be useful on day   if refitting inner just use a smear of normal grease , no oil

aha didnt remember what box you had ,  luckily the J has the same seal 

you will only get a cupfull spill out so have to  dont drain it  ( live in hope ) 

J type seal is  NKC105A as per rimmers  but canley list the std and J type as the same 108757   hope it all works 

its easy to pull the hsg.  out  only an 0 ring to make it stick    

Pete

 

[iana]

Pete thanks for the pointer, the speedo does fluctuate so it may ready have got to the speedo (but in fairness none of the Triumphs have had have had a totally stable speedo) I will get the cable out tomorrow as I doubt I'll get the parts delivery. Maybe time to invest in a gps speedo or a satnav with a speed function.

 

[Pete Lewis]

Most speedo twitch is due to  cable wind  up as its dry not oiled up

If you  get wild swings  then oil is  on the  drive disc , so its a hydraulic drag  drive not magnetic flux

Squirt on brake cleaner works ,  

A bit of lube on the main head bearing is useful as  with  old dried grease they  seize and snap the  drive cable inner 

Do make sure the angle drive has a 7/16"washer to space the drive away from the drive pinion or the angle will fail

Pete

 

[iana]

All the parts have arrived, I’ve stripped the speedo drive from the box and there was a fair amount of oil in there, I’ve cleaned it out best I can - I’m planning to leave overnight to drain, I’ve removed the drive cog and changed the 2 seals, I'll reconnect the cable tomorrow.

Ive taken the speedo cable out and wiped the inner cable, it was quite damp close to the angle drive but generally it was OK. The outer pvc casing is damaged so I thought Id order one at some point - how do I work out which cable fits? I'll measure the length whilst its out and take photos of the ends.

[iana]

Pete - I'm confused a with the washer size / position - on supplier Ang the drive comes with a copper coloured washer, another website shows 2 washers.

Are you just recommending the washer on just the gearbox side of the angle drive? And is it just a bog standard steel washer? (I was going to use a 17mm o/d  8mm i/d (is the i/d relevant?)

Whlist out on the test drive today the speedo seemed to fluctuate more than before - is there a simple solution to improve matters (I know it will never be perfect)

[Pete Lewis]

the washer is a BL service note and also on rimmers site . no washer no warranty  it just sits between the drive and the gearbox to space the drive out a little

any pre load on the drive input its very likely will break

whilst cables dont want any oil  a light smear of grease will help  , needle twitch is caused by wind up of the inner  and i dont think they are made like they used to be 

i have one and its too springy so a low speeds it flicks the needle as the head end tries to play catch up with the gearbox end

old trick and used on many gauges in the past was some thick silicon grease / gel  on the needle spindle bearing to damp out movements

 

[iana]

Thats tomorrows job sorted then, I have a steel washer that is 11.5mm i/d which is close to 7/16. Ill lightly grease the inner cable before refixing. Just hope the weather is better at the weekend so I can take it for a test drive.

Couldn't wait so I installed the washer, angle drive, greased the cable and took the car for a quick test drive before the weather turns. The speedo needle was fairly stable, better than before so I'm happy! I won't try the silicone grease / gel.

Thanks Pete.

Tomorrow I will put the tunnel and carpet back in.

[Pete Lewis]

and then get ready to take it out again    you know it sits out there and listens to you  so it can catch you out