Gearbox oil change

[cliff.b]

Changed the Spitfires gearbox oil today and what came out was black. Gave it a stir with a magnet & quite a lot of very fine metal with a few slightly larger pieces, up to maybe 2mm.

Just wondering if this is typical or not?

[Clive]

Yes, big bits you should worry about, but fine stuff is normal, especially as they never usually get drained. 

Just refill with gl4 oil and all should be OK. Assuming nothing untoward before the oil change.

[cliff.b]

7 minutes ago, clive said:

Yes, big bits you should worry about, but fine stuff is normal, especially as they never usually get drained. 

Just refill with gl4 oil and all should be OK. Assuming nothing untoward before the oil change.

Ok, thanks. There were no specific problems but I had the car up doing something else and as I had no idea what was in there and how long it had been there I thought I would change it for an oil I knew was suitable. 

 

[johny]

If you post a picture of the bits someone might be able to diagnose whats happened and whether further action is required....

[cliff.b]

1 hour ago, johny said:

If you post a picture of the bits someone might be able to diagnose whats happened and whether further action is required....

Too late I'm afraid, all in my waste oil now.

I don't think anything would have been big enough to identify though.

[johny]

Pity as these gearboxes can go downhill pretty fast once they start and if not caught early it can be expensive☹️

[cliff.b]

6 minutes ago, johny said:

Pity as these gearboxes can go downhill pretty fast once they start and if not caught early it can be expensive☹️

I have fitted a magnetic drain plug so maybe I will drain it again after a while, see if it has picked anything up and take some pictures if significant.

[johny]

Not a bad idea at all....

[DVD3500]

In theory wouldn't a magnetic drain plug also keep the bits from going round the gearbox and causing more damage?

Or are they heavy enough that that really isn't an issue?

[cliff.b]

55 minutes ago, DVD3500 said:

In theory wouldn't a magnetic drain plug also keep the bits from going round the gearbox and causing more damage?

Or are they heavy enough that that really isn't an issue?

All the bits I saw stuck to my magnet when I "stirred" the used oil so I'm thinking they would probably have stuck to a magnet on the drain plug if it had been fitted at the time. Most of the metal was fairly fine so obviously better if that is not free to move about.  

[68vitesse]

If overdrive fitted quite a bit of oil will remain so a couple of drains not a bad idea.

Had a couple of teeth break off third gear on the cluster, held by magnetic drain plug untill I got home.

Needed replacement cluster and third gear only.

Regards

Paul

[cliff.b]

2 hours ago, 68vitesse said:

If overdrive fitted quite a bit of oil will remain so a couple of drains not a bad idea.

Had a couple of teeth break off third gear on the cluster, held by magnetic drain plug untill I got home.

Needed replacement cluster and third gear only.

Regards

Paul

No overdrive but useful to hear your experience which suggests to me that the magnetic plug is probably worth fitting. 

[Colin Lindsay]

Yeah, mon. I'll agree.

 

[Paul H]

Best price I found was Canleys 

https://www.canleyclassics.com

part no 155660 

Paul 

 

[cliff.b]

2 hours ago, Colin Lindsay said:

Yeah, mon. I'll agree.

 

Ha ha. Those bits look a lot bigger than the stuff I found. Was the gearbox still actually working ok with all that metal "missing"?

[daverclasper]

Colin's look like big bit's though , I always have that same Xmas tree effect and it's very fine particles, like a sludge.

[PeteH]

Hi

Strange they don`t seem to fit them to engines and gearboxes anymore. My (almost) modern `56plate 107 has neither?. All my "old" Fords had one. Dad`s Old Hillman had one. What is different?, OK oil has changed, it`s allegedly formulated to carry the crap in suspension, and (I assume) lose it in the Filter?. Non Ferrous wont be caught of course.

Pete

[Colin Lindsay]

1 hour ago, cliff.b said:

Ha ha. Those bits look a lot bigger than the stuff I found. Was the gearbox still actually working ok with all that metal "missing"?

Yes, that was my Mk1 box when first bought but seemed to be running fine. I changed to an Overdrive box within two years and that box went off to Kenya for some exotic rally, so I never found out how it performed.