handy hint for gear changing
when changing the gears, the top shaft stays in the trans. Hence, the gear cluster has a tendency to fall out in a pile. Very intimidating when changing gears for the first time.
I use a 16" or so length of 1" pvc placed like an extension of the top shaft when withdrawing the rear carrier. That way the gears, bearings, dog rings, and spacers slide on to the pvc rather than dump out on the floor.
Also, have a large (14-16") circular pan placed under the rear of the trans after the oil has drained, to catch remaining oil & use as a place to put the gear carrier & new gearsets for reassembly. you do not have to buy the $50 version from suppliers, just use a pizza pan.
Thanks Craig---
Shep: Pay attention to what he says, he is the main gear man!
Hewland consumables/questions...
I really recommend a stand for the rear carrier so that it can rest firmly upright in the tray. I made one but they are available for those that don't have metal working tendancies.
you can double check the thrust clearance on the main shaft, which is set by a shim washer at the pinion bearing end, by assembling all of the gears on the main shaft and installing without the layshaft. Snug up the nuts on several of the main case studs and then you can stick your finger in to wiggle top gear. It should have about .008" of float, but you can easily see if there is too little clearance (it won't turn) or get a feel for if it has way too much clearance - it slides forward and back with excess float. I had one box that for some odd reason needed almost .080" of shim to get correct end float - with the shim missing (the way the box came back from a re-build) the dog ring couldn't engage top gear. Very tricky problem to find.
Questions: I always have used a 1 5/16" socket to take off the main and lay shaft nuts. Went to help out a friend this weekend and found that his gearbox (late Mk9 it looked like, on the back of a 86 Van Diemen) had a 1 1/4" nut set. What's up with that?
Is there a good fix for a worn out upper drain plug hole? Mine has had so much use that the plug now threads way too far in. I have thought of re-tapping to the next larger size but is there a clever fix?
Thanks, Brian