[Overdrive]

Thanks for all  the technical advice on the Forum. I have checked my records and the overdrive was rebuilt by Od Spares and has only covered 20k miles in ten years

I have just watched the weather forecast on BBC and it looks like wet and colder until Christmas. Unless it changes I will leave the TR3 in the garage until we have a dry couple of days. Then I will give it a proper run.

Thanks Richard & B

PS I must fit the Antifreeze

[Overdrive]

Thanks for the answers. If it is dry over the week end I will try a longer run. Should it be fast or regular ??

On Monday I am planning to order more oil from Opie Oils.. I am using Dynalite  Gear 40. On the label it says  "  It is non-hypoid & non-friction modified gear oil , safe with bronze, copper and  brass.Safe for overdrive and pre-selector units "

Is there a better gear box oil ?

Please send any recommendations.

Richard & H

[Overdrive]

The rain keeps me in the house. 

[Overdrive]

Thanks for the advice. I have put more oil in this morning and it is now on the dipstick above the low mark. I have to drive it tomorrow when there is no rain, and I need to know how far to go before the overdrive will connect. I do remember doing this last time , years ago . when I had new oil but am not sure of the approximate distance.

Please let me know

Thanks Richard & B

[Overdrive]

Thanks for the help.

This morning I added 100 ml and there is something on the dip stick but the oil is so clean that is hard to read accurately. So this afternoon I am driving the TR to the Post Office to send some Christmas cards. It is about 6 miles round trip and I will try the overdrive on the way back and read the dipstick back at home , when the oil should have some colour.

After Christmas it is RB106 replacement unless the winter weather starts properly.

Richard & B

[Overdrive]

I have topped up the gearbox oil and left it overnight to settle down.  My portable oil pump looks like a mastic gun. As you open it the oil is sucked in and when the trigger is pumped the oil is discharged. There is a scale on the side of the clear plastic tube  which showed 200 ml of oil in the pump This morning I checked the dipstick. I tried three times and there was a very small trace on the end of the dipstick but no oil near the two level indicators. I am keen to get the oil level higher and need some advice on how much to inject into the gearbox to get a level that shows easily on the dipstick.

Any advice would be very useful.

Thanks Richard & B

[We Buy Any Car (WBAC)]

Very useful report. 

Thanks Richard & B

[Overdrive]

Thanks Bob,

I remember that I had a purpose made spanner to allow removal of the plug. But it will take a long time to find it in the garage and then I have to lie in a muddy puddle to use it. So I tempted to try topping up with small amounts of Gear Oil. If I go over the top mark on the dipstick would it give me problems with the clutch etc.

I am keen to fix the problem but the weather is bad today.

Thanks Richard & B

[Overdrive]

The weather is Sussex is fine and with no rain I managed to pull the carpet out of the 3A and have a check on the oil level in the gearbox. The dipstick does not line up well  with the access hole in the tunnel. However once it was out it looked as if  there was no oil on the end at all.   I cleaned it up using kitchen paper and tried again. It did not look as if  there was any level near the lines on the dipstick. I tried a third time and tried the dipstick cleaning along my left hand and there was no oil.

So I still have the tool to get oil in the gearbox. How should I measure the amount required to get a reading on the dipstick in a correct place.??

I am leaving now  , 13.30 , to walk my dog in the sun across the local fields.

Please let me know Richard & B

[Overdrive]

It is looking like tomorrow morning in the garage. I plan to check the oil level and top up if necessary. I have just checked the storage shelves and at the moment I have two half used cans of Dynalite 40 gear oil . Would this be OK for the gearbox ? What would be the best oil if I plan to drain the whole gearbox and refill.

 Hoping for a no rain day ??

Thanks Richard & B 

 

 

 

 

[Overdrive]

I took my TR3A out yesterday for a local run, to warm up the engine before antifreeze replacement. The engine started well after 2 weeks of rest and it was all going well until I tried the overdrive. It did not connect.  This was disappointing. The gearbox and the overdrive have been overhauled by well know specialists  and only a few thousand miles use in the last few years.

I tried again this morning in case it was the cold weather. It was the same. When I got home, I  tried it in the garden with the engine not running and there is a loud click below the Relay. So it looks as if the solenoid is working. I need some advice on what to do next without removing the gearbox tunnel. Is there any special short cut to find the problem and repair it. It looks to be impossible to remove the cover plate on the solenoid housing without having full access.

Please help.

Richard & B

[Replacement RB106]

Thanks Rob. 

It is colder in the garage and garden. I will give it a try when the weather warms up. Does one of the yellow wires to terminal D have a trace colour ?

I am older now and the garage does not have the same appeal when  it is cold and dark, and there is Ice. Back out there soon.

Richard & B 

[Replacement RB106]

I now have a new Regulator and need to confirm the colours of the connections. I have asked this before but the answers have gone AWOL. My first connections are for points A and D. My old loom has brown cables in the loom. What are the correct colours and identification for these two points. Would it be best to solder the cable on to the blade connector or will cramping be long life.

Please let me have a clear answer to the colours.

Thanks Richard & B

[Bluecol Antifreeze]

Here in East Sussex  today there is ice on the cars parked outside. The TR3 is inside a garage and I need to add antifreeze to my winter maintenance list.

I have a can of BLUECOL blue which I hope is the correct type for my 1958 car. The label says that it conforms to BS6580  (2010). I am sure that it is correct for my car but I would like some advice from the forum before I flush and refill my radiator. There is also some choice on the quantity. 25%, 33%, or 50% . How much coolant is in the car at present ?

What would be the best way to flush the radiator to make sure that it is cleaned up inside,  and what would be a safe product ??

Thanks Richard & B

 

[Bomb Type Starter?]

My TR3A is 1958 with o/d and original gearbox.  I fitted a special new starter from Cambridge Motorsport and it has worked very well.  I made a small access panel in the gearbox cover to make access to the top bolt easy. I have got to the point where I am no longer nervous when starting the engine. This is a very unusual position. 

I have other problems  but the starter is in good working order.

Richard & B

[Body shims]

My A post on my TR3A has an extra fixing bolt. I found that the weight of the door was moving the top of the A post and the door was a bad fit.

I have fitted a countersunk bolt about 6" long. It is fitted through the top hinge next to the four original bolts. but is flush with the face of the hinge. The bulkhead sealer panel was removed at this point and only refitted when the adjustments and painting was completed. There is a right angle  bracket bolted to the bulkhead assembly but hidden in the body cavity. The new bolt passes through the hinge into the cavity and then through the short leg of the new  bracket. There is a self locking nut on the front side of the right angle bracket , accessible from a new round hole in the wheel arch which was cut to allow a socket wrench to have access and adjust the self locking nut. This new hole has a rubber flap to keep rain and splashes out of the body cavity.There is also a rubber drain pipe on the end of the original hidden drain channel to help the rain  keep away from the inside of the wing. All TR3 front wings rust in the lower front part when the owners used to keep the cars outside in all weather in the sixties and seventies and later.  

The doors at this point have good clearance over the sills and close well. But the top edge is not perfectly in line with the top of the B post. That was the point where I stopped and had the car painted. 

My chassis was in very good condition but that is another story.

Good luck Richard & B

[Bonnet hinges]

Hi Peter,

Yes it is that one and I am interested in a new one. This afternoon I tried a new bolt with the head cut off and it did manage to find a way of staying in position although only 50% of the thread is still sharp in the hinge part. I also found some Loctite in my indoor cupboard. It is a two pack glue and very difficult to make the hardener move out of the syringe. I managed a small supply and mixed it all together. The instructions say that I only have 30 seconds to fit the parts together. 

So there is some Sunday excitement in the kitchen and I will check the hinge tomorrow morning so see if it has any strength.

If you can find a NOS hinge then I am interested.

Thanks Richard & B

[Bonnet hinges]

Has anyone used Loctite Super Epoxy resin and will it hold my hinge fixing in the main part ?  Please let me know if you have had any good repairs.

Thanks Richard & B

[Bonnet hinges]

Hi,

I have spent a long time lining up the bonnet my TR3A  and making the Dzus fasteners work easily. I got to a good result on all fronts except the hinges.

The RHS has two studs that fit through the scuttle. The one nearest to the windscreen does not have a lot of the hinge material for a fixing. It has come out after fitting the hinge was finished and the bonnet aligned. So now I need some advice from the TR forum. What is the best way to fix it back in ?  I am thinking that special adhesive would work but I need someone who has had success to recommend the best product. It is a small hole and only a limited contact with the stud.

Please advise me on a quality glue that will retain the stud after it has been tightened and the bonnet is working. It began to get cold at 3.30 so I am back on the laptop.

Thanks Richard & B

[Classic Le Mans]

Hi,

I am trying to organise next summer. My son wants to go to the Interclub Meeting at Malvern 28/30 June in Malvern. I am very interested in that week-end but he is also suggesting Classic Le Mans. I have done a short Google search and a Dutch TR club suggest that there is some French activity in 2024

Has anyone done some better homework than I have. Please let me know and I can start saving up.

Richard & B

[Dzus bonnet fastener anchor bracket]

Yesterday I was out in the garage for a long time and managed to make the Dzus fastener on the drivers side fit very smoothly.  I took the retaining spring washer off the Dzus and then I could see the bracket. I then managed to line it up so that the Dzus would slide in easily. I made some special rubber mountings and with a clear view it was possible to fix the bracket in the best place. So now I need to replace the spring clip on the Dzus. Is there a way to repair the profile of the  retaining  washer with a small ball point hammer?

Of course this success makes for more problems. I will be on the other side soon which was OK before the new success.  I hope that I can make it as good as the RHS

Thanks 

Richard & B

[VW indicator light]

The inside of the wing mirror is small and it is almost impossible to use any tools other than a Screwdriver. I will try with some small pliers next and  I have put some penetrating oil and will be out there in a day or two. If it gets colder I will have to wait until the MOT which is due at the end of January. But I don't want to waste Christmas worrying about the VW.

Thanks for the help so far

Richard & B

[VW indicator light]

Thanks for the reply. I will be out in the garage this afternoon when the weathers more friendly. Where can I buy two small screws ??

Richard & B

[VW indicator light]

Thanks for the reply. The screws have rusted so that the Torx driver has no grip at all.  There is np room for any pliers etc. I can get the drill in on one side but the second screw is hard to reach. 

I could destroy the light fitting but that might cause more damage. If I am successful where can I buy two small screws that would fit into the new plastic indicator light ?

Is there a VW forum ??

Richard & B.

[VW indicator light]

My Passat has a light in the wing mirror on the LHS. I need to take it out and fit a new one. The existing has two small screws which hold it in place. They are rusted up and the Torx screwdriver will not turn them. 

I need some help from the forum Please

Richard & B