mdave Posted January 21, 2011 Report Share Posted January 21, 2011 Hi to all - new member here, with a 1963 TR4 surrey top. I enjoy driving my new acquisition, and am troubleshooting a problem I am having with "first gear crunches when selected - warm and hot" using great advice from this forum. As part of my investigations, I wish to top up / replace gearbox oil, but I see that my transmission seems to have different oil fill plug location and orientation - what appears to be the fillplug is on an angled boss at the rear of the housing, about halfway up on the left hand side (nearside), adjacent to the overdrive mounting face. I have not read of or seen this before. Is this the fill plug? I have attached an image (I hope) with the plug circled in red.... Any comments or advice appreciated! cheers Quote Link to post Share on other sites
TR 2100 Posted January 21, 2011 Report Share Posted January 21, 2011 (edited) Hi mdave Welcome to the Forum and TR motoring. An excellent choice of car! Oh yes, the filler plug is on the other side of the gearbox. It doubles as the oil level - fill it up to the hole. AlanR Edited January 21, 2011 by TR 2100 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Grahamgl Posted January 21, 2011 Report Share Posted January 21, 2011 Hi Mdave, The filler plug is on the passenger side of the gearbox. The plugs were originally square headed and can be a pain to remove as the corners can round over. There was some correspondence in TRaction a few months ago about filler plugs and replacement options. On my 4A I have a Racetorations fibre glass cover and have drilled the side of it to give access to the filler plug from inside the car. I found a suitably sized plastic "plug" to cover the hole that I had drilled. Gearbox filling is now a cinch. Graham Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mdave Posted January 22, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 22, 2011 Thanks Graham, Alan - I have solved my mystery - it is in fact a TR3 gearbox fitted to my TR4, with the oil fill via the dipstick on the top. That's why I couldn't find the filler plug... after guessing this, I searched images on the net for TR3 gearboxes, this further confirmed it visually, as mine has the characteristic flat oval surfaces on each side. cheers Dave Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ianc Posted January 22, 2011 Report Share Posted January 22, 2011 Dave, This means you won't have synchromesh on 1st gear, so be careful when engaging 1st gear: - when the car is stationary, pull the gear lever towards 2nd (to stop the gears spinning), then pop it into 1st - when the car is in motion, double de-clutch, speeding up the engine, to avoid a crunch! Ian Cornish Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BrianC Posted January 22, 2011 Report Share Posted January 22, 2011 ...be careful when engaging 1st gear... ...or 2nd (or 3rd to be honest!). Double de-clutching is highly recommended, especially on the way down the early boxes. Needless to say, full depression of the clutch pedal is also essential - I occasionally get a noisy reminder when I get lazy or tired on long journeys or after switching from a modern car. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mdave Posted January 23, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 23, 2011 Thanks for the shifting tips! Touching second before selecting first was a trick I learned 30 years back on a GM M20 'box (all synchro, though) in a V8, where first problematically baulked. Oil replaced, and I'm back in business. cheers Dave Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ianc Posted January 23, 2011 Report Share Posted January 23, 2011 Brian has reminded us about the need to disengage the clutch fully, something I have never found easy in a TR (short legs!), especially on my TR4. However, about 18 months ago I purchased one of Revington's adjustable clutch master cylinder operating rods. It works so well that I have placed a wooden buffer on the bulkhead wall as a pedal stop, else I would be bottoming the piston in the cylinder, which would not be a good idea. I have no problem fully de-clutching now. The rod is not cheap, and it would not be difficult to make such a rod by putting a thread onto a longer operating rod and then re-connecting the yoke. Ian Cornish Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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