Gear Box Blues (I think!)

[AndrewMAshton]

Hello All, and I thought everything was going so well after my winter projects, car started first time and all electrics worked as they should, took the car for a run and had to do a u turn to get back, there is a ticking noise from the gear box, out of gear nothing, once in gear volume and frequency increases with speed, I fitted a new anti rattle plunger as the previous one had been lost and I have fitted a hi torque starter motor, other than that I have not touched the gearbox, I jacked the rear end up and ran the car in gear, at tickover first gear noise is barely audible, in second gear fast idle, very noticeable, the noise does not appear to be coming from the prop shaft, rear drive , engine etc, I have tracked it down to the gear box as if I put my ear to the carpet by the gear stick, very loud, any thoughts?, thanks as always, Andrew

[RogerH]

Hi Andrew,

I had my A gearbox and OD rebuilt last summer. When running it was also producing a ticking sound (I don;t think it is a time bomb).

After quiet a few miles I no longer hear the ticking - I think it is gone rather than me ignoring it.

 

have you had any work done to the GB or OD recently.

 

Have you got a fag packet running across the spokes.

 

Roger

[Damson6]

Could it be the speedo cable or right angle drive?

[littlejim]

Hope you sort it Andrew.

of course in a RR it would be the clock.

[Tr4Tony]

Hi

 

Could be some rust in the release bearing .... If it persists it's time to pull it out and change it Im afraid.

 

Regards

 

Tony

[Peter Cobbold]

Can see a gearbox suddenly developing a serious fault while standing over winter.

Is the new starter bendix clouting the ring gear, but only when the gearbox is in gear ?

Try listening stick on the starter?

[graeme]

Andrew,

 

During your winter jobs have you removed the half moon plate at the bottom of the gearbox/engine back plate. If re-installed the wrong way round it can touch the flywheel and cause a ticking type noise.

 

Cheers

 

Graeme

[AndrewMAshton]

As always, thanks for the replies, I fitted a co-axial clutch release about 3 years ago, the car has not run for about 5 months, apart from removing the gear stick to work out where the anti rattle plunger was, no other work on the gearbox, on tickover I can only hear the noise in the cabin, no noise in the engine bay and I have had my hand on the starter and cannot detect any vibration, it will have to wait until next weekend now, cheers, Andrew

[Don H.]

U-joints can make clicking noises as they wear out, too. This is especially true on 4WDs, where I've encountered it myself. Haven't heard it on my TR, yet.

https://youtu.be/OVC76dSBNnY?t=2m20s

[AndrewMAshton]

Hello, all sorted, after spending 4 days driving round wondering how I was going to get the gearbox out on my own (Mrs Ashton won't help after a bust up over bleeding the brakes) it turned out to be so simple I am embarrassed. But if you don't make mistakes you don't learn. it turned out to be a grease nipple cover on the propshaft that wouldn't stay on the grease nipple and was hitting the gearbox cover each revolution, I think it was Peter Cobbold that said 'If you hear the sound of hooves. look for horses not zebras', I know what he means! Never mind, I carry on with all the other jobs that need doing, thanks again for your help, Andrew

[Don H.]

...it turned out to be so simple I am embarrassed.

 

... I think it was Peter Cobbold that said 'If you hear the sound of hooves. look for horses not zebras'...

 

Another illustration of the value of Ockham's razor. Glad to hear the tick is resolved.

[Peter Cobbold]

Andrew, Am Having difficulty envisaging a horse unscrewing that grease nipple....perhaps it used a donkey wrench. Peter