Overdrive locked in

[Dave Larnder]

Good Day All

 

I am in big bother.

 

Here I am 1000 miles from home in Switzerland and my overdrive appears to be permanently engaged. I first noticed it when going up these mountain roads and the O/D did not come out when flicking the switch. The real problem showed itself when I tried to reverse into a parking space as I could not reverse the car which felt like the brakes were on and the car jumped back when I let go the clutch.

So I immediately declutched, selected neutral,stopped the engine and pushed the car into a parking place, at 6:00 p.m. so nothing can be done until tomorrow.

Tomorrow I have to find out how to release the O/D:

Any help I can get will be great, hopefully to get it working again for the homeward trip, if not it will have to stay disengaged (if I find out how to do it), so that I can at least drive it home and repair it there.

THANKS

 

Dave

[Guest ntc]

A type?

[Nigel Triumph]

I had a similar problem with the A type overdrive on my 6 a few years ago. Adjusting the solenoid got it working fine.

 

Until this is sorted DO NOT DRIVE THE CAR IN REVERSE. The uni-directional clutch will quickly be destroyed. Even pushing backwards should be avoided.

 

 

Good luck,

 

Nigel

[Kiwifrog]

Is there a fuse in the feed to the OD solinoid that you can remove to disable the OD ?

[Nigel Triumph]

If the od is stuck engaged, removing the power supply to the solenoid is unlikely to make a difference. The solution is most likely to be solenoid adjustment, which is easy. Worst case scenario would be an internal problem with the od but not worth worrying about this until adjustment has been checked.

 

Nigel

[Guest ntc]

Disconnect relay and use ( if A type) BFH on the steel joining plate .

[Nigel Triumph]

One other 'external' possibility...

 

The solenoid plunger may have stuck in the engaged position. Usually a squirt of penetrating oil and a judicious tap with a hammer on the side of the solenoid will free it off.

 

 

Nigel

[Guest ntc]

Nigel

If it is hot there and used uphill hard the plate will expand, it might cool off overnight.

[Motorsport Mickey]

If the overdrive doesn't disengage with the manipulating the solenoid and moving the operating arm up or down manually, then the BFH on the steel plate normally shocks it off.

 

Mick Richards

[Dave Larnder]

Hi Everybody

Thanks for your replies

Yes! it is an A type O/D:

There is a fuse in the circuit.

Pardon my higorance, but what is a BFH? I hope it is not something rude referring to a hammer. surely not on this forum!

Will try things out after breakfast, I am hoping that the heat may have been the cause, and maybe cooling overnight has released it.

I do have an access hole in the tunnel to get at the solenoid, in fact I got the idea from Don Elliott and can remove and exchange any faulty solenoid without removing the tunnel, thanks Don for that tip.

Just one advantage of being here, is that from our balcony we have a magnificent view of the valley and the Alps in the background, some snow tipped.

 

Dave

[Lebro]

I had this happen to my '3 back in the 70's. I was parking up in a pub car park, went to reverse into a space, & it would not go.

knew nothing about the unidirectional clutch at the time, but luckily I did not force the issue, just tried moving forward again, & parked somewhere else.

After lunch went out to the car, and all was well. It never happened again.

 

Bob.

[ianc]

I think BFH is something to do with Brute Force & Hammer - walloping the plate with a copper-headed hammer (as used for knock-off wire wheels) can cause a jammed clutch inside the overdrive to return to its rest (Off) position.

Ian Cornish

[Dave Larnder]

Hi Everybody

 

I managed to disengage the solenoid and drop the lever manually, so now we can at least drive the car albeit without the O/D as I found there is no power at the lead that connects to it, so the trouble must be at either the relay or the inhibitor switches. Just thought of it! that I can try to operate the unit by using either the second gear inhibitor, then the 3rd and 4th one after it. if neither work then the relay Is the faulty unit, that will save me having to remove yet another cover plate to reveal both switches, but here at the hotel it isn´t practical to remove the carpets etc. to do the job, so it can wait till we get home, just more fuel will be needed, but that is cheaper than a mechanic or a rescue vehicle home, the latter of which is covered on my roadside assistance contract on the insurance. However, what a performance to arrange one for 1000 miles return journey using three different countries. The joys of motoring.

Thanks for your troubles guys.

 

Dave

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Dave Larnder]

Ian

 

I always say brute force and ignorance ( not hammer) is sometimes the answer to a problem, but where to wallop the O/D body to release the clutch inside?

 

Dave

[foster461]

Dave, glad to see you have got the OD freed up. The usual method for freeing a mechanically stuck OD is to whack the brake ring using a brass drift and the aforementioned hammer. Picture below is an A type.

 

[Guest ntc]

Thanks Stan

[Don H.]

I think BFH is something to do with Brute Force & Hammer...

We're a little truer to our cultural reputation in defining that acronym in America, Ian, where BFH = Big F'ing Hammer.

[Dave Larnder]

Now! Now! Don

That´s what I thought it meant but as I said no rude remarks on this forum please, but yes! I understand your French it´s the same as mine.

 

David

[Dave Larnder]

Dave, glad to see you have got the OD freed up. The usual method for freeing a mechanically stuck OD is to whack the brake ring using a brass drift and the aforementioned hammer. Picture below is an A type.

 

Stan

That´s the bl**dy joint that weeps oil in my car, and it´s not worth it to have to remove GB and OD from the car to cure it.

So you use a brass drift, not just a BFH!

Dave

[foster461]

Stan

That´s the bl**dy joint that weeps oil in my car, and it´s not worth it to have to remove GB and OD from the car to cure it.

So you use a brass drift, not just a BFH!

Dave

 

I would say the drift is preferred to reduce the risk of hitting the housing with the BFH and ending up in even deeper doo-doo. Of course if you dont have a drift then you have to fall back to whatever you have, si vous prenez mon drift.

 

Stan

[Dave Larnder]

Stan

 

I too would use a copper drift that I have if necessary, when I get home.

At least now that I am driving again, I can attend the Swiss Classic British Car Meeting on Saturday which was the sole reason for the trip,if the truth was known.

BTW. I speak every foreign language bar French, and they are all French to me!

 

Dave

[Dave Larnder]

Hi Guys

 

Update to my problem

Well we got to the Swiss Classic British car meeting O.K. without the O/D. and also all the way through France on Sunday.

Today from Northern Spain to home we drove without the O/D again for about 400 miles when I accidentally operated the O/D toggle switch instead of the one for the indicators mounted next to it, and lo and behold the thing engaged. Being a bit dubious, I left it in operation for about 20 miles when I chanced a disengage operation, and once again it worked, and has done for the rest of the trip home, so all is well that ends well. (No BFH needed now)

BTW it rained in the afternoon at Morges and all the way through France on Sunday, and for the first 100 miles in Spain, after which the sun was back in the sky, but the hood stayed up just in case!

We did 1000.4 miles there and 1005.5 miles home using a slightly different route, only used half a litre of engine oil since I previously removed the sump and re fitted it with silicon instead of the usual gasket, but much more fuel without the O/D.

One other niggling thing, is that for half the return journey the rev. counter needle got the swinging syndrome, in some cases from a reading of 2500 revs to 6000 revs and back while actually doing about 3000 revs, so first job is to remove the inner cable and grease it up.

Dave

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[ianhoward]

Good to hear Dave!

 

Cheers

Ian

[stuart]

Do not grease the cable as it will work its way into the rev counter instead use Graphite powder.

Stuart.

[Dave Larnder]

Do not grease the cable as it will work its way into the rev counter instead use Graphite powder.

Stuart.

Stuart

Thanks for the tip, I only hope I can buy that powder in Spain, it is bad enough trying for molydisulphide grease here. Is it freely available over there? and if so where can I get it? as I don´t think the usual TR boys like TR Bitz keep it.

Dave