F..flywheel

[Alex]

Anything to make it lighter eh ;D

[Richard B]

Alex wrote:

Anything to make it lighter eh ;D

Just be gratefull it has that lovely aluminium casting for the case and the integral bell housing. Compare it to a 1500 Spitfire J'type box or a F*rd gearbox and you'll see what I mean.

[Deleted User]

Alex ,drop the back of the gearbox like Richard says, and I  find then that you can reach the top three nut through the gear stick hole by using a ratchet and 2 extension bars. It saves you messing around under the car and you can sit in luxury while you do it.

[thescrapman]

resto_virgin wrote:

Alex ,drop the back of the gearbox like Richard says, and I  find then that you can reach the top three nut through the gear stick hole by using a ratchet and 2 extension bars. It saves you messing around under the car and you can sit in luxury while you do it.

I guess you need someone under the bonnet guiding the sockets.

Also, does not lowering the gearbox allow the back of the engine to muller the heater.

Cheers

Colin

[Deleted User]

You only need to lower the gearbox enough to make space between tunnel and gearbox so the heater pipes which are flexible barely have to move. The worst it would do is stretch the piping and even then only if they were extremely short.

With the ratchet, just feed the extension through the hole and slightly to the side of the box and as you swing it up to the top of the box you'll feel where the nuts are. pull it back slightly and then onto the nut. Any problems just reach in the engine bay and digitally place the socket over the nut.

V. Simple.

[AlanChatterton]

thescrapman wrote:

Also, does not lowering the gearbox allow the back of the engine to muller the heater.

Cheers

Colin

You're thinking of a MKI............. this a MKII.

ower the gearbox and the engine rests on the blukhead. You can then get to all the bellhousing bolts, and like preivously said, long extension bar for the 3 nuts on the top studs. If you sit at the back of the box you can see and guide them on.

[thescrapman]

AlanChatterton wrote:

You're thinking of a MKI............. this a MKII.

ower the gearbox and the engine rests on the blukhead. You can then get to all the bellhousing bolts, and like preivously said, long extension bar for the 3 nuts on the top studs. If you sit at the back of the box you can see and guide them on.

OK, so how you do it in a Mk1???

Cheers

Colin

[Deleted User]

Cue Richard Brake

[AlanChatterton]

Dunno, never had a MKI........!

[Alex]

Well the gearbox is off, I did remove the exhaust in the end as the rear joint was really loose anyway.
Theres about 10mm of gap between the ring gear and flywheel shoulder  :-/

If I pull my flywheel backwards and forwards there is movement I'm assuming this isnt good?
With this in mind am I better to remove the flywheel rather than start hitting it on the engine?

Thanks Alex

[DJB_Harvey]

On a MK1 you must protect the heater box from damage when lowering the rear of the gearbox....a piece of soft wood about an inch thick spreads the load and prevents the oil blanking plug on the rear of the head denting the heater box.

[AlanChatterton]

If you have crank end float you need to look at sorting this. The thrust washers are worn..........

I would be tempted to remove the flywheel, tap it back into place, then put some tack welds to hold it in place.......... perhaps my suggestion of glue was a bodge............!

[Alex]

Alan what difference will this movement make?
It previously drove ok reasonable oil pressure etc.
After the RBRR I intend to sort my "good" engine out (new big ends etc) so this engine is mainly to get me round britain.
When I refit the other engine I also fully intend to fit a lighter flywheel :).

All views gratefully recieved.
Alex

[AlanChatterton]

If you have too much end float, the clutch won't clear. Also, it means there is more chance of the thrust washers falling out............ this means that the crank will machine away part of the block, then the block is scrap!

But, if this is just a temporary engine.............. talk the flywheel off, bash the ring gear back on, put 4 tack welds on (top bottom left right........ hopefully this should not disturb the balance this way) and bung it back together.........

[Alex]

You think it'd last the RBRR?


What makes the ring gear come off then?

[Tim Bancroft]

Alex,

Did you dis-connect the clutch slave cyl.? If so it will be a swine to bleed, an easi-bleedwill do it.

When the box is on the trolley jack ready to go back in, remember to fit all the wires to the reverse light light and overdrive switches.

How much crank movement are you getting?

[Dizzy]

Alex, Shame it was ring slip after all and not something minor like a loose electrical connection.  The ring could have slipped because it was fitted the wrong way round, so the pinion kept bashing into it instead of sliding on the tooth chamfers.

10 mm gap plus flywheel movement does sound like enough to give starter pinion engagement problems.  Perhaps it is only the chamfered part of the pinion that is engaging, and the pinion is then thrown out when it spins.

I'd remove the flywheel so as to be sure of a making the ring a secure fit.  Also make sure the ring tooth chamfers are facing the starter motor.  As has been said, some rings have been found to be on back-to-front, with the chamfers facing to the rear (correct for the early Bendix starters but not for the pre-engaged type).

Regarding retention, as I mentioned before, Loctite 'Bearing Fit' is almost made for the job.  Several other grades will also work but the 'Threadlock" types tend to be too thick and possibly wipe off as the ring is pressed home.  This is a professional answer to the problem, i.e. it is what would be done by an engineer in the field (or in the desert!).  The military are users of these products ('anaerobic adhesives') though in my involvement in the 1980s they used Permabond (British-made) rather than Loctite (American at the time, with development laboratory in Dublin, but now owned by Henkel of Germany).

[Alex]

timbancroft61 wrote:

Alex,

Did you dis-connect the clutch slave cyl.? If so it will be a swine to bleed, an easi-bleedwill do it.

When the box is on the trolley jack ready to go back in, remember to fit all the wires to the reverse light light and overdrive switches.

How much crank movement are you getting?

I just unbolted the slave and pulled it up into the engine bay so should be ok?(although with the easi bleed it bled up fine before so not overly concerned.

Your right about those wires I must remember...I must remember!!

Not 100% sure how much movement...maybe 1mm?
I realise its not ideal but dont really want to enter into more work if its avoidable at this late stage(I'm going away for a week in september as well).


Tim did you get my PM? :-/

[Richard B]

thescrapman wrote:

OK, so how you do it in a Mk1???

Cheers

Colin

Dunno, never had to change the clutch on a MkI (Yet). But I will be I know. Done loads of MkII's!

I always thought the sump rested on the front X-member rather than the head resting  on the heater when you dropped the box?  :-/

Should have read Dave Harveys post first  :B Block of wood, block of wood, block of wood....

[AlanChatterton]

Alex,

It'll last.

Make sure the lead in edge of the ring gear is facing the starter, then bash the ring gear until its snug, then either tack weld, or the locktite bearing fit sounds pretty good.

1mm of crank end float is bad, but I've driven worse. Should be about 15 thou.......

Ring gear coming off is usually due to the starter motor not returning quickly enough, and when the engine starts, the starter is dragging on the ring gear for a short time.

Mine came off (and I mean off completely!!) when my car got nicked, they hot wired it so that the starter was on all the time, then drove it, the starter overheated, seized and then pulled the ring gear off...............

[Alex]

Thanks again Alan.

Will the flywheel unbolt easily or am I going to struggle?

[Richard B]

Alex wrote:

Thanks again Alan.

Will the flywheel unbolt easily or am I going to struggle?

Get someone to jam it with a screwdriver against the starter hole, or a crow-bar wedged into the teeth with the other end on the ground.

Quite a bit of effort required 60 - 80 lbft torque?

[Alex]

Thanks Richard.....could you just pretend it'll be easy ;)

[ferny]

With your weedy arms? That's a lie too far!

[AlanChatterton]

Trying to lock the engine up to undo the flywheel bolts is not easy......... but you can you the old "indian rope trick"

Take the spark plugs out of no.6 and get it to TDC firing stroke (check by bringing it up to tdc with your finger over the spark plug hole........ if you feel pressure under your finger, thats TDC firing stroke.

Then bring the engine to about 90 degrees before this tdc.

Feed some thin rope into the bore. (nylon is best) then bring the engine back up to the tdc, the engine will lock up before you get there (make sure it is the right way round so that locking the engine up allows you to undo the flywheel bolts.

to do them up to the right torque reverse the above..........

You must have it on tdc firing stroke as this is when both valves are shut......... if you do it on the tdc exhaust stroke you could bend a valve!