Just got my late 2A SWB thought its first MOT after a complete chassis up rebuild. just! I've put an untested series 3 gearbox in but its whining like a nasty thing in reverse. I rejected another s3 box because when I drove that, it was exactly the same! Through out the forward gears its very nice, even the synco is good. What's this likely to be? I'm sure this isn't a trate of all series 3 boxes though! I'm hoping it will last till at least early next year as I don't have time to swap the gearbox again and the weather isn't on my side ether. Thanks!
On or around Sat, 27 Nov 2004 21:48:30 -0000, "TVS" enlightened us thusly:
they all do that, guvnor.
partly, it'll be 'cos of straight-cut gears, and the fact that in reverse, you have an extra pair of same.
Provided it goes backwards to order, I'd not worry. If the forward gears are OK (I'd expect some whine in 1st, thanks to the straight-cut gears again) and the synchro is good, then it's probably an OK box.
One of the shafts is prone to wear, it's a bit offset so going forward it tends to push everything together, in reverse it tends to push apart, after it wears a bit it whines, one of Sons Siii whined for about 5 years in reverse before it gave up the ghost, bits of synchro in the oil etc, only 2 gears some of the time etc. etc. Towing in reverse or pulling out a log, or stuck vehicle in reverse usually shags the gear on this shaft pretty effectively. We also put down some of the excessive wear to a strange gear lever. the standard lever has a metal ball on the end with a groove round it to take a rubber "O" ring as a damper, even if the "O" ring goes very little goes wrong apart from a little chatter from the vibrating gear lever. The alternate lever has an end with a recess about half an inch long cut into the rod, no bulge of metal at all, with about a tenth of an inch of rod at the end, onto this fits a big round bobbin, bit like a cotton reel, made of plastic which breaks-wears away-dissapears (I have never actually seen a complete one so I am extropolating a bit), once gone the lever never quite articulates enough to push the gear completely right home, and the gearbox wear rate increases substantially. Looks as follows after bobbin goes missing
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It looks as if the bobbin is either in two parts glued together or it is pushed on and the end of the lever spread in a press. anyway there is no obvious way of replacing a worn bobbin.
I like the noises my gearbox makes, rather musical reminds me of the old buses.
Mind you my gearbox is less than perfect (what is) sometimes very stiff, and second will come out if you accelerate too hard, but it is no worse than it was this time last year so I guess it is in a state of stable but worn equilibrium.
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