The gearbox on the FB is the standard grey motor crashie. It ran OK for for the first 12 months I had the car, then shat 2nd gear (on teardown the synchro cone retaining ring had jumped out of the groove). I got hold of a second box, the old boy overhauled it and threw it in. Being a fool we didn't check the control rod and selector settings, though all ran well.
Drove the car around for another two years with no gearbox dramas other than the gearshift selector tube (the one that runs down the steering column) snapping off it's lower lug
. Replaced the tube with one from an EK (together with the clamp that bolts to it... FB and EK are different). Drove for another twelve months with no dramas.Decided that the steering box was sloppy, so rebuilt a spare EK box/column and put it in. Again, still didn't check the control and selector rod settings, but all ran well. Drive for another six months with no dramas.
Relatively abruptly (over the course of a week) I started to get crash (crunch) when shifting out of second gear. Not into third, just out of second. Can still 1-3 shift perfectly. Doesn't happen at low rpm (putting around corners) but does at normal second-to-third change speeds. Thinking through the issue I figured that as the second and third gear clutch is moving forwards, the first/reverse sliding gear must be moving with it and trying to engage the countershaft gear (i.e. the box is moving out of second, is in neutral aiming towards third, and suddenly tries to engage first gear at a bazzillion rpm). When I pulled the box out and took a cursory look this is the case - I can see the damage to the right place in the countergear, and the sump had filings in it. I figured the first/reverse selector yoke must have had slop in it, or the setscrews had let loose. Didn't check them though as I had the craps with the box and was too lazy to pull out the reverse idler to get at it.
Grabbed an overhauled gearbox and threw it into the FB. Sadly, the same problem with the new box. That's two different boxes overhauled by two different people (i.e. doesn't sound like a box issue).
Thinking through, it must be a selector issue. Funny though as the selector/shifter shaft cutouts inside the box should prevent the two yokes from ever moving at the same time. Looking at the control and selector rods whilst my son rows through the gears (engine off!) I can see no movement in the selector rod when moving out of second (i.e. it doesn't look like it is moving both at once).
I figured perhaps the selector rod was too far towards the front of the car, allowing the selector shaft to be "half in, half out" of the box and operating both yokes at once. Measuring the distance from the gear lever to the steering wheel showed this could be it... I had 4.5", and should have only had about 3.5". Aha, I thought, adjust the damn thing!. Sadly, even with the double nuts backed off all the way, I can still only get 4.25" measurement (and it's still clashing).
Must be something that has slowly let go or worn over the last six months. Selector nuts were tight, shifter nuts were tight (and shifter setting looks OK), some but little slop at the gearbox end of the control and selector rods, no sign of damage or bending underneath the car. Could be the control rod is bent, though damned if I know how - no "big bangs" underneath in the last six months, say by hitting a silent copper.
At this point I ran out of time, and deposited the FB at Dave's place to get the rust done (1-3 shifting all the way across western Sydney
).Anyone had this type of clash (shifting out of second) before? Any ideas on the next thing to check on this rotten thing?
I figure this is karma for writing a crashbox guide
.Cheers,
Harv