Yo, John,
"Fairly capable" huh? Thanks a whole helluvva lot and a big Bronx
cheer to you too! ;^)
Actually, there were more issues with that OD than a partially mashed
wire to the solenoid and corroded connectors in the car's wiring. Sticky
valves and actuators due to old and gummy oil deposits contributed to
intermittent and soft engagements. Leaking "O" rings on the solenoid
plunger
and valve body presumably contributed too. A missing gasket under the
solenoid
cover is annoying but not fatal. Not to mention the leaking rear seal
that you replaced for me. Uh, it's leaking again so I suppose there's a
groove in the seal area. Just a tiny drip now and then, so I can live
with it.
Anyway, after a few thousand miles for the fresh motor oil's additives
to clean things up internally, it's working well now and I'm a happy
camper, er, B
driver. ;^) I'm sure you'd put in the O rings and the gasket for me but
it'll be
easier for me to do it myself than to make the round trip to Austin, so
I haven't
bothered you with it. I'm still waiting for the small O ring for the
solenoid
plunger to come in. Then I'll change the oil, clean the filter and
install the
new seals and gasket.
For other list readers, let me stress that this was a used OD gearbox
that John got from a, to him, reliable source, not one of his rebuilt
units. I knew that going in and am not bitching. The above though,
will give you an idea of what you can run into when you buy a used
unit. Nothing fatal, just took some time to sort it all out.
As far as added value to the car because of the OD goes, I guess it's
a matter of who the buyer is. Many of us jeer at the top-up AC-on
drivers on a hot summer day. Others of us ARE those drivers! I believe
that knowledgeable LBC buyers are willing to pay as much for an OD as an
AC. But shux, watta I know? I'm just fairly capable ...... ;^)
Cheers,
CR
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