At 11:16 PM 10/21/97 -0400, Barry L Christ wrote:
>Well my 71 B won't shift into gear. A transmission shop said it is the
>disc the slave cylinder is working . What is involved in replacing the
>clutch. Since the engine bay is not detailed, I figured it might be a
>good time to pull the engine & transmission, and at the same time detail
>the engine and engine bay.
Good idea detailing.
>
> When replacing the clutch, should I get a 3 piece clutch
>replacement kit (bearing, pressure plate & disc. Is a clutch alignment
>tool helpful? The car burns about a qt of oil every 500 miles what can I
>do to improve this (rings?) What is involved in pulling the engine and
>transmission and what other services should be performed while the car is
>in this situation.
Buy the 3 piece clutch kit. $100 and a lot of insurance. Clutch alignment
tool is useful, and I use one, but others say they aren't a necessity.
Burning oil can be caused by worn rings or worn valve guides among other
things. Pulling engine and tranny takes about 3-4 hours at my shop.
Although, if you haven't done it before and bolts are rusted in place it
may take longer. While engine and tranny are out, take tranny to mechanic
and have him check it over. If it's burning quart every 500 miles it isn't
too bad, but it may need some work. What's your oil pressure?
>
> Also before this happened, I could never down shift into 3rd
>gear without the gears grinding until I was at about 25 mph. Is this
>sound like a bad syncromesh gear? How much of a job is that to fix or
>should I just replace the transmission with one that has overdrive.
>Sounds's like I will not be bored this winter. Hey at least this did not
>happen on April 1. Any help would be greatly appreciated!
>
3rd gear is notorious for blowing out the synchro gear. It's a $20 part
but costs $250 in labor to install. If you can find an overdrive tranny go
for it, but I think you may have other considerations, like electrical and
speedometer to worry about. If you haven't taken a tranny apart, I'd leave
it to a mechanic. Spend your free time, sanding, priming, and painting the
engine and engine bay.
I can say from experience that rebuilding an engine is not beyond and
average person, with a good shop of tools, extra hands, and some space.
Rebuilding your own engine can save lots of money, but consult your
favorite british car mechanic to find out what needs to be done. I can get
you a checklist if you want.
Jay
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