Bad day at the office

[alangraham]

It started off an ordinary day, 3rd week in to retirement. Went to the dentists with toothache. Noticed that overdrive had stopped working on my 1500. Had to have the tooth out. Collected new glasses from Specsavers. Remembered that most overdrive problems on this website are usually down to lack of oil or blown fuse so thought I'd get underneath and take a look, save a few bob in the process. Couldn't find a filler plug on side of the overdrive box but found plenty of cracks in the alloy where someone had over tightened one of 4 bolts underneath. Couldn't check the wiring because it was coiled neatly up above the box and couldn't get my hands up. Pushed car backwards to replace lid on inspection pit and crushed new glasses to fragments. Condor moment.
Well that was yesterday. Slept on it. Got workshop manual out today and found (as suspected when I had a proper think about it) that gearbox oil level is applicable to overdrive level too. Have seen the other thread on the site about EP90 oil. 2 questions; is it safe to put an open ended spanner on the square access plug or is there a special tool? Not wishing to round the edges; it's not looking all that accessible anyway. Secondly what's the best way of getting oil in there - if indeed it needs it? Not wishing to disturb all the gearbox tunnel, I'm thinking about getting a new oil can with a flexible end, filling with EP90 and squirting it upstairs through the hole from below. If anyone has any thought please let me know.
Cheers
Alan

[Richard the old one]

Yesterday I struggled to get the filler/level plug out of the gearbox/Overdrive unit of my new 1500HL. You should be able to get it out with an open ended spanner but like the engine drain plug and the rear axle filler/level plug this one was very tight. I had to resort to making up a special longer spanner type tool to get it out.

When it comes to adding oil I have kept a very old castrol plastic oil bottle which has a plastic tube with a short right angle at the top. It was obviously made for filling our type of gear boxes. You just have to squeeze the bottle and oil is forced out of the bottle and into the gearbox. Unfortunately they do not seem to make this type any more but you should be able to produce some thing similar by adding a length of plastic pipe to the modern oil containers.

I would also suggest you check that you have not lost the earth connection to the O/D solenoid & are getting 12volts to the solenoid when it is switch in. Remember the O/D only operates if 3 or 4 gear is selected. If you have not got a voltmeter I think you can hear it click in when it is switched in and the solenoid will warm up slightly.

[Maidstonerob]

You can normally use a standard socket for the filler plugs. Cant remember the size of hand and it cant be a six sided socket.

[cliftyhanger]

I have used a 3/8 drive socket backwards. One that will fit the largest allen key I have floating about.

The 3/8 is a little too large, but not much and seems to work pretty well.

Otherwise a 12sided socket.

Oil, I strongly suggest you use GL4 oil not GL5 (though there seems to be continuous debates about the matter!) as it is definitely ok to use.

The click thing is important. Not very loud, but most issues are electrical. You should be able to check the 2 solenoid connectors and check it is getting 12V with a meter. If not, work backwards, gearstick switch (and wiring) next place to check then it gets harder to access stuff as the inhibitor switches are "hard" to access.

[Edin Dundee]

Or you can buy oil filler syringe type thingy:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Oil-Fluid-Suc ... 33933da4d3
Don't overfill!

[Jon Tilson]

There is a large rubber bung in the tunnel under the carpet that makes filling the box on non Sprints not to difficult.
There is a special tool that is quite cheap on ebay for undoing filler plugs.
Ive often used a socket adaptor backwards. Some sets have an 8 pointed socket that's just the job.

Oil in boxes doesnt burn so if you have no sign of leaks then its more than likely a 2 squirt fillup.
If it takes a lot then you can start wondering where its gone.

Jonners

[mahony]

Or you can buy oil filler syringe type thingy:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Oil-Fluid-Suc ... 33933da4d3
Don't overfill!

I used a similar one of those when i did a gearbox and rear axle oil change on my sprint last year, made the job so much easier , use Gl4 as per the operation manual

[tangocharlie1]

I use one of these for the sump plugs.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/TRIUMPH-STAG- ... 5678323c55

[alangraham]

Thanks for the advice and links, more advice & suggestions needed please. I got underneath and found that there was plenty of oil. The oil filler plug came out easily (unlike Richard's). I then popped the overdrive switch off the top of the gear stick and found there was no power getting to it, neither was there any at the 2 solenoid terminals beside the overdrive unit, or at the twopence shaped bit on the top of the gearbox. I traced the fault to a plastic plug and socket near the fuel pump where the electrical pins were corroded. I brightened these up with a small file. That restored power to the wires at the top of the
gear stick and that's where the good news ends.
When I tried to re-attach the 2 wires to the switch, they just wouldn't push on. They are of a tiny spade connector type, with the 2 spades inside the switch. However - how can I put this - the metal of the spades within the switch appears to be in a kind of solid one piece L shape and there isn't a slot on the opposite sides for the female connectors to push over and on to. I must have stared at it for hours this afternoon trying to work out how these two connectors could ever have been joined together. Perhaps I should explain that when the switch was removed from the gear stick, the wires came with it, which made me wonder if they had just been pushed against the spades and jammed in the holes? I originally got the gear stick from the club some years ago when I was sourcing bits for the overdrive conversion so I don't have another switch to compare it with. This link shows the type of switch I have & I just can't see how the wires attach to it:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/TRIUMPH-SPITF ... 540e3cbf82

[Edin Dundee]

I adapted bullet connectors, Blue Peter style, cut them to the right size after a few trials and they've been perfect. And cheap!

[Richard the old one]

It is quite easy to break the wires from the connectors as you remove the switch. I suggest you have a careful look to see if the connectors are still held on the switch connector pins. All the switches I have seen have small round solid pins onto which you push hollow round wire connectors. When new I believe the hollow round wire connectors are crimped onto the ends of the wires but I have made solder connections to the old hollow round connectors when I have broken the wires.

[alangraham]

Definitely nothing still attached at the switch end when the wires came away. Went on Ebay and looked at overdrive switches there, and noticed round pins as Richard describes, so now think I have a wrong type of switch and incorrect wire ends. Think solder might be my only option.

[Jon Tilson]

The gearstick loom connectors were OE small lucar efforts - I mean very small....they slotted on to
small blade projections that you can see up the switch holes. This made for reasonably reliable connection.

Most cars have now had the stick looms replaced as they OE ones fall to bits after a few removals. These have a small
round tube with a slot that grips the projecting blade in the switch hole. These are reasonable but they are often made
from domestic lighting cable and will burn out easilly if there are shorts elsewhere.

Stick looms like this are available from Moss etc...maybe less hassle to get one...
They thread in from the bottom if you arrange the connectors to go in one after the other with a bit of pulling....

Jonners

[Richard the old one]

I must confess I got it wrong the connections in the switch are not round pins but flat blades.

I also had a play as I liked the ideaa that Edin Dundee had made connectors from standard spade connectors and found it was quite easy to cut down the middle of a standard push on connector and remove one half. You might have to remove some of the insulation to get the switch into the O/D knob.

[Edin Dundee]

That's way better than my bullet connector effort.
I like this - take something that's a nuisance, throw out ideas, play around with it and come up with different solutions to the problem. Yours looks good.