Overdrive strangeness

[misterp]

Lads,

Is anyone knowledgeable in overdrives?

Mine works fine most of the time, yet sometimes when engaging, it seems to somehow half engage...that is something happens (i.e everything electrical is doing its thing), yet its not engaged properly (as engine revs do not equate to an increase in speed). Sometimes if I lift off a little, it drops in, but sometimes it just stays in this slipping, but engaged mode.
To confuse matters more, when its in this half in half out mode, when I flick the overdrive off, it momentarily engages and then disengages!?

I confess, I havent checked the gearbox oil levels, but is there any adjustment on the J type similar to the A type (using a drill bit to set the solenoid throw)?

Anyone had a similar overdrive issue?

Thanks

[Mahesh]

I would check the oil level first.

[xvivalve]

I'm with Mahesh on this as a first call.

There is no adjustment on the J Type as there is on the A Type.

[Reg]

Yep.. When I had an overdrive gearbox, same symptoms, low on oil.

[Jon Tilson]

By all means check the level first, but if its low where has it all gone? Boxes only leak....unlike engines.

I would suggest you do a gearbox oil change, which is a right old PITA because the filler is inacessible....

Before you do this you can take off the base plate on the o/d unit and clean out the filters. You need a dual boss spanner to undo
one of them, but you can improvise with a couple of rods and a lever arrangement.

You can also take the solenoid off and replace its O rings.

You can send off to various UK suppliers for O ring kits but I'm sure you can get something down under.

Jonners

[misterp]

Thanks guys..

For a newby in the 'joys' of working on Dolomites...if I wanted to fill the gearbox or at least check, does this mean tunnel off and removing the fill/check level plug somewhere above the clutch slave area?

Jon..there is a thick layer of..errrr...rust prevention oil (AKA gearbox oil I assume ) underneath. More than likely due to the 5+ years of not being used and the seals drying up. I`ll refill, and give the whole area a clean and wipe down so I can trace any leaks. #1 priority though is to make sure it has enough oil and doesnt damage anything.

Thanks

[Jon Tilson]

Unfortunately Triumph's crafting of a tunnel that is unique to the Sprint did not extend to moving the filler plug cover to the correct side.
So you have a totally useless rubber bung and a hole in the wrong place....

You can just about get at the plug with the right spanner. I concocted a filler based on a pump action oil can and long bit of tube.

Not a nice job....

Jonners

[GTS290N]

Is the Sprint oil filler bung worse to get at than an 1850?
I just stick my 1850 on axle stands and slide underneath
Fill with oil using a 60ml syringe and tubing, or a dedicated oil pump, or one of the old fashioned Castrol 1 litre oil containers with the red filler tubes. Make sure the car is level, and ONLY fill until the oil starts seeping out of the fill hole, don't try to overfill.
Think anyone will manufacture gearbox oil that has a nice smell if I ask them? maybe bergamot or vanilla?

[whydidistartthis]

Here's my quick tip for topping up gearbox from underneath.
Use a clean hand soap pump dispenser, with a suitable piece of pipe attached.
Fine for topping up, but could prove time consuming to fill from empty!

[misterp]

Thanks for the replies.

I ended up following one of Marts posts and and cut a small 8x4 inspection hole on the tunnel using an air grinder to get a nice square hole. MUCH easier than faffing around underneath!

The good news is that it has what looks like good fresh oil in it (oil dribbled out of the plug)..

Bad news is that if its not the oil....then now what!

Jon..what is a 'dual boss spanner'?....is it just a case of undoing the bolts that hold that plate on the bottom of the O/D and removing?

Looks like the solenoid is an integral part of the OD unit on the J types. If its removed, does oil come out (so the sort of job that should be done whilst the gearbox is drained?)

Thanks

[Galileo]

Unfortunately Triumph's crafting of a tunnel that is unique to the Sprint did not extend to moving the filler plug cover to the correct side.
So you have a totally useless rubber bung and a hole in the wrong place....

You can just about get at the plug with the right spanner. I concocted a filler based on a pump action oil can and long bit of tube.

Not a nice job....

Jonners

You know I thought exactly the same, what a really useful idea to have a large inspection hole and rubber bung in the tunnel that lines up with the filler, and even gives access to the clutch slave cylinder, oh wait, except it's on the wrong side!

So overdrive oil filter clogged or O rings gone then?

This huge syringe, £8 delivered, proved to be absolutely perfect for filling up the gearbox:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00CLCMCUG/ ... E_AMZLdp_1

SL1500_.jpg (8.47 KiB) Viewed 2204 times

[misterp]

Just to make sure Im looking and checked the level at the right filler plug...



Circled in red....gearbox oil filler plug? Fill to the level until it just dribbles out?
Gearbox and OD share the same oil (same as the A-type) is that correct?

BTW..trouble with getting to it from underneath is that the strengthening gusset below the plug blocks getting a spanner on it from underneath as the plug sits back almost behind the gusset when looking from below...

[Galileo]

That's the one, I just undid it with a ratchet socket!