Gearbox screach in reverse gear

[dollar mighty]

My Dolomite Sprint (manual with overdrive) has had an intermittent problem for some time now. When I release the clutch in reverse gear there is an almighty screaching noise from the transmission. It only happens when the car is first driven from cold and only on about 50% of occasions. Then, when I disengage and re-engage reverse gear, quite often the noise has gone away.
Has anyone had the same issue and does anyone have thoughts on a cure please. Thanks, Peter

[MIG Wielder]

Sounds most likely like the release bearing. I imagine the first gear selected of a morning is reverse ? If you parked the other way round and drove off in 1st gear do you get the same noise ?
Tony.

[dollar mighty]

Tony, yes I must admit, the initial gear selection when the car is completely cold is always reverse and never a forward gear. Next time I shall reverse onto my drive and see what happens when I select first gear. However, the release bearing is otherwise inaudible and so I'm slightly skeptical, but you never know. Peter

[Carledo]

Are you sure it's not the fanbelt protesting at the start load, this being the first time you rev the engine after startup?

Steve

[trackerjack]

Maybe one of those people who do not understand the slant engine have put the backplate of the engine on and used washers under the head and this now fouls the flywheel. (I have taken an engine built by a well known specialist apart and found this. That was a real puzzle).

These cars screech when the spigot bush in the crank is worn.

Both these faults are pennies to fix but require major strip down to solve.

[cleverusername]

Maybe one of those people who do not understand the slant engine have put the backplate of the engine on and used washers under the head and this now fouls the flywheel. (I have taken an engine built by a well known specialist apart and found this. That was a real puzzle).

These cars screech when the spigot bush in the crank is worn.

Both these faults are pennies to fix but require major strip down to solve.

Since I am in the process of doing just this I would like to understand the problem. What exactly is fouling the flywheel? is it the bolts on the backplate?

[Jon Tilson]

Yes...no washers of any kind or they touch the flywheel...

On a TR7 its countersunk cross head set screws to do the job.

Jonners

[trackerjack]

Correct as usual Mr Jonners.
I really do wonder why the engineers did not shave a couple of mm off the flywheel back to ensure this never happens.
I always hate doing these bolts as it seems wrong not to have washers.

[Jon Tilson]

I agree about that. It does seem wrong and the consequnces of one coming undone arent pleasant at all.

I cant remember what goes on with a Sprint backplate as it has that extra box adaptor plate. The last one I did was an auto
conversion so I had to use different holes to stop the flexiplate to converter attachment bolts hitting the ones in the
manual position. This needed a bit of head scratching at the time...

Jonnners