The Triumph Dolomite Club - Discussion Forum

Hi to anyone knowledgeable about these 1300/1500/1850 gearboxes,
I`ve just finished re building the 1500 gearbox I got last Friday, new bearings, layshaft and needle rollers, new synchro rings etc.

I have done lots of gearboxes in the past, 3 rail Vitesse, lots of Austin/ Morris boxes, even the 6 speeder out of my Renault van, but I have never come across a gearbox that has 3 springs pressing on the layshaft thrust washer. I had to get them from Moss as there was no bellhousing and hence no springs in my purchased gearbox, and they may be stronger than the originals, I don`t know, but when the bell housing was bolted up these springs put a fair pressure on the layshaft and made a noticeable difference when the input shaft is turned. I guess they are there to take up play as the thrust washers wear, but seems to me that other makes of gearbox don`t have this system, and I think that they put uneccessary pressure and more likeley to cause subsequent wear on the thrust washers. I am thinking of leaving them out altogether, but thought I would see what others think before I decide.
I see that the 3 rail box doesn`t have them, so I wonder why the single rail box does.

Ralph

My understanding is that they are there to reduce chattering, so only noise is reduced. And yes,they can increase wear a smidge.

Back in my GT6 owning days I owned and built many (mostly 3 rail) gearboxes and ran into cases with and without the 3 holes for the springs. So I don't think it's a single rail only thing. But neither is it universal, maybe age related? If the case I was using had the holes, I fitted the springs, If it didn't, no worries. In those days you could buy a 3 rail o/d box for £45 which was good value, even if it only yielded a handful of useful parts for the collection. I had untold boxes of GT6/Vitesse gearbox parts. Most of which I GAVE away when I sold the car (fool that I was) Different story today!

I can't say it made a lot of difference either way, the way I used the gearbox in my GT6, they often didn't last long! But that was a fast road and track car, even used in the TSSC race series for a couple of years in the 80s. I expected to break stuff from time to time and I wasn't disappointed!

Steve

I wish I could give a definitive answer but I can’t. The springs are shown in the Official Triumph Dolomite range 1971 onwards parts catalogue but I can’t find any info about fitting them in the official workshop manual.

Similarly they are shown in an exploded view of a gearbox in the 1500 Dolomite Haynes workshop manual but again there is no information about fitting them when the bell housing is mated to the gearbox.

I do have an April 1994 copy of Practical classics which shows them being fitted and states they are there to control the lay-gear end float.

As already stated by other contributors they could cause the thrust washers to wear more so I just do not know what to recommend.