Hi all

Ive got a type 2 gearbox in my 7, and last years on the yearly "lets take it to bits" over the winter, I noticed that 3 of the four mounting ears for the alu rear casing, that fits the front cast iron block, had cracked and I was losing oil

So, I rebuilt the box, with new bearings gaskets etc, and a new (off another box) tail alui housing

ive had an oil leak for a while, so inspected the box in my car, and both bottom mounts have cracked

NOT HAPPY !! has any one had similar problems ? as a 1660 xflow, is not going to put immense strain on the box, and googling gearbox failures, normally results in sheared or broken teeth, not a casing breaking

Both engine mounts and single gear box mount are solid, so there's minimul movement
both prop shaft couplings seem to be fine, and I don't have any severe vibration, although the gear lever does wag a bit in fourth

a pic of a similar box to mine, and circled in red the "mounting ears" that have cracked



[Edited on 11/9/15 by steve m]

First indications would be that the prop shaft has cause that. Has it been balanced.....

The vehicle your box came from could well have been in a smash before you got the box. Your only option is a replacement box or get a replacement tail casing. Driving it as it is is not an option.

Ideal opportunity to fit a Type 9 or Type E (if you are happy with 4 speeds).

Get one with a better first gear ratio while you are doing it. Best money you will spend.

You say teh engine and gear box mounts are solid? Could there be a bit of chassis flex that's causing the damage?

HI

Propshaft was balanced when I built the car , 1998 ish and never had any work done to it, for it to unbalance itself

Chassis flex would cause other problems, like buckeling the alui panels, so I will rule that one out for the moment

a type 9 will not fit with out a good rebuild/rework of the tunnel, and yes I tried!

Ive just checked the oil level, and its only lost a very small amount, so for now I will live with the problem, and when the car is off the road for winter investigate it more


but thanks anyway!

steve

You have to remember that that type of tailshaft housing did hundreds of thousands of miles in road cars with out any cracking, or at least I never had a problem. Something on that car must be causing it..............

YEP !!

BUT WHAT !

Is the gearbox mounting rubber too hard, and not allowing the box to move as much as the engine, and transferring general driving around shocks to the box rather than absorbing them??

By solid do you mean that the engine is mounted to the chassis with no rubber mountings at all? If so there is your answer. That gearbox was never intended to act as a load bearing member. All chassis flex it is just a question of how much.

Steve. You collected my old Type 2 gearbox a few months ago for spares. If you need another one, I have just acquired one having changed a gearbox last weekend on a friends car. This one is very noisy, but good for spares. Pop down and collect if you want it - I'm in Newick still. Message me if you want further details

The engine does move when rocked, but not very far, also the gearbox mount is the original escort mk2 one but welded on to the chassis, and as far as I can see or feel, all appears to be fine

as for another box, yes please !

steve

Warped Block maybe?
Put straightedge all around.
Or maybe debris causing the ears to be on tension rather than in shear?

Another thought, is there a gasket between the two parts, and over tightening the bolts?

I strongly suspect the solid gearbox mount is exactly what's causing the problem. Just a bit of misalignment of the brackets will put the relatively fragile alloy casting under significant stress, and chassis flex will only add to that. Replace it with a rubber mount; you don't need a solid gearbox mount if the engine is already solidly mounted (and the wisdom of solid mounting a car engine in a Locost chassis is debatable).

Overtightening the bolts, mmm, that could be a very valid point,

the gearbox mount is the standard rubber one from the escort, and it is mallable and not solid,

But I do appreciate the responses as we will resolve this issue at some point

regards

steve

What are the torque settings for those bolts Steve ?

If you mean the sets which secure the extension to the gear box, just make them tight enough. This will not break the lugs off.....

An out of balance prop can cause all sorts of problems including gearbox breakages, just because you had the prop balanced doesn't mean that it's still balanced. Have known several props to lose the balance weights over the years

Seen these break on 750MC racecars. If yours is the same as your picture then it has a steel tube for selector shaft.

The stronger tailshaft is all alloy. These are fitted to the Sport and GT I believe. We used this type racing as it is far superior.

Compare them in the photo of this ebay listing. Far left alloy and centre one steel.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/FORD-ESCORT-MK1-MK2-1-3CC-GEAR-BOX-/361133812764?hash=item541540ac1c

Again another.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Ford-Escort-MK1-MK2-sport-4-speed-gear-box-rocket-bullet-replacement-/161820108871?hash=item25ad3ae847

Thanks for the response, but hopefully ive found the answer

I googled gearbox places local to me, and there was one only 3 miles away, so I took a non broken alui housing, to use as an example, but expecting to get some spotty faced 17yr old to help

But NO, the old guy on reception, must of been 80 !! and as soon as I told / showed him what the problem was, and that I had rebuilt the box about 8 months ago, he answered straight away with,

"when you inserted the layshaft in the box, you did not turn the keyed slot to match up with the tail housing and when all turned and clamped up together, it will stop the layshaft spinning, but the gears would
But when you clamped it all up, it was binding, and closed up with a jolt (and it did, I remember!!)
that would of broken the lower lugs, and eventually would break the upper ones as well

WOW!! and he knew all that just by me showing him a non broken alui housing

as I was leaving, he also said, that around 30 years ago, he came across this problem almost weekly

I do hope my new best friend is right!, and he was such a nice guy



steve