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Triumph TR6 - Looking for A type O/D tool

Looking for a tool to fit the large oil drain plug on a 70 A type O/D I need to replace the washer but don't want to risk damaging the unique shaped plug. Ideas
gratefully accepted.
Ian

also anyone using Red Line MTL or MT-90 gear oil looking for personal experience with either.
Ian Kinaid

Hi Ian
Don't know. I have the original book at shop and will look up if there is a special tool. It will be a basic pin wrench same as supplied with your grinder. Same idea at least. One of the tool Man. has a multi purpose one but it escapes me right now who. Any fitting using rubber seal should be 20 lbs. torque or less not to hard to come out. Unless coroded real bad.

I would imagine most BL mechs. would have grabbed handiest punch or old screw driver and hammer rather than going for the tool?
Will check and get back, they list a lot of tools in back of manual for A type.

Bill
B Brayford

Hi Ian

No tool in book and no tool mentioned. I don't have overdrive to check but from what I see. Use either a pair of inside circlip pliers or a pair of needle nose.
Let me know if you have problems I will dig farther.

Bill
B Brayford

Ian-Try using a block of hardwood and a hammer if you are trying to avoid damaging the brass plug.
Berry

Ian, This may sound stupid but I took a cheap socket that was the right diameter and took a grinder to it. A custum pin wrench socket, it works great.
Curt Anderson

Ian
2 choices for you.
I do not own one of these but seen them advertised on the telly. Beleive called gator grips. A handle with a rubberized strap that tightens on object u are trying to loosen as you turn...you know what I mean. I know it is flat to the body of the O/D so it may or may not work.
Secondly, and not the first choice, is a plumbers wrench. This is what I used and was as carefull as I could be. It will put burs on the brass. The DPO(s) look like they even used the screwdriver and hammer idead....so my wrench sure was at least a little better. I would be interested if the gator grip works.
Rick C
Rick Crawford

I finally took a large pipe wrench, duct taped the teeth and managed to work it off with no marks : ).

As an additional note received an enote reply from the Red Line Oil tech folks they recommended the MT-90
75W90 GL-4 synthetic gear oil that will offer good
shiftability and protection as well as being suitable for the overdrive unit. I understand GL-4 is otherwsie somewhat difficult to find and offers protection for the Brass bronze components. Little pricey 7.99 qt
but hope for smoother results than engine oil.
Ian Kinaid

If some of you other guys who know how to search in the "Archives", let me know how. Because I have written here about the oil I use in my overdrive at least twice before.

Ian - here goes for the 3rd time.

For the first 80,350 miles I used straight 30 weight non-detergent oil like Triumph said "way back when..". And during that time, I had to re-build my gearbox twice.

But when I finished my restoration in 1990, I asked the expert Ken Gilanders what to use. He said 20W50 Valvoline (preferable if I could find the 20W50 RACING grade) to use in the gearbox and overdrive. I countered with the usual remarks that the multi-grade detergent oil will make the cone clutch in the overdriva slip. He said he had used it for over 5 years up till 1990 without problems.

Since 1990, I have driven mine over 70,000 miles using this oil and it runs like silk. Never had a problem because of the oil.

Thus endeth the 3rd lesson from the Book of Overdirve.

Don Elliott, Original Owner, 1958 TR3A - TS 27489 LO
Don Elliott

Ian
Like Don says. I went through this exercise a year ago and ended up coming back to heavy weight engine oil. This topic is one of the ones iscussed to death..I know I was part of it and learned that GL spec oil wether it be GL4 or GL5 will harm our precious trannies and O/Ds. The worst thing you can put in an O/D is synthetic oil.
Don, I did a search on this subject and it appears that the choice of " phrase", "any..of words", and " All of...words" makes a difference.
Using "synthetic oil" as my search words for all years
when clicked on "this phrase" got 6 threads
When clicked on "any of these words" got A to Z threads ( almost every thread).
When I clicked on "all these words" got 11 threads Including the one where I did the internet search on GL5 and discovered that it is no good...also includes your first lesson and second lesson on the book of Over Drive :)
I think it will be helpfull in the future if a thread title is word specific to a problem
I tried "GL5" and "GL 5" using " all of these words" an got different threads...GL5 giving better results. This is the best I could come up with.

So Ian do a search and see for yourself that GL is no good for our transmissions.
Regards
Rick C
Rick Crawford

Here is my 2 cents worth (3.2cents CDN) I encountered this problem about 4 years ago when I installed a J-type OD. I read and spoke to lots of people, some said GL4 GL5 or 30 weight oil and all the pros and cons. It seemed that regular gear oil 80w90 is fine for regular trans especially the later ones that don't have the bronze hat bushings, using non-hypoid for the early ones. However there seemed to be a divison on oil to use on the o/d ones and gear oil is too thick for the OD. I spoke to a well respected Volvo repair shop that specializes in older vintages and they said to use Valvoline 10W30 motor oil because it foams less and has the right viscosity. NEVER USE SYNTHENIC because it is too slippery and the sliding cone will slip.

Now you are asking why a Volvo shop?...the answer is Volvo used the same O/D as our later TR's, a Laycock J-type in the 140's and 240's series of cars, even in their Turbo 242 in the early 1980's. Also there are more shops and dealer outlets servicing Volvo's than former BL products and if anyone should know over time it would be them.
Steven

Steven--Do your Volvo shop doesn't think detergents are incompatible in the O/D?

Rick O
6K on non-detergent 30W
Rick Orthen

For what it's worth Red Lines reply to inquiries.

API GL-4 and GL-5 Gear Oil Service Designations

GL-4 Equivalent to obsolete MIL-L-2105; usually satisfied with 50%
GL-5 additive level. €Manual transmissions and spiral bevel and
hypoid gears in moderate service.

GL-5 Virtually equivalent to present MIL-L-2105D; primary field
service recommendation for most car and truck builders €Moderate and
severe service in hypoid and other types of gears. May also be used
in manual transmissions.

GL-6 Obsolete €Severe service involving high-offset hypoid gears

*********

A synthetic oil (or petroleum oil for that matter) that contains too
much friction modifier wouldn't offer the shiftability or synchro
action that the proper lube would.

A good 20W50 oil should offer GL-4 protection levels and would be a
little higher viscosity than a 75W90, for all around shiftability and
protection the MT-90 should be superior.

Regards, Dave
Red Line Oil
Ian Kinaid

Shiftability in the 4-speed is really slick as silk with Valvoline 20W50 in my gear-box / overdrive and the overdrive always snaps in and out with no difficulty. And as I said here before, I never clutch when clicking in or out of overdrive.

Don Elliott, 1958 TR3A
Don Elliott

This thread was discussed between 20/10/2002 and 29/10/2002

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