Jim:
You will surely get a ton of responses to the your query about the "famous"
cotter pin. (I once had a 'Vette owner turn down a purchase of a very nice
MGfrom me because he would not believe the "cotter pin story").
My contribution to this is only to tell you not to worry about renting a
trans jack. The TD gearbox only weighs about 80 lbs or so. A floor jack with
wheels will give you enough trolly action to pull the box back and then you
just lift it out. It comes out quite easily once you take out the seats and
the wooden floorboards and the cover over the trans and bellhousing (that's
the longest part of the job, but beats doing it the way the book says!).
I've found the easiest way to put it back in is to have your wife, or maybe
the guy next door, lay under the car. You then hold the box like a baby,
step through the frame of the car and set it down on the helper's chest.
While assistant does a little bench press, technician #1 moves the gearbox
forward and engages the shaft. Voila!
Another thought: insufficient venting of the crankcase exacerbates the
oil-into-the-bellhousing problem. Be sure your draft tube is clear and
extends down into the airflow under the engine. And be sure you have a
little suction on the valve cover by way of the vent hose into the air
cleaner.
A "fix" I have used for about 20 years, is a collection of nested margerine
cups. When I pull into a clean driveway of someone who does not own British
cars, I quick grab one of the cups and slide it under the cotter pin. On
leaving, I ask my host to kindly recycle it by pouring into the Honda,
Hyundai, Kia, or whatever they are wasting their time with. ;-)
-JohnD
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