Hello folks,
Well after some busted knuckles and some words that I hadn't used in years,
I've got my TR6 back up and running. Thanks to all of you who provided me
with some great ideas. Since so many of you helped answer my questions, I
thought I'd share some of the outcome.
First of all I had mentioned in an earlier post that when I purchased this
car, I had an initial oil pressure of 50psi that dropped to around 25psi once
the engine had fully warmed up. I remembered the previous owner telling me
that he had just changed the oil with 10w/30 and I figured that might be part
of the problem, so I dumped the oil and replaced the oil filter, then added
20w/50. Now I am getting an initial cold start reading of 75-80psi, and
around 50psi once the engine is fully warmed up. Now I'm happy!
Next, as some of you may remember, I had a funny noise (rapid clicking sound)
coming from the bell housing area whenever I applied the clutch. I decided
that it must be the throwout bearing, so I proceeded to pull the transmission
and go for a clutch/throwout bearing replacement. Upon removal of the fork
from the cross shaft, I managed to snap off the taper plug that holds the fork
in place, so I had to drill it out in order to get things apart. A close
inspection of the taper plug revealed that it had snapped at an old fracture
that was just waiting to cause problems. I then decided to drill a 5/16" hole
through the center of the fork and cross shaft, and use a bolt to secure the
assembly instead of depending on a new taper plug which is known to be a weak
point. I also replaced the fork pins.
I replaced the bell housing cross shaft bushings with two on each side instead
of only one, to allow for more surface area support. Before I reassembled
everything I added a light film of Anti-Seize to all of the metal to metal
wear areas. At least if the oil migrates elswhere, the solid moly lubricant
should stay put. I went with a Borg And Beck 3 piece clutch kit and am really
happy with it. The clutch and pressure plate design is different than the B&B
unit that came out of the car. The clutch feel is a lot lighter and much
smoother than the old one.
Oh, and about that clicking noise that I thought was the throwout bearing?
It's still present.....now I'm beginning to think that it might be the new
starter that I installed. The noise is only present when I press on the clutch
and I'm wondering if it might be that the flywheel and starter gear clearance
isn't sufficient and when I step on the clutch, the force of the slave
cylinder is causing just enough movement to make the two rub together. Does
this sound possible??? I haven't had the chance to check into it yet. Would
the starter need to be shimmed for more clearance?
P.S. I need to add that even though I've had some early problems with this
newly purchased car, it is mostly due to its lack of use and maintenance over
the recent years. With a little elbow grease it will soon be back to full
health and kept that way for many-many years to come. The TR6 is one awesome
car that is well worth the few headaches involved in order to drive it and
enjoy it......
Scott Helms
Northern Indiana
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