First, I'll bet someone on this list suggested to my PO (Bill Eley)
that he install the little o/d access plate when he put in his new
plastic tranny cover. Thanks to whoever it was, very handy.
I decided to take another look at the overdrive after my 4 year
old Ben noted that the new Mini Cooper S has 6 speeds (!) but
the TR4 only has 4. I said "the TR4 has a magic switch that
gives it 7 speeds!" He was clearly impressed, as the TR4 must
be *much* faster than the new Mini -- "it goes to 7!" -- but
unfortunately my magic switch doesn't work.
I pulled the little access plate off the tranny cover to take a
look. I read through Nelson's remarkable o/d opus but I
haven't jumped into the flowcharts in earnest. I likely won't real
soon since I can't take the car off the road -- my wife went
back to work, I get to stay home with the boys, so the TR4 is my
SUV for the summer. So I have a couple questions, in case I'm
closer to an answer than I think. BTW the gearbox is topped up,
with delicious fresh 20W50 Valvoline racing oil.
What my o/d does:
If I'm coasting downhill, it'll engage almost immediately and
behaves pretty much like I'd expect, dropping rpm's by a
good bit. I think it's *really* engaged, though sometimes it feels
like it's actually "free floating" as if I was still stepping on the
clutch pedal. In any case when I step on the gas, even to
maintain speed, it'll slip out, sort of sliding back up to the
*regular* rpm's again. This makes me think "o/d clutch" though
maybe it means "not enough pressure".
With the little access plate off, I drove around and tried the
o/d. The plunger does operate when I flip the switch, and it
also releases very promptly when I turn it off. Sometimes it
gives a repeated click-click-click-click before engaging, didn't
see that in any of the flowcharts. It mostly felt like the lever,
which the plunger pulled up, was staying up the whole time
that the rpm's were sliding up and down. The PO may have
replaced the solenoid while he owned the car, but he said the
o/d never worked for him, and it's been the same for me. In any
case, the multiple clicking gave me the hope that I have an
electrical rather than mechanical problem.
Questions:
1. is the click-click-click-click phenomenon a helpful clue, and
if so, what does it mean?
2. I haven't removed and cleaned the filter yet. It looks like I
just remove the plug on the bottom, remove the bolt and filter.
Right?
3. anything else I should do that doesn't require disassembly of
parts that are useful for driving to the grocery store?
4. if you had to guess, what do you think the problem is: o/d
clutch, hydraulics, solenoid, relay, switch, or current or past
owner?
5. for grocery runs in a TR4 with two kids, which bags are
better, paper or plastic?
Steven Newell
Denver, CO USA
'62 TR4 CT5018LO
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