Subject: [Healeys] OD -- leave it on around town?

From: Greg Mandas <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 25 Oct 2013 09:13:06 -0400

I've been using my BJ8 as a daily driver for my 20 minute commute. It's Fall
in New England and the driving is glorious, brisk, but glorious.

I've been leaving the OD switch in the on position letting the gearshift
switch to engage and disengage the OD between second and third.

I shift slowly up and I double clutch down. The only issue is I wind it out a
bit in second to get to third.

Any reason I shouldn't be doing this?

Greg

Sent from my iPhone.
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From: BJ8 Healeys <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 25 Oct 2013 9:31:56 -0400

No, I've been driving my BJ8 like that for 30 years and 110K miles except that I don't particularly wind it out in second.    Recently, though, I've been feeling some slipping in O/D when I accelerate in 3rd.  My suspicion is that the sliding clutch in the overdrive has worn linings, which could be the result of leaving the O/D switch on when the O/D will be engaging/disengaging itself frequently around town.  I have always tried to be gentle with the O/D, not selecting it while under heavy acceleration.

Steve Byers
HBJ8L/36666
BJ8 Registry
Havelock, NC  USA

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From: Tom Felts <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 25 Oct 2013 11:34:39 -0400

The only concern I would have is leaving it engaged and backing up frequently------IF the safety doesn't work you might damage the OD.  

---- Alan Seigrist <[email-masked]> wrote: 

=============
It's good to switch it in and out to keep the switch and relay contacts
working properly.  Other than that, it's fine.

On Fri, Oct 25, 2013 at 9:13 PM, Greg Mandas <[email-masked]> wrote:
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From: "Greg Lemon" <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat, 26 Oct 2013 09:40:07 -0500

As I understand how the O/D works the gear switch will switch it off every 
time you shift out of 3rd and or 4th gear, so driving with it on all the 
time means you will engage O/D every time you make a 2-3 shift.  While I 
have heard that you should "exercise" your O/D on a regular basis, and I 
have followed that advice and basically use it as a fifth gear, shifting 
into O/D whenever I am going at a steady speed of over 45 mph or so for more 
than a few blocks (and never had any mechanical issues in the three cars I 
have owned with a Laycock O/D), leaving it on all the time would mean it 
would presumably turn off and on a little more often than that in daily 
driving in urban traffic.  While I do not see any immediate harm from the 
practice, long term you might wear out the cone clutch a little faster.

For me part of the fun of driving is feeling that little kick and feeling 
the revs drop as you flip the switch into O/D, if you leave the switch on 
all the time you will get a big gap between 2nd and 3rd and a slower 
acceleration, not much fun in my book anyway.   The only benefit I would see 
you getting is you don't have to flip the switch as often and you may get a 
little better MPG.  But I suppose if you are just doing some relaxed 
cruising around no major harm in it.

Greg Lemon

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