series 2a with gearbox prob, any advice?

My father has a 2.8l Daihatsu powdered series 2a with a standard gearbox. He noticed that the handbrake tunnel started getting warm when driving and before he knew it the back wheels locked up. It seemed to be stuck in third gear. I towed him home and it has come back out of gear now but you can't engage any gears. Also there is oil now leaking from the front drivers side swivel joint (big chrome ball).

Any ideas on whats wrong, can this gearbox be changed with a later one or is it just a case of getting a used 2a box to go back in. It started life as a diesel landrover just in case the gear box's were different?

All advice appreciated!

the series 3 box will go in, and its got full syncro so no crunching of gears any more

Petrol/diesel gearbox the same.

Good stuff, cheers. I've been look at it again for him and the gear stick is actually still stuck in third.

Is the series 3 box the same size and will it connect up to the overdrive just the same?

The reason your gearbox is stuck in third is because the syncro hub has broken one or more of it's clips and jammed. You probably find them in the bottom if you drain the oil.

From my recollection, although the 3 box has more syncro, it's not quite as stong as the 2 box, unless you can get hold of a 'D' (the final box to be made for a series 3) The 'A', 'B' and 'C' boxes were weaker than the box you've got in.

I doubt your gearbox broke due to the amount of power you're putting through it, they just have a habit of breaking when you least expect it.

btw, you can tell the a, b and c suffix boxes, as they have an adjuster bolt for the reverse gear. the suffix d doesn't.

series 3 isnt weaker than 2 or 2a if anything stronger d suffix also isnt any stronger than a b c suffix it has coffin shaped dog teeth on gears to hold gear in ,the same as modern gearboxes in that if you accelerate you can feel gear stick been pulled into gear more

That's really interesting news, thank you both. I'll drain the oil and let you know my finds. I assume with the price of gear box's its probably easier and cheaper just to swop it than repair it. What years were the later 'd' types fitted too?

Your right how it happens when you least expect. If I'm honest I thought his gearbox was bloody good, all the gears felt tight. No noises, never jumped out etc - just spot on and then this happens.. His old morris minor used to jump out of third and fourth unless you held the gear stick in and yet it carried on forever!

not too bad to repair if it is case ,remove bell housing,gear box top ,3/4 selector ,synchro hub ,and replace 3 x plate springs

jamesmartin said:

not too bad to repair if it is case ,remove bell housing,gear box top ,3/4 selector ,synchro hub ,and replace 3 x plate springs

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Once you open the gearbox its a can of worms. Itll be this part needs replacing and that parts worn out etc etc.

jamesmartin said:

series 3 isnt weaker than 2 or 2a if anything stronger d suffix also isnt any stronger than a b c suffix it has coffin shaped dog teeth on gears to hold gear in ,the same as modern gearboxes in that if you accelerate you can feel gear stick been pulled into gear more

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The all syncro transmission has a reputation of being less robust than the earlier versions mostly because they do not hold up to quick shifting. The synchros must come to a stop when the shifter goes through the neutral position if the syncros are to last. When shifting an all syncro gearbox it is advised to hesitate just slightly in the centre of the 'H' pattern.

all series unless recently are certainly going to have wear, but if working allright before and just replacing springs in 3rd /4th synchro if that is current fault ,then no need to strip box and worry yourself,i myself would do the whole lot but i have access to parts direct from wholesalers and have done hundreds,but he may well get a good few years out of his box by replacing springs

nearly true baulk rings are allways travelling with synchro hub at mainshaft speed as they are (synchro hub) splined to shaft,gear has to be slowed or sped up to mainshaft speed to select

if you repair it at least you know what you got, buy off ebay , could be bag of ****e

if the gearbox did not have any other symptoms apart from locking might be quite cheap although you would probably want to repalce seals and gaskets etc

i got a genuine synchro hub for around £30 bargain, from PA Blanchard , stopped it crunching 4th to 3rd

jamesmartin said:

series 3 isnt weaker than 2 or 2a if anything stronger d suffix also isnt any stronger than a b c suffix it has coffin shaped dog teeth on gears to hold gear in ,the same as modern gearboxes in that if you accelerate you can feel gear stick been pulled into gear more

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Series III 1st and 2nd gears were compromised in strength and size to accomodate the bulk of the synchromesh. Yes the series III is a weaker box and that is well known.

Suffix D boxes are another story as they also have hardened gears which make them tougher. Used in military applications. Dr.

it isnt ,how many have you stripped ,to do comparrison suffix d was widely used ,1st and 2nd gear arent comprimised bags of space for synchro and it does effect 2nd as on front part of shaft,synchro takes up no more room than than sliding 1st gear on series 2 which has straight cut teeth unlike helical on series 3,and so weaker ,layshaft is common on suffix c and d

jamesmartin said:

it isnt ,how many have you stripped ,to do comparrison suffix d was widely used ,1st and 2nd gear arent comprimised bags of space for synchro and it does effect 2nd as on front part of shaft,synchro takes up no more room than than sliding 1st gear on series 2 which has straight cut teeth unlike helical on series 3,and so weaker ,layshaft is common on suffix c and d

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I see where your coming from. Ive stripped all the series gearboxes. I stand by what i say! Ok lets put it another way, series 3 boxes (not suffix D), are more problematic than earlier versions (2 and 2A) -although there were layshaft issues with those. S3 require removal and stripdown more often for a variety of reasons, mostly because of the synchro at 1st and 2nd gear, broken clips and whatnot. The synchro dog teeth usually get hammered and the gears need replacing. Id say that could make them a weaker proposition.

Suffix D boxes are the toughest of the lot. They have ECM gears, Electro-chemically Machined gears which can only be used with the later layshaft. Yes they are fairly common now but were originally used or designed for military applications, later to be used in the domestic market as std issue gearbox. I think they were std in S3 from 1980 onwards. Im not sure of the yr. The beauty of it is the gear strength and that ability to pull the gears together. More durable gearbox. Dr.:blabla: