Gringey whine from the gearbox area!!

Hello friends, My s2a has got some sort of whiney noise from the area of the gearbox, can't tell if it's the transfer box or main, but it's mainly on high revs in 2nd or 3rd, it goes when in 4th. It almost sounds like something rattling, but that could be any number of things. I don't think it is too serious, but maybe it is a bearing, which I obviously would like to sort asap! It had a recon gearbox last year. Thanks. Gem

Hi,
Had a rattle the other day from gearbox area, happily it turned out to be a loose prop shaft, new locking bolts all nice and tight problem solved(Untill the next Bloody noise ! ) Good luck

Hi, well it's more whiney than rattly, but thanks. I also had the prop off to change rear axle recently, and am pretty sure it went back on ok, but i will check.. I got a horrible feeling it's the bearings from the transfer box.. do you know if bearings are changes as a matter of course if a new gearbox is put in? I suppose that is a question of who put it in..

As you say it depends who did it, sometimes they just change the seals and springs. Sometimes they strip it completely and rebuild replacing everything. but they should tell you before hand what's been done and obviously a total rebuild is gonna cost $$$.

I just replaced my gearbox with a 'Serviced' box and it was noisier than the one I took out at first, whining so loud in 4th that you couldnt even hold a conversation whilst driving,

It improved every day, I suppose as it settled in and the gears got used to each other, now Thankfully after 200-300 miles its much better than one I took out (That had lost 2nd gear). Fingers firmly crossed!!
I was dreading having to take it out again !!

Yes, it looks like a right involved task! all that lifting too! I guess by the way the gearbox leaks oil, (yes it is currently topped up), the mechanic didn't do a fantastic job on it. Although he charged £400 to put it in. I was kind of hoping it would be the simplest of problems.. If it is the transfer box, I think I can just take that off, and work on it, seperately. But still, it's a couple of days off road (in a bad way) that I could do without! I'm putting up with the noise which disappears in fourth and then o/d, but gets me on hills!! all in all, though, fingers crossed, apart from the slightly spongey brakes, she is running sweet.

i'm in the same boat mate, mine sounds like a spitfire swooping through the air!!! and on up hills its louder!! seems to start at 20-25mph and drifts out at high 30's, but as i aint got overdrive i dont push mine to far above 40, if i dip clutch however the noise vanishes, thats what put me on gearbox sent! my landy is 1971 but is virtually made of brand new parts!!! lol, anyone know what bearing is it likely to be? big job i take it?

as 4th gear is straight through drive and not actually a gear noise in others but goes in 4th usually indicates that lay shaft bearings are worn ,which is not to unsurprising nowadays as sometimes poor bearings are supplied to rebuilders and as a box design from the thirties it isnt all ways easy to ensure bearings are as good as you would like

I used to know an Austin Rover mechanic who had been brought up with the British Leyland way of doing things...and he told me that they would routinely 'fix' a noisy gearbox for their customers by putting a banana-skin in the gearbox itself. He claimed that it wouldn't actually damage the box but the fibres from the banana would 'cushion' the teeth. Sometimes they had to do this to brand new cars from the factory that had noisy boxes !!

now i would say that was bull**** or poor memory and would last 20 to 39 yards, the forces involved are quite considerable if you consider contact area of a ball brg, if its worn it needs fixing

does it help to smoke some first?!! that sounds hilarious... but possibly true!

Had time off due to broken foot, and judging by the puddle of oil beneath my transmission brake, the crank oil seal has gone! that would explain dwindling engine oil mystery! also, if the layshaft bearing/s are toast, how do I judge which one to get, or do I get both, so as to be prepared for the worst? and would I need some gaskets to replace all after fixing... I have to do clutch at the same time... cheers.

600603 is part no of gearbox gasket kit,528701 front brg rtc1412 rear brg i would check first,most likely brg but could be chipped tooth on layshaft

Thanks James

Oil dripping from the transmission brake will be from the gearbox, not the engine. Oil dripping out of the bellhousing might be engine and might explain why the clutch needs replacing

jamesmartin said:

now i would say that was bull**** or poor memory and would last 20 to 39 yards, the forces involved are quite considerable if you consider contact area of a ball brg, if its worn it needs fixing

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Certainly not poor memory...as for bull****..the garage in question has long since been demolished...but it was subject to a trading standards investigation on a few ocassions. The guy who told me was their chief mechanic ! The irony is that he was one of the best E-type mechanics on merseyside having been a Jaguar trainee in his youth.

GingerPuss said:

Certainly not poor memory...as for bull****..the garage in question has long since been demolished...but it was subject to a trading standards investigation on a few ocassions. The guy who told me was their chief mechanic ! The irony is that he was one of the best E-type mechanics on merseyside having been a Jaguar trainee in his youth.

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Spose it depends on how much banana skin was put in? Anyone care to try it?, but I agree with jamesmartin it would probably lead to disaster esp in contact with a ball bearing, and sounds a bit like bul...t. Legend has it they used sawdust and banana skins to shut gearboxes and diffs up but i don't know if that went on? DW

down my way it was porige oats, i know someone who tried it in the engine in a ford van with big ends knocking, it did work for long enough to sell at an auction

sounds like a recipe for museli..

By the way the rear lay shaft bearing was metal patè, cage had broke, releasing balls into teeth of gears, one by one they ended up as paste! no wonder the noise. It finally gave up on a small roundabout, which conveniently was next to a texaco garage, where I parked up and waited for my reliable recovery company to rescue me back home.
Have replaced gearbox now with factory rebuild, and kept other one as spare parts, as it was not much in it to buy bearings/gaskets, or bargain gearbox.. Also would have taken bloody ages to get the rear layshaft bearing out by the looks of it! Only just had enough time to get it in, before fireworks night, when my brother in law (who was helping me with his garage/hoist/tools/knowledge/windy gun), had to take his kids out..