[alfa] RE: Is this transmission toast?

["Les Singh" <Les.Singh@xxxxxxxxx>]

Kevin

Its not good to run a diff without EP lubricants and I would not use a
30 or 40 wt engine oil. Flushing with light oil may be ok.
One thing you could try is EP lube with moly which seems to cure a lot
of problems due to excessive friction because Molybdenum Sulfide has the
ability to bond to ferrous surfaces. Its worth a try but you may find
that a strip and rebuild is what is eventually needed.

What I can't understand is why the oil wasn't stinking hot when you got
home. Perhaps you did an extra good job of nursing it. I have changed
diff oil when it has been boiling as it came out but this was in a
racing GTV6.

Someone else may have some other suggestions that are more helpful; if
not, try the moly.

Regards all

Les Singh in Wellington, New Zealand
On the shortest day, brilliant sunshine and nice


Date: Mon, 21 Jun 2004 23:59:08 -0400
From: Kevin Trent <trentkc@domain.elided>
This past Sunday I drove my '73 spider to a bike race 190 miles away.  I

got a late start and had to drive fast (got there in 2.5 hours) and with

two bikes on the trunk and the top town, it was pretty noisy on the
interstate at 80. This drive was early, at 7am and the temperatures were

cool and the car ran fine.  But in the heat of late afternoon on the
return
trip the car began to make an unholy sound from the transmission - the
sound of a screeching bearing going bad.  (etc)

 The trans felt hot, but nothing I could
really point to as abnormal and it didn't stink of hot burned oil.
Tonight
I drained the trans oil and only got about a half quart to come out.  I
did
not see any obvious amount of metal in the oil. The magnetic drain plug
did
(etc)
SO it appears that I drove the car too far and too long and too hard
with
too little transmission oil, and a bearing has gone bad.  What to do?

My initial thought is to refill the transmission with 30 or 40 (or?)
weight
oil and do a little test driving to ascertain (a) if the proper amount
of
oil will eliminate the bearing noise and (b) if this thin oil will wash
out
the metal residue from the transmission.  If the noise is eliminated,
I'll
drain the thin oil and replace with proper gear lube and just drive it.

Or is this just wishful thinking, and the transmission has been ruined,
and
I might as well just replace or rebuild it?

Opinions or experiences with such situations?

thanks, //kct, Powell, TN

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