Hi, folks. After a complete gearbox overhaul (Australian F355 spider), including a clutch change, on the first drive, I noticed that 1st gear was a little harder to engage than it was before. Also, the clutch engagement was not as smooth (it was more like an on-off switch than a progressive process). I almost stalled the car twice on the drive home. Are these things which will get better in time, or are there some adjustments (simple or otherwise) to be made? Background: On my first gearbox oil change (2 years after purchasing the car and approx 600 miles of driving), I found a fair amount of swarf and two gear teeth pieces on the magnetic drainplug. However, when I put my car in for a gearbox overhaul, the damage was a little more extensive than I thought it would be. Requiring replacement was: Gearbox main shaft, bearings and 1st gear pinion set (a real mess with several teeth missing/damaged) 4th gear pinion set (one tooth missing) 6th gear pinion set (several teeth missing/damaged) Clutch (almost at limit of wear despite previous owner's statement to the contrary). The clutch did feel ok, however (according to mechanic prior to the overhaul), but he offered to look at it anyway. Also as a precaution, the first three gear synchros were replaced. A few other minor parts were replaced. Total cost including labour and fluids was about A$26,000 (U$21,000). I think I got off pretty lightly... The mechanic did an amazing job sourcing cheap new parts. Unfortunately, import duty quickly jacks up the prices. I'm 100% certain that I caused none of this gearbox damage. If you ever have a PPI done, I'd insist that the gear box oil plug be checked despite the difficulty of doing so ((although, I suppose, dodgy previous owners could clean and refit them just before sale). The car has just under 40,000mi on the clock. Thanks! Cheers Ian.
Hey Ian, When I changed the clutch, flywheel, pressure plate, T/O bearing the car was fine to drive and very progressive in clutch take up. Perhaps the clutch lines have some air in them and it’s causing the issue with the on/off feel. My car did get better after I bled the clutch again post first drive.
I’d bet the gearbox damage was due to the cars previous history rather than just gearbox oil. Sure it’s great to change fluid regularly but that won’t help it much if it’s driven inproperly or abused.
Mitch, I've never driven the car hard and have only done 500 miles in those two years. I live in a temperate climate, too. Surely the gear oil can survive this? If the experts are saying majors can be extended to 5 years, surely some latitude can be extended to gear oil for low mileage/non-race conditions? Or is lack of use more destructive? Thanks, guys. If the problem persists, I'll just take it back to the mechanic. I've already sent him an email to notify him of the problems. Also, the major is only 6 months away. I'm wondering if these adjustments are better done over a pit (rather than jacking up the car). i.e. just in case the frame is distorted by jacking up the car. I see in the WSM that the gear lever is positioned slightly aft during adjustment, to compensate for temperature variations. Cheers Ian.
Nice pic, thanks Dave. Looked temptingly easy to adjust, but after further reading... I think I'll leave it to the experts I've adjusted the linkages on an old Lotus Esprit, but that was a dual cable setup. Currently looking for a DIY tutorial on the subject just for interest.... https://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/threads/help-with-f355-shift-linkage-adjustment.389714/ http://f355engineout.blogspot.com.au/ Cheers
I have my young bloke sit in the car Ian and he pretends he is allowed to drive dad's red car lol. It makes it very easy with two people. I found this out after my first major.
