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328 Transfer gear problem

Discussion in 'Technical Q&A' started by Gatorrari, Sep 6, 2018.

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  1. Gatorrari

    Gatorrari F1 World Champ
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    Feb 27, 2004
    16,504
    Georgia
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    Jim Pernikoff
    #1 Gatorrari, Sep 6, 2018
    In preparation for taking an extended road trip in my 1986 328, my mechanic changed the clutch and did a few other things and thought the car was ready until he road-tested it and heard a noise he hadn't before.

    He diagnosed the noise and determined that two (I believe he said two) transfer gears were badly worn and needed replacement. Unfortunately he has had no luck so far in finding replacements. He's tried all of his usual U.S. sources (so he says) and is now waiting for a call back from Britain.

    Has anyone come across this problem with a 328 or 308? How serious is the problem? Any trouble getting replacements? Any idea of a possible source we may have missed?
     
  2. dwhite

    dwhite F1 Rookie

    May 30, 2003
    3,511
    Bklyn, NY/Vero Beach
    #2 dwhite, Sep 6, 2018
    Last edited: Sep 6, 2018
    I had a noise in that area a few years back and when I started looking, I found one of the peened lock nuts on the drop gears was loose. I took everything off and checked the bearings, clutch, presure plate and all were fine. Put everything back together with a new nut and all has been fine ever since.

    Did your mechanic show you the bad gears? Or is it a diagnosis. I can imagine how he did not see a problem with them when he changed the clutch.

    These gears are extremely tough. It is hard to believe they are bad. Try Geoffrey Ohlin at Partsource. He will k.ow where to get a set.
     
  3. yelcab

    yelcab F1 World Champ
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    Nov 29, 2001
    13,658
    San Carlos, CA
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    Mitchell Le
    #3 yelcab, Sep 6, 2018
    if it did not make noise before the clutch job, and no it does, then I question the work itself.
     
    thorn, alexion and fatbillybob like this.
  4. 335s

    335s Formula Junior

    Jan 17, 2007
    870
    SF Bay Area
    Full Name:
    T. Monma
    #4 335s, Sep 7, 2018
    gear teeth are RC 60-62, there is NOWAY that the car drives in quiet, and then is D and A'd, and suddenly the gears are making noise?....and the fitter says its gear teeth with an RC hardness sooo hard that: these things will run for an hour, with NO oil, before the hardness layer is breeched from resultant damage-I think not....
    More likely, he left out a Torrington bearing, or, it was bad and he didn't catch it...or, the "large bearings held captive with the "pin nuts"(top gear/bottom gear, were somehow damaged during the D and A process of the clutching job...
    FWIW-seek a second opinion,BEFORE you OK any further work at this shop, at the end of the day-like it or not-it is likely more than not that:
    this was an error of the part of the most recent "practitioner of the art."
    good luck getting satisfaction, parts for 35 yr old 3x8 cars are now almost like what we had to deal with in the late 70s/early 80s for these sorts of parts for the 50s comp cars....it just gets haarder.....
     
  5. Gatorrari

    Gatorrari F1 World Champ
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    Jim Pernikoff
    #5 Gatorrari, Sep 7, 2018
    I trust my mechanic implicitly, and so do many of the other owners of older Ferraris in this area. He trained in Maranello and really knows his stuff. I stopped in the shop today and he showed me the free play in the gears that caused the rattling sound he heard. I suspect that the sound was of a type that I was actually hearing but didn't recognize as critical. He showed me the wear on the old clutch; it may have been making just enough noise to cover the noise from the transfer gears.

    We found a gear set locally, but it had different part numbers and turned out to be for a Euro car; he tried them anyway but determined that they would not work. He found a set with the correct part numbers on the west coast that is being air-freighted and should be here by Monday morning. If everything goes as expected, I should have the car back by Tuesday afternoon and will still be able to go on my trip.
     
    BigTex likes this.
  6. waymar

    waymar Formula 3

    Sep 2, 2008
    1,354
    Northeast, PA - USA
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    Wayne Martin
    #6 waymar, Sep 7, 2018
    I’m happy for you that you found another set. Do you have any photos of the 2 ‘bad’ gears? Would be interested in seeing the details.
     
  7. Gatorrari

    Gatorrari F1 World Champ
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    Jim Pernikoff
    #7 Gatorrari, Sep 11, 2018
    I'm not sure seeing the bad gears would reveal anything; I looked at them and they look just like the new gears; just enough even wear all around to make them rattle.

    But the mechanic says the new gears work fine, and he gave the car a long road test that included freeway driving. Tomorrow I pick up the car and then on Thursday it's off to N.Y. state!
     
  8. waymar

    waymar Formula 3

    Sep 2, 2008
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    Wayne Martin
    #8 waymar, Sep 12, 2018
    Glad it all worked out. Safe travels!
     
  9. Ferrari Tech

    Ferrari Tech Formula 3

    Mar 5, 2010
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    Wade Williams
    #9 Ferrari Tech, Sep 15, 2018
    I can't imagine a situation that has a gear wearing perfectly all the way around and shows no sign of damage. Gears don't mesh in 100% of the area available.
    There should be some sign of the issue at hand.
     
    taz355 and andyww like this.
  10. andyww

    andyww F1 Rookie

    Feb 7, 2011
    2,775
    London
    #10 andyww, Sep 19, 2018
    Absolutely. This story cant be correct. Something else has to have gone on here which the mechanic is not admitting.
     
    taz355 likes this.
  11. 335s

    335s Formula Junior

    Jan 17, 2007
    870
    SF Bay Area
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    T. Monma
    #11 335s, Sep 20, 2018
    Probably all true, but the owner is happy, and at the end of the day: all's well that end's well.
    If he wants to drink the Kool-Aid, that's entirely his prerogative....it's his car after all..
     

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