gjslutz Posted August 25, 2009 Share Posted August 25, 2009 Any T-9 Transmission owners here with dry gear boxes, that leaked before? If so could you share your path to a non leaking T-9? Gary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bsimon Posted August 25, 2009 Share Posted August 25, 2009 Were's it leaking from? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catracer Posted August 25, 2009 Share Posted August 25, 2009 Gary, Can't believe that your box is completely dry...??? How old is the box? what lube are you running in it and what is your fill point? And, where is it leaking? I've got all the seals and gaskets that you would need, but a couple of the case gaskets require a complicated (near complete) teardown and reassembly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slngsht Posted August 25, 2009 Share Posted August 25, 2009 Gary, Can't believe that your box is completely dry...??? How old is the box? what lube are you running in it and what is your fill point? And, where is it leaking? I've got all the seals and gaskets that you would need, but a couple of the case gaskets require a complicated (near complete) teardown and reassembly. I think he means a non-leaking box, not that his box no longer has any fluid in it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catracer Posted August 25, 2009 Share Posted August 25, 2009 I did misunderstand that. But I have seen one that way.... it was after the selector arm pin sheared, got lodged on the clustergear and then was forcibly ejected through the bottom of the iron case. When the driver came off track, there was no oil, but plenty of smoke and later it could not even be fully disassembled. Frequently leaks on these boxes is due to an incomplete seal between the top of the bellhousing and the shiftrail where it passed through the case into a drilling in the bellhousing. If oils leaking out between the bellhousing and engine block, it's either that area, or the seal (or gasket) at the input shaft retainer or Much less likely is the countershaft (early versions) or the countershaft front support (later). Those have very tight clearances. At any rate, any of those fixes are pretty straightforward and just need the bellhousing removed and, of course, an engine/trans R&R. Rear seal is a btch but can be done in place if the driveshaft is removed. Using a slidehammer for removal and some made up adaptor to seat the new seal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lowflyer Posted August 25, 2009 Share Posted August 25, 2009 It's British, it's supposed to leak! How else can you prevent rust from attacking the backend of the car, if you're not going to spray oil all over it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pksurveyor Posted August 25, 2009 Share Posted August 25, 2009 My 2009 Caterham has a leak from the bell housing. Apparently there were some bad batches of bell housing from the Caterham supplier. It was fixed by the dealer during the build. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lowflyer Posted August 26, 2009 Share Posted August 26, 2009 Unlikely that the bellhousing was leaking. More likely that the front input shaft seal was leaking and the oil would run down the inside of the bellhousing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southwind25 Posted August 26, 2009 Share Posted August 26, 2009 I have an almost dry box... i put new seals AND speedie sleeves in it, i get 1 drop per week on the floor now...and thats with synthetic oil in it too. MUCH better than before! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
race fan Posted August 26, 2009 Share Posted August 26, 2009 Do a search on Merkur XR4TI transmission tsbs there are several that deal with how to seal the trans,the XR4TI used a T9,if you cant find them I can send them to you Dave Planakis seven on steroids Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gjslutz Posted August 30, 2009 Author Share Posted August 30, 2009 This is my 2nd box. The first one was bone dry for about 6,000 miles, then started to leak. As the oil was from the bellhousing, I replaced 2 rear main seals on the ZETEC. At the second rear main job I replaced the T-9 imput shaft seal and the cork gasket at the base of the imput shaft cover. I also went to the Redline MTL at thet time. I then was sure it was the box, not engine. A few months ago I replaced the box with a new rebuilt one with close ratio gears and all new seals and gaskets, bearings and gears. The leak jumped from the first box to the 2nd one. The first was the early & the 2nd was a late box. Both were filled to the proper fill for each. Friday I removed the Redline and went with the Ford Spec fluid. I still have the leak. Several of us have it with our T-9 boxes. Some have oil soaked clutches. Yes I sure would like to see the STBs and I can't get them. I'm looking for all the help I can get. Gary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gjslutz Posted August 30, 2009 Author Share Posted August 30, 2009 I also have the 1st T-9 gear box apart and I'm waiting for new 1st - 2nd gear synrco blocker springs. I don't want to finish it till know what to look for on the leak. Both boxes leak out the bell housing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baconmotorsport Posted August 31, 2009 Share Posted August 31, 2009 The t-9 in my birkin also leaks. after putting it back in 2 times and still having a leak i really gave it the once over. I found a hairline crack from the top of the input shaft bearing to the top of the case. I ground out a deep V in the case, filled it with weld and then ground it flat. problem solved. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gjslutz Posted August 31, 2009 Author Share Posted August 31, 2009 Thanks for the crack info. None of us had thought of this. I think most of the people with leaks have increased the HP in their cars like I also did. This could lead the cracks. I will check my empty case, very close. Gary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bsimon Posted August 31, 2009 Share Posted August 31, 2009 Gary, Try this; When the gearbox is separated from the bell housing, check the runout of the nose piece hole in relationship to the crank. Attach an indicator to the pressure plate and run it's tip against the inside of the 4" (or so) hole in the back of the bell housing. Any more than .015" TIR can lead to front seal and bearing failure in most gearboxes. Although these were not type N gearboxes, I've seen some aftermarket bell housings with incorrect dowel and bolt boring locations that created the problems you seem to be experiencing. Also, check the condition and fit of the spigot bearing in the crank. A worn (bushing type) or incorrect size (needle type) bearing can cause seal failure as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gjslutz Posted August 31, 2009 Author Share Posted August 31, 2009 Bob, I will check this. This was also mentioned with great detail on the Birkin fourm on Yahoo. My bell housing is mounted to the engine with dowels though. I do think I have a pilot bearing issue though. When I first installed the new T-9 the clutch would not release 100%, I drove it and then was fine. I purchased a new pilot bearing from Summit Racing that the ID was way too large for my pilot shaft. I ordered it for the ZX3, the T-9 shaft could be smaller. The next Pilot bearing I ordered from http://www.merkurmidwest.com and the ID is correct. I also ordered seals and T-9 gaskets from them. I will need to wait till pull the engine & T-9 out before I know if the pilot OD is correct and install it. I plan on doing the R&R after I get all the things listed to check. I hate to do any job like this twice, let alone 4 times! My first T-9 was dry for at least 6,000 miles. About the same time it started leaking I got a grind on the 1/2 up shift at high RPM and a fast shift. On a down shift there is no grind at all. I developed both problems on the second T-9 within 100 miles, the leak could have been sooner. It could have happened on the first drive as it was over 100 miles. FYI I installed an 1/8" pipe drain plug and a fill port on the top L of the top cover. I can also check the fluid level with my engine dip stick now. Gary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bsimon Posted August 31, 2009 Share Posted August 31, 2009 The type 9 will grind from 1st to 2nd after very little fast shifting if the 'box has the OEM ratios. Even the long 1st (2.83) BGH 'boxes will start to grind if you fast shift them 1-2, although they do so after a longer interval of time. The 2nd gear syncro can't handle the differential in shaft speed if the shift is made before the engine looses it's inertia. That's what creates the gold dust looking stuff that collects in the gearbox sump. My VX lump was particularly bad as the flywheel weighed 26lbs. That's probably why cars like mine were normally spec'd with a close ratio gearset (2.04 1st). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gjslutz Posted August 31, 2009 Author Share Posted August 31, 2009 I installed a dial indicator and measured .003” vertical movement on the shift rod at a point about 1” inside the gear box. If it “floats” that could be .0015” top & .0015” on the bottom. Is this excessive? This is on my 1st T-9 box. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gjslutz Posted August 31, 2009 Author Share Posted August 31, 2009 Bob, My 2nd T-9 is the close ratio and has the 2.04 1st. It is presently in the car. I only get it on the fast up shift. What is strange on a downnshift into 2nd and 1st there is no grind. This is even with making the syrncos do all the work. Gary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catracer Posted August 31, 2009 Share Posted August 31, 2009 Gary, did you use the same bellhousing on both the first and second trans? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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