No response on the general RWD area so...

The thrust washers at either end of the layshaft on my M40 appear to be rather beat. The bent "lock" tab on one is hammered and the other one is wiped off.

I plan on installing an M41 relatively soon (fully rebuilt) so I just want to get by for a while. The rest of the components are in decent shape with some wear on the layshaft and races of the ball bearings but nothing alarming. It certainly isn't going to last another 100K miles but I feel OK for a little while.

The question is, "can I re-install these thrust washers or do I really need to get at least one new one?" And, "If I bent the tab a little farther so it works again, am I asking for immediate trouble?"

Thanks all,


Mike!

Mike,

Those thrust washers are NLA, last I checked... I say try to work with what you have for the short term. Good luck with it.

--Phil

Great. An obvious wear item and they don't make 'em anymore HAH!
As it turns out, I was able to bend the tab out a little farther with a screwdriver and hammer... stuff was softer than I thought.
Now that it is all nice and clean I can't seem to get 3/4 to work right. The slider for 1/2 snick-snicks wonderful but 3/4 won't move. I couldn't see any other way to go together and the manual is sooooo helpful (quote to the effect that "you can't assemble it wrong because it won't go together").
Other than that "little snag" it went quite well and the copper tubing layshaft suggestion was amazingly useful.

Mike!

Mike,

Check that the sliding dogs are keyed correctly to the slots on the 3-4 synchro rings. It's easy to have one slip. Wear on the spring wires can also contribute to this.

They don't make the needle bearings for the layshaft anymore either. You'd think they'd be generic, but apparently not.

Hmmm. The wire springs were definitely worn but I replaced them as I "only" need a little time out of the gearbox. Apparently, I need to do so.
I heard about the tight supply on layshft rollers. You would think with all these boxes out there they would be fairly common.
Those dogs were a real pain. Worse than the rollers. I have been suspecting that one of the wire springs got mis-aligned but have been hoping it would be "OK."
Sigh. Must re-open.
Hey, what is the best source for these bits, anyway?

Mike!

Yep, those dawgs can be an exercise in patience... I've found that worn spring wires are the main cause of the things not shifting (BTDT), so I replace them if they show any wear at all.

The last time I rebuilt one of the things was maybe four years ago, though, so I hope those are still available.

RPR is the latest source I used.