Series 1 280i Gearlever "buzzing" - plus overheating

[lyallp]

Hi Guys, finally got my S1 up and running and on the road this week, first time in many, many years. A short trip yesterday and the gearlever "buzzes" when travelling, not the end of the world but annoying. The car has the original ford type E gearbox fitted, are there replaceable bushes in the gearlever assembly that could be replaced, and more to the point are they still available?

During the trip the car also got very hot, I removed the original viscous fan and fitted an electric replacement, (which came on). is it better to refit the viscous one so there is movement whilst the engine is running?

Thanks guys

[LLantrisant]

my expirience with e-fans vs.viscous:

i m meanwhile owning my 4th wedge....all with Ford V6....2 cars i converted to e-fan and was never satisfied with the result:

even the fans had a shroud (the original viscous fan often not) and the fans were much larger than the vicous, the running-temperature were always hotter....even with a new radiator the temperatues remained higher.

with the other 2 cars, which remained the viscous fan (and the old radiator), they had stable temperatues, even in the hottest summer.

for the gearlever-bussing i cant help, as they typeE gearbox is normally not known for that faut.

the later T9 in combination with a quick-shift-conversion is often doing that.

a nice car, by the way, you have....i like the fixed-head version....especially as you still have the original-body without somebody have cutted a sunroof into it!!

[phillpot]

A new saddle may help with the gearlever issue ?

https://www.burtonpower.com/saddle-gearlever-to-se...

Ford had a problem with these gearbox's, the lump on the gearlever was to dampen out vibration,



An electric fan, of the correct size (big as will fit radiator) and set up properly should work fine unless there are other cooling system faults?
All later TVR's used electric fans.

[Adrian@]

4 speed or 5 speed. A@

[RobXjcoupe]

Had a buzzing LT77 gearstick, fitted to a Jag. Cause was slightly misaligned with the prop shaft.
Could be similar if you’ve had the gearbox out or rear axle off

[lyallp]

Thanks for all the replies, the gearbox is a 4 speed (car is no 24 off the production line) so an early S1. Yesterday I drained and flushed out the rad (looks new) and the block, and replaced the thermostat (stuck closed).

I took it for another run today and whilst better at containing the heat the fan still came on, I'm going to refit the original viscous fan as a comparison and maybe refit it on the front of the rad (reversing the wires so it blows through)

[LLantrisant]

type E gearbox has a plastic saddle where the gearlever is actuating on it...if this has perished than you have a rattlling noise.

https://www.burtonpower.com/tuning-guides/tuning-g...
but the Type E was never fitted to V6 engines!!!

this said....talking about 4-speed and Ford V6 the Type5 Gearbox is usually fitted:

https://www.burtonpower.com/tuning-guides/tuning-g...

and this is not known to have a plastic saddle.....

[Adrian@]

On the 4 speed (Type 5 in the UK and oddly Type E in Germany) there is a plastic cup that fails and drops into the gearbox (leaving metal to metal contact), replacing as OE requires the selector shaft to be removed, so there is a Nylatron cup version (less brittle/lasts longer, by giving a little compliance) that can be placed into the selector shaft without stripping the box down. There is also a pivot ball that fits/held onto the gear lever by a roll pin, that can collapse (rarely). THEN there are 1st/2nd gear noises (main bearings) and 3rd/4th noises (lay-gear). A@

Edited by Adrian@ on Monday 23 May 21:34

[Adrian@]

Re the cooling, when it is cold, remove the radiator cap and look/count the rows of the core, as it is quite possible to recore the radiator with a core from a 1.6/2.0 rather than the 2.8 required (you need to check the spec with a radiator man). I would of thought that an electric fan with the right core would be fine (mine is, although it being one of very last built is running a later radiator and electric fan as OE, so it has no engine fan). A@
Here is a link to Tickover re the cores https://www.tickover.co.uk/shop/contents/en-uk/d34...

Edited by Adrian@ on Monday 23 May 20:29

[lyallp]

Thanks again for all the replies

Re the overheating, I replaced the thermostat and refitted the viscous fan and it does run cooler, I will hopefully make a fan shroud to make the fan more effective, ultimately I guess I will replace the rad with an ali one with more cores.

As for the gearbox, thanks for putting me straight re the type, I have ordered a plastic bush from Racing Green, lets see if that can fix it.

I was out in it again today, what a great car to drive, so smooth and comfortable (if a bit lost in a world of large modern cars)

[LLantrisant]

type E and Type 5-->complete different boxes!!!

type 5 does not have a pplastic saddle.

[Adrian@]

LLantrisant said:

type E and Type 5-->complete different boxes!!!

type 5 does not have a pplastic saddle.

You will need to tell that to Ford...they are not sure... https://www.ford-capri.ch/technics/technical-data/...

A@

[LLantrisant]

lyallp said:

Thanks for all the replies, the gearbox is a 4 speed (car is no 24 off the production line) so an early S1. Yesterday I drained and flushed out the rad (looks new) and the block, and replaced the thermostat (stuck closed).

I took it for another run today and whilst better at containing the heat the fan still came on, I'm going to refit the original viscous fan as a comparison and maybe refit it on the front of the rad (reversing the wires so it blows through)

on newer fan-models, you cant reverse the blowing direction of the fan by reversing the wires.

this said, a quality fan has the fan-blades shaped in a way that the fan only works efficiant in the dedicated direction. therefore you need to order the fans in "blowing" or "suction" version