BA Gearbox hints & tips

[ian.scott]

You dont have to strip the whole box , just remove the outer cover, pull out the mainshaft pushing a dummy shaft in at the same time , and then change the sprocket.

Ian

[brenton.roy]

Hi Simes,
I can't say exactly, but I have put in around a litre. I'm not sure what the correct volume is, so in the absence of being able to see easily, my aim is to have the level where I can just find it at the bottom of the filler.
I mix the grease/oil pretty thoroughly to a point where it flows easily, and have used both the corner cut off a plastic bag and a grease gun for delivery. Even with the grease runny, it takes a while to settle in and so it's needed a couple of top ups.
Like John, I use the red stuff, which mixes up to a lovely colour with the oil! I tried to find a good lithium grease, figuring it would be there for a while.

I've heard talk about thixotropic greases, but know very little about them. The idea sounds good though.
Brenton

[john.nash]

Thanks John & Graham. Any idea how much you need?

I just put this together for the CP. 1 1/3 pints:

http://www.arielownersmcc.com/members ... %20Box.pdf

I cannot imagine the BA being much different.

I just put in around 600ml (maybe a little more) in and it was full-ish
I suspect it will eventually self level and I will top up (or not)

Brenton's litre sounds alot ....? It must be stuffed ....

[john.nash]

The other thing I would say is on the timing of the quadrant and camshaft on reassembly. The book implies that you should rebuild in neutral and time the two 0's together. But this is NOT neutral... It is a false neutral between second and third gear. I annotated my Waller thus after scratching my head for awhile and finally thinking about it all. If you think that the quadrant moves up and down between 1st and 4th, then it's pretty obvious that the position of the 0's at half way along the teeth must be halfway around the camshafts rotation.

Going anticlockwise the 0 on the cam gear is at about 2 o'clock in 4th, 11 o'clock in 3rd, 8 o'clock in 2nd, between 5 & 6 in detented neutral, and about 4 o'clock in 1st. You can find an undetented neutral between 2nd and 3rd, and 3rd and 4th. The 0's align in undetented neutral between 2nd and 3rd.

Mine's a CP.

So where should the marks line up ? How do you re-assemble ?
I did notice that, when I put the gears back in, with the "o", on the camshaft, at 9 o'clock (where the book says it ought to be for lining up) the pawl wasn't in any indent on the camshaft.
I just assumed that was where you line it all up ?

Everything looked ok in my box but I still have a stupid false neutral between 3rd and 4th that was there before ..

[brenton.roy]

Hi John, 1 1/3 pints is 800 ml. A litre is a bit of a guess as I was mixing up more for top ups.
Mixing up a litre would be a good start.
Do your grease containers come in pints or litres? I suppose that a pint plus oil would be about right.

[dave.pitt]

Folks,
The correct level is "halfway up the layshaft..." which approximates to 1 pint.

It's in the Ariel handbook that goes with the various models...

[dave.pitt]

Supplement to Owners Guide All Models 1948 >

[dave.pitt]

Re: the above: Remember that these gearboxes were originally all grease. In 1948 with the inclusion of the main bearing oil seal Ariel thought they were producing an oil box. Ha-ha! Soon afterwards the recommendation for 50:50 oill/grease came about because oild peed out of thye kick start and gear lever shafts...
So for where it says oil, read oil/grease.

[brenton.roy]

Thanks Dave. Can't argue with that!

[john.bebb]

OK Guys - 'Idiot' here - I've re grease packed the main box & fitted the inner cover... please, I don't need an explanation of the selector quadrant alignment at a false neutral - I got that all sussed... but how the blazes does one realign & refit the outer cover?
My question is - WHICH parts of the selector mechanism are to be in the outer cover... and which parts are effectively already fitted 'in the box'?
Cheers. John