Xflow Engine removal

[James Arnold]

After my disastrous 0-60 at Brooklands, I am about to remove my engine/gearbox to start the investigation into where 1st gear has gone.

Does anybody have any key advice on Xflow (to live axle) removal? As well as the obvious, I have taken off the starter motor, alternator and carbs to make life easier. Is it now just a question of undoing the prop or are there any nasties I should watch for?

I have been quoted 200 plus VAT for an exchange 1600 sport gearbox, any comments on if that’s good value?

I don’t suppose that anybody’s got a potentially useful bit of garage space currently taken up with a good working gearbox?

Cheers,

James

 

[Casbar]

Just about to put my engine back in.

 

Only advice, is, either get the gearbox oil out with a syphon before removal, or get someone to sit in the car and try and catch the oil as it comes out the back of the gearbox, when you lift it out.

 

EP90 stinks and goes everywhere.

 

Robert

[Edward Guest]

My advice is to split the engine & gear box and pull the engine out first

That makes the removal of the gearbox easier and you are less likely to pour oil everywhere

 

Good luck

 

Eddie

[R2D2]

I think that £200 exchange for a Sport Box is a bit stiff. You can pick them up second hand for about £30/40 and they are quite common. Be careful you don't end up with the 1100/1300 Escort box which looks identical but has a lower 1st/2nd gear and a big gap to third. Take some Tipex and check 1st gear which is about 3.5:1 for a Sport and 4:1 for a std.box.

 

Try Ian Harwood, I think there is a link on Alex Wong's Page.

[Blatman]

Jack up the rear of the car to aid engine/gearbox extraction.

With all due respect to Edward, I'd remove them as one. Seems to work better for me.

If you can't syphon/drain the oil, try and get the output uj section (tech termwink.gif) from a scrappy, and bung it up the tail of the 'box...........

[R2D2]

I have always split the engine and gearbox before taking the engine out and find it straight forward but you do need to be sure that the steel starter location plate has been split.

Once the prop is off it is quite easy to lift the box backwards into the tunnel so the engine comes out with a straight lift. If you put it back the same way I would line up the input shaft splines out of the car.

 

There is a Quaife Kit for this box that gives a 2.5:1 first but it is quite expensive.

 

I fitted cap heads to the sump so that it is quite easy to remove it with the engine in the car and it might be worth doing while it's out.

 

The other fiddle is the speedo cable fitting into the box. Mine had a knackered circlip groove and the cable didn't want to stay in place when we re-fitted it.

[CHRIS CLARK]

This is James of the 'I'll be back with a trailer soon' brigade !

 

How about contacting Phil Stewart at 'Road and Race Transmissions' ?

His car was the red V/X at Brooklands (see Blatman video) that kept disappearing in a cloud of rubber smoke from the doughnuts!!! You can be sure of his very competent work.

 

I'm sure he could sort your box for a good price, and after all you don't want to be doing this job too regularly. He may also supply you with a suitable 'bung' for popping over the end of the gearbox output shaft to stop the oil loss. I forgot to use mine on the extraction (orig 5 sp box), but when the six speed was fitted was able to just overfill the 'box and lose very little at the re-installation stage.

 

 

PS. No direct connection with R & R T; just a happy customer !

[James Arnold]

I had planned to position a friend under the car to 'assist', he usually wears nicely absorbent overalls, so I thought he would prevent excess oil on the garage floor.

Chris, what are the cap heads you are fitting to the sump? My sump is attached with bolts through the sump into the block (I think).

Given that the only reason the engine needs to come out is to get at the gear box, I current think I might as well remove both in one go.

J

[Dave H]

I would separate the engine and gear box before removing them. There is not a lot of room to swing them out as a single unit, and it does stop most of the oil flooding out the back of the gearbox.

Undo the rear of the propshaft and the gearbox mountings, then undo the gearbox from engine. The gearbox can then slide back into the transmission tunnel, which make lifting the engine out very easy. The gearbox can then be slid foward and lifted out (or dropped on the floor).

 

Dave H

[R2D2]

I replaced all of the hexagon headed bolts with allen "cap" head bolts. It makes them easier to remove with the engine in the car.

[R2D2]

OOPS!

 

Edited by - chris flavell on 9 Oct 2001 09:04:48

[JampJ]

I've got a 1600 escort box for sale £45 done approx 30000 miles.

JOHN HALL(07860233252)m 0161 681 8015(h)

MANCHESTER.

CHEERS C7 POW.