No first gear

[DGardner]

Here is a odd one that happened to me this week. Monday I got the old wombat out for a ride and half way into my ride I lost first gear. After getting home I called Danny and ask him what he thought was going on, he was thinking control springs as a possible problem. So yesterday I pull the motor down and I find that one of the first gear balls is stuck in it's hole but sat up higher than the other ones. After getting it out I still couldn't get it to sit all the way down in the hole. I got a screwdriver and ran it around in the hole and out came a small smashed flat peace of metal.The metal was in the hole so the ball couldn't drop down or go up....all good now. I had ordered a new set of Paul's space age control springs to replace the one's that I had put in 8000 miles ago.....but there still good. So Paul your new springs are still going strong after that amount of miles. Also I will be putting in a new rebuilt crank that Danny Cooke rebuilt for me the workmanship that Danny does is just amazing! DG

[admin]

Thank you Doug but I cannot take the credit for the springs. I had the contact to make them but Ed Chesnut worked very hard on that design for us.
Thank you Captain Eddie!!

[DGardner]

Thanks Ed for designing the springs and to you for making them!

[Bill2001]

Doug-- any idea where the metal came from? An old broken control spring, a piece of swarf?

On my new-to-me Hodaka I've got a weepy control rod o-ring. When I get around to replacing it I'm inclined to preemptively fit a set of Paul and Ed's Space Age Control Springs. I'm appreciative of being able to get parts for the critters.

--Bill

[DGardner]

This transmission was isotropic polished when I put it in 8000 miles ago.....but I put a new combat wombat 5th gear in that was not polished. So I would think it came from it or a peace that was hidden inside the control shaft that finale came out....I just don't know where it came from. One thing I can say is, with that amount of time on the transmission it still looks new.

[Bill2001]

Isn't that The Pits when you goto make sure that everything is NASA-certified, Mil-Spec and a little sliver from somewhere still gets you? Still, it's fun...

--Bill

[bchappy]

Bill, before you decide for sure the weep is from the O ring, check to see that the sprocket nut is tight. If it is loose oil will seep around it.

[Bill2001]

weep is from the O ring, check to see that the sprocket nut is tight

Good call-- 'twas loose as a goose. Torque spec for "sprocket bolts" is 250 in-lbs (21 ft-lbs)-- that seems a tad light for 19-20mm diam bolt, even with splines cut in it. But that spec comes from 3 refs, so it should be correct.

EDIT:
The drive sprocket nut is 26mm. 25mm (or 1") won't fit and 1-1/16" (27mm) is a tad loose. That nut is thin and a even a good-fitting wrench barely has a good purchase on the nut. I went to NAPA and got a 6-point deep socket (2-1/2" deep) so I could loosen/tighten the sprocket nut with the gear Control Rod in Neutral (and I wouldn't need to rub the trans up into 4th or 5th gear). I'm thinking that the Clutch nut is also 26mm so this is a multi-use socket.

--Bill