Hi folks,

I bought some months ago a 2.0 from 1973 that was stored for 2 years. After some classical work I enjoyed this car about 300 miles and now I have hard vibrations when I start with first gear. The engine make noise BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM and the car is shaken by all parts.

I first thought about clutch.

Any advice welcome

The engine mounts and tranny mounts are shot, replace em. OR 1st gear is chipped...or a tranny mounting horn is broken.
Geoff

yepp, check the mounts. they're rubber and they tend to brake (after 30+ years). either engine or transmission mounts ...

Andy

If it were a beetle or ghia, I'd say your clutch cable tube might also have broken loose. (common on those cars), and welding (not soldering) it back down can fix this problem.

To diagnose, watch where the clutch cable comes out of it's guide tube to the clutch lever, and have someone depress the clutch cable. If the tube moves, you've found the problem. If it's rock solid, then I have you barking up the wrong tree. But it's a simple and cheap tree to bark up.

I just replaced my mounts last Friday. Mine only did one BAM taking off with max power. I had an MG that did the multiple "BAMING" but that was due to a broken tranny tooth in 1st. Hope it's not the latter for ya. Motor mounts are cheap & not too hard to install.
bruce

I do not think that motor and tranny mounts died in only 300 miles. The problem cames recently.

May be a tooth of the first gear ? So, I will try to take off in 2nd gear

Or the clutch cable. It is a fact that I changed the speedo and accelerator cables. May be I generated a problem with the cable housing in the tunnel ?

I will check and let you know
Thanks for your interest

Your car is 30 years old. There is much more than 300 miles on those mounts, unless you replaced them.

check your CV joints as well...

cheers,

Jeroen

You haven't stated that you changed the mounts (both sets) just that you did some classical work. You have only driven it for 300 miles after it being stored for 2 years. I think maybe the engine and tranny mounts are old (30 years) and have broken loose because you are driving it. They are rubber so with age they harden and now have cracked.
Does the car drive in the other gears fine? Does the gear shift knob bounce around in the other gears or just 1st?
If it ONLY does it in 1st then you broke a tooth. If it does it in the other gears then look at the mounts (engine and tranny) and the tranny mounting horns.
Also, look at the CV joints to see if one has come loose or broken.
Geoff

You must be right. I watched rear mounts and one (passenger side) is cracked.

So the future work will be

- Removing tranny
- replacing rear mounts
- replacing engine mounts
- checking / replacing clutch plate
- chacking CV joints

and trying the car.

FYI:

You dont have to remove the tranny unless you really want too. You can unbolt the rear mounts and replace them by dropping the tranny a few inches in the rear (cant hurt the front mounts).

Here is how I would check it all out:

Put the car in gear. Pull up on ebrake and slowly let clutch out until you hear the clunk.

Very rarely will a rear mount make a clunking noise. Normally its the front mounts allowing the engine to move up and down making the noise. You can check this buy placing a floorjack under the engine sump plate and slowly lifting the engine up. If the engine goes up real easy and you dont see the car trying to lift with the engine... the front mounts are broken.

B

Brad,

this is not a clunck noise. It is an important vibration with a loud BAM BAM.

I tried to jack the engine and the tranny. As soon as I lift up, engine AND car moves up.
Same thing with the tranny. Mounts does not seem to be broken.

In the haynes manual (page 73) they speak about "clutch judder or grabbing". It seems very similar...

Clutch shudder is pretty easy to identify. When you let out the clutch the petal "jumps and shudders" against your foot.
Is this the problem?
Man, it is hard to dianose people problems, describe the symtoms as much as you can in detail.
Back to the tranny/engine mounts....Even when you jack the car up, the tranny mounts will "seem" fine unless they are torn apart. Once they are ripped though, driving with them produces a shake and shudder when in gear and letting out the clutch.
Geoff

Pat,


where are you ?? I'll send somebody over to drive the car with you. It could oil on the clutch from a main seal gone bad.

B

I am from Sevilla, Spain

The story about oil on the clutch from a main seal gone bad COULD be a realistic way.

Engine had in its past life a big problems. A valve seat broken and damaged the piston and cylinder. The 4 pistons and cylinders have been changed and head repaired. But, apparently there were massive oil projections.

I think that the best way is to remove tranny to replace mounts and check CV joints + clutch.

After, we will know.

Brad, I think you should go help Pat4and get a vacation outta it After the swap meet & cutting all that grass this weekend you'll need it. I bet Spain is beautiful this time of year!!!
bruce

Brad has time to cut grass???