Club 80-90 Forums

Our transmission just failed at the side of the A832 in Achnasheen . The engine still seems to be okay, but we've got no torque coming through in any gear, and the clutch doesn't seem to be biting at all. There still seems to be resistance when the clutch is pressed however.

So a little competition - ideas/ suggestions as to what might have gone wrong while we wait for the breakdown man to turn up - closest guess wins a small prize?

Also any suggestions would be appreciated as to any friendly garages nearby if the breakdown cover lets us down.

Thanks

If you have a water cooled van you might have a hydraulic leak (the fluid operates the clutch and the brakes). If that happens then the clutch feed fails first to ensure the brakes still work. Pull the large cover off from the back (not the front) that is over all the all the dials (speedo etc) in front of the steering wheel. Check the fluid level in the clear plastic reservoir. If it has dropped down then that is the problem.

If you can engage the gears without crunching it might be a drive shaft / CV failed?

Sounds like a garage job in either case. Insurance company are telling us we'll need to wait until Monday so they're going to tow us to a site for the weekend and then deal with us Monday.

Are there really no garages open Saturday

Bust bolts on one CV joint as suggested (usually outer - ie wheel end).

Okay we finally limped the 700 miles home thanks to the folks at Forbes Garage in Aultbea and a nifty dispatch from Brickwerks.

We suffered:
- a catastrophic failure of the clutch which was probably fairly worn anyway but self-destructed completely and very suddenly
- total disintegration of the spigot shaft bearing

It's anybody's guess as to which of the above failed first but one took out the other, and then the debris from both took out the starter motor.

We're back on the road for now, but as walking wounded, and the gearbox is going to need a new input shaft fitting before we do any more trips.

Glad you got it home OK,

clift_d wrote:Okay we finally limped the 700 miles home thanks to the folks at Forbes Garage in Aultbea and a nifty dispatch from Brickwerks.

Sounds like a thumbs up for Forbes Garage in Aultbea then ? (and B.W. of course)