overdrive not working

[AUSMHLY]

I was running redline in the tranny. No problems...it seems.
Then the overdrive stopped working.
Mechanic said, drain the oil, rinse with a gallon of gas then put in Castro 20-50. I did. Overdrive started working...for one day, then same problem of not going into overdrive.

Today I drained it, rinse the tranny with another gallon of gas and used Castro GTX 20-50 again. Overdrive is not working.

With the car parked, I turn the key to on, not starting the car. I flip the overdrive switch and tap the stick shift to the right and hear the clicking noise. Some times it does not make the noise. I think I have an electrical problem, connection or part maybe?

What do I do now?

Thanks guys.
Roger

 

[Patrick67BJ8]

Roger,

It sounds like a weak solenoid. Sometimes a solenoid will make a click but not have enough strength to actually make engagement. The last one I changed had thos problem. Be sure you have good current flow when checking power connections and use a parking turn-signal light bulb to check for brightness(current strength). Older wiring has a problem of reading good on a voltmeter but not enough to allow current to flow. Think of voltage as a water faucet with potential and current flow when you turn the faucet "on".
Patrick

 

[tahoe healey]

A drop of oil on the piston of that switch might help?? If you remove the shift lever you can access it and push it in with your finger and test it with a meter.

I'm not sure why you dumped the Redline. Its good stuff and expensive. The merits of non-detergent oils have been gone over and over in the past. Test the solenoid as Patrick suggests. I'd then look into the operating valve as a common source of problems. It has a spring that fails and dirt (gear debris) can mess with the ball bearing.

By the way what MPG did your mechanic get. Will you be changing your moniker to "lead-foot"?

 

[AUSMHLY]

I'm not sure why you dumped the Redline. Its good stuff and expensive. The merits of non-detergent oils have been gone over and over in the past.
By the way what MPG did your mechanic get. Will you be changing your moniker to "lead-foot"?

Rich, the topic of redline vs dino-oil has been disscused alot here, and I've been part of that discussion, as have you.
You're not sure why I dumped it? Because two out of 3 of my mechanics recommend it and they are all smarter than I. First things first and both of them recommended changing the oil. And I'm glad I did, for I found by looking at the oil, I should have.

As far as the mpg...13.
It is what it is.

I will be looking into the solenoid.
Just another day spent bonding with the Healey. This time with some tools vs driving. And that's OK with me.

I'll fix this road bump and smooth out the next one that comes along.

Lead foot..I wish!

Cheers,
Roger

 

[AUSMHLY]

The click sound is the solenoid, correct?

What's your thoughts on sometimes I hear the click (solenoid?) and sometimes I don't.

Problem with the solenoid or current not getting to it from somewhere else?

What if it's not the solenoid?

I'm hoping it's not the actual overdrive causing this problem.

Yikes.

 

[Patrick67BJ8]

The click sound is the solenoid, correct?

What's your thoughts on sometimes I hear the click (solenoid?) and sometimes I don't.

Problem with the solenoid or current not getting to it from somewhere else?

What if it's not the solenoid?

I'm hoping it's not the actual overdrive causing this problem.

Yikes.

I think when the intermittent "click" sound is is a sign of a weak solenoid especially if you know for a fact that "good string" electrcalpower is getting to it. The "click" means you do have power to it, but doesn't mean you have enough and/or the solenoid is just plain weak. The next time you don't hear a click try wiggling the gearshift to see if you can get a click. A click when you do this still doesn't mean the solenoid is strong enough to engage. Unfortunately, you have to buy a solenoid to try it out to see if this fixes your problem. I was able to borrow one(lucky me).
Patrick

 

[TomFromStLouis]

... rinse with a gallon of gas.... rinse the tranny with another gallon of gas....

I don't know about your OD but I think we solved the low mpg problem...

 

[Healeysince59]

I have a problem with a mechanic that tells you to flush with gasoline. That's borderline unsafe and irresponsible. I would prefer to fill with a cheap 30 wt, run it a while and then drain it. If you feel a solvent flush is necessary, use a commercial solvent like Varsol, paint thinner (my choice), or kerosene.

Marv J

 

[Genos2]

Using an LED power tester, w/red LED for power&green/for ground, I'd recommend testing for both power& ground at the solenoid&the interrupter switch(on side of shift housing). Also you can run a fused hot lead to solenoid to see if it energizes. If energized w/pwr lead do NOT back car up, you will damage unidirectional brgs in O/D, Hope this helps, cheers Genos2

 

[AUSMHLY]

I think when the intermittent "click" sound is is a sign of a weak solenoid especially if you know for a fact that "good string" electrcalpower is getting to it. The "click" means you do have power to it, but doesn't mean you have enough and/or the solenoid is just plain weak. The next time you don't hear a click try wiggling the gearshift to see if you can get a click. A click when you do this still doesn't mean the solenoid is strong enough to engage. Unfortunately, you have to buy a solenoid to try it out to see if this fixes your problem. I was able to borrow one(lucky me).
Patrick

Patrick,
You hit the nail on the head.
The problem was just as you thought. The solenoid was weak. I put in another one, and she works fine now.

Thank you Patrick!
And thank you to everyone else who chimed in.
Roger

 

[tahoe healey]

Just curious what you meant by what you found in the Redline and how old it was(or how many miles you had on it).
Glad you got that solved. Does the old solenoid smell like burn electrical? Did you replace it a few years ago when you did all the work on your car (4 years ago?)?

 

[germanmichel]

Hello Roger,

fine that you fixed your problem. For the future....it is good to have more informations ;-)
This is a good site for OD know how for TR but it is principal the same (follow the links to the excellent photo descriptions) Also found the description to the two solenoid cicuits. (switch and hold)

https://www.tonydrews.com/Overdrive/overdrive_problem.htm

Bye michel- who work currently on the engine paint

 

[AUSMHLY]

Just curious what you meant by what you found in the Redline and how old it was(or how many miles you had on it).
Glad you got that solved. Does the old solenoid smell like burn electrical? Did you replace it a few years ago when you did all the work on your car (4 years ago?)?

Hello Rich,

History:
Solenoid was new from Moss about 10,000 miles ago. No smell and looked brand new when I took it out yesterday. Just lost the magnet pulling power that the replacement now has. So the solenoid wasn't doing it's job.

Tranny rebuilt June 2008. Miles about 11,000. Redline MT90.
July 08 I drained and replaced the MT90 as recommended because gears were new and wearing in.

Sept 18 2009, overdrive not working. Miles now about 17,000.
Recommendation, drain the oil and see if anything was clogging the system. Recommendation, use Castrol 20-50.

I drained the Redline, it showed a lot of grayish metallic in the oil. Most likely from the gears breaking in. So it was a good suggestion to change the oil.

I really don't feel much difference in smoothness of shifting, and that was surprise. Most say the Redline shifts easier, but I'm not feeling much of a difference, now that I spent a year with the Redline and now using Castro 20-50. (Maybe the Redline made shifting easier when the gears were new, but now that they are broken in, settled better, the differences is not so great?) One thing I am noticing, the drip spot is way smaller with Castro 20-50!

That's my story.
Cheers,
Roger

 

[tahoe healey]

Great.
Everyone seems to think Redline leaks out a lot. I've taken to buying it by the case but seldom have to add any. I have heard the quality of the Solenoids is not what they use to be. If it didn't burn (over heat)and have that electric burn smell, check it with an ohm meter. It may be good and you can add it to your traveling spares. Mine is still original although I have had it out and cleaned it up two years ago.

 

[AUSMHLY]

Great.
Everyone seems to think Redline leaks out a lot. I've taken to buying it by the case but seldom have to add any. I have heard the quality of the Solenoids is not what they use to be. If it didn't burn (over heat)and have that electric burn smell, check it with an ohm meter. It may be good and you can add it to your traveling spares. Mine is still original although I have had it out and cleaned it up two years ago.

I am on that list of everyone who thinks Redline leaks out a lot....it does!

I threw the solenoid in the trash. It's not good anymore, that's why it was replaced. Add it to my traveling spares? Oh look, here's a solenoid that doesn't work anymore?

I do have a few items as spares, but they work. Sorry Rich, I think I'm missing something.

Cheers my friend. See you at the Autumn Classic?
Roger

 

[Patrick67BJ8]

I think when the intermittent "click" sound is is a sign of a weak solenoid especially if you know for a fact that "good string" electrcalpower is getting to it. The "click" means you do have power to it, but doesn't mean you have enough and/or the solenoid is just plain weak. The next time you don't hear a click try wiggling the gearshift to see if you can get a click. A click when you do this still doesn't mean the solenoid is strong enough to engage. Unfortunately, you have to buy a solenoid to try it out to see if this fixes your problem. I was able to borrow one(lucky me).
Patrick

.
Patrick,
You hit the nail on the head.
The problem was just as you thought. The solenoid was weak. I put in another one, and she works fine now.

Thank you Patrick!
And thank you to everyone else who chimed in.
Roger

Roger,
The same thing happened to me a few times so I at least had first hand to share with you. The "click" can be misleading a person into thinking it's working okay when it's not. Always good to have spare parts laying around for troubleshooting.
Patrick

 

[Ed_K]

Roger,

I hope someone from Moss is reading this forum because I am fairly certain I know why these recent o/drive solenoids are failing.
I also bought one of these about 2 years ago because I was having o/d problems. I installed it and it didn't fix my problem but I left it and a new 3-4 sensor switch installed in my car.
..I eventually fixed MY problem by using Valvoline VR1 60w racing oil in my o/d and transmission. Thanks to an old post from Keoke !
...
The new solenoid completely stopped working after 2 or three weeks after I installed it. I used an ohm meter to check the wire that goes to the 3-4 transmission switch then to the solenoid while the gear shift was in 4th and the wire was disconnected from the relay. It was showing 12 ohms or so. It should be showing 0 - 2 ohms ? I called Moss and they shipped me a new solenoid right away. But I didn't want to wait for the part to arrive and I wanted to see if I could find out what was wrong with it.
After I got the tunnel cover off, I determined for certain it was the solenoid not the 3/4 sensor switch.
....
I carefully peeled back the rubber boot off of the top of the solenoid and discovered that the vendor had used a big glob of RTV to insulate the ends of the wires under the rubber boot. This big glob of RTV is right next to the points that make the circut for the PICK coil in the solenoid.
RTV is always curing . It emits a gas from the acetic acid that is used in the RTV to cure it. That is what gives it that distinctive smell when you use it. To make a long story shorter, that gas is trapped under the rubber boot along with the moisture in the air and starts corroding nearby metal objects including the points of the sensor switch ! Having had previous experience with RTV causing failures like this inside of low voltage switches at work, I used a burnishing blade to clean the contact points of the sensor. That was the problem as now it showed .5 ohms. I peeled the big glob of RTV off of the wires and then reinstalled the rubber boot. I have been using that solenoid now for two years with no further problems. I carry the replacement one from Moss around in my car as a spare. The moral of the story, carefully remove the rubber boot from the top of any new o/d solenoid and remove the big glob of RTV. The new rubber boot seals the wires enough to keep the bulk of the moisture out of there. That RTV will make those points fail, especially in damp / high humidity climates like around here. In dryer climates it takes longer. While under the rubber boot, you can clean the points with a burnishing blade if you saw more than an ohm or two when you started checking it out.

Ed

 

[tahoe healey]

Roger, yes, I do indeed carry many parts I've taken off and replaced. I clean and restore/rebuild them. For example, I carry a fuel pump, fan belt old but in good usable condition, dizzy cap, last set of spark plugs cleaned and gaped and ready to go, points sanded and polished, rotors (2) and condenser and many more things. Most things on these cars can be repaired if not burned or broken. I have owned and raced MGBs and owned a Jag XK140 over the last 40 years and I've learned something about being prepared. I've loaned parts out for road side repair. And every place I drive to from up here, is a long way from home.
Roger, I was just trying to save you some money.

 

[AUSMHLY]

Rich, Thank you.

Some things (my defective Solenoid) just aren't worth trying to repair because they were made cheaply in china. My mechanic had a Lucas solenoid we installed. The good stuff. I'm all about saving money, but not if it will cost me later, stuck on the side of the road. I'll repair the original stuff, but not the new cheap stuff. Make sense?

I'm not worried... I've just added you to my speed dial on my cell. You loan parts out to guys on the side of the road, right!?

You polished your points...dude I live to polish! You're my new best friend.
Cheers,
Roger

 

[tahoe healey]

Tools, too.