Transmission hard to get into gear...

[dbtravis]

I have a 1920 DB touring that I purchased about 3 months ago. Whenever the engine is running and the car is not moving and in neutral, when I step on the clutch and try to shift into a gear it grinds like CRAZY. It is almost so extreme that I can not get it to engage in any gear - including reverse, without turning the engine off, putting it in gear and starting it with the clutch in. When the car is moving and I am shifting (such as between 2nd and 3rd) it usually shifts very smoothly, almost like there is no gear changing at all! Occasionally it will grind on a 2 - 3 upshift, but this is usually minimal and more or less "standard" or better for what you would expect from an old DB. When I first took the car out this didn't happen but it has gotten progressively worse over the last 20 or so miles.

Some other items that might help with diagnostics:

Recently, when I shift into reverse or when I start in reverse with the clutch in, the car will sometimes "jump" backwards a few inches. It almost seems like the clutch doesn't fully disengage, but I am not sure why this would be?

When I first started the car, it had sat for about 20 years. I couldn't get the clutch to disengage and had to jack up the rear end to start the car - even in neutral. As soon as I started the car with the rear wheels raised and the transmission in neutral, it seemed to "break" free, and I was able to shift it into gear, out of gear, back in to neutral, etc just fine up on the jack stands. I took it out on the road and it was working fine until just recently (after driving about 250 miles total spread over about 2 months).

So... any help? Is it possible that my clutch is not fully disengaging? If so, how would I fix it and what should I do? Any advice would be helpful and much appreciated. But please, feel free to post here but also email me at TR256@aol.com since I will get your response much faster!

Thanks! - Travis

[dbtravis]

Oh - by the way... I flushed and changed the old gear oil with an extremely heavy weight gear oil such as was suggested to me. It is at least to the correct level (somewhere on the reverse idler gear) - maybe a little bit too full, but I wasn't really sure how to check for the correct level exactly and I figured better safe than sorry. It was doing just fine with this new gear oil until recently - as mentioned in my 1st post.

Thanks - Travis

[nearchoclatetown]

Travis, have you taken the top cover off the clutch housing? Do so, and have someone push in the clutch and make sure all the discs are free. MAybe one or more are pasted together from sitting so long. You may have to use a screwdriver to free them. Also, I've read it isn't a good idea to overfill the trans, as it can push oil past the seals and may get on your clutch discs.

[dbtravis]

Thanks!

I will check out your suggestion and report back. If anyone else has any ideas in the meantime, please let me know.

Also, is there a way to accurately set the fluid level in the transmission, besides just looking down from the top and seeing if it hits a certain gear? I hear it should be in some relationship to the "reverse idler gear", but I am not sure which one that is. On the outside of the transmission there is a plate that states "fill to this level", but I don't see anything inside indicating a reference point to the plate. Maybe I can take out a screw and fill it until it leaks out or ??? Thanks for any advice.

- Travis

[nearchoclatetown]

The manual says 4 pints. And good for you on driving 250 miles in 2 months. I wish I could do that.

[gboy]

I had the same problem with my 24 sedan, tried flushing clutch plates which didn't work. I pulled engine to find that pilot bearing was seized. after repacing pilot bearing with a sealed bearing my problem was corrected, the original bearing was an open bearing with no was to grease.

Chuck

[dwollam]

Pull the bolt out next to the "fill to this level". When oil stops coming out it is the correct level. That cover is for the reverse idler gear. The suggestion from gboy on the pilot bearing is a real possibility also.

Dave

[Guest alex_houston]

My 2 cents - the clutch discs are stuck together and will not release.

Forget correct terminology but the clutch disc slots could be worn and sticking and not allowing the clutches to release.

Little different situation but I had this problem for a while after I had my clutch linings replaced with apparently slightly too thick of a lining. Finally wore in and no longer a problem. I had to adust the linkage way out to release the clutch but that was so long ago, I can't decribe how to do it now.

[Guest leadfoot]

The owner's manual for my '23 describes a maintenance procedure for cleaning the clutch discs when the clutch is grabbing. The procedure is to pour kerosene on it and let it drain, then reverse it 180 degrees and repeat. I've used carb cleaner in a spray can in the past and it definitely improved clutch operation.

[dbtravis]

Thanks to everyone for the help!

I took the cover plate off the clutch and it actually appeared as though all of the disks were free and easily separated with a screwdriver lightly pressing on them when the pedal is pressed down. I took the opportunity to blast 2 cans of Brake-Clean fluid down there while depressing the clutch pedal and separating plates and turning the engine over a few times to get good coverage. Now the transmission only grinds the "normal" amount for an old DB - actually it's not bad in the slightest. I can sit at a stop light in neutral with my foot off the clutch and depress the pedal and shift right into second when the light turns green - even after the transmission gear oil is very warm. I'd say it was just a case of sticking/gummed up disks from the car sitting for the past 30 years.

This will make the car very enjoyable this summer. During this next winter I might want to do some further investigation in there... for some reason that I can't figure out yet, every once in awhile - maybe about one shift in 50, if I am at a stop light and have the car in second gear but foot on the clutch, when I go to release the clutch pedal... nothing happens. It is as if the clutch is sticking in the open position. I then usually have to depress the clutch pedal again and really pop it out sometimes even two or three times to get it to engage. It's definitely not a slipping problem. Probably more like some type of spring mechanism or linkage inside the clutch is gummed up and not allowing the disks to come back together on rare occasions. I'd rather take this over not being able to shift the car into gear any day!

I'll let you know how it progresses, but thanks for the help. Because of everyone's suggestions I was able to get the car out today for a nice (and necessary) 30 mile jaunt to run various errands seeing as how my "modern iron" (1990 Lincoln Towncar) is down with a leaking brake line. The best part about it was that I wasn't just out having fun... I was also out actually USING the DB for practical purposes, just like back when the car was made. That made it even MORE fun!

- Travis