Old Brit bike solution?

[che]

As you will see by my other thread (a race against time) i have a oil leak problem, which looks like the gearbox needs stripping. A mate has suggested as a 'temporary' measure, an old brit bike solution. That is putting grease in the gearbox, is that a good 'temporary fix'? if so how temporary, and how much grease, and what grease, normal or high temperature?

Anybody read 'end of oil'? frightning, but i know who is using more than their fair share, sorry guys, i think single handedly i'm curtailing the projected life of the internal combustion engine.

Shake Kimbo

[zipps]

Yes this was done at one time,pre ww2. If you are going to do it you will need a very thick oil I would think,and the box may need to be partly stripped to get it in.good luck..

[Chiefy]

Personally, I don't think it's a good idea.

Grease is a good solution for slow moving components, ie head bearings, swing arm bearings etc, buts it's not much cop for bits that whizz round. Centrifugal force moves the grease away from the moving parts.

Once everything has wirred round for a while the grease will "make way" for the rotating bits and bobs and Hey Presto! no lubrication.

Better to cure the leak than wind up replacing all the moving parts.

[Roddy_the_Dog]

Try Lucas oil products,good stuff by all accounts and might just buy you some time to delay the tranny rebuild till winter.

[chilly]

Your right there Che, Brit bikes did use grease ,try Royal Enfield ,ie Hitchcocks- ,but i'm still not sure how it lubricated parts when it had been thrown off the gears.

Chilly,
hoping you will make it.

[zipps]

In theory you could do this but who knows how long it will last .They had to do this years ago because the tolerances were not as today.I am allmost sure that I have read that what they did was mix thick grease with oil at what ratio and how this was acheived I do not know .If you do decide to go down this road I would try to speak with someone who has a pre war m/c.and perhaps they can tell you ..good luck.

[The Yukon Sizzler]

Grease in a four speed ratchet top box...no...no...no...dont do it che. At the moment the box needs stripping to repair an oil leak, you dont want to be stripping it because the internals are scrap which i'm sure is what would happen if you used grease.
As chiefy says the grease would be flung to the corners of the box by centrifugal force leaving the gears ,bearings and bushes running dry.
Last year my pan had major gearbox surgery, ok i've got a nice set of andrews gears in there now , but i'd rather still have the grand in the bank.
Don't risk turning your gearbox to scrap just to make one rally, its not worth it , especially if you've got another sickle to go on.
Are you using good thick gear oil...EP 90 perhaps, maybe try a dash of STP in it ?

[Hank41]

Cant say i like grease idea would make shifting a bitch apart from likley damage. Wynns do a transmision stop leak that might work for a while, never tried it myself but my local vintage tractor guy swears by it, it works by swelleng the seals. (allegedly) if it works on tractors well! who knows?

I changed the oil in the gearboxes of a fleet of underground vehicles for a grease by Fuchs called RENOLIT LSTO GREASE, due to the output seals on these constantly being worn out & leaking in no time. The seals probably continued to wear, but were still running with the grease no problem. The internal gears were in the same good order as when run on oil, as this stuff breaks down to oil type viscosity when subjected to pressure between moving parts. If you use do grease, or the Fuchs stuff, then you will have to fill the gearbox well above the normal level, ensuring that bearings are submerged & then some. I had them filled to approx 80% of the gearbox internal volume.

[Phil]

WOT, NO, AHHHH!!! Che don`t do it, keep putting the oil in.
Come winter, mail the bloody thing to me. I`ll rebuild it, parts only, just don`t fill it with grease.
Oh, & nice to put a face to a name in the beer tent there!