OP
OP
I’ve always been a bit of a dope with my directionsI just keep thinking about the John Cleese movie Clockwise
gr J
I was born blonde 
Technical Gearbox hell
- Thread starter Baglady1990
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Technical Gearbox hell
I was born blonde TrevC
Established member
Righty-Tighty, Lefty Loosey!I’ve always been a bit of a dope with my directions
OP
OP
How does it seal (or tighten) if you can wind it all the way in???
I was once told by someone many years ago (in more non-pc days), that was the main difference between men and women, men dont need to ask which way to slacken bolts.
Though when you are lying under a car with your hand up behind the engine to reach a blind bolt, then it does take a bit of thought as to what is left or right.
I was once told by someone many years ago (in more non-pc days), that was the main difference between men and women, men dont need to ask which way to slacken bolts.
Though when you are lying under a car with your hand up behind the engine to reach a blind bolt, then it does take a bit of thought as to what is left or right.
OP
OP
I should have given it more thought before I started! But yes I was working exactly like you said I should have stopped and really thought!
But I didn’t .. I’ve no idea how or why it would go all the way in… or why it’s stayed sealed after I’ve managed to unwind it back in but thankfully it has had no leaks … trust me I’ve been on my side checking every day!
Righty tighty (clockwise) Lefty loosey (anticlockwise) - except for the odd, occasional, and usually "special" left hand threaded component - O/S wheel nuts on old Alfa Romeos come to mind, do they still do that? - Sorry to hear of your tribulations Chris, and very well done for recovering from that one. Anything "lost" inside a gearbox is usually a complete nightmare. These plugs are tapered to the best of my knowledge so you must have had to really "lean" on the tool to have managed this? unless the plug was actually not the right plug and parallel sided? but that's unlikely. I'm worried for you now that by winding the plug right through you will have slightly enlarged the threaded hole? I think I'd have just used a new plug, maybe with a wee "dod"of threadlocker as an extra precaution. As long as it's taken a bit of force to install I wouldn't be too worried about it coming back out though but maybe worth a check with a wrench after a longish run when the alloy of the gearbox casing will be hot and so likely to have expanded as much as it's going to? I always worried a bit about the filler plug on our old 1999 Panda Parade which was very worn and would wind in until below the surface of the gearbox casing before starting to tighten - it never leaked or came loose though in all the years we had her.
Hope you are keeping well? we've had the covid about 6 weeks ago. Mrs J hardly felt ill at all, just like a bad cold she said. I had a couple of days feeling quite "poorly" and one day of having a bit of trouble getting my breath. Not enough to send me to my bed though I'm glad to say. So very glad I had all my jags, wouldn't have liked to catch it without them!
Kindest regards, as always
Jock
Hope you are keeping well? we've had the covid about 6 weeks ago. Mrs J hardly felt ill at all, just like a bad cold she said. I had a couple of days feeling quite "poorly" and one day of having a bit of trouble getting my breath. Not enough to send me to my bed though I'm glad to say. So very glad I had all my jags, wouldn't have liked to catch it without them!
Kindest regards, as always
Jock
OP
OP
Oh jock don’t! I just kept thinking what IF I can’t get this out!!!!!
Well thanks to Chris and his advice regarding super glue I managed it .. but it took me hours to retrieve the plug and get it to the thread .. it kept falling back!
Anyway winding it back eventually it was indeed quite tough so I’m not too worried about leaks and I’ve been out and about a few days now and I’m checking every day under the car and on and around that spot! So far nothing…….
I have bought a new plug just in case!
Yes I totally got confused!!!! I was just under the car and working from the front …reaching behind and I should have realised!!
So my misery was of my own making!!!! Incidentally the weird noise I was getting when the gearbox was hot has now gone since I changed the oil! I was getting a a horrible metallic noise when I pressed the clutch. It was definitely the gearbox as I had a friend sit in the car while I was under the bonnet… I thought fork bushings …. But now the noise has gone!?
Anyway so glad your feeling better and your family keeping well! My mum got the covid too just before the last variant she was double jabbed then but she was laid up poorly for a week I was there of course looking after her! I’ve had nothing! But I honestly believe I had covid the Jan before lockdown… before it had “actually got to the uk” because I was poorly!! Like I’ve never been before….. but who knows!!
The Panda Nut
Nutty about Pandas Infected by Panda virus and OPD
Wow i feel the need to celebrate with you. well done for remedying this. We have all done something like this at least once and not all be so lucky. What a great tip too! When I was starting out I wound the rear hub nut off an austin axle anticlockwise when it was a left hand thread. I think it was that that both gave me a hernia and a ruptured lumbar disc which took 35 years to sort out, so it could have been worse. It was if I remember a pretty big nut, and I wrecked the thread on the axle which meant the nut had to be checked weekly until a dab of weld kept it in place. I tend to hold up a ratchet handle, set to undo or do up, as if it were on the offending nut / bolt, and use this to guide me as to the correct direction to turn when I get confused or am upside down inside out and back to front.You absolute LEGENDit worked!!!! Used wide tweezers to centre the plug and get it to the thread… that took most of the day!
Then gently superglued the hex into the plug left it an hour then while I crapped myself.. gently worked the plug back in …
Oil now in & no leaks whatsoever!
Thank you Chris I would never have thought of glue!
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Well... they are supposed to have more fun.
Doesn't get much funnier than this.
so glad you could sort it without taking the gearbox of.
gr J
OP
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That is a very good tip! Yes … I knew what was at stake .. car off the road until gearbox sorted
if it hadn’t worked out … it would have been a reconditioned gearbox new clutch and days of work and of course £££££! And that’s something a lot of of have a lot less of for the foreseeable future!As I’ve said many times before… this forum and its members are so valuable to me! Without it….
I’d be still under the car
I wouldn't be driving it, continually thinking that the gearbox oil is ready to leave the car on a whim.
Even with an alloy casing and a tapered thread seal, you'd know something was seriously wrong with the amount of force needed to strip the thread to the point if it goes inside.
Even with an alloy casing and a tapered thread seal, you'd know something was seriously wrong with the amount of force needed to strip the thread to the point if it goes inside.
