Up at Crail drag racing at the weekend and I lost drive in ALL gears at the same time and there’s a lovely whirring noise coming from the box. The fluid is perfect, clear pink, and there was no slippage beforehand so I’m wondering if it could be the torque convertor and/or oil pump, both of which I’ve still got on my old box (where the cluches failed).

 

Has anyone ever had anything similar and changed the pump/torque convertor?

 

If I have to go for a new box, who other than SE, do an uprated one and what’s the going rate?

 

 

Colin

Same thing happened to mine, although I did have a noticable vibration in the car for a good while before the box packed in (no gears and a whirring noise.) Was never really sure where the vibration in the car was coming from but after changing the box it went so I guess it was the box. Got a secondhand hand box but it came without a torque convertor so used the old one ( I had heard that the torque convertors are pretty much indestructable) and it goes O.K. so it wasn't a torque convertor problem on mine.

Colin

 

Were you giving it large at the time?

 

Was this hot after a couple of runs or early when it was still quite cool?

 

Peter

 

I remember the vibration with yours, it felt a bit like a slight misfire after 2/3000rpm. Were you also pushing it when it finally went?

 

(Commiserations - just trying to learn how not to do the same with mine)

Willie,

 

 

Went after 5th run so probably quite hot but my hardest launch was the 3rd run so I would have expected it to go then. There's been a slight ticking/clicking sound for some time which it only seemed to do when in gear - don't know if that was an early warning sign or not.

 

Colin

Willie,

 

Wasn't pushing it, just came to a halt without warning in front of Graeme High School. The box got really hot and fluid was burnt, when I removed the sump there was non-metallic debris which I guess was clutch material! Pretty much felt the same as complete clutch failure on a manual. Let the box cool and managed to make it to Hallglen and parked it up. Got it towed home next day, by the way a 1.1 Micra won't even come close to towing a Z.

Colin

 

Whats your launch technique? Hold on the brake and dial in enough revs to begin to boost when the light goes on get off the brake or dial in the revs and bang it in D or gently into D and then floor it. I was wondering if the shock affects things.

 

I recall a test with Paddy Hopkirk (Name from the past) who tested an auto box by repeatedly putting it from N to D to N to R back to N back to D at 5000rpm and the box just took it. Then again these were with cars where 130bhp was a lot.

 

My guess would follow Peter's with a broken clutch set

It coulf be a broken pump, or it could have ripped the splines out of the stator in the converter. Also the epicyclic gear set is weak on these boxes but I think that only effects some gears. If there is no burnt fluid it is a breakage.

You could dip the fluid, engine off, and then compare withengine on. Sometimes this will tell you if its the pump, ie the fluid goes down engine on it not pump. But 99.9% its box out time.