Flying steel balls!

[frankxhv773t]

Could it be that the (apparently) alien "O" ring has prevented sufficient oil reaching this part or do things not work like that?

[chriswgawne]

I have been thinking about your problem overnight and I don't think its possible to over tighten the mainshaft  as you suggest Torstein,
The bearings have steps on the outside of their outer race which are used to locate them very firmly in their correct position in the outer case using long steel stepped pins and retaining fittings which fit snugly into the slots. And there are tab washers to hold the 'end' nuts or whatever in place. So the opportunity to either overtighten or self tighten with use is very limited.
It sounds to me as if someone has re-assembled your transaxle incorrectly. I suggest you visually inspect everything very carefully including the bearings and double check everything is there before ordering any spare parts just yet. Depending upon what you find, you can then make the correct decision as to what is the best solution,,,,,as in rebuild with new or missing  components , replacement etc etc comparing the attendant costs.
I am not trying to be pessimistic but as I am sure you realise, one doesn't want to have ongoing transaxle problems if only for the reason that its a bit of a pain to remove them from the car even with a vehicle lift. They are heavy,  awkward to handle and of course the brakes have to be removed each time you do a stripdown.
I will send you a pm.
Chris

[impaw]

Thank you for your advice Chris!

Yes, I agree, someone in the past has re-assembled this transaxe incorrectly somehow.
I am having a visit from a very technically gifted man ( my dad )  later, it will be interesting to see if he has any input.

The transaxle is going to be totally taken apart, that is now a must

[Brian Long]

The o-ring is a modification/replacement for a felt seal that stopped oil travelling between the inside surface of the sleeve and the shaft it sits on. If omitted, as was often the case, oil would find its way out onto the clutch surface. The o-ring sits between the face of the sleeve and the gear that it butts up against. Ideally the sleeve should have been machined to accomodate the o-ring
Furthermore, there is a another felt plug in the nose of the input shaft which is fed by the Archimedes screw/spiral inside the shaft. This arrangement was designed to allow a little lubrication of the spigot bearing which, in those days, was not sealed. With a modern sealed spigot bearing this feature is not required and the nose of the input shaft should be sealed with e.g. an aluminium plug.
Cheers
Brian

[impaw]

Thank you Brian!
Reading an old thread on the issue, I was thinking this was the case.
Great to have it confirmed.
There is a machined groove inside of the sleeve.

I have a sealed bearing, so I will seal the shaft, as suggested.

Thank again!

[GG]

The o-ring is a modification/replacement for a felt seal that stopped oil travelling between the inside surface of the sleeve and the shaft it sits on. If omitted, as was often the case, oil would find its way out onto the clutch surface. The o-ring sits between the face of the sleeve and the gear that it butts up against. Ideally the sleeve should have been machined to accomodate the o-ring
Furthermore, there is a another felt plug in the nose of the input shaft which is fed by the Archimedes screw/spiral inside the shaft. This arrangement was designed to allow a little lubrication of the spigot bearing which, in those days, was not sealed. With a modern sealed spigot bearing this feature is not required and the nose of the input shaft should be sealed with e.g. an aluminium plug.
Cheers
Brian

Thanks for this Brian, right on the mark. My car had oil on the clutch disk from the missing felt plug (had been replaced with silicone, but failed), and also along the outside of the shaft as noted above. We machined a 45º chamfer in the end of the sleeve, and snuck the thin O-ring in there.

[Dikappa]

I did the same, and machined a tiny oil seal in the aluminium nose piece that surrounds the sleeve.  Furthermore I tapped a tread into the shaft end and plugged it.  I then used a sealed bearing instead of the original open one where the shaft sits in the clutch.  There is a tread about it somewhere.

[impaw]

And heres another variation, with a groove machined inside the sleeve.