Hi folks. I've got the Ami gearbox installed in Evie. By and large it's a lovely box, smooth and quiet. However there is a slight crunch when changing up from third to fourth. It's worse when giving it some beans at higher speeds, when mooching round town it is barely noticeable.
It is fine when changing down.

Is this anything to worry about? It has fresh 80w/90 in it, would a differnt type of oil help?

Thanks
Will

Hi Will,
It's unlikely that a different oil will help. It's probable that this is due to a lazy synchro. The simplest way to improve the quality of the change is to double-declutch the change from 3rd to 4th. Simply depress the clutch in the normal manner, change from 3rd to neutral, let the clutch pedal back up as the revs die away slightly, then press the pedal down again and make the change to 4th. This forces the layshaft to slow down so as to help it synchronize to the speed of the next gear. The same process applies going the other way but involves revving the engine in the neutral phase so as to speed the layshaft up to synchronize the gear speeds.
It's a skill that all owners of much older cars have to learn pretty quickly as many had no synchros at all in their gearboxes!
Brooky.

Hi Brooky

Thanks for that. It seems fine with a spot of double declutching so I'm happy to live with it as the rest of the box is so well behaved. What I'm less happy about is discovering that the newish clutch it had fitted prior to me getting the car is a nasty pattern part and there is something up with the spring plate that means you have to adjust all the slack out of the cable to get even a low biting point (friction plate and cable are both ok) I'm skint so it all had to go back in for the time being until I can afford a nice new valeo.
Oh and the release bearing has starting howling too C'est la vie!

might have a spare new clutch plate. I boutgh a 2cv clutch kit off ebay yrs back. when i came to fit it there was not fitting holes on the surround. the plate is the same though i think. yours if you want to try it? not sure of the brand. thougt it was reasonable. have it or i'll bin it.

*sticks hand in air* If Will doesn't want it, I'll happily swap it for a pint or two!