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DB18 gearbox fail!

thomas@prags.co.uk
Posts: 47
Joined: Tue Sep 11, 2018 11:37 am
Location: Inverness

DB18 gearbox fail!

Post by thomas@prags.co.uk »

My 1949/50 DB18 Barker 4 str has rarely let me down in 45 years of regular use. Not unreasonably she has finally cracked! To be exact the preselector gearbox would appear to have broken a band and second gear is no longer available to me. So - there appear to be two options - find a restored or low mileage gearbox if anyone has one? OR get the current one removed and repaired. Being in wonderful Inverness doesn't make it easier. Suggestions and support welcome!
Thomas Prag (DLOC member since 1973 and not a mechanic!)

h.j.thomassen
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Joined: Fri Mar 18, 2016 6:59 pm
Location: Nijmegen, The Netherlands
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Re: DB18 gearbox fail!

Post by h.j.thomassen »

A few years ago my classic Daimler broke down near Inverness and your local Jaguar dealer Macrae and Dick
got it on the road again. They did a wonderful job, and obviously enjoyed doing it.
They even took a picture with my car + their manager posing in front of their showroom.
Admittedly, my car was a "Jaguar"-Daimler (1971) but they might want to take on earlier cars...
If you provide them with the addresses of preselector specialists as published in The Driving member
they will most probably be willing to contact them and ship the gearbox. That was how it worked with my car:
they did not know where to get the parts, but I gave them an address (in Essex) and all worked out well within
a few days. With the overnight train service Inverness is obviously not as isolated as your message suggests.

Hendrik-Jan

thomas@prags.co.uk
Posts: 47
Joined: Tue Sep 11, 2018 11:37 am
Location: Inverness

Re: DB18 gearbox fail!

Post by thomas@prags.co.uk »

hendrik-jan
Macrae & Dick are very different now - part of a large Scottish dealership - but glad to hear they looked after you!
I know one or two good mechanics and smaller garages - but needs to be somewhere the car can sit for a while without getting in the way.
I will contact the specialists in the magazine next week.

thomas

Marcel Renshaw
Man of Many Parts
Man of Many Parts
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Joined: Fri Feb 12, 2016 8:44 pm
Location: Derbyshire

Re: DB18 gearbox fail!

Post by Marcel Renshaw »

You could try Graham Whitehouse or David Beales. Both have experience and parts for preselector gearboxes.
If you are willing to do the work yourself I am sure they would post the parts.
There are manuals for preselect gearboxes which could be sent as digital copies from the club.

grahamemmett
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Re: DB18 gearbox fail!

Post by grahamemmett »

Hi Thomas
Are you sure it’s failed? Lots can go wrong with the adjustment and it’s not necessarily broken.
Have a look on www.db18.com where you’ll find a great series of articles by Steve Moore on how to adjust the linkages and brake bands.
[edit: I think the link should be https://www.db18.org/ not .com - John-B]
Graham Emmett ¦ DLOC Chairman ¦ chair@dloc.co.uk ¦ 07967 109160
Northwich, Cheshire
DB18 1949 LCV522 (Yes that one with the P100s)

Stan Thomas
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Location: Penkridge. Staffs.

Re: DB18 gearbox fail!

Post by Stan Thomas »

Graham is right - and before you launch into expensive dismantling etc., you should go through the "adjustments" as it were - as more often than not, that is all that is required.

One rare but known problem is that the gear change pedal requires adjustment, the symptoms being that either the gearbox will not come out of a specific gear, or a specific gear cannot be selected. The problem however is dead simple to fix by effectively lengthening the stroke of the pedal movement to take up wear in the joints.

Alternatively, if you need to discuss in detail, email me at: sleevevalve@mail.com

Regards,

Stan.

thomas@prags.co.uk
Posts: 47
Joined: Tue Sep 11, 2018 11:37 am
Location: Inverness

Re: DB18 gearbox fail!

Post by thomas@prags.co.uk »

Many thanks. I asked John Mackintosh, who looks after the mechanical bits of the car when he has time, to diagnose the problem and he seems convinced its not an adjustment issue, but I will check why he thinks so before I do anything drastic!
thanks for the tip about the pedal adjustment.

thomas with fingers crossed.

Barrie
Posts: 292
Joined: Mon Feb 29, 2016 11:50 pm
Location: Sydenham Hill SE London

Re: DB18 gearbox fail!

Post by Barrie »

grahamemmett wrote: Sun Oct 21, 2018 10:49 pm Hi Thomas
Are you sure it’s failed? Lots can go wrong with the adjustment and it’s not necessarily broken.
Have a look on www.db18.com where you’ll find a great series of articles by Steve Moore on how to adjust the linkages and brake bands.
I wonder what's happened to DB18.com? All I get is a domain for sale message

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John-B
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Re: DB18 gearbox fail!

Post by John-B »

Barrie wrote: Mon Oct 22, 2018 11:12 pm I wonder what's happened to DB18.com? All I get is a domain for sale message
The link should be https://www.db18.org/ not .com although I find it slow to load as there are so many photos on the page and a long-running script..

grahamemmett
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Re: DB18 gearbox fail!

Post by grahamemmett »

Yes I’m sorry a senior moment. As John has edited it, the address is www.db18.org

I must sort all these out soon and be consistent.
Graham Emmett ¦ DLOC Chairman ¦ chair@dloc.co.uk ¦ 07967 109160
Northwich, Cheshire
DB18 1949 LCV522 (Yes that one with the P100s)

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