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False neutral.

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Isadora1936
Posts: 32
Joined: Mon Apr 20, 2020 4:35 pm
Location: Bournemouth

False neutral.

Post by Isadora1936 »

Dear All,
After overcoming various problems with my 1936 LA 14. I took her out for a spin on Sunday and was only able to select top gear on one occasion. the rest of the time I could only get up to 3rd without getting what I believe is called 'False neutral' when selecting top. Any Ideas?
Otherwise, I now seem to have solved all the overheating issues and she ran very well.

Thanks, Frank.

Simon Hyslop

Re: False neutral.

Post by Simon Hyslop »

It sounds as if your selector mechanism needs adjusting. I don't mean in any way to sound lazy about this but over the past years, I know I've written at least once about this and others have written much more. If you have a hunt through past posts, you should find everything you need to know. In brief, there can be slack in the ball joints in the linkages which needs elimination either through adjustment or replacement. The second consideration is the correct relationship in the length of the rods between the linkages allowing the selection on the quadrant to be the same as the selection at the gearbox.

The gearbox selector moves a very small amount between gears and a very small amount of adjustment makes quite a difference. Two people make the job easier. Remove the nut holding the balljoint at the gearbox quadrant in place but keep the balljoint where it is with your hand. (If you have original joints which have detachable sprung covers, you may not need to unscrew the ball end but make sure the sprung cover is secure as this type go slack with age and use) As the other person works the selector lever, you watch the quadrant at the gearbox move, having previously eliminated all slack in the system. Once you see the quadrant has moved, remove the balljoint threaded end carefully without moving the quadrant on the gearbox. Now feel that the appropriate "click" in the gearbox has been selected at the same point as the selection at the wheel. From memory, top is possibly the place to start then work down and back up. The balljoint may need screwing in or out a turn to make it all work right. If you've had to move the gearbox quadrant to feel the detent then adjustment is needed. The clicks at the selector lever give absolutely no indication of how properly set or not the gearbox selector actually is.

Watch out if replacement balljoints are slightly longer or shorter than the original. If they are, they may not screw up and down the rod just far enough to be in the right place as the overall length of each rod needs to be right. If it can't be made right with the rod you have, make a new one the length it needs to be to suit any new joints. Finally, look out for any of the levers and cranks in the mechanism catching on anything else. I remember I had this once . At about 3rd, one of the underbonnet links was catching something and it was making selection difficult but a little bend of the offending items returned things to how they should be. (In fact, I've been thinking again about your description and maybe this is the place to start. It's a safe bet that most of us will rarely have looked at the selector mechanism in any setting other than neutral. Have an able assistant work through the gears while you watch the linkages move. Is anything restricting the linkage from 3rd to top?)

It'll be getting on for ten years since I adjusted my 10 and it's never needed touching since so there's something cheering to look forward to.

A small unnecessary footnote. Sometime in the late 30s, my father (about 12 years old) remembered being out with his father in their Lanchester. He said that the gears had become difficult to select and they stopped at some garage. The mechanic got under the car, did something and a few minutes later they were under way again and he never remembered it giving any trouble again. That would be the car about 5 years old so it must have been something that both needed doing and was a known fix at the time. Rural Wigtownshire wasn't likely to be the hotbed of BSA and Wilson box specialists !

Isadora1936
Posts: 32
Joined: Mon Apr 20, 2020 4:35 pm
Location: Bournemouth

Re: False neutral.

Post by Isadora1936 »

Thanks Simon,
Very instructive. I'll do a bit of investigation.
The fact that I managed to select the gear on one occasion makes me think that it's a bit of adjustment that's needed.
Frank.

ranald
Helpful Person
Helpful Person
Posts: 485
Joined: Sat Feb 13, 2016 8:21 am
Location: North Wales

Re: False neutral.

Post by ranald »

Hi Frank, I’m sure adjustment as described by Simon will do the trick. Something else worth checking is that the gear-change pedal travel is unimpeded. I once added a steel floor bracket between the floor boards and had problems getting into reverse. Sorted as soon as I could see that the gear change pedal was hitting my bracket! What a joy to drive these cars once properly set up. Good luck, Ranald

Isadora1936
Posts: 32
Joined: Mon Apr 20, 2020 4:35 pm
Location: Bournemouth

Re: False neutral.

Post by Isadora1936 »

Thank you.

Mark Bullen
Posts: 219
Joined: Mon Feb 15, 2016 1:07 pm
Location: Wiltshire

Re: False neutral.

Post by Mark Bullen »

Even the carpet can cause the problem if it has moved or not flat to the floor. I know, I have mastered the art of on the move adjustment and then having to stop to adjust :D

Stan Thomas
Wise Man
Wise Man
Posts: 795
Joined: Sat Feb 13, 2016 2:14 pm
Location: Penkridge. Staffs.

Re: False neutral.

Post by Stan Thomas »

A further check having ensured the gear-change pedal has sufficient stroke due to extra carpets etc. as advised earlier is to check it is fully activating the lever on the gearbox and is easily adjustable.

If the gear-change lever does not stroke sufficiently, the selector levers do not disengage the gear you are in or engage the gear selected or give a false neutral.

Look after your LD10!

Regards,

Stan Thomas.

Isadora1936
Posts: 32
Joined: Mon Apr 20, 2020 4:35 pm
Location: Bournemouth

Re: False neutral.

Post by Isadora1936 »

Thanks Stan,

I'm hoping to investigate this weekend and hope that it's just the carpet.
By the way it's an LA14.

Frank.

Stan Thomas
Wise Man
Wise Man
Posts: 795
Joined: Sat Feb 13, 2016 2:14 pm
Location: Penkridge. Staffs.

Re: False neutral.

Post by Stan Thomas »

Sorry Frank - that was my typo error - but the basics of all pre-selector gearboxes in Daimlers and Lanchesters are the same.

Regards,

Stan.

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