[DeTomaso] Shifter fix

[John Taphorn]

Dan

Your showing your age with the Mary quip.  :^)

JT

On 11/28/2013 2:35 PM, Dan Courtney wrote:
> The grease attracting grit is likely an issue, since I went into the 
> gravel on turn one at Willow Springs the week before. (I gotta 
> remember to warm up those 15" wide slicks before trying to set my best 
> time).
> I'm going to R&R the whole shift linkage assembly and clean it real good.
> The biggest difference I see between Mike and Mary's advice seems to 
> be applying grease to the trunnion bearing. Since it's a distinct 
> possibility I might have another unintended off-road adventure I'll 
> try it first without grease.
> Dan
> Dan Courtney
> 24 Years of Excellent Representation
> Excalibur Commercial Real Estate Services
> La Jolla, CA
> (858) 551-5455 P
> (858) 551-5456 F
>
> *From:* John Taphorn <mailto:jtaphorn at kingwoodcable.com>
> *Sent:* Thursday, November 28, 2013 6:34 AM
> *To:* MikeLDrew at aol.com <mailto:MikeLDrew at aol.com> ; 
> dan at excaliburre.com <mailto:dan at excaliburre.com> ; detomaso at poca.com 
> <mailto:detomaso at poca.com>
> *Subject:* Re: [DeTomaso] Shifter fix
>
> My experience with improving stiff shifter movement is different than 
> the honorable and well intentioned Mr. Drew.
>
> 1) It is easy to remove the shifter assembly from the car.  Do so, 
> disassemble it, clean and reassemble with lightweight engine assembly 
> lube. 00 weight I think.  I disagree with Mike regarding removal of 
> the centering spring as it presents no problem to shifting when 
> properly lubricated.  You will be surprised at how much dirt has 
> collected in the rather protected area. That and hardened grease are 
> the enemy, not the spring and centering detent.  On many cars, the 
> dirt acting as a grit has grooved the surface that the detent is 
> supposed to glide upon.  If you are handy, you can repair this surface 
> with sanding and polishing.  If you are incapable of the task, this is 
> a circumstance where removing the spring and detent may be a better 
> solution.
>
> 2) The biggest obstacle to smooth shaft movement is the collection of 
> hardened grease and dirt in the accordion gasket and on the shaft 
> where the shaft passes through the firewall.  If you can clean that 
> gasket out as well as the area of the shaft that passes through it, 
> you will be amazed at the improvement.  Any permanent lubrication 
> added here will work for a limited time as it is such a dirty 
> environment.  I recommend no lubrication or the occasional spray of 
> WD40 which will help keep the surface clean.  This is my first go to 
> spot when someone complains of stiff shifting and it corrects most of 
> the problem almost every time.
>
> 3) Same approach with the trunion.  No grease, keep shifter shaft 
> clean with occasional spray of WD40.  Any lube will attract dirt on 
> the first drive and that will behave as sandpaper wearing the bushing 
> even faster.  The WD40 acts as a cleaning agent before it evaporates 
> away and is not longer a dirt magnet.
>
> Happy Thanksgiving
> J, happy shifter, T
>
>
> On 11/28/2013 3:09 AM, MikeLDrew at aol.com wrote:
>>
>> In a message dated 11/27/13 10 41 3, dan at excaliburre.com writes:
>>
>>
>>> At the track Sunday we removed the snap ring, the cover plate and an 
>>> extremely rusty and crusty spring. I thought that was the whole 
>>> assembly but now I see there's a cylinder at the bottom of the 
>>> shaft. I'll try and pry this up and out.
>>
>> >>>It's probably not acting much on the system, but you might as well 
>> ditch it too.
>>
>>
>>> > Between removing the spring and spraying WD 40 on the trunnion 
>>> bearing The Beast shifter much better, for about ten laps, then went 
>>> back to the stage where I'm having to force it into gear (mainly 2nd 
>>> and 3rd).
>>
>> >>>WD40 is way, way too light for this task.  It wasn't even 
>> originally designed to be a lubricant; it's a water displacement 
>> fluid (WD).  Only secondarily did they discover that it was pretty 
>> good at eliminating squeaks in door hinges and the like.
>>
>> But what you need is grease, not WD.
>>
>>> > I was wondering if the gear oil was breaking down due to heat. My 
>>> next planned post was to ask for advice on gear oil.
>>
>> >>>Not a chance. :>)
>>
>>> > I suppose it's also possible the WD-40 wore out.
>>
>> >>>Really, it's the wrong tool for the job.  I use aerosol lithium 
>> grease, and it needs redoing every now and again.
>>
>>> > By the way, the "roval" at California Speedway is perfect for 
>>> Panteras. It consists of an infield course with all kinds of turns 
>>> and 1/2 the banked oval the NASCAR boys use. What a blast it was 
>>> running up that bank at 160+!
>>>
>> >>>I've had a ride there as a passenger--awesome!
>>
>> Mike
>>
>>
>>
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