Output Shaft Play
 

Finally was able to get around to tearing down my '29 to address the severe clutch judder that has been present since I have owned the car. It's looking like the issue (hopefully) was severe misadjustment of the pressure plate fingers, everything else is looking fantastic as the car has very few miles on an old restoration.

Checking out the transmission and everything looks great for the most part but I have one question...there is maybe 1/8" fore/aft play between the input and output shafts. In other words, if I grab the u-joint I can pull the output shaft back and forth that amount. The input shaft does not move, and there is no side to side play in either. Is this play normal? I cannot find it addressed in the forum or online searches. There was NO metal in the oil or bottom of the case.

Thanks in advance for any advice!

Re: Output Shaft Play
 

No, not normal. Start simple. Are you sure the bolt that holds the u-joint on is tight.

Re: Output Shaft Play
 

Yes, the joint is tight and I can see the movement of the output shaft inside the case and I am certain it is moving and the input (main drive) shaft is not (fore and aft).

Guess it will be coming apart, I wonder if it is the spacer for the bearing in the shaft. However, I have driven several hundred miles with no noise or transmission issues?

EDIT: After I replied it occurred to me that since the output shaft is moving fore and aft, it has to be something with it's bearing in the case, since it's pressed on the shaft? I will be tearing things down tomorrow.

Re: Output Shaft Play
 

Well, I think this one is a wrap! Disassembled the transmission this morning and as suspected the spacer on the output shaft pilot was missing! I did confirm it was a "short" bearing. Nothing in the case, so I am guessing it was an oversight. Think I caught this just in time. Everything else looks fantastic, the roller bearings seem to be very good quality which was also a concern since the I was not sure if the bad repros were around when the car was rebuilt.

Re: Output Shaft Play
 

There are two different types of pilot spacer on the transmission output shaft. The early shafts have a spacer that is integral to the shaft and cannot be removed. The later had a removeable spacer that is shaped like a key ring. It should be replaced during an overhaul because it is usually worn flat in the front.

I encountered a transmission one time where someone installed a removeable spacer on an early shaft and jammed up the transmission.

Tom Endy

Re: Output Shaft Play
 

Very good point Tom and I did verify that the shaft was the later type that requires the round spacer. Perhaps that led to the omission when rebuilt by the PO.