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The dreaded freewheel grind / general updates Posted by Trogdor42 [Email] ![]() ![]() |
Hi all, been a few months so I thought I'd update my progress since the clutch rebuild. First, thanks to your help, I was able to solve the intake problem. I had to take it back off and retorque everything, but finally it sealed again and we were good to go! The clutch now disengages perfectly and the transaxle feels exactly like I remember my first '73 did...which is part of my current problem. More on that in a sec.
Meanwhile, I had to fiddle some with the carburetor and ignition. For reference if you've not read my earlier posts, the only mods I've made were adding a CDI ignition system along with the original, Bosch coil, and ditching the Ford carb for a Weber 34ich. When the weather turned cold here in St. Louis, the car started running rough and the gas mileage plummeted from near 30 to just under 25mpg. A few adjustments to the mixture and idle speed along with resoldering the connections for the CDI seem to have cleared everything up and now she runs smooth as silk, and the fuel efficiency is back where it should be.
Now, back to the transaxle. Just like the Sonett I had in high school, this one has the freewheel grinding issue. Now that the engine is running stronger than it has in years, the next weakest link appears to be the freewheel system. The problem is, I'm sure, familiar to many of you. When bringing the revs up to meet the point where the trans re-engages, I'm met with a horrible, grinding noise and no acceleration until I let the revs go back to idle and then bring them up again slowly. I should note here that I am always very careful and know better than to slam the revs up before the trans engages, but I also know there are some inherent weaknesses with the whole system. The problem is worse when there is additional load on the engine, like going uphill, and is also worse going into 3rd than any other gear. It's not really bad yet, but I know it's only going to get worse with wear and I'd like to get ahead of it if I can.
My question is twofold. First, what exactly is the problem? I know the teeth tend to wear off the freewheel lock gear. I also know the bearings and springs inside the freewheel ratchet assembly can go bad. Is one more likely to fail than the other? Also, if it is the sliding lock gear, can that be replaced without removing the whole assembly? Thanks as always for any help and expertise you can lend.
Cheers,
-Trogs
_______________________________________ "The sky's the limit, this time I'm switching to glide." -The Kings
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