Overdrive in out in out shake it all about

[Essex Stag]

Today I was driving my Stag and coming out of a roundabout in second with overdrive engaged. I put her into third and she jumped in and out Overdrive about four times so I switched it out waited a couple of minutes tried overdrive again it worked fine . Until two miles later while in fourth she did the same out in out in and finally out and now does not work . I have not checked the oil level yet as I have been having oil leak problems fixed that I hope by unblocking breather fitted main oil seal and speedo drive oil seal plus fitted copper washers to through bolts. There does not appear to be a mass of oil under the car . does it mean yet another bad connection fed up fixing the damn electrics they are crap. every thing is stopping working due to bad connections. I fix one head light the other stops its days are numbered I'm getting a big branch and giving her a damn good thrashing like John Cleese did .

[stag-phil]

Let me know if the thrashing works.

It does sound like the overdrive is suffering from a poor connection. Could be switch, cable inside the gear lever to the switch, connections on the overdrive or connection on the fuse box. Give them all a clean and if that does not work then find a branch.

Phil

[jleyton]

Overdrive should NOT be working in second gear (at least on J type and I think on A type)

I'd put quite a large bet on it being something to do with the cable that comes up inside the gear lever. Usually not too hard to fix.

You've got to love your car

Cheers

Julian

[KOY 23]

Hi Julian I thought that about 2nd gear when I first read it, I think he means switched on rather than engaged. Agree with you about the gear lever wiring.

[stagmuffin]

change out the o/d solenoid the usual culprit swollen seals . easy on a mk 2 I've got a special spanner which is on loan at the moment to another member . more fun on the a type if you manage to get the bolts out without dropping the cross member you must have girly hands change the bolts to cap heads.
Steve

[Essex Stag]

I do not love my car at the moment Julian. Yes I meant switched on not engaged. As it was going in and out I had a feeling it was a bad connection, it was working perfectly just before . When I kept losing the gearbox oil before it was a bit slow going in coursed by low oil and as the symptoms were not the same I did consider a bad connection on the switch , relay or solenoid , So I will jack her up and have a look under . As i said every electrical problem so far has been a corroded bullet connector or a loose spade connector , if I find that little Gremlin I will beat him with the branch instead of the Stag. While under there I want to see what oil filter I need screw in or cartridge mine is a 77.
I love my Rover P4 to bits she never lets me down make s the Stag look like a naughty child while grandma behaves impeccably
Derek

[jleyton]

If it's in the gear lever, as I suspect, then you won't need to get underneath.

Beware though, your car will know you don't love it

Cheers

Julian

Ps I would not recommend leaving the od switched on as it will engage as soon as you go into 3rd. I always change into 3rd then 4th then od 4th. 3rd od is almost identical ratio to direct 4th.

[stag-phil]

Ps I would not recommend leaving the od switched on as it will engage as soon as you go into 3rd. I always change into 3rd then 4th then od 4th. 3rd od is almost identical ratio to direct 4th.

Also the gearbox does not like reversing with overdrive engaged which may happen with your current OD problems.

Phil

[404ROD]

I try not to change gear with the overdrive engaged especially from 2nd. to 3rd. When I have done this accidentally it goes in with a bit of a clonk unlike the smooth engagement when switching in the overdrive once the gear has been selected. This what Julian has suggested.

Rod

[DJT]

I used to find OD 3rd was excellent if in a line of traffic at about 40 - 50 mph and you knew there was an overtaking opportunity around the next corner. Just flick the switch into 3rd and floor it. Also useful around town; just use 3rd and OD 3rd instead of 4th. Easier on the left leg.

Now I have a special needs 'box the left leg is redundant......

With your symptoms, my attention would be on the wires to the switch. These pass up through the gear lever and frequently break due to fatigue.

[pcoleman]

Derek, may be worth checking out the overdrive switch in the top of the gear lever,I replaced mine with a new one which turned out to be bloody Fawlty (as in Basil) so after I'd done everything else I checked the "new" switch with a multi meter and it was only working half the time also check out the overdrive fuse in the engine bay and clean the fuse holder/fuse.

good luck with it. Pete

[Essex Stag]

Yes I am breaking with fatigue constantly fixing the Stag Thanks too all help, the first port of call will be the switch . Do I remember a test for the OD engaging recently by switching it on in third gear no engine running and hearing a click from underneath?. Iit would save keep taking her out for a ride

Derek

[JimB]

I’m also having a problem with my O/D, and would appreciate some help.

I’ve changed the gear knob switch and have voltage into and out of the fuse, but not at the gear knob switch. I’ve tried tracing the cable (am I right in saying its yellow) but it disappeared into a loom; so, could a knowledgeable member please tell me if the cable goes to a relay or something else, between the fuse and the switch.

Many thanks for any help and advice that can be given.

[stag-phil]

Hi and welcome

A couple of things to check, the cable to the gear lever switch often breaks at the bottom of the gear lever so it is worth checking this first.

The second thing is when you checked the supply at the fuse box did you check the fuse side only? Another common problem is the fuse box, the rivets become lose so you need to check the back of the fuse box to ensure there is a good connection.

Let us know how you get on.

Phil

[DJT]

I’m also having a problem with my O/D, and would appreciate some help.

I’ve changed the gear knob switch and have voltage into and out of the fuse, but not at the gear knob switch. I’ve tried tracing the cable (am I right in saying its yellow) but it disappeared into a loom; so, could a knowledgeable member please tell me if the cable goes to a relay or something else, between the fuse and the switch.

Many thanks for any help and advice that can be given.

Hi Phil,

As mentioned by Phil, the prime suspects are the wires inside the gear lever. Pop out the coin tray panel and undo the screws that hold down the gear lever panel front brackets. You can then lift this panel (be careful of the window switch wires or remove these switches first) and you will see the two wires (red and black) where they connect to the yellow and yellow/purple wires. The black and red wires frequently break internally due to the constant movement of the lever. Check their continuity. New wires, with the correct connections, are available from the usual suppliers - part 153726. After suffering this problem a few times on my old MOD Stag, I hit on the idea of feeding the wires through a length of windscreen washer tubing and stuffing the end of the tubing up inside the gear lever. Never had another repeat of this problem afterwards.