Subject: RE: The gremlins are out in force today
Author: Greg Bender
Date: Jun 6, 2005, 5:54 AM
Post ID: 1718978705
Hi Bob,
What follows is my ranting opinion and should be taken as such...
Guzzi 4 and 5 speed transmissions are simple little boxes that anyone
with some basic to moderate mechanical skills can work on...you don't
even need very many special tools - although some are very helpful. The
5 speed is actually easier to put back together than the 4 speed, due to
the nature of the shift selector mechanism. But, in either case, they
are very doable. My recommendation to anyone wanting to work on their
own transmission is to start by reading Pete Roper's articles (housed on
GuzziTech and linked to from my site). I've also got a primer on my site
for first-timers. Replacing bearings, shimming the shift drum, replacing
the shift return spring, and replacing the shift forks are all quite
easily and simply accomplished. There are a lot of parts stacked on some
of the shafts, but you shouldn't need to unstack the shafts in most -
nearly all - cases. And, even if you do need to unstack - just keep
everything in the right order :> Just remember:
1. Have a clean and clear workbench so that you can spread everything
out.
2. Your first time will take a while - don't expect to have it done on a
weeknight.
3. Go slow and take your time. In the words of Pete Roper, we are trying
to be mechanics, not blacksmiths.
4. Take lot's of pictures with your digital (or regular) camera. Once
you've worked on them a couple of times, you won't need the camera - but
it's very nice to have when you don't.
5. Ask questions in this forum. A number of us have ventured into the
Guzzi transmissions and can help you out.
Finally, some will say that transmission work - and other loop
activities - should only be left to the experts. Well, most of today's
experts (this does NOT include me) got that way because they are
infected with the same disease that I have: an insatiable desire to
figure out how stuff works and the inability to leave things alone. Add
to this the fact that many experts are a part of an aging population and
that new blood needs to be infused with loop knowledge. We beginners
will make mistakes, we will learn from those mistakes, and years later -
if we repeat the process enough times - we will be called experts.
Robert Hawkes wrote:
| Now tell me please, are trannys as mysterious as they are made out to be? I am very reluctant to do anything with them, then again I have never really been inside one. Transmissions have the aura of needing "special knowledge". Are they really that bad? |
Regards,
Greg Bender
1971 Ambassador
2000 Quota
http://www.thisoldtractor.com/gtbender
Florida MGNOC website
http://www.thisoldtractor.com/fl_mgnoc
Minnesota MGNOC website
http://www.thisoldtractor.com/mn_mgnoc