Gearbox input shaft, lube or not?

[Nick Jones]

As it says.  Opinions vary.  My LUK 3 piece kit for the 2.5 PI didn't come with any lube or instructions, although I'm sure I've had a small sachet of lube with other LUK kits for other cars.  Manuals don't say anything on the subject that I can see.

Usually I don't use anything unless supplied in the kit, but I'm curious to see what others do  :)

Nick

[partsaver]

Not sure about the 2.5 but the 1300FWD neeeds a special lube for the input shaft which mick Dolphin supplies in small sachets.

[piman]

Hello Nick,

I have voted nothing at all. If I were to use something, it would be non sticky such as graphite powder?

Alec

[Jim S]

think I remember reading somewhere that graphite is the stuff 'cos if you use something greasey the dust from the clutch friction plate could contaminate it and turn it into a nasty abrasive paste, imo.

[Deleted User]

I would say non of the above, try using only the oil that will go in the box once built.

Again I am no expert.

[Glenn]

My mate helped me put my gearbox back in the 2000 a couple of years ago, and he insisted on putting a thin smear of copaslip on the spline.  He's a time-served bus mechanic and now an MEng student.  He's a very fussy mechanic and usually does everything by the book!

[Richard B]

Adam helped me put my gearbox back on the MkI PI a couple of weeks ago and put copperease on the splines.

[TedTaylor]

Can't vote either because my method is not one of the options.

I very thoroughly clean the spies removing all traces of rust, dust etc. and then put a light coating of light oil on the splines and wipe it off with my fingers so that you get a kind of moist effect on the shaft.

My reason for doing this is that in my very early days I put grease on the spline (only a little) and it collected dust etc. and the plate would sometimes jam up on the shaft.  I have used the very lightly oiled shaft technique (which is really a dry shaft with very light oil lubrication) for some 45 years and never had a problem.

Ted

[piman]

Hello Ted,

"for some 45 years and never had a problem."

I'm a couple of years short of your time scale but on the basis of not having a problem, neither have I using the no lubrication method. After all it's not as though the centre plate actually moves up and down the splines?

Alec

[TedTaylor]

piman wrote:

Hello Ted,

"for some 45 years and never had a problem."

I'm a couple of years short of your time scale but on the basis of not having a problem, neither have I using the no lubrication method. After all it's not as though the centre plate actually moves up and down the splines?

Alec

This is the precise reason for my approach - it is simply that the plate needs to be free to 'fall' away from the flywheel when the pressure is released.  If it is stuck against it, even slightly, by accumulated crud on the shaft splines (which can be encouraged by grease) this could cause it to drag or stick slightly upon release.  The use of 'no lubrication' was the advice being given out in technical publications when I first started down the 'road'(whistle) to working on my own cars in the early 1960s, and my use of the lightest layer of oil is simply to discourage the formation of surface rust.

People using grease etc. having no problems would simply reinforce Alec's point about the plate not going anywhere but if they did get problems then it would suggest they leave it (grease not the plate ;D) out.

Ted

[Pete Lewis]

mixed feelingws on all this, in general dry is best,  but on a infrequently used car spline rust from damp storeage or from heater plenum draining over the rear engine plate can make clutch splines to  build up some rust.
on most modern cars the stem gear splines are plated and must be dry/clean.
so on the oldies I use a very light film of copaslip as this will not migrate to the linings
pete