TR gearbox grinding

[GT6Steve]

Greetings all,
a gearbox query please...

Yesterday's race turned up some odd behavior with the TR close ratio gearbox I'm using in the GT6.  It's been in use and trouble free for several years now.

About eight laps into the race I was duelling hard with a very fast Volvo P1800.  I had him until I couldn't downshift to second on a tight hairpin.  The track flowed around to the front straight where I caught him again but then I got all crossed up on a 90 degree right when I couldn't engage third.  I actually stalled the car until it dropped into second and restarted rather violently.  From there on the last two laps got progressively worse until in the end I couldn't get ANY gears and had to cross the paddock in fourth.

An hour later I drove it into my garage just fine.

At first blush I'd indict the clutch, it felt normal and pumping it did no good.  

IS there something in the trans that may be liable?  At first I thought I'd lost the snapring, circlip,  like on the small box but when it spread to all gears the clutch seemed suspect.

BTW. I still finished second behind Chucks killer 1500.  He slaughters me on tight tracks.  He was third overall and I was fifth behind the Volvo out of 37 cars.

[GT6Steve]

GTEVO wrote:

CLUTCH

Thanx Gareth,
I'm coming around to that conclusion myself.  Clutch master fluid is quite low and had been freshly filled before the race.  I recall now that it wasn't clear when I poured it in and I thought it odd.  We never have water in fluid problems here in the desert but I wonder if this was contaminated somehow.  Regardless it' all coming down for rebuild.  It'll be new in the spring!

[GT6Steve]

GTEVO wrote:

Not hydraulic it's the cover

diaphragm spring has got annealed

The fingers are flexing when hot.........common AP pain in the rear!

Had this on a Jag too over 35C.......absolute SWINE when you don't need it

Now I don't think I'd have stumbled onto that one!  It is a very old clutch cover though.  I had intended to replace it last year and ran out of money.  I'll inspect it very carefully and order another.  Thanx!