Model A - the gearbox

 As part of the Preliminary Investigation season here on Amelia's Blog, today we are having a tentative look at the gearbox.

The main reason for this is threefold:

• I can't engage first gear 
• The kickstart shaft is wobbly 
• I'm concerned that the kickstart shaft is much too long

The gearbox is a Sturmey Archer LS type heavyweight gearbox, configured for Ariel. These are quite well documented though spares support isn't good. As you probably know, it's a 3 speed hand change box.

The end cover is easily removed when you have taken off the six neat little shouldered nuts, one of which is a special nut with a grease nipple that feeds through a hollow stud into the top of the gearbox.

What greets me is a robust and simple cluster, seemingly intact and free of damage - there's no hint as to why it doesn't select first. 

Here's the end cover and kickstart shaft from the inside. At the bottom of the picture is the main shaft and bearing and within that the clutch worm.

Here is a close up of the cluster just for the record.

Right after I took  this picture I discovered that if you engage first gear with the end cover off, the cluster goes flying across the workshop floor!

After a session in the parts washer, we can have a better look. This is the Kickstarter shaft - there were a number of alternative lengths of these available for different manufacturers but looking at the catalogues it appears that most of them must have used splines because the makers make special mention of the cotter slot for the kickstart lever that was used for Ariel.

The kickstart bush also comes in various lengths to suit the shaft.

With the kickstart shaft at the rest position and the lever fitted to suit the cotter slot, we can see the lever is in totally the wrong position. That shaft is not original...

Here is another view which shows you the excess length in the kickstart shaft. Note that the silencer is further outboard than it should be by that stack of washers, so correcting the silencer mounting will leave even more clearance under the kickstart lever.