The Ford Gearbox

Sir,

Your report that “The Ford engineers are obviously proud of their gearboxes. “referring of course to the 105E Anglia (page 523, July issue), prompts me to wonder if they are equally proud of their gearbox fitted to the new Zephyr Mk. III range of Fords.

I am a motor mechanic by trade and had recently heard that, of a consignment of 28 big Fords dispatched to this area by road, only 14 arrived without trouble, the rest having fallen by the wayside on the A1 with . . . gearbox trouble! This I dismissed as nonsense, but after my following experience I am not so sure.

A customer with 600 miles on the clock brought in his Zephyr Six with noisy 1st, 2nd and 3rd gears, and what a shocking noise it was too. On stripping the gearbox it was found that the pilot bearing between the main drive shaft and main driven shaft had completely disintegrated, due to the lack of lubrication. On further examination it was found that the two drillings between the teeth of the main shaft constant-mesh gear were non-existent. The importance of these drillings is that the oil picked up by the meshing gear on the cluster shaft is forced through to the pilot bearing as the gears mesh on rotation. On notifying the Ford Main Dealers of this omission, their reply was that they (the drillings) were found to be unnecessary and it was saving Fords 10s. on production; so new bits were supplied, complete without holes, and told to build the gearbox up and send it out! Now surely the Ford engineers are not so dim-witted as not to realise that these drillings are important, and there must be a flow of oil to this bearing and not just a splash, drip or capillary feed, and why spoil an otherwise beautiful piece of engineering for the sake of 10s.?

Fix it, me bonny lads, then call yourselves proud.

P. JOHNSON.

Jarrow-on-Tyne.