MTFCA Forum

Laugh me off the face of the earth if you want but i have a question...
My transmission drum is cracked so we decided to remove the hogshead and remove the engine and transmission. Everything came off alright ,but when we got the hogshead off we noticed that we forgot to put the parking brake on... so now the car is stuck in gear with the hogshead off and we do not know what to do... the lever is all the way forward.
Can we remove the transmission without something getting ruined with the car in gear? Or do we have to put the head back on to take it out of gear?
Car is a 22 touring.
Thanks, and yes, i know i did something dumb.

With the hogshead off the high gear clutch is engaged no matter what you do. It is locked in high, without the release fork pushing on the clutch arms. You did nothing wrong. Pull the motor and take the engine apart and get that drum replaced. It will be spring before we know it!

You're good to go, as Dave says. You have made pulling the engine somewhat easier by removing the hogshead, but it would be best to have it in place when re-installing the engine. Yes, you're locked in high, if you need to move the car before pulling the engine, just remove the spark plugs and let everything turn over as you push the car where you want it. Good luck, and happy rebuilding !

Thanks! Makes me feel better.

Hopefully you have the car in a position where you can pull the engine without moving the car very much. If it is level and you wish to move it, you can go forward by turning the crank. Or if you have a rolling jack you can jack up one rear wheel and with the parking brake off, you can move it around.
Norm

Will dissassembling the transmission be affected since it is in high?
Not 100% sure how all that works.
Will the spring be under compression or anything when we go to remove it?

The spring is in compression, just when the pan is off you’ll be able to release tension by backing out the set screws on the clutch arms. If the driven Plate assembly is in good condition there will be no need to remove the spring. It’s not that tough a spring to remove if needed. Then remove the bolts holding the driven plate assembly to the brake drum. It will slide off. You’ll be able to remove the clutch discs with a magnet to get them up and out. A good strong magnet though because they’re in place with sticky oil. You then will find the hardest part of the job. Removing the clutch hub. This requires a specific puller and removal of the set bolt. The bolt will be wired in place as well. After that disassembly is easy peasy. Also I pictured some useful wheel dollies harbor freight sells. I use them a lot because my car is currently immobilized.

No worries! Asking questions is the smart thing to do if one doesn't quite understand something!

The transmission locked in direct gear is the normal way to do most major work on these things. It is that way because the usual fallback condition of the transmission for working on it or the engine is with the hogshead off. The natural position of the clutch spring locks it into "high" gear. Until the clutch spring is removed, it generally stays in high gear. Practically all major work or repairs to the transmission require first removing the clutch spring, but that cannot generally be done until the the transmission and/or pan are removed from the engine, which is usually after the engine has been removed from the chassis.
There are some tricks or ways to relieve the pressure from the clutch spring should it become necessary to do a minor repair in the car. (A very rare occurrence!) I did this one time for a friend that had dropped a small bolt with the hogshead off. The silly bolt ricocheted off the flywheel, back and through one of the holes in the reverse drum webbing! The only way to fish the bolt out without removing the engine was to turn the drums to reposition the bolt to where it could be captured. So with the hogshead off, I cannot remember exactly how I did it, but I blocked the clutch spring's pressure from the clutch fingers. Then (turning the engine) rotated the drums enough to locate and capture the bolt and pull it out (tricky enough in itself!).

Generally speaking, and hopefully, that is not something you will ever need to do.

To replace a cracked drum, you will need to remove the engine and the transmission from the pan.
IF (that BIG if) everything else is in good shape and been running fine? The shortcut might be to simply lift and pull the engine forward enough to pull the clutch spring, then the clutches, then the drums. Replace the broken drum, INSPECT the others! And reassemble everything.
If the condition of everything else is not known? Or there is any doubt about things inside? It is the right time to put the engine and transmission on the work bench and go through all of it. If it turns out that you have old style two-piece valves, or some of your Babbitt bearings have cracked? You are halfway there to fix those things. Might just as well dig in and get them done.

Hello all, Austin it would pay you to balance the drum as well cheers Warwick.

All I have to add is good luck with that water pump (WHEEL CHOCK) bobt

Austin, it hasn't been mentioned yet, but if you don't already own the "Bible", please get one ! It really is indispensable for midel T owners. The transmission and its relationship to the engine is fully covered.

Incidentally, transmission repairs can be difficult, in part owing to some of the common failings of a well-used unit that's badly worn. The clutch inner hub can be very difficult to remove and may require investing in the puller designed for the job. Please feel free to ask about anything that concerns you ! There's plenty of help available here ! Get one soon !! You'll be glad you did.