Forum

[Frank]

I don't think there is a simple yes or no answer to that, although in my book if you are happy with things as is then stick with it, although it would seem stick might not be the appropriate word for it!

[Bullet Whisperer]

My Enfields get a good [Morris's] 20/50 in their engines, gearboxes and primary cases and give no trouble for it. The racers get more expensive [Valvoline] 20/50 in their engines and primary cases, while their 5 speed gearboxes get a so-called 80 grade gearbox oil, although it is actually quite thin, like hydraulic oil. All this works fine for us and a point to consider is the possibility of cross flowing of small amounts of oil between engine and primary, even with a seal between the engine and primary case. Wet sumping, especially when on the prop stand for any length of time, can put a fair bit of engine oil into a primary case, so you might as well have the same oil in there to start with and then you only have to let the excess out via the level plug if such an event should take place. Just my personal preference and it saves complicating things. Regards, Paul.

[Beezabryan]

Thanks frank & BW, I'll stick with what I been using for the past 17 years. What that is is for me only to know so as not to continue an oily thread

[Adam]

Is selecting neutral easier when cold, getting progressively harder as components warm up? I had this on my Electra X, no matter what I did with cable or clutch adjustment. Turned out to be a fractured plate in the release mechanism. Adam

[Frank]

As Adam says the actuating arm does seem prone to fracturing and so worth checking. It's also worth making sure the bearings in the arm's ball and ramp mechanism are well lubricated or greased as they are too high to get much lubrication from the gearbox oil. Proper adjustment and use of the lighter springs will also reduce the load on the arm extending it's life, but it does seem to be a weak point. As for the ATF, I used it for a bit after similar gear change/ neutral finding problems. I stripped the clutch and replaced any plates that were warped and from a collection of springs selected the closest free length to each other to make a set so that the plates lifted as evenly as possible. A vast improvement but still with the bike on the centre stand the rear wheel turned in gear with the clutch pulled. You could stop it by hand but it would turn again when released. With no more adjustments I drained the ATF and refilled with 15/40 and now hot or cold the wheel stops when the clutch is pulled. 4000 miles later and I haven't needed to touch it or adjust anything since. Gear change is smooth, neutral easy to find and as good as it will be. ATF might be formulated for say auto transmissions but it isn't the panacea of lubricants.I rest my case!

[another Allan]

Hi Frank. It's good to hear that you have been successful with your gearbox operation. However, do Enfield specify a 15/40 engine oil for the gearbox? It sounds mighty 'thin' to me, but there again, ATF is thin, too!

[Frank]

No,the 5 speed gearbox is recommended as EP90 gearbox oil, a bit hard to find these days although it is still sold in the classic range of oils. EP 80w/90 is OK though and commonly available. The 15/40 or ATF depending on your bias is for the primary case only.

[PeteF]

Just to clarify what ATF is.
It's a high performance oil which was developed for automatic transmission systems. Not the modern twin clutch type but the old ones which relied on lots of little wet clutches to select the gears. These produced a lot of drag so ATF was evolved in an attempt to cut this down.
Why they call it a fluid instead of an oil is a mystery.
To illustrate what a good lubricant it is, it's specified for Landrover transfer boxes. The conditions found there will be far harsher than an RE transmission. Landrover use it here because of it's low viscosity, as the transfer box incorporates a pump to pressure feed some of the components.
Incidentally, I find it just the right viscosity for the front forks.

[potboiler]

Thanks for all the useful replies. I have drained down the ATF in the primary case to the correct level and it has vastly improved the neutral selection at a standstill. So, the moral here is, don't overfill!