Help with Bedford TK please :)

[coachman]

It's very hard to diagnose problems like this at a distance, I'm sure it would be easy back here in the U.K in any good workshop to pin point the cause very quickly. The first thing to do with any brake fault is to put the vehicle onto a brake tester to see how good the brakes are on each wheel. It might be that they are only working on one axle, or that they are all working but with very poor efficiency. Do you know if the garage you have been taking to have any way of testing the brakes on rollers and if they have did they ever give you any readings ? I think without knowing this it's all a bit working in the dark, just to change parts in the hope that it will cure the problem is very hit and miss as well as being expensive.

[MazTalks]

Thanks for your reply. In fact the point you have raised is a good one and on closer inspection of the brake shoes it appears that the back right hand shoes are a lot more worn down than on the other 3 wheels.
With this information would I be right in thinking that only one brake is working ? The others maybe seized?
Or would that just make the working one lock up?

[G-CPTN]

Originally Posted by MazTalks

Thanks for your reply. In fact the point you have raised is a good one and on closer inspection of the brake shoes it appears that the back right hand shoes are a lot more worn down than on the other 3 wheels.
With this information would I be right in thinking that only one brake is working ? The others maybe seized?

Good logic throughout.

Originally Posted by MazTalks

Or would that just make the working one lock up?

It would only lock up on a low-coefficient surface or when braking heavily.

[MazTalks]

Thanks for the reply.... So I am guessing I now need to jack it up, take the wheels off and give it a good clean and grease the seized parts up to see if it will free them off?

[MazTalks]

Hi again everybody, I have another question with regards to my mid 70s bedford tk.... I would like to change the oil in my gearbox, I can see where I need to let the old oil out (half inch square bolt on bottom of gearbox), but I am at a loss as to where to put the new gearbox oil in.... It's been converted to a horse box, so the engine has a solid floor on top of it, so I am crossing my fingers that I don't need to refill the oil from the top or it's a dead duck! Any ideas are welcome thanks in advance

[G-CPTN]

Most gearboxes have a filler on the side which is positioned to give the correct level (the same applies to filling rear axles).
Filling requires either a 'syringe' or a plastic bottle with a flexible tube:- http://goldwingdocs.com/Images/HowTo...ear-Oil-13.jpg
The sort of one litre bottle that hypoid gear oil comes in (or used to) usually came with tube attached. To fill the gearbox squeeze the bottle and wait until the oil runs out of the filler hole.

Don't forget to feel around inside the drain hole after you've drained the oil to check for swarf (and loose teeth!). It's best to drain the oil when it is warm, but you might not have that luxury, in which case it's worth pouring some paraffin (or petrol if you haven't got paraffin) in the filler (after you've replaced the drain plug!) to sluice out any debris that has settled on the bottom.

[MazTalks]

That's great, thanks for the swift reply. I will get my hubby onto it to give me a hand

[MazTalks]

We hit a small problem.... The 1/2" bolt at the bottom of the gearbox does not want to budge! As a quick fix we topped up the gearbox oil until it ran out of the filler hole half way up, as it have to use it this Sunday for a competition.... I am worried to really force the bolt on the bottom incase it shears off!

The reason I wanted to check the level of the gearbox oil was because the gears are getting very stiff.... Although they become a lot easier after about 20 minutes of driving (?) ... So my first thought was perhaps the oil was low. Ideally I could do with getting a mechanic to give it a thorough service, but as I live in the middle of France it's proving difficult to find an HGV mechanic that has experience in an old bedford!

[G-CPTN]

The oil might have 'thickened' with age, or if it was low.
Any idea how much oil you added?
As you say, getting it warm will ease the shifting problem.

Spray some penetrating oil such as WD40 around the drain plug threads and let it soak.
Repeat until you are certain that it has 'penetrated'.
Get everything warm and try to undo the drain plug - don't force it.
If it won't budge get a hot air gun and heat the area around the drain plug and try again.

If it really won't budge after the WD40 and getting it hot, then use a flexible tube through the filler/level plug to 'suck' out the old oil - use a long length of clear tubing so that you can see when the oil is coming - if you get it right it will syphon itself once you get it over the 'hump' - especially if the oil is warm.


Measure how much comes out (if you can) to get some idea how much was in there.

I believe the capacity is 6½ pints. You might not be able to get it all out but diluting it with fresh oil will help.

I do not know what oil you need - probably 80 or 90 grade and probably not EP (which tends to be for rear axles).
EP additives which contain phosphorous/sulphurous compounds are corrosive to yellow metals such as the copper and/or brass used in bushings and synchronizers.
ST90 would be my guess.

Edited to add:- you might have a plate on the side of the gearbox (rectangular with six bolts) which is where a PTO would be fitted.

Removing that would release the oil . . .
The gasket for the plate might be cork or a compressed 'paper' - though the shape is simple (and standard) and you could use dense card - anything that doesn't allow oil to seep through (and which isn't affected by oil). A motor factor (parts supplier) should be able to supply suitable material if you can't find something.

I see they want silly money for genuine gaskets! :- http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/PTO-GASKET...p2054897.l4275

Cheaper in the States - but how much postage? http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/M35A2-PTO-...item1c3ca28b86

[coastie]

Wouldn't silicone sealant or "Instant gasket" help? I once used paint as a form of gasket when I rebuilt my Granada engine.