Has This Gear Reach The End Of It’s Useful Life?

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stuck amals

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I have very little experience with gearboxes so I need to know, is this gear safe to use?
 

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  • Has This Gear Reach The End Of It’s Useful Life?
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In my opinion, that gear should be replaced along with the lay shaft gear as well. I would carefully inspect all the gears and if you're in doubt, take a picture and post them here.
 
Thank you for the reply. that is what I thought but not what I wanted to hear.

On the bright side, the gearbox isn’t suffering from that crack between the bearings that seems to be so common.

The gearbox had the ball bearing type layshaft bearing. I’ll be replacing that also.

Both bearings basically feel out of their pockets. Any suggestions on the type of bearing sealer to use?
 
stuck amals said:
Thank you for the reply. that is what I thought but not what I wanted to hear.

On the bright side, the gearbox isn’t suffering from that crack between the bearings that seems to be so common.

The gearbox had the ball bearing type layshaft bearing. I’ll be replacing that also.

Both bearings basically feel out of their pockets. Any suggestions on the type of bearing sealer to use?
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I use Loctite 680 bearing and stud retaining compound. I've seem to have had good luck with this product.
 
stuck amals said:
I have very little experience with gearboxes so I need to know, is this gear safe to use?
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You need to look at it's partner. If the pitting you see in this one is just pitting and that's the worst spot, and the partner gear looks good, you're probably OK. If you see damage on the partner, then they both need to be changed for sure. If you do change them, you should do it in pairs. Unfortunately, its partner is the 2nd most expensive gear.

Are you located anywhere near Northern Virginia?
 
Also be aware there are two different 2nd gear combinations. They are not interchangeable within a set. The the different sets can be swapped out in the gear box as pairs though.
 
stuck amals said:
Unfortunately, most of the other gears are in similar condition.

I live in Delaware so I am relatively close.

Thanks for the advice.
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If you would like a road trip sometime, you can bring it all and we can have a look. If so, email me and we can figure when.

I may have used replacement gears - I have quite a few gearboxes.

Since it's apart, there are a lot of things to check. For one thing, why did the bearings slip out - that usually means someone removed them without heating and damaged the shell but can mean a bent shaft.
 
marshg246 said:
If you would like a road trip sometime, you can bring it all and we can have a look. If so, email me and we can figure when.

I may have used replacement gears - I have quite a few gearboxes.

Since it's apart, there are a lot of things to check. For one thing, why did the bearings slip out - that usually means someone removed them without heating and damaged the shell but can mean a bent shaft.
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How can I refuse an offer like that! I have always enjoyed that scenic drive down I-95 through Baltimore and DC!

I will DM you with my contact info!
 
stuck amals said:
What is the story with this gear? It shows wear on just half of the gear tooth.
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It's fairly common to see things like that. Not sure it's wear - hard to tell in a picture. More likely porosity in the metal when it was made or it got rusty at some point. If it's actually wear or damage, you will see something on the matching gear in most cases. That's why I'm not so quick to say a gear is bad in a picture, especially without seeing the mating gear.

Obviously, you would like them all to be pretty and perfectly cut - not always the case with the original gears. New gears you buy today from Andover Norton won't have those types of problems as they get rejected.
 
marshg246 said:
It's fairly common to see things like that. Not sure it's wear - hard to tell in a picture. More likely porosity in the metal when it was made or it got rusty at some point. If it's actually wear or damage, you will see something on the matching gear in most cases. That's why I'm not so quick to say a gear is bad in a picture, especially without seeing the mating gear.

Obviously, you would like them all to be pretty and perfectly cut - not always the case with the original gears. New gears you buy today from Andover Norton won't have those types of problems as they get rejected.
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NOT porosity.
It's spalling.
Very common.
 
Last edited:
Almost every Commando gearbox with some mileage will show that kind of wear.
Caused/aggravated by a heavy clutch. If you want to be nice to your gearbox, make the clutch as light as possible. Switch to a belt drive and fibre plates.
 

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