Strange Wooshing Sound

[AlanBartlett]

Every time I turn on the engine I get a strange wooshing sound coming from the floor boads or gear box any ideas what it would be?

[george garside]

Allan
depending on how you are describing the noise 'wooshing' could be caused by several possible things. Is the clutch thrust race dry and or rotating i.e. are clutch toggle leaver clearances correctly set - does wooshing sound alter if clutch pedal depressed - if so thrust race/toggle leavers are likely candidates. Presume you have renewed the crankcase breather valve & adjusted it correctly but to be on saafe side have a listen to bottom(open) end of vent pipe to see if wooshing is coming from there. Slightly flattening the end of the pipe can effect a cure.

I assume that by turn on engine you mean noise is when it is actually running. If however it occurs during process of starting (using self starter) it could be coming from the starter motor itself.

A long shot but have you geased the distributor drive gears on the back of the dynamo .Roy Braadock used to reccomend a 'fingerful' ( a highly precise form of Old English measurement) of grease shuld be inserted once a month - but that was of course when vehicle in daily use.

hope this helps , but it may well not as noises tend to travel & appear far from theier source of origin.

george

[Tony Fearn]

Hi Alan,

Can't help on this one, but George's suggestion about a dry thrust race/ incorrect toggle clearance (should be 1/16th inch) seems to be the best first stop. If this is ruled out, then perhaps if you put the handbrake on, chock a rear wheel both front and back, lie under the car and ask mum to start the engine (make sure it's out of gear!) you might just pinpoint the area to be investigated.

Let us all know what happens.

Tony.

[george garside]

re wooshing - does it occur immediately after the engine starts (using self starter) i.e. after you take your finger off the button - if so it could be the bendix ddrive on the starter sticking so that the pinion remains in mesh with the flywheel ring gear ;& therefore the starter motor is whizzed round much faster than intended by the makers. I f the noise stops aaaafter a short while it is the pinion being thrown out of engagement. likely causes are muck on starter shaft so pinion doesnt fly back when button released or broken bendix spring. Shaft should be cleaned but not oiled as this would attract more muck

george

[AlanBartlett]

It starts when you put your foot on the clutch, like wooshing sound, and then continues until you take your foot off, or start moving in any gear.

[george garside]

Hi Allan

this points towards thrust race being either dry or knackered. In theory it is lubrocated from the gearbox via a drilling in the shaft with a wick to regulate/restrict the flow of oil. In practice it is not unusual for it to bung up. When running Jowetts as everyday cars 15 -20k miles a year I used to oil th thrust race once a week - apply a few drops of engine oil via a long spout pump type of oilcan & then spin the thrust race by hand to help the oil get in.

Try spinning the thrust race by hand to see if it makes some sort of noise - it shouldn't make any - or if it feels 'rough' when being rotated.


Then try oiling it as above & if wooshing goes away do it regularly, ? every 300 miles or before each outing if used only occasionaly. only need to pull it back inside the car sufficiently to get the clutch shaft out of the flywheel/clutch assembly so the thrust race can be slid off the shaft.

If thrust race revolves smoothly & silently its likely to be ok so problem may be elsewhere but from your description I would examine the thrust rac most carefully before looking anywhere else

hope this helps & dosnt result in an unnecesary removval of gearbox.!

george

[george garside]

missed a bit out in last posting before ' only need to pull it back in the car' etc I should have put - if thrust race needs changing it is only necessary to pull the gearbox back into the car etc
george