2 3/4 hp, how much gear box grease?

[th63ko]

hello,
request advice on the following, please:
from a reprint manual for 2 3/4 hp models, years 1912-1914, i have read that 2-speed gearbox shall be filled with grease.
older articles in this forum indicate that semi-fluid grease should be used.
ok, i have this. consistency is similar to honey and meets the descriptions.
but, how much is a suitable filling? topped up or less amount?

thank you for proper advice

holger, germany

[Doug]

You do not want to top up the box completely, it will just rapidly leak out. You need a minimum of lubricant in the gearbox to submerge the lower portion of the gears so that they pick up the oil/grease and distribute it around the inside of the gearbox. Ideally you want a little more than this, as there are no seals in the gearbox. It leaks out and you do not want to run short. Also a small, but steady intentional leakage of lubricant from the gearbox via the shafts help prevent the ingress of dirt and water. Better some lubricat getting out, than contaminants getting in.

-Doug

[Black Sheep]

When I recommissioned mine, with a remarkable lack of subtlety I filled my gearbox up with semi-fluid grease using a 60ml syringe then set out for a long ride. The surplus worked its way out past the mainshaft and lubricated the chain. Thereafter I just top up the box with 30 mls of grease once in a while. A bit hit and miss but it works. If you adopt this approach, best not to park on a newly laid drive after that first ride. However, the dripped grease will, after a year or two, just about disappear.   

[kev]

not intending to hijack a thread...
 but I take oil spots off with laundry detergent...made into a paste...leave on for a day or three...
works for me

[cardan]

Be careful using grease in gearboxes. Depending on grade and properties, you might end up with the the gears spinning dry in cavities in your grease-filled box. Penrite used to make a semi-fluid grease for gearboxes (which I didn't like too much as it tended to foam and escape from everywhere, including the top), but lately I've been using a very heavy gear oil (150 I think) made specially for vintage gearboxes. It works well for me.

My garage floor is well beyond cleaning...

Leon

[Black Sheep]

Morris oils make a good semi-fluid grease. They do sell mail order, so possibly available in Germany. The Douglas spots in my drive have finally disappeared - the garage floor is beyond hope but that's the Norton chaincase to blame. Must get round to sealing it yet again. But not before the Douglas gearbox is sorted.