Location: Bonnie Galloway

The gearbox in my 1931 saloon recently became very noisy in second gear, not bad in top however. The reason is that the oil has been draining out of it whilst it has been standing in the garage. Not sure why yet but it looks like an engine out job over the winter.
I have started using a heavier oil in the Ulster 3 speed gearbox which was also noisy in second (Andes ratio) and have found this beneficial. Talk of difficulty changing gear has been a myth, the gearbox seems to warm up very quickly.

The 3-speed boxes are often noisy in 2nd gear.
I rebuilt mine with a high 2nd (Andes) gear and it is now pretty quiet. The main wear was on the layshaft itself which I replaced along with the keys. The wear on the shaft causes the meshing of the gears to become inaccurate which in turn wears the teeth. Hence the noise.
By fitting the new Andes gear It means that 2nd gear is correctly meshed and therefore quiet(ish). Straight-cut gears are not noted for their silence.
For the driving I do the high 2nd is excellent.In the Scottish Borders there are a lot of hills, none very steep but some are very long. With the new 2nd gear I can keep up 30-35 mph comfortably and reach 40 if needed. Also very useful when in town with 30mph limits.
The downside is there is now a gap between 1st & 2nd so with steep hills I have to go into 1st gear sooner. Not a problem round here but more challenging on Malcolm's tours round the North Yorkshire Moors (Which are excellent).

Or Bristol's one in two and a half Vale Street?

Location: Bristol

Location: Bonnie Galloway