The Triumph Dolomite Club - Discussion Forum

The Number One Club for owners of Triumph's range of small saloons from the 1960s and 1970s.
It is currently Thu Mar 28, 2024 9:46 am

All times are UTC




Post new topic  Reply to topic  [ 46 posts ]  Go to page 1 2 3 4 Next
Author Message
PostPosted: Sat Feb 15, 2014 8:20 pm 
For those of you who haven't seen my other post; I'm Ben, I'm 21 and I live in Derby. Hi!

Today is a day I've been dreaming about for years: the day I buy my first car. I love it! :eyes4u: As my Mum put it, it's very 'me'...

Image

Image

The 30 mile drive home was not wonderful. The big ends are on their way out, and I discovered that the ring gear is loose, which adds to the many parculiar noises that emit from the engine bay. This meant that I had to drive down the A38 at ~45mph with people overtaking at 70. But the worst part by far was the steering, it has a mind of it's own! There are inches of play at the wheel, and I think I've found the culprit:

Image

^This is where the majority of the free play is occurring. Help? A diagram of this component would be helpful in working out exactly what is going on here, and what could be faulty/broken. I need to fix this ASAP as the car is basically undrivable atm.

To add to my woes, as it was raining on the way back, one of the wipers went bang! and fell on to the bonnet. I pulled into a petrol station and there happened to be an RAC van there with nothing to do, so he came over and zip-tied the wiper back on. Brilliant!

Thanks for reading.


Top
   
PostPosted: Sat Feb 15, 2014 8:51 pm 
Offline
TDC Shropshire Area Organiser

Joined: Sun Aug 21, 2011 5:12 pm
Posts: 7013
Location: Highley, Shropshire
On the lower steering coupling fault, this is very common and new couplings are available though some are better quality than others. From personal experience I recommend the one Fitchetts sell, about £21 IIRC. It is also possible to upgrade using a pressed or forged U/J type joint the latter available from Chris Witor, it is the upper column U/J for a Triumph 2000 MkII. Pressed ones from (I think) Rally Design and originally specced for MkI Escort.

Steve

BTW Congratulations on your choice of one of the rarer models and welcome to the Forum!

_________________
'73 2 door Toledo with Vauxhall Carlton 2.0 8v engine (The Carledo)
'78 Sprint Auto with Vauxhall Omega 2.2 16v engine (The Dolomega)
'72 Triumph 1500FWD in Slate Grey, Now with RWD and Carledo powertrain!

Maverick Triumph, Servicing, Repairs, Electrical, Recomissioning, MOT prep, Trackerjack brake fitting service.
Apprentice served Triumph Specialist for 50 years. PM for more info or quotes.


Top
   
PostPosted: Sat Feb 15, 2014 9:28 pm 
Right, so it's this bit:

Image

Clearly the rubber parts on mine have turned to mush, or vanished completely. Mystery solved! Is it not possible just to get replacement rubber though?

The bushing in the bulkhead is knackered too, so I can replace both at once. Champion :amigo:


Top
   
PostPosted: Sat Feb 15, 2014 9:34 pm 
Good luck with your project .Lots of people on here with helpful advice :D


Top
   
PostPosted: Sat Feb 15, 2014 11:55 pm 
Offline
Future Club member hopefully!
Future Club member hopefully!
User avatar

Joined: Mon Jun 03, 2013 5:48 pm
Posts: 1635
Welcome to the forum.

You can buy those small bushes but I would replace the whole unit.
Bulkhead bush's, Poly ones are available (same as Dolomite), make sue it fit it the correct way around.

As for the engine, once the input shaft and clutch is out, undo all the sump bolts including the two bolts underneath that go through the box into the block then its a case of undoing all the auxiliary's and few other bolts and bits and lifting the engine out leaving the gearbox sat on the subframe.
I find it is easier to do it that way as the gearboxes on those cars are very heavy.

_________________
Some people are like Slinky's, they serve no real purpose in life but bring a smile to your face when you push them down the stairs.


Top
   
 Post subject: Hello and.....
PostPosted: Sun Feb 16, 2014 10:30 am 
Offline
TDC Member
User avatar

Joined: Thu Aug 09, 2007 1:22 pm
Posts: 6475
Location: Caithness, Scotland
Quote:
For those of you who haven't seen my other post; I'm Ben, I'm 21 and I live in Derby. Hi!

Today is a day I've been dreaming about for years: the day I buy my first car. I love it! :eyes4u: As my Mum put it, it's very 'me'...

Image

Image

The 30 mile drive home was not wonderful. The big ends are on their way out, and I discovered that the ring gear is loose, which adds to the many parculiar noises that emit from the engine bay. This meant that I had to drive down the A38 at ~45mph with people overtaking at 70. But the worst part by far was the steering, it has a mind of it's own! There are inches of play at the wheel, and I think I've found the culprit:

Image

^This is where the majority of the free play is occurring. Help? A diagram of this component would be helpful in working out exactly what is going on here, and what could be faulty/broken. I need to fix this ASAP as the car is basically undrivable atm.

To add to my woes, as it was raining on the way back, one of the wipers went bang! and fell on to the bonnet. I pulled into a petrol station and there happened to be an RAC van there with nothing to do, so he came over and zip-tied the wiper back on. Brilliant!

Thanks for reading.
Welcome to the forum Ben.


Please don't throw away that original early lower steering coupling.
It can be overhauled using new bushes from Superflex.


Your car has been standing unused for some considerable time.
You should be prepared for the need to do a lot of work to bring it up to scratch.



Ian.

_________________
TDC Forum moderator
PLEASE help us to maintain a friendly forum,
either PM or use Report Post if you see anything you are unhappy with. Thanks.


Top
   
PostPosted: Sun Feb 16, 2014 10:07 pm 
@Maximus Cheers :)

@Ian I'll keep the old coupling as spares. There's a good chance the rusty bolts on the old one will shear so I'll buy a new one to drop in, as TrustNo1 suggested. I'm sure it will take a fair bit of work to get the old girl ship-shape once more, I look forward to the challenge.

I lied about the bulkhead bushing, it's fine. But there is play in the universal joint, which sounds expensive...

Anyway, on to the cast-iron elephant in the room. As I said, the ring gear is loose. I guess that means it wont be too hard to remove when it comes to taking the engine apart? I took a couple of videos today to show the issues:

http://youtu.be/BbTttPARtYk

http://youtu.be/DnaC_eeyVS4

What do you make of these? I originally thought the ring-gear noise was the bottom end, and thought they were about to let go. I'm sure I can hear big end knock, but how bad is it? I hope the crankshaft isn't worn.


Top
   
 Post subject: Okay......
PostPosted: Mon Feb 17, 2014 10:36 am 
Offline
TDC Member
User avatar

Joined: Thu Aug 09, 2007 1:22 pm
Posts: 6475
Location: Caithness, Scotland
Quote:
There's a good chance the rusty bolts on the old one will shear
Soak the whole thing in penetrating fluid (for days rather than hours)........





Ian.

_________________
TDC Forum moderator
PLEASE help us to maintain a friendly forum,
either PM or use Report Post if you see anything you are unhappy with. Thanks.


Top
   
PostPosted: Mon Feb 17, 2014 12:32 pm 
Wonderful, that is great especially as it is your first motor!

This is a rare member of the Tolly/Dolly/FWD family so it is good that you have rescued it and it will be bought back up to scratch as it were...

What is the interior like on this glorious old cruiser?

Please do keep us updated of any developments and 'happenings' as I am sure we are all keen to see how this project progresses...

Welcome to the forum by the way! This is by far and away one of the friendliest and most helpful forums out there so I doubt there will be anything that you won't be advised on...!!! We are all here to help :wink:


Top
   
PostPosted: Mon Feb 17, 2014 2:56 pm 
Offline
Future Club member hopefully!
Future Club member hopefully!

Joined: Thu May 17, 2012 9:34 pm
Posts: 867
Difficult to tell from the video, but i cant hear any evidence of big end bearings. Theres a lot of tappet chatter, and possibly timing chain rattle. Also the "loose flywheel" is rubber mounted on those - its not really a flywheel, only a ring gear - it still has a normal flywheel at the other end. It should not be loose like that, i would say the rubber bushes have perished - i think you can buy them in polyurethane now. To be honest it sounds pretty much as any "tired" 1500 i have ever heard - a bit worn, but not enough that i would worry. Fix the ring gear, set the tappets, and give it a good tune up - judging by the starter in the second video the timing is a little over advanced. It could be pinking you are hearing rather than big end knock?
Matt.


Top
   
PostPosted: Mon Feb 17, 2014 3:02 pm 
Offline
Future Club member hopefully!
Future Club member hopefully!

Joined: Thu May 17, 2012 9:34 pm
Posts: 867
http://www.superflex.co.uk/proddetail.p ... F374-0355K

Ring gear bushes


Top
   
PostPosted: Mon Feb 17, 2014 9:47 pm 
Offline
Future Club member hopefully!
Future Club member hopefully!
User avatar

Joined: Tue Oct 03, 2006 5:52 pm
Posts: 7566
Location: Halifax, West Yorkshire
I would agree with Matt. Having watched the videos, it sounds more like the tappets. Give it a service, tune it up and fit a new timing chain. I would use a decent quality oil when you change it. If it was the big end or main bearings you would be hearing a low pitched knocking (big end bearings) or a low pitched rumble (main bearings). I can't hear either of those sorts of sounds in your videos.

_________________
Toledo Man

West Yorkshire Area Organiser & forum moderator
Meetings take place on the first Wednesday of the month at 8.00pm at The Old Brickworks, Wakefield Road, Drighlington, Bradford, BD11 1EA

1972 Dolomite 1850 auto (NYE 751L - Now for sale)
2003 Volvo XC90 D5 SE (PX53 OVZ - The daily driver)
2009 Mercedes-Benz W204 C200 CDI Sport (BJ58 NCV - The 2nd car)
1991 Toyota Celica GT (J481 ONB - another project car)
Former stable of SAY 414M (1974 Toledo), GRH 244D (1966 1300fwd), CDB 324L (1973 1500fwd), GGN 573J (1971 1500fwd), DCP 625S (1977 Dolomite 1300) & LCG 367N (1975 Dolomite Sprint) plus 5 Acclaims and that's just the Triumphs!

Check my blog at http://triumphtoledo.blogspot.com
My YouTube Channel with a bit of Dolomite content.

"There is only one way to avoid criticsm: Do nothing, say nothing and BE nothing." Aristotle


Top
   
PostPosted: Tue Feb 18, 2014 5:41 pm 
Offline
Future Club member hopefully!
Future Club member hopefully!
User avatar

Joined: Wed Jul 15, 2009 6:38 pm
Posts: 473
Location: Glasgow, Scotland
Problem with filming this stuff is the low pitch sounds get drowned out. I tried filming my engine to give example of my suspected bottom end noises but everything was drowned out by the tappets, which tend to be loud even when set correctly.

Having said that, my 1300 engine has done 5000 miles with the bottom end rumbling away and hasn't exploded just yet!

_________________
1976 Triumph Dolomite 1850HL "Trevor, the Tenaciously Terrible Triumph" - Rotten as a pear and dissolving into a field in rural Aberdeenshire.
1977 Triumph Dolomite 1300 "Daisy, the Dilapidated Dolomite of Disaster" - Major resto, planned for completion 2021.
1983 Triumph Acclaim L "Angus, the Arguably Adequate Acclaim - On the road as a daily driver.


Top
   
PostPosted: Fri Feb 21, 2014 1:08 pm 
Offline
Future Club member hopefully!
Future Club member hopefully!
User avatar

Joined: Tue Oct 03, 2006 5:52 pm
Posts: 7566
Location: Halifax, West Yorkshire
I couldn't hear any big end/main bearing noises even with the shots from underneath. Have another listen once you've done the tappets (the valve clearances to give it the proper title. It needs to be done when the engine is stone cold).

Getting back to the steering column, you might as well replace the bulkhead bush while you have the coupling out. The steering column is an adjustable one so it will slide out of the coupling and you can easily fit the new bush. Get the Super Flex one that Chris Witor sells. It costs a bit more but is money well spent. It needs to be fitted from the inside so that it won't fall out. I'd also recommend doing the coupling in Super Flex too. Highly recommended and worth every penny.

_________________
Toledo Man

West Yorkshire Area Organiser & forum moderator
Meetings take place on the first Wednesday of the month at 8.00pm at The Old Brickworks, Wakefield Road, Drighlington, Bradford, BD11 1EA

1972 Dolomite 1850 auto (NYE 751L - Now for sale)
2003 Volvo XC90 D5 SE (PX53 OVZ - The daily driver)
2009 Mercedes-Benz W204 C200 CDI Sport (BJ58 NCV - The 2nd car)
1991 Toyota Celica GT (J481 ONB - another project car)
Former stable of SAY 414M (1974 Toledo), GRH 244D (1966 1300fwd), CDB 324L (1973 1500fwd), GGN 573J (1971 1500fwd), DCP 625S (1977 Dolomite 1300) & LCG 367N (1975 Dolomite Sprint) plus 5 Acclaims and that's just the Triumphs!

Check my blog at http://triumphtoledo.blogspot.com
My YouTube Channel with a bit of Dolomite content.

"There is only one way to avoid criticsm: Do nothing, say nothing and BE nothing." Aristotle


Top
   
PostPosted: Sat Feb 22, 2014 12:46 pm 
Grifterkid- The interior is great. A little dog-eared and worn, but the seats are in amazing condition! She's clearly been loved and cared for by someone. Cheers!

Matt- Just ordered new bushings for the ring gear, £40 inc postage! :cry: They better last another 40 years... Btw what tools do I need for removing the ring gear? I have a torque wrench, and I could use a crowbar to stop it turning (somehow). Also I think you're on to something with the timing, it did kick back when I tried to start it.

Toledoman- I would have sworn blind that you're supposed to get the engine up to running temp before setting the valve clearences? :shrug:

I plan to follow the 12,000 mile maintenance guide in the Triumph manual, and go from there. I think the bulkhead bush must have been replaced recently, as it's in good nick, so I'll leave it for now. I don't have any money coming in atm so 'if it 'aint broke don't fix it'! I'll be back with the car on Tuesday with a suitcase full of tools and some new bits and pieces, let the chaos commence! :D

Dad is currently outside attempting to fix a water leak in our 4 1/2 year-old Citroen C1, it's comforting to know it's not just classics that break! :lol:


Top
   
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Post new topic  Reply to topic  [ 46 posts ]  Go to page 1 2 3 4 Next

All times are UTC


Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 38 guests


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot post attachments in this forum

Search for:
Jump to:  
Powered by phpBB® Forum Software © phpBB Limited