The Triumph Dolomite Club - Discussion Forum

I think a single 11" fan is more efficient.

Looking at the Spal options as they only do a good fan small enough, a 6.5" x 7 sucker pulls 319 CFM so 2 would pull 638 CFM.

Whereas a single 11" sucker will pull 779 CFM air through the rad.

It's also cheaper, a single small is the same price as the large!

TR7s with air con had two, bit I think they also had a bigger rad as well.

Yep, sounds like 2 smaller ones is a waste of time and money, along with the extra draw on the electrics. Have you thought about a cowl for the fan? Efficiency can be improved further as the air flow will get channelled and less is spilled/flung off.
(Obviously I'm just day-dreaming of possibilities -it's that time of the week, on a long slow commuter train out of London.)

I learn today that my fuel gauge can't be trusted!

Just put 48 litres of V Power in her, the gauge still showed nearly 1/4 full!! Oh and I was dozing whilst filling up, click splash, all down my best Tesco shorts!

Anyway, I know some of you guys don't use Facebook so a quick update based on a question I posted there some of the info may be useful to others.

Hmmm weird squeezing sound, sounds like the belt but it's not, that's new and adjusted correctly. Fan pully bearing gone?



Bruce Jones - One of my 1850's made a similar racket, which was a leak on the intake manifold, just saying

Jeroen Rothman - Or alternator.

Γιάννης Κούκος - Μaybe the alternator

Bruce Jones - Take the belt off, see if it shuts up?

James Shephard - Thanks chaps will remove belt and report back...

Alan Crome - Alternator bearing.

Rob Amey - Try another belt may be after market and slightly oversize not fitting in the groove correctly

Gavan P Holly - A mouse on LSD??

James Shephard - School run done! Rains stopped, well stopping! I'll whip the belt off in a bit and see what happens.



James Shephard - Seems that Bruce Jones is right, inlet leak. Looks like the carbs aren't tight enough on the inlet manifold.




James Shephard - Looks like the springs maybe tired.

James Shephard - Pulled a couple of gaskets from a Payen gasket set and they are about 0.5mm thicker.



Alun Nicholas - Yes, SU's!

James Shephard - Alun Nicholas don't dis the 'bergs! Embrace the 'bergs, be at one with the 'bergs!!!

Bruce Jones - Hey, I'm good sometimes, aren't I?

Bruce Jones - Can you not just tighten it up slightly, or add 1 more plain washer?

James Shephard - I pulled the springs apart a bit then reassembled. Sound has stopped. I am just wondering if a little air leak was causing the lack of top end power

Bruce Jones - Possibly....

James Shephard - I think the springs are soft, will put another washer under until I can find some replacements

Alun Nicholas - http://www.ebay.co.uk/.../TRIUMPH-TR7-o ... 2534103078...

TRIUMPH TR7 or Dolomite 1850 HS6 SU Carburetors and manifold may fit others |…

James Shephard - MINE!! Yes, I saw them, am watching. I have a SU manifold in the garage.

Bruce Jones - Are there any differences on manifolds, between early and late cars? Just thinking.

Bruce Jones - James, aren't they spring washers, is tighten till flattened?

James Shephard - They are double coil lock washers, it looks like they retain some spring to them, you can only tighten the nuts up so much.

Bruce Jones - What, because you run out of thread, or because they are tight? Seem to recall Frank hasn't got these

James Shephard - You run out of thread.

James Shephard - Where's Jeroen? I would have expected some sort of detailed explanation on why the lock washers are there?

Tom Overton - I'm no Jeroen, but Weber carbs often use those spring washers under nyloc nuts. They have a thick rubber o ring under them to make the vacuum seal rather than a gasket though.
I think the reason for that or the rubber mounts used by Triumph for the SU...See More

James Shephard - Ah good, that's exactly what I've done. Not taken it for a run yet but they do look more secure without the rubbers being crushed.

James Shephard - Ok so it's 100% better but the mixture now is way out. Now has a decent induction note

Bruce Jones - Running rich?

James Shephard - Probably, I think that seal was letting in air. Idle is so darn smooth now



Bruce Jones - Can't fault that!

Bruce Jones - Like I said, last 5% is always the most difficult. Let's face it, less than 4 months ago, this car hadn't moved for what, 20 years? It's now in use, looking good, and being refined

James Shephard - Doing the school run now!



Bruce Jones - Getting strange looks from other parents?

James Shephard - More like p155 off looks because I nicked the last parking space!

Robert FE Jones - I think I have a pair of weber 40s if you want a change from bergs....

James Shephard - So a quick update again, this seems to have solved a whole raft of running issues, mixture was way to rich. Had to back it off a bit in Waitrose car park!

Carbs now need resetting, balancing and retuning. Thanks to everyone who has contributed to this thread, especially BBruce Jonesand TTom Overton

Oh, click on the photos to view the videos!

Another update!

Exhaust is due to be delivered tomorrow, looking forward to that.

Thinking about eliminating problem areas I decided to pull the delco dizzy again just to have another look at the vacuum advance. I have a spare good tested advance unit so thought it best to strip down the dizzy again to check everything was fine. At the same time I decided to ditch the points and install the Optronic system, that way I know I have a good refurbished ignition system.

So I set the timing to TDC and removed the dizzy. Mine is held on by only one bolt, the other hole isn't threaded and hasn't been drilled out either, maybe this is an early car thing?



With the dizzy on the bench you can start stripping it down.





Remove the points and condenser





Remove the roll pin and pull off the drive gear.





Then the shaft can be removed



Remove the spring washer and pull off the base plate



The advance felt lubricating washer can now be seen as well as the two screws that reating the vacuum advance mechanism, dont forget the earth wire!



Vacuum advance removed and we have a bare base unit which can then be thoroughly cleaned.



All the components cleaned and ready for reassembly



First thing to do is install the rotor onto the shaft



Then start reassembling the base unit, replacement vacuum advance fitted with the earth, felt pad lubricated and fitted. This vacuum unit moves freely when I suck the end, the old one didn't.



Base plate fitted with Lumenition adaptor



Install the optical unit.



Shaft can be reinstalled after a coating of graphogen.



Reinstall the drive cog using a new roll pin if needed.



Rotor arm on and we are done.



Into the engine bay and I mounted the control unit on the bulkhead where the coil goes in later cars.



Took 12v from the fusebox (thanks Ian)



Violet to COIL NEGATIVE with a 5A fuse, and the control unit connects to the distributor.



Everything connected up ready for a test fire



As all the connections were correct it fired first time, as you would expect! The rev counter works as well. Tidied the wiring up and warmed the car up and set the timing.



Initial impressions after a quick spin around the block, tickover is a hell of a lot smoother. The car sounds better, the induction note was really nice and she picks up better. All in all a 100% improvement to running. Haven't been able to take her up above 50 yet as people around here drive too slow even on an open nation speed limit road! Will try tomorrow down the A331 after I've done the school run and taken the boys to their grandparents.

I'm sure you'll surprise a few people when you go on your test drive. You've probably liberated another 20bhp!

_________________
Mark

1961 Chevrolet Corvair Greenbrier Sportswagon
1980 Dolomite Sprint project using brand new shell
2009 Mazda MX5 2.0 Sport
2018 Infiniti Q30

Yes, a full tank of VPower and it certainly runs a lot better! There's a judder on pickup from a standtill, that's just the gearbox mount, I have a replacement solution for that which I hope to fit this weekend. I wont surprise anyone with it yet though!!

Just went up the bypass and it wasn't happy under load at 65/70, hesitation and the engine temp was rising. So I tried what Jonners suggested and pulled the choke, zooooom! Hesitation gone and it shot up to 85 and after a bit of driving at 80 the temp dropped back down as well so the mixture must be still too lean. It is super smooth now at 80 even with the choke out and it feels like it has more, it's no longer a hold on for your life experience and feels like once the mixture is correct it will happily cruise at that speed all day. I feel like I have just had a glimmer of how good these cars are when set up properly.

All of this was to the surprise of the driver behind me who when I pulled across went haring past me then subsequently pulled into the inside lane in front of me and slowed down to 60 she was then very surprised to see me come past her again!

Exhaust next, gearbox mount and set up the mixture properly.

A big box of shiny parts arrived!

It's here....





And it so pretty!

Time to get fitting. Should take me an afternoon, but trying to get those manifold nuts off is going to be interesting so it'll probably end up taking me a week! I am expecting to have to remove the manifold so I have new gaskets, bolts etc... I may just pull the manifold anyway to replace the gaskets, I think they're leaking.

At the same time I'll drop the cross member and replace the gearbox mount as the exhaust wont be in the way.

look at my post on the MaidstobeRob thread about the manifold leaks...

I'd recommend a gasket free approach myself, but the studs instead of bolts bit is also of interest.

Good results on the ignition and running.....but not sure how you are going to solve the berg needle issue. I'm surprised
as when NBH was as OE it would do 105 on bergs. Maybe fuels have changed...or diaphram specs?

Jonners

_________________
Note from Admin: sadly Jon passed away in February 2018 but his humour and wealth of knowledge will be fondly remembered by all. RIP Jonners.

Thanks Jonners, yes it sounds like he had exactly the same problem as me, all of the bolts were loose, the rear two were very loose and it was blowing pat the join. I ended up just fitting a brand new NOS manifold because someone had welded replacement studs on. Controversially, I used gaskets, I know you prefer the no gasket approach but I couldn't guarantee that the head ports themselves were flat so at least with gaskets on a car that's to be run as a daily I can eliminate any potential issues here. I agree with the stud based approach, trouble is that by the time I had read the post I had 7 new bolts! If it needs to come off again they'll be replaced with studs.

Incidentally, I found that the easiest way to gain access to the lower bolts was to just remove the starter motor.

I don't know whats going on with my 'bergs, that said I haven't really spent any time investigating, just the rubber gasket issue. Speaking to Bruce and looking at the plugs they are definitely running lean. I have just been concentrating on getting other systems, exhaust and ignition in tip top condition and eliminating potential sources of trouble there before having a look at them.

So exhaust off, back up on the axle stands!



I'm not messing around with nuts and trying to pull things apart, so it's out with the power tools!



Seriously, it took less than five minutes!



Then on to the manifold...



With some heat I managed to remove the down pipe by undoing the nuts, I now have some more scrap for Alun.



Manifold off, you can see where it's been blowing around the rear port.



Before the new exhaust is fitted I needed to replace the gearbox mount.

These are NLA but a Stag rear subframe bush is a bit longer and fits with a different bolt.

I am afraid that I didn't take many photos of this process, it's pretty simple though, you need one of these...



Support the gearbox, remove the centre nut that secures the gearbox bush to the cross member, (11/16 socket) then the 4 nuts that hold the crossmember to the body, the crossmember should then drop away. You can then remove the bush from the crossmember by removing the two nuts and bolts. You then need to remove the bracket that the bush bolts to, this is held on by two nuts and bolts, once that is off you can remove the bolt from the bracket by grinding off the head, you'll then need to tack on a new bolt, I don't think this is strictly necessary as you can get a spanner over the top of it but it does help re-installation, you'll end up with this.



Now you're going to ask me the size of the bolt arent you! I can't remember at the time of typing, I'll find out.

Everything can then be bolted back together, I cleaned and repainted the cross member at the same time, depending on the thread length of the bolt used you may have to put a couple of washers under the nut, not tested yet but it is significantly better than what was on there and should hopefully remove the judder when I pull away!



Back to the exhaust, manifold fitted....





I gave the engine bay a quick clean as I was fed up with getting covered with oil every time I went near it!



Front pipe on, bolted to the gearbox support bracket.





Inter pipe fitted...



Rear pipe fitted...



As you can see it all now needs adjusting to clear the rear axle.





The joints have only been nipped up to clamp the pipe and just prevent it from moving, I then paste the joints to stop any blows.

So job for today is to adjust the exhaust and seal the joins.

Good job there, although I would surely have tried gasketless with a new manifold....
They only last a couple of years, but I guess you can try next time...

To get away from the axle the whole lot needs to slide forwards about an inch. I suspect you can get that by being a bit more assertive
with the sliding joints. I always use a lot of copaslip on stainless setups to help with future removal.

Really like the stag mounting solution....that will be a lot of use to doly auto owners.

And an excellent write up on the dizzy too...

Well done again...

Jonners

_________________
Note from Admin: sadly Jon passed away in February 2018 but his humour and wealth of knowledge will be fondly remembered by all. RIP Jonners.

Thanks Jonners, yes the new gearbox mount has highlighted how shot the rest of the rear end bushes are! There is more vibration through the cabin but the old one was toast and the centre section was separating. After a drive it all settled down nicely, I think with new rear end bushes it will feel quite nice.

Exhaust is on and adjusted to clear everything. Yes, I just had to move the front joint forward a bit and tinker with some angles. I hate fitting exhausts though!!

I am not happy with the rear box though, angles are all wrong and I cant get it to fit correctly. Too low and angled down, if I adjust it then it hits the rear diff.





I think this section needs to be longer and the angle towards the rear box tighter, I'll speak to the supplier.



There is a bit more adjustment here but then the front silencer doesn't sit right.





Nonetheless it isn't hitting the body and it's sealed. It does sound like the front manifold to down pipe joint is leaking but I put my hand around it to feel for blows and I cant feel anything. I'll put it down to it just needing a run to settle, thanks Bruce for your advice here.

After a run up the A331 it now will sit at 75, well until it hits a large hill, I adjusted the mixture by 1/8th turn to make it richer but it still has this hesitation and pulling the choke still makes it run better. So now the exhaust is sorted I can concentrate on getting the carbs done. I did recondition them so it will probably be something silly.

• Check the plugs and adjust the mixture again by a 1/4 turn.
• I'll check the fuel pump, maybe it's getting tired, I have a new one here that I can swap out.
• I'll also check that the breather hoses are secure, one popped off a while ago and I had to clip it on.
• Check the diaphragms
• Pull them off and double check that the float height is correct.
• Whilst they are off check the needles, mainly that they are correct

Then if none of this cures the problem I'll swap them out for a pair of SU's and be done with it!

I used to find with the old 1850 systems that the angle of the over axle pipe had quite a range of adjustment and that this controlled the angle
and "look" of the rear silencer and tailpipe.

I never used exhaust paste on those last joints so I could do some adjustment. Sometimes I would not tighten the clamps enough and the pipes would rotate back into stupid positions so you may need to do some further tightening.

Float valve height is critical for mixture on bergs. There isnt much more to go wrong so if you are experiencing that sort of power loss with your
new ignition setup I'm wondering if you do have a pinhole in one.

I abandoned bergs when I went TR7 power. I often wondered if an SU of the HIF type would fit straight on the berg manifold. Might be worth a look. The beauty of SU's is that with the minty lamb needle charts you can get some real results performance wise and pretty low cost. I only needed to try 2 different needle sets to get my Spit 1500 a lot better...funnily ending up with a dolly 1850 needle in the end!

Jonners

_________________
Note from Admin: sadly Jon passed away in February 2018 but his humour and wealth of knowledge will be fondly remembered by all. RIP Jonners.

I could use one of those on the rear Dave but on the front the downpipe bolts to the gearbox through the clamp so you need a U bolt really. I only nip them up though, don't go nuts just so I can pull the system if I need to.

School run this morning and I was not happy with the exhaust at all. I'm convinced that it's blowing at the manifold to downpipe join, it just does not sound right, actually it sounds more like it had a cracked manifold, can't see any cracks though. So it's coming off and I'm going to refit it. Hopefully I'll be able to get some adjustment and straighten out the rear box a bit.
If I do have a pinhole then Burlen can send me a new pair for free, they're brand new from them as well!!

I'll change the fuel pump first and see if that helps, if not then it's off with the carbs to check the diaphragms and floats!