The Triumph Dolomite Club - EzBoard Archive

Can any one help me....I have seen and test driven a S reg Dolomite 1500hl, white 4 speed one lady owner since new garaged 22,000 fsh all at a very reasonable price and am sorely tempted but after trawling through your site I am not sure if buying is wise! I have been warned about the 1500 engine and propshaft faults and despite the history and condition of this car I guess I would be taking on more than just a car. What reasons are there to buy and will I live to regret it, or should I just go and get myself a H reg metro for the same money?

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What propshaft faults?? <!--EZCODE EMOTICON START :eek --><img src=http://www.ezboard.com/intl/aenglish/im ... ns/eek.gif ALT=":eek"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> The props on these cars are no more prone to failure than on any other rear wheel drive car.As for the 1500 engine,regular oil changes with a good quality oil,plus the use of the correct type of oil filter (with a non-return valve; you can buy them from the club if you can't find one locally) should keep eveything in good order.<br>
If the bodywork is in good condition then you should buy it regardless of the condition of the engine or mechanicals.It's the body that costs the most to repair.Is the mileage genuine? If so then the engine should be fine as long as it hasn't been abused.<br>


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If its the same price as a H reg metro and the body is good, go for it! If you don't go for it let me know where it is please!!

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cos an H plate Metro is worth diddly squat....<br>
The worst aspect of the 1500 is the weak thrust washers.<br>
Easy to test ,,,yank the crankshaft pulley in and out. Anything more than the slightest perciptible movement meams trouble ahead.<br>
Mind you the 1500 lump is common as muck and you should be able to source a running alternative for less than a ton.<br>
After you buy never ride the clutch in traffiic or sit with it in gear and foot on clutch at lights.....<br>
Use the aforementioned oil filter and when you start it, build up oil presure on the starter before you pull the choke and fire it up. That way you will see 100k miles no probs.<br>
Jonners.

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Jon<br>
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Could you explain the not having your foot on the clutch at the lights bit............is that to do with the thrust washers too?

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Whenever you have your foot on the clutch pressing it down there is a load on the thrust washers. They were designed for a small clutch of about 6.5 inches on a standard 8. As the engine was bored and then stroked to 1500 and got a bigger clutch the thrust wasjers were never upgraded enough.<br>
Bottom end wear s alos made worse by the cgheap oil filters that have no anti drain valve and starve the bearings of oil when its starts up. This doesnt help the thrusts either.<br>
Jonners

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Thanks for that Jon. So are thrust washers there to resist the the push from the clutch and is that why Jod was saying they last much longer in cars with automatic transmission? Also can you uprate the thrust washers when rebuilding a 1500 engine to make allowances for the greater load? And does the slant 4 engine have thrust washers and if not why not? Questions, questions!

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yes. They resist the clutch peddle force and the back and forth inertia as the car moves too I suppose.<br>
All engines AFAIK haeve thrust washers somewhere. The slant 4 has them on the centre main cap.<br>
The small 4 can be upgraded and if u look on the Spit ezboard there used to be a picture of the mod. An extra thrust is basically screwed to the main bearing cap so it completes the full circle.<br>
While slant 4 engines also have their problems there isnt any comparison in my view. The 1850 is vastly superior and well worth the extra 60 quid tax a year. Mine are old enough to be historic which is even better.<br>
Even our Jod is replacing his 1500 specal with a Sprint.<br>
Best place for the 1500 lump is in a Spit.<br>
Jonners

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