The Triumph Dolomite Club - Discussion Forum

Message for Sprint95m.

In respect to not being able to find the brake failure warning light. On my 1500HLs the handbrake ON warning light also comes on if there is a brake warning failure alarm. If you confirm that the handbrake on indication is working and then chock the wheels to stop the car moving, take off the handbrake, the warning light should go off. Next just earth down the brake failure sensor wire and this should bring on the handbrake warning light. I have found that the brake failure switch quite often fails to make due to its lack of use so initially just earth down the wire. You need to ensure the handbrake is OFF when you set up brake failure sensor.

Richard the old one wrote: ↑Thu Apr 16, 2020 9:50 am Message for Sprint95m.

In respect to not being able to find the brake failure warning light. On my 1500HLs the handbrake ON warning light also comes on if there is a brake warning failure alarm. If you confirm that the handbrake on indication is working and then chock the wheels to stop the car moving, take off the handbrake, the warning light should go off. Next just earth down the brake failure sensor wire and this should bring on the handbrake warning light. I have found that the brake failure switch quite often fails to make due to its lack of use so initially just earth down the wire. You need to ensure the handbrake is OFF when you set up brake failure sensor.

Thanks Richard, that solves the mystery.
The Sprint handbook I have is from 1975, whereas my car is 1979, so there is quite a few differences.

On my Sprint,
I am not going to use the PDWA, instead I am updating to a float switch
(which for me is simply employing a '90s BL Mini brake master cylinder reservoir cap).



Ian.

Carledo wrote: ↑Wed Apr 15, 2020 3:31 pm Here is the link for the startup video!

https://youtu.be/DMNL5cTmTGg

Still can't get over how easily it starts, switch on, wait for the fuel pump to prime, press the button and off it goes like clockwork!

Enjoy, Steve

Rock and Roll! You've got to be pleased with that Steve? (I know the feeling, my rebuilt 1500 fired up for the first time last night)

Carledo wrote: ↑Wed Apr 15, 2020 4:34 pm The more discerning amongst you will have also noticed the management light still alight on the dash! I plugged in the diagnostic (which actually worked, GO ME!) I got 2 manufacturer specific codes I couldn't translate and a P0100 code which is mass airlow sensor. The MAF IS connected now so may be a historic code. I've cleared all the codes and the EML goes out now and seems to be set to stay that way, another good result!

Do you want to borrow an OP-COM? It should be able to tell you what the manufacturer codes are if you haven't sorted them?
Cheers, Sam

sprint95m wrote: ↑Wed Apr 15, 2020 8:33 pm

Carledo wrote: ↑Wed Apr 15, 2020 3:31 pm Here is the link for the startup video!
https://youtu.be/DMNL5cTmTGg

Sounding good Steve.



Something did strike me, you don't have any sound deadening on the bulkhead.
I know that it was only used on slant four engined cars so I am guessing you decided
to do without because the Carledo is satisfactory without any fitted?

For my Sprint I have lightweight Dynamat and Car Builder Solutions carpet,
which I reckon will offer no weight penalty over OE standard carpet?
At this stage, I am inclined to think I will fit bulkhead sound deadening too
even though it is more weight.






(The late instrument panel is for comparison)
I have had a go at doing up the woodwork. For the dash I have used the wood from a '75 Sprint, which wasn't
in great condition at all, but whilst miles from being perfect has turned out okay.
As you can see I have went for a darker colour (personal preference) and adopted an early Dolomite look
with a rocker hazard light switch, black bezels and warning light cluster. The big gauges are late Sprint
and I put the speedo on the right.
(I do have an early 1850 rev counter but I don't think it works with an Omex ECU, hence my choice.)
I have added illuminated switches for fog lights (back and front) and also a brake warning light
(being a '79 car, there is wiring on the PDWA but I haven't found a warning light?)




Ian.

The lack of sound deadening pad on the bulkhead, is more down to lack of one to fit than anything else! The original one was in pretty poor shape and came off in several pieces, With Aldridge not working, I didn't have time to wait so went without. It may be OK anyway, the Vauxhall engine is less mechanically noisy than the slant, as you say, only the slant powered cars got the underbonnet pad anyway. This may just have been cost cutting on the lower spec models though! The Carledo, being Toledo based, never had one, but that car's character and ethos allows (almost demands) it to be a bit noisy inside.

I'm reinstating all the inside soundproofing to the bulkhead and the car has had a lot of extra, thick, sound deadening material added at some time in the past, it's under all the carpets, there's a huge chunk under the back seat (as well as the standard black bag of stuff) it's behind the rear seat backrest (sandwiched by the cover board in the boot) and more has been glued inside the rear wings. I also have a full set of carpet covered millboards for the boot, a legacy from another scrapper. I'm hoping overall that it's going to be fairly quiet inside (for a Dolomite at any rate) I have a NOS Drivers quarter light so that should seal OK but wind noise was ever a problem, we'll just have to see! If I can hear the stereo at 80mph without turning it up, I'll count that as a win! The engine puts out more power as standard than the mildly tuned 8v in the Carledo and (significantly in an auto) considerably more torque at lower revs. I think the weight penalty is a price worth paying in this instance

I like what you've done with your woodwork and dash layout, I too prefer a darker colour, it's more refined IMO. Only time constraints and the fact that I have that nice matching set (including 4 very good door cappings) has kept mine original. I'm currently in contact with a very nice guy who wants me to reassemble his Sprint after a respray and engine rebuild. He is a cabinet maker by trade and has done HIS woodwork to a very high standard indeed! I've suggested to him that there might be a lucrative future market for him there!

Is there a particular reason for reversing the speedo and tachometer positions? I wouldn't have thought there was any significant difference. I've used the tach from a late 1500HL, redlined at 6000rpm which should be OK with the auto, the only Sprint tach (redlined at 6500) I had lying about went into the Carledo which is electronically limited to 7200rpm. I think you are correct about the early tach not working with the Omex, it doesn't like working in later Dolomites! and the subsidiary problem with that unit is a faulty tach will stop the car! It happened to my son's T2000 which had a Pi tach of the same design, it took me a while and a not inconsiderable amount of lucre to replace it.

Of course the Sprint's speedo is a fully electronic one as there simply isn't anything to run a cable drive from! Please don't take the mickey about the 180mph face, it was the cheapest 4" unit I could find, a Smiths "classic". These are STUPIDLY pricey and used ones are just not out there! I will at some point black the chrome bezel to make it "fit in" better with the other instruments.

A major departure for me is not fitting a paranoia guage, AKA oil pressure! I have sufficient faith in the motor to run without one!

Richard beat me to the explanation of the PDWA circuitry, he's 100% correct, it's just T'd off the handrake warning light switch wire. As the bulb is fed and the circuit completed by an earth switch, all you need to do is connect the PDWA wire to one pole of the m/cyl cap float switch and earth the other pole. It doesn't matter which way round. If you are clever, you will have acquired the plug and a few inches of wire with the cap! I use a Saab 9-3 cap, but the principal is the same!

Steve

Steve

Carledo wrote: ↑Thu Apr 16, 2020 1:17 pmIs there a particular reason for reversing the speedo and tachometer positions?

Preference.
The first Triumph I had was a 2500S and I like the layout on these with the speedo on the right.



Ian.

Here are the headlamps I bought, outers only.










The inners that I have are almost as flat, but don't have the pronounced step at the edge that the outers have. Honestly, i'm not that bothered so long as they all work.

In other news, i've fabricated a bracket and installed the speed sensor for the electronic speedo. I'm mildly miffed that the 3 colour wires I allocated for the task in the car, black ignition live, brown earth and blue signal, are replicated in the unit wires but totally out of synch! Brown is live, blue earth and black signal, Ho Hum!

Having a functioning exhaust has at last allowed me to run the engine long enough to get it and the trans up to temperature (It's on stands so I stuck it in gear and let it idle to warm up the trans too. All this so I could check the trans oil level, which must be done a) with engine running and b) with trans warm! Turns out with all my messing around i'd still only lost about 1.5 litres.

I've also finally got to fintting the rear upper tie bar rear poly bushes (in standard shore for compliance)

The bad news is that ALL my fault codes have returned and this time come right back as soon as cancelled.

P0100 is the MAF code, whilst there MAY be a fault with the MAF sensor, I dont think so, the engine runs absolutely spot on and diconnecting the MAF with it running stops it immediately. My current theory is that having the sock air filter is upsetting the amount of air coming in and throwing up the light. Since I don't have room for a big box air filter, I may just have to live with it! Or restrict the airflow slightly somehow!

Sam, if you are reading this, the other 3 codes I get, all described by my cheapskate Blue Point diagnostic only as "manufacturer specific" are P1530, P1650 and P1700. If I had to guess, i'd say these were concerned with aircon (which i've deleted) and the engine electric fan (where i've simplified the wiring which made it 2 speed, again because of the aircon) or possibly the cruise control or trip computer (both also deleted, cruise was wired up but not fitted in the donor, I understand it takes a download to the ECU to make it work, besides fitting the switchgear) If you can help with translating any of these, that would be great!

These last couple of tasks have cleared my whiteboard list of mechanical things "to do" There are still a handful of (mostly minor) electrical tasks to accomplish, then it will purely be down to body and paint! Boring but relatively simple.

Belated pic of speed sensor, which picks up from prop bolt heads.




Steve

Carledo wrote: ↑Tue Apr 28, 2020 5:13 pm Sam, if you are reading this, the other 3 codes I get, all described by my cheapskate Blue Point diagnostic only as "manufacturer specific" are P1530, P1650 and P1700. If I had to guess, i'd say these were concerned with aircon (which i've deleted) and the engine electric fan (where i've simplified the wiring which made it 2 speed, again because of the aircon) or possibly the cruise control or trip computer (both also deleted, cruise was wired up but not fitted in the donor, I understand it takes a download to the ECU to make it work, besides fitting the switchgear) If you can help with translating any of these, that would be great!

If I can find the software CD I'm happy to post the op-com down to you to try on the port?
As far as I can see:
P1530 aircon relay open circuit
P1650 engine service light related in some way
P1700 something automatic gearbox related, but not sure what

Cheers, Sam

new to this wrote: ↑Tue Apr 28, 2020 8:29 pm Steve

nice work,on the speed senor pick up, do you have to paint one of the bolt nuts so it knows which one your using ?

looks like you have used the same speed pick up as im using on my Stag ZF gearbox mod

Dave

Naw you can tell the speedo it's 4 pulses per prop rev. If it just worked on 1, i'd reverse 3 of the the bolts as the heads of the bolts are shorter than the nuts and wouldn't get close enough to trigger the pickup!

The sensor came from Merlin Motorsport and is intended for a Revotec speedo. But the general opinion seems to be that a pulse is a pulse and it'll work with my Smiths Classic Speedo. All I have to do now is work out the rolling circumference of the rear wheel to program the speedo for accuracy. Having a totally truthful speedo will be a bit of a novelty for me, used as I am to driving the Carledo, which, until recently, under-read by a massive but consistent 40%!

There is, attached to the transmission, in a spot more or less compatible with a speedo drive, a sensor which seems to sense speed for the exclusive use of the trans ECU, helping it to decide when to change up or down and whether or not to deploy the kickdown when asked. This is NOT the proper original instrument sensor as the Omega speedo derives it's signal from the ABS block and senders. At least, that's what the wiring diagram says! I don't know what to make of this, I did originally think of tapping the signal from here to run the speedo. But I don't want to mess it up for the sake of a second sensor.

Steve

yorkshire_spam wrote: ↑Tue Apr 28, 2020 8:39 pm

Carledo wrote: ↑Tue Apr 28, 2020 5:13 pm Sam, if you are reading this, the other 3 codes I get, all described by my cheapskate Blue Point diagnostic only as "manufacturer specific" are P1530, P1650 and P1700. If I had to guess, i'd say these were concerned with aircon (which i've deleted) and the engine electric fan (where i've simplified the wiring which made it 2 speed, again because of the aircon) or possibly the cruise control or trip computer (both also deleted, cruise was wired up but not fitted in the donor, I understand it takes a download to the ECU to make it work, besides fitting the switchgear) If you can help with translating any of these, that would be great!

If I can find the software CD I'm happy to post the op-com down to you to try on the port?
As far as I can see:
P1530 aircon relay open circuit
P1650 engine service light related in some way
P1700 something automatic gearbox related, but not sure what

Cheers, Sam

Thanks Sam, that in itself is quite helpful! The aircon is gone so no helping that, the service light is a bit of a mystery, it showed on the wiring diagram but my car didn't have one OR the correct coloured wire out of the ECU to go to it! And I may have fried the autobox ECU by earthing a lead I should have fed.

The guys who fixed my immobiliser said they could fix it (for a rather steep price) and this would be needed because the trans ECU was matched to the car. But I bought a second hand trans ECU off ebay for not a lot and it seems to (mostly) work. Only a road test will tell if it's good enough or whether I have to go, cap in hand, to the expensive guys again! Technically speaking, a road test is on the cards any time now (no glass except the screen but so what) so, soon enough, i'll KNOW!

The "mostly" bit involves the self test on startup. If working correctly, the Sport mode light on the dash should light up briefly when the ignition is turned on, then extinguish once the self test is complete (a few seconds) it doesn't do this at all, but the sport mode light DOES work if you engage sport mode! (which it didn't with the proper ECU in the circuit)

What I am afraid of, is that the mismatched ECU is not compatible and as a result the trans will default into limp mode, which is the "Winter" setting, meaning it will ignore 1st and 2nd when in D and pull off in 3rd gear, slower than a snail on Mogadon! If this DOES turn out to be the case, then i'll have no choice but to spend the money on getting the original ECU (which i've kept carefully, just in case) repaired and put it down to experience. But circa £180 is a bitter pill to swallow! Especially when you consider that if i'd spent the £6 on an interactive wiring diagram a few weeks sooner, I wouldn't have made the mistake I did!

Steve

The OP-COM may be able to match the autobox ECU to the engine ECU, I dunno really. I know it can be used to program keys to the immobiliser and stuff like that. It's ages since I used it, over 10 years since I had the V6 Vectra Estate...
I'll have a google and see what functions it support on ECU programming.

yorkshire_spam wrote: ↑Tue Apr 28, 2020 9:47 pm The OP-COM may be able to match the autobox ECU to the engine ECU, I dunno really. I know it can be used to program keys to the immobiliser and stuff like that. It's ages since I used it, over 10 years since I had the V6 Vectra Estate...
I'll have a google and see what functions it support on ECU programming.

If it WILL do that or even a chance of it, it's worth a try! If it does keys and immobilisers, that would have saved me the first small fortune, mine had dropped out of synch from standing too long! DOH! Vauxhall won't touch them over 10 years old so I went to the only guys who would!

The very age of your OP-COM may be in my favour! At least I know my diagnostic plug works!

Cheers, Steve

Carledo wrote: ↑Tue Apr 28, 2020 10:11 pm

yorkshire_spam wrote: ↑Tue Apr 28, 2020 9:47 pm The OP-COM may be able to match the autobox ECU to the engine ECU, I dunno really. I know it can be used to program keys to the immobiliser and stuff like that. It's ages since I used it, over 10 years since I had the V6 Vectra Estate...
I'll have a google and see what functions it support on ECU programming.

If it WILL do that or even a chance of it, it's worth a try! If it does keys and immobilisers, that would have saved me the first small fortune, mine had dropped out of synch from standing too long! DOH! Vauxhall won't touch them over 10 years old so I went to the only guys who would!

The very age of your OP-COM may be in my favour! At least I know my diagnostic plug works!

Cheers, Steve

I actually bought it to re-code a spare key - back when I had the V6 Vectra it came with a spare key that physically worked, but obviously hadn't been coded as the car wouldn't start with it. Given my memory problems and living in a house with kids in it I didn't want to end up with no key! The OPCOM was cheaper than getting the dealer to code the key for me - and (added bonus) did pretty much EVERYTHING I could ever dream of in terms of diagnostics for the car/engine/gearbox/body etc.
I'll see if I can find it and post it down to you.
Cheers, Sam