RUK - Project Recommission 1972 'Dolomite' Auto

[dollyman]

Mine has got both Double paranoia

Tony.

[Carledo]

I do like an oil pressure guage! And I have one on the Carledo (a Vauxhall factory electric one) which plays up periodically due to a duff PCB and never fails to give me heart failure!

I am breaking with a lifetime tradition and NOT fitting one to the Dolomega, not so much because I don't want one (though my faith in the motor is high enough that I don't think I NEED one - which is not the same thing!) as because there really is NO good place in the stock dash to put one unless I ditch the voltmeter!

You are not alone in your rampant paranoia about temperature, as I explained on Rafe's thread, it takes a lifetime of Triumphs to get comfortable with their marginal cooling systems and stop worrying yourself to death about every twitch of the needle!

Steve

[James467]

At one point I got a really BAD stink of fuel in the cabin, but on stopping and looking around I couldn't find a reason why.

Temperature is nice and stable when sitting in traffic on a hot day! Which is good. It sits just above the mid-point on the gauge. But seemed to climb very very slightly when cruising along gently in a 30 zone, which seems very odd and counter to what I'd expect. (Makes me wonder if the 10V regulation is wandering slightly in the hot weather?)

The other oddity is that once the temp is HOT (rather than just warmed up) the idle in "D" is too low. It stuttered and stalled a couple of times. Pulling the choke out a few mm (1/8th of an inch) cured it though.

The cooling system is the same as DTR Sam, Sprint Rad, good QH stat and a Robsport temp sender. My view is that the voltage to the gauge wonders like you say, then because of our rampant paranoia we panic. Oh my god it's overheating!!!!

Have a look at the breather hoses, the new ones on DTR have already started to crack. When it gets hot they may have a split which is starting to open up and let air in when hot thus the low idle and cut out. That could explain the fuel smell as well.

[yorkshire_spam]

The cooling system is the same as DTR Sam, Sprint Rad, good QH stat and a Robsport temp sender. My view is that the voltage to the gauge wonders like you say, then because of our rampant paranoia we panic. Oh my god it's overheating!!!!
Have a look at the breather hoses, the new ones on DTR have already started to crack. When it gets hot they may have a split which is starting to open up and let air in when hot thus the low idle and cut out. That could explain the fuel smell as well.

Cheers James, the breathers were ok when I did the head gasket, but I'll give them another check over.

The temp gauge definitely went up a bit further when we were doing 70 on the motorway yesterday, it didn't do that when we drove it back from Fleet in the middle of winter!

[yorkshire_spam]

Breather hoses look to be in good order - so that's not it.
Plugs out for a quick check shows they are a bit dark, so I've weakened the carbs off slightly. I'll check again after another good run out.

Started to look at why the odo/speedo are not working, it doesn't look like the cable is snapped. I suppose it's possible that only the tip was engaged at the gearbox end and that's snapped off, but the cable seems reasonably free in the outer. So I'm not sure what's going on there.
In other speedo related news, I bought the wrong replacement cable. The replacement has the wrong fitting at the speedo end

While the dash is out I removed the speedo, the glass was rattling and driving me mental. So I removed the bezel, cleared out the remains of the "foam" that goes inside the bezel V, put some new foam in and a new rubber o-ring at the back of the glass and put it back together. Glass in the gauge now firmly held in place, no more rattle! Simple cheap fix.
OMFG! How much easier is it to remove the Dolomite speedo compared to a Spitfire!?!

[Carledo]

I'm leaving the cooling alone for a bit and getting on to the speedo!

It occurs to me that Binny is auto and one of the features of the model 65 is that the speedo drive inside the box is only held to the shaft by friction induced by the tightness of the tailshaft nut! I KNOW!!!!

I have experienced this more than once on autos, if you remove the cable and select neutral then turn the prop the drive will appear to turn, so you think it's ok when in fact it isn't, the slightest load will stop it! If this happens, simply drop off the front end of the prop, select park and tighten the nut on the tailshaft flange, job done!

Steve

[yorkshire_spam]

Top knowledge there Steve! I wouldn't have figured that out in a million years! I'll give it a check.

[yorkshire_spam]

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/THREAD-TAP-R ... 1438.l2649

These are brilliant for ally, and cheap Had a similar thing the other day on a modern.

Tony.

Tony, You are SPOT ON with that recommendation. I didn't use one on the head for the manifold, but last night I found the thread was goosed in one of the thermostat cover fixings in the manifold. It took about 15 minutes to drill, tap and fit the coil. After that it torqued down nicely and felt really solid!
I might even buy a couple more for common sizes "just in case"!

Great recommendation, thanks!

[yorkshire_spam]

It occurs to me that Binny is auto and one of the features of the model 65 is that the speedo drive inside the box is only held to the shaft by friction induced by the tightness of the tailshaft nut! I KNOW!!!!
I have experienced this more than once on autos, if you remove the cable and select neutral then turn the prop the drive will appear to turn, so you think it's ok when in fact it isn't, the slightest load will stop it! If this happens, simply drop off the front end of the prop, select park and tighten the nut on the tailshaft flange, job done!

Steve

Dropped the prop and investigated.... turning the output flange = no movement on the speedo drive... so I tightened up the nut... still nothing. I'll have to check how many lb/ft the nut should be and re-check, but so far it's looking like I'll have to strip the tail end off the gearbox.
I just hope it's not a stripped speedo pinion drive as they seem to be unobtainium!

[yorkshire_spam]

Turns out I'm not that lucky....

[Mahesh]

Turns out I'm not that lucky....

I'm sure they are available, check the usual RB, Robsport, but count the number of teeth, i don't trust colour variances, if no joy ring Overdrive Services.

[yorkshire_spam]

21 teeth.... As rare as hens teeth.
Most others seem "OK" to get, the 21s not so easy.

[yorkshire_spam]

And the tail section of the gearbox needs to come off too

[Mahesh]

O/D services listing 17,18,19 and 20 teeth, might still be worth ringing them, also two on eBay but not I'm not familiar with part on's.

Also Alun may have some? or Carledo.

[yorkshire_spam]

O/D services listing 17,18,19 and 20 teeth, might still be worth ringing them, also two on eBay but not I'm not familiar with part on's.

Also Alun may have some? or Carledo.

Thanks Mahesh, I'll give them a try.
Dolomite p/n is 219002A (as far as I can see)

Made a start on removing the back end of the gearbox, but then got hungry so I stopped!