The Triumph Dolomite Club - Discussion Forum

Continued from here by popular demand!



Yesterday I got a full days worth of work done on my new Dolomite before having to head back to uni.

The main focus being trying to sort out the issue with the no charge/ignition light which started on the way back from Preston on Friday when I put on the headlights. When I first started driving the car there were no problems and the light went out as it should when the engine was running. However, when the sidelights were turned on it started to flash on and off and was on all the time with the full beam. At idle speed the light went out.

The voltage gauge didn't drop below 13.5 so I carried on to a friends house in Oxford and found the fan belt was very slack so we tightened it up. Sadly this didn't solve the problem. A check with a pocket multimeter on the battery indicated that things were working fine so I carried on to London that night and then drove down to Sussex in the morning without any issues.

Yesterday, safely back in the garage I started doing a proper diagnosis.

Normal battery voltage (everything off): 12.69v
Idle voltage: 14.13v
Idle with headlights and heated screen: 12.83v
Blipped throttle voltage: 14.28v
Blipped throttle with headlights and screen: 13.94v

I gave all the contacts a good clean but couldn't remove the alternator to inspect it further because I didn't want to remove the rad. Does it need a new alternator or a new battery? I've read very contrasting opinions on the subject!

Another niggle I came across was a very irritating high pitched buzzing/ringing coming from the electronic ignition modal that has been fitted. It seems to work fine and has the nice feature of a switch that bypasses the electronic part and allows the car to run unaided, as well as an off function which works as an immobilizer. If the buzzing is normal then I'm happy to keep it but if it's a sign of something about to go horribly wrong then I feel that it may be time to replace it with a hall effect sensor in the dizzy. The unit is a Sparkrite SX1500, apparently a classic in its own right now?!

That was all I had time for really other than giving the battery retaining plate a clean and paint. I was further amazed by the condition of the shell, there wasn't even the first signs of rot under the battery or anywhere in the engine bay. All of the bumper mounts have been painted with grease too so they are rot free. I think it goes to prove that buying unseen isn't always a recipe for disaster!


Under the battery...

Next to do when I get home after exams in a just over a month will be to give her a full service, fluids change and a really good clean and then her first ever MOT...

James

Were the HS4s re-needled to suit the larger capacity?
Just curious really.

Nice car and Aaron beat me to the tache comments.
70's tastic.

Gald everyone likes the tashe!

When i first measured the carbs I didn't do it too accurately - it turns out they are HS6s after all! Even if the 4s had been kept I wouldn't imagine that the extra 150cc would make a massive difference and a simple retune would probably have sufficed.

I do need to check which manifold I have though, I have a strong suspicion that it is a dolomite item so will need some porting to match the larger carbs. I know that it was swapped recently. What is the difference between a TR and Dolly inlet manifold visually?

James

If you've got HS6 carbs then you've got the original TR7 manifold. It should be fine as it is. Jonners has put TR7 lumps in Dolly 1850s so he can tell you what they're like.

To tell if you have a TR7 manifold ypou need to look at how the heater is plumbed into it. The TR7 manifold has just the one union underneath and the other heater outlet comes from the back of the head.

The TR7 HS6 setup also has a thinner rubber carb mount with 3 bolts to the manifold and 4 to each carb. HS4's have 2 angled on the carb and 2 more angled
on the carb mounting, which is also thicker and more wobbly.

I use a TR7 airbox back plate with a Sprint cover and sprint/TR7/stag air filter. The HS4 setup has a bolt on dual pancake job.

Jonners

By the sounds of it I have a TR7 manifold fitted then, the carbs are attached to the manifold by 3 bolts rather than two. The only downside is that the wretched rubber mounts are worn out and I don't have any HS6 type solid mounts to replace them. I do have two sets of HS4 solid mounts left over though, if anyone would be interested in a swap?

Out of interest, why do you run a sprint air box rather than a TR7 item? Do they flow better?

James

The TR7 one does fine but has that ugly flap valve to take warm air from the exhaust. The Sprint one has 2 tubes that fit air intake hoses to the grill.

I have some tr7/sprint solid mounts in reasonable nick. I'm in Hampton...PM me for details.

Jonners

PM sent

There wasn't a flap and it has the two inlet holes so it sounds like it has a Sprint filter housing . I do need to find some plastic piping as they are missing. I know it isn't an 1850 one.

The filter is a panel type and it is filthy so that'll be being changed asap! I seem to remember that when short stub stacks were fitted inside my old 1850 housing it ran a hell of a lot better. That was with the pancake filters, but they also seem to cause problems with the front carb running leaner by restricting the flow. I was wondering about running a cone filter behind the grill plumbed into the holes in the housing perhaps...

I've found that the heater has been bypassed at the bulkhead because it leaks. From looking at the manual that's a dashboard out job so I may be leaving that one. Let's hope it'll be warm this summer

Early 7 ones are like that. The giveway is the dipstick tube retaining clip. Other than that its the same as a Sprint one.

I have a spare heater matrix and valve from a 1300. Its not that hard a fix to swap it. The dash comes out on about 6 bolts.

Jonners

Agreed, the Dash can be removed ridiculously easily!

In that case I'll add it to the to do list then! Good to know that it's not a horrible job.

I'll check the filter when I'm next down, I do seem to recall a clip so maybe it is an early TR7 item after all.

Am I right in thinking that it's the controls that differ between the 1300/Toledo heaters and the HL Dolomites but the cores are the same then?

James

Aren't there two types of heater, one for 1850, Sprint & 1500HL
and the other for the 1300 and 1500 (non- HL) Dolomites?
Is it possible to swap the matrix/pipe assembly between these?

I know the boxes are almost completely different between Toledo and Sprint and the Sprint one will not go behind the Toledo dash cos I tried! I think it's one box for the "plank" dash and one for the curved dash. No doubt other wiser heads than mine will correct me if I'm wrong! The Toledo also doesn't have the under dash vent, the one with the faglighter and choke in it, but I don't know if this pennypinching extends to lower spec Dollys. Consequently I have a complete late Sprint heater box assembly going spare......Steve

I've had a look on Rimmer Bros to see if the part numbers for the matrixes are different but they only sell complete units.

Steve, you are right. The flat dash ones are different to the curved dash ones and your Sprint one will fit the 1850. The Toledo, Dolly 1300 & Dolly 1500 (non-HL) had the flat dash ones and the other cars (1500HL/1500fwd/1500TC/1850(HL)/Sprint had the other type with the centre vent.