The Triumph Dolomite Club - Discussion Forum

Well took the plunge and now have a Dolly , She's a 1500 Auto. Drove her back 93 miles last night and she didn't miss a beat. Only concern / problem was a clunk when coming to rest at lights or junction from mid to rear of car? Didn't move on temp guage, no other noises apart from many horns flashing high beams, which worried me at first but it was just people appreciating her I hope!!
Just needs a good wash and valet which hopefully will be done after work today so may get some pictures up later. Any ideas on said clunking most welcome. Also put fuel additive in when filled her up, she is an 81, so will she deffinately need that?
Rich..

RJF_70 wrote: Only concern / problem was a clunk when coming to rest at lights or junction from mid to rear of car?

My auto used to do that. It's the slack in the diff/prop being taken up before the gearbox drops out, you don't get this on a manual as you have the clutch down before you get to that point. Mine did it for years without breaking anything..

RJF_70 wrote: Also put fuel additive in when filled her up, she is an 81, so will she deffinately need that?

Age is irrelevent, if the head hasn't had an unleaded conversion by a previous owner then yes, you should. Some people run without and then when it starts causing problems they get it converted - I'm more a fan of prevention than repair though!

Steve

Thanks for that Steve, was a bit worried about it!Going to check diff oil aswell tomorrow. Anyone shed any light as to what type of oil for engine and for diff please?
Rich

RJF_70 wrote:Thanks for that Steve, was a bit worried about it!Going to check diff oil aswell tomorrow. Anyone shed any light as to what type of oil for engine and for diff please?
Rich

For engine oil use 20w50 mineral (Valvoline VR1 is good). The diff is EP80/90 GL4 (NOT GL5). Auto box is Comma AQF - almost all other ATF is wrong and will do damage.

Steve

geeksteve wrote:

RJF_70 wrote: Only concern / problem was a clunk when coming to rest at lights or junction from mid to rear of car?

My auto used to do that. It's the slack in the diff/prop being taken up before the gearbox drops out, you don't get this on a manual as you have the clutch down before you get to that point. Mine did it for years without breaking anything..

RJF_70 wrote: Also put fuel additive in when filled her up, she is an 81, so will she deffinately need that?

Age is irrelevent, if the head hasn't had an unleaded conversion by a previous owner then yes, you should. Some people run without and then when it starts causing problems they get it converted - I'm more a fan of prevention than repair though!

Steve

Steve, this gearbox / diff noise / clunk is intermittent, have done over 200 miles since I picked her up on Thursday and it has happened around 75% of that time when coming to a stop only! Driving she is perfect and goes through the gears nicely and kickdown is very good aswell, not ever having had a classic car before and never an automatic new or old, am I just being paranoid? Diff oil was fine and transmission fliud too but wasn't as red as it maybe should be, would it be wise to drop fluid and install correct AQF for peace of mind? thanks Rich..

Good user name....

My sprint reg is RJF 70R!!!!

RJF_70 wrote: Steve, this gearbox / diff noise / clunk is intermittent, have done over 200 miles since I picked her up on Thursday and it has happened around 75% of that time when coming to a stop only! Driving she is perfect and goes through the gears nicely and kickdown is very good aswell, not ever having had a classic car before and never an automatic new or old, am I just being paranoid? Diff oil was fine and transmission fliud too but wasn't as red as it maybe should be, would it be wise to drop fluid and install correct AQF for peace of mind? thanks Rich..

Was intermittent on mine too, it'd predictably do it at some junctions on my regular routes. I tried investigating and the gearbox/diff idea was the only thing that seemed plausible - everything else was perfect. I replaced all the rear suspension and bushings (was doing that anyway) and it still happened. Granted I can only speak for my car, maybe a few other people can chime in?

As for the fluid, given how much of a pig the auto-boxes are to work on it may be worth new fluid anyway. It's not uncommon for people to just put in whatever ATF they can find, but there are many guides online saying how important it is to use Comma AQF.

Sadly I'm not really able to do more diagnosing on mine as the engine/box is being changed for an MX-5 1.8 litre engine... Big project!

Steve

killysprint wrote:Good user name....

My sprint reg is RJF 70R!!!!

Great REG you have there

As long as you use the correct spec transmission fluid (Ford M2C-33G) it will be fine. This is what I used on my last fluid change.

Whatever you do, DON'T use Dexron fluid.

Think I have found the cause of the clunk / thump when coming to a stop most of the time in my dolly! The transmission mount is shot on the gearbox subframe. Its auto have only found 1 replacement and it's 80 quid on ebay anyone else have a spare auto subframe or just the bush?
Cheers Rich

May be able to help with that.. I'll try and get to my unit tomorrow and check/take pics

Steve

Thanks Steve..

The high price is due to the limited availability. The part number is 155300 if that helps. I'm sure somebody on here said that the Stag one would fit.

Chris Witor has these in stock for £55 plus the dreaded VAT and his excellent next-day delivery.

You can also use a Stag rear subframe mount at £15 - its taller than the proper mount but in a way that does not matter when its fitted. You will need a longer bolt too but at £20 total its your cheapest solution.
Link here:
http://www.ldparts.co.uk/shop/shop.php? ... uct&pid=68
I have it on my car and it works fine.
Matt.