Wind Noise / Gear Knob Rattle / Wet Floors

[Bumpa]

I was out in the 1850HL yesterday, the rain having washed most of the salt away, and it was going well at speeds up to 70 mph. However, there are some things I need to sort.

Wind noise is loud at speed and seems to come from round the front doors. Any thoughts on how this can be reduced? The road tests that are mentioned in this month's Dolly Mixture all say what a quiet car it is. Well, mine ain't!

I fitted an overdive gearbox with the appropriate lever knob and switch. I found the top cap on the knob was not a good fit and it buzzes annoyingly. How is the cap supposed to be held down? There seems to be no positive location.

On lifting the carpet I found the front footwells were wet, extremely wet on the driver's side. The car has had a new windscreen fitted professionally and the fitters used the appropriate non-setting black sealant - I watched them doing it. I realise that water could be getting past the seal, but if that isn't the case, where else is rain likely to be able to enter the front wells? I don't think it is coming round the doors as the sill carpet isn't wet.

All and any suggestions very welcome. Thanks.
Mike

[dollyman]

Hi Mike, sprinkle talcum powder around to find the water leaks, as water will leave a trail in it. It will also make the car smell nice I would not say my Dolly is Quiet at 70mph, but bearable

Tony

[Richard the old one]

In respect to wind noise I will be interested to read what people suggest.

When it comes to your o/d switch not seeming to fit correct I think the metal o/d gear knob can be fitted 180 out and that if you then attempt to fit the switch so that it is facing its correct way round it will not fit in firmly. Also there is very little room to spare when it comes to fitting the switch into the knob so you need to ensure that the knob is secured as far as possible towards the end of the gear lever. Only last week the gear change knob on one of my o/d cars started to buzz this was because the chrom plated locking nut had worked loose and needed to be tightened up. I have had this happen, a number of times over the years of dolomite ownership.
Or have you just failed to give it a good hit with the palm of your hand as it as the top has to expand and clip over the metal knob.

When it comes to water leaking into the foot wells there are a number of areas which could cause this so suggest you check that
1. Water is not getting in around the holes where the wiper mechanism goes through the body. I have resorted to putting a bit of extra sealant around the area.
2. A common problem is that the engine bulked can rust through behind the engine compartment noise reduction lagging as rain water is directed down there. Pour some water into both sides, passenger and drivers, of the compartment in front of the windscreen and then see if some water finds its way into the foot wells. If you sprinkle talcum powder around the foot well areas this sometimes will show up the water runs quite well.
3. On the drivers side I had a problem where the heater control valve had started to leak. This was not an easy job to get at with the dash in place but it can be done at you can obtain a replacement valve kit.

[sprint95m]

Wind noise. Relative to many of it's contemporaries, a Dolomite isn't too bad, however,
by today's standards it is noisy. Try another door seal....?


Gear knob switch. This should click into place.
If it was me who didn't have another switch to hand, I would use self amalgamating tape to hold it.


Water leaks. Do as Tony said....
Since the screen is okay then it may be coming from the plenum chamber (if the drain holes are choked
water will eventually find another way out, which could be into the car).
The inner arch to bulkhead joins are particularly prone to corrosion which will also allow water to enter
from the wheel arch.



Ian.

[NickMorgan]

Regarding your wet carpets, you may want to check that the drainage holes in the bottom of the area below the air vent in the bonnet are not blocked. I often find water sitting in there on my Toledo and I use cable ties to clear them.
I struggle to get my Toledo up to 70mph, I am afraid, or when I do the engine is so noisy I can't hear any wind noise!

[Graham04]

My experience with wind noise has been the opening quarter lights. Try running a thin bead of sealer around the glass when it is open , then close it and let it set. If it cures he noise then never open them again .

[Bumpa]

Since it is pouring at the moment, I have been to have a look at the driver's side footwell. The water is running down to the inboard side of the steering column. In my photo, taken during the rebuild, it seems to be getting in in the region of the yellow circle I have drawn. I don't think it is coming in around the steering column. Under the bonnet all this area is covered with the sound deadening material so its very hard to tell where it is getting through. Any thoughts?

[cleverusername]

Since it is pouring at the moment, I have been to have a look at the driver's side footwell. The water is running down to the inboard side of the steering column. In my photo, taken during the rebuild, it seems to be getting in in the region of the yellow circle I have drawn. I don't think it is coming in around the steering column. Under the bonnet all this area is covered with the sound deadening material so its very hard to tell where it is getting through. Any thoughts?

Hate to say it but you might have a rust hole hidden behind the sound deadening. I have completely stripped my car and had to weld the bulkhead in multiple places. Most of these were small holes but more than enough to let in water.

[naskeet]

Regarding your wet carpets, you may want to check that the drainage holes in the bottom of the area below the air vent in the bonnet are not blocked. I often find water sitting in there on my Toledo and I use cable ties to clear them.
I struggle to get my Toledo up to 70mph, I am afraid, or when I do the engine is so noisy I can't hear any wind noise!

I once got my 1974 Triumph Toledo 1300 up to an indicated speed of 80 mph, but that was down a long motorway hill; possibly helped by a tailwind! I should add that the reading on the temperature gauge was disturbingly high and the Kenlowe electric fan kept cycling on and off.

[MIG Wielder]

On lifting the carpet I found the front footwells were wet, extremely wet on the driver's side. The car has had a new windscreen fitted professionally and the fitters used the appropriate non-setting black sealant - I watched them doing it. I realise that water could be getting past the seal, but if that isn't the case, where else is rain likely to be able to enter the front wells? I don't think it is coming round the doors as the sill carpet isn't wet.

All and any suggestions very welcome. Thanks.
Mike

Hi Mike, I've also had my 1850 front screen replaced recently and one thing the fitter did say was that if the "chrome" trim in the front screen is not replaced it is free to move up/down left/right as one of the functions of this trim is to lock the screen in place. Now I was going to replace this later perhaps in the Summer when it will all be much warmer and easier to fit. But after the snow & heavy rain of the past week I now have quite a lot of water in both footwells. A soggy newspaper's worth each side. I'll be bringing this job forward to next week now, plus a new can of "seek and seal" windscreen sealant.
Tony.

[Bumpa]

Well I've had an "enjoyable" hour this afternoon finding and probing the drain slots in the heater intake. What a bonkers design. Not only are they so hard to get at, but they are so narrow that blockage is a certainty. However, despite dire predictions I can't find any amount of corrosion on the bulkhead and nowhere obvious that water could get into the car. I have drawn chalk lines round the floor area and it is supposed to be super wet tomorrow so we shall see what happens. As for the screen, the bright trim infill was fitted at the time the glass went in, but seeing the way water pools at the lower corners makes me think that there is certainly a potential for a leak there.

It isn't just 60s and 70s cars that suffer with rain getting in. Both my MGF and my BMW Z3 had considerable water leaks when I got them which took weeks to find and cure.

[oily66]

Carefully check where the pedals are situated. Having stripped mine to a shell I found a hairline crack in the bulkhead across this area. I understand that some strengthening is a good modification here.
Regarding the bulkhead drainage holes I have elongated mine before it gets painted as they are poor and can easily block. Oh and just check all the dum dum type sealant is doing its job in all this area.
Servo, wiper motor, pedal cable seals and clutch also the steering bush and plate.

[rvfrc45]

Sorry I've not used the forum for ages but noticed this article.
when the windscreen was done do you know what rubber was used.
I intend to take my screen out this year and get the roof vinyl replaced
so I wondered if there are any other windscreen rubbers on the market
other than the B------s make.
cheers

[naskeet]

Sorry I've not used the forum for ages but noticed this article.
when the windscreen was done do you know what rubber was used.
I intend to take my screen out this year and get the roof vinyl replaced
so I wondered if there are any other windscreen rubbers on the market
other than the B------s make.
cheers

I removed the peeling and aged black-vinyl roof & rear-quarter-panel covering in 1990/91 from my 1974 Triumph Toledo 1300 "HL Special" and painted the roof and rear-quarter-panel with three coats of hammered-finish, black Hammerite paint, which has proved to be much more durable and equally attractive in my opinion.

[Richard the old one]

I have also painted the rear quarter panels with black hammerite on my 1977 1500hl for the reasons given by naskeet.