The Triumph Dolomite Club - Discussion Forum

I fire the engine on my Sprint conversion up every so often, to make sure nothing seizes and keep the oil circulating. I did it last night and there was a horrible rattle I couldn't locate, that went away at higher revs. Today i took the cam cover off and the chain is slack, at the straight section off the cam pulley.

Looks like a tensioner failure, which is annoying because I specifically bought one I though wasn't the dreaded Rolon. Fortunately it doesn't appear to have done any damage. One of the cam pulley screws are also working its way loose, the locking tab aint stopping it. So here come the questions:

1)Best place to buy new chain and tensioner that aren't cheap Chinese rubbish?

2)Best way to switch chain and tensioner? Last time I did this the engine was on the bench.

3)Where to get bolts that won't shear or work their way out of the cam pulley?

Thanks.

1. Not sure about chains but I bought the jag tensioner that fits. Sng barret I think supplied it.
2. Radiator out and strip the pulley and cover etc from the front of the engine to get access as well as the cam cover.
3. Winns or Fitchett should have these but don't use normal bolts as they will fail/snap. A proper bolt with the locking tab retainer should never allow the bolt to work lose if fitted properly.

80Sprint wrote: ↑Tue Oct 22, 2019 7:33 am 1. Not sure about chains but I bought the jag tensioner that fits. Sng barret I think supplied it.
2. Radiator out and strip the pulley and cover etc from the front of the engine to get access as well as the cam cover.
3. Winns or Fitchett should have these but don't use normal bolts as they will fail/snap. A proper bolt with the locking tab retainer should never allow the bolt to work lose if fitted properly.

Thanks for the reply, I found the problem, in a fit of stupidity I ran the chain down the wrong side of straight guide. It had almost chewed through all the metal. The tensioner was the more expensive type and in perfect nick.

I have replace both guides, tensioner and the chain. Alas I drop a washer in the sump doing this, it never rains but it pours. However the sump gasket was one of those cheap nasty ones and was leaking, so I decided to drop the sump and put a thicker one on. Plus get the washer back.

Thanks for the bolt supplier suggestion, neither lists them. In fact I haven't found a single supplier that does. In theory a standard bolt will work if it has the same hardness rating as the original part. However I don't know what that is.

I can't find the Dolomite camshaft sprocket retaining screw but I have found one for a stag. I assume they are pretty much the same?

http://www.jamespaddock.co.uk/camshaft- ... ng-screw-2

Now looking at that, it isn't a special bolt, it is just a bog standard grade 5 bolt, with a min tensile strength of 120 psi.