Exhausted part 3

I've now cured the blowing exhaust.

I removed the downpipe, wirebrushed the downpipe and manifold. Used lots of exhaust assembly paste (Holts Firegum) put it back together and it doesn't leak any more. Next up will be the downpipe-to middle section joint as that's leaking. I'm still losing brake fluid and I don't know where it is going. The only part of the system I've disturbed was the rear flexible hose so I might fit the new one I bought.

I'm gonna be clearing out some of my rubbish (old clutches, etc) out of my cars and I'll be clearing the garage out so I've borrowed this Renault Laguna estate from my mate. He's just had some work done by a local Renault dealer and they've MoTd it as well so she's road legal. Not bad for 10 years old and ideal for taking lots of rubbish down to the local tip!
 

She runs!

Snowdrop is now running fine again. I bled the air out of the brakes (still don't know where its getting in!), went down to get some petrol and added some Redex. I then had a drive round the area (a bit further afield than round the block!) and she was fine. I then took her for a run along the M62 towards Goole which was 50 miles each way. She was a bit hesitant when setting off in first gear but on they way back she was fine. The exhaust was blowing at the manifold again so I'll have to get that sorted out. I've got a spare gasket and I've bought some exhaust assembly paste from my local Halfords to do the job. Becky's been out of action because I'm running around in my mate's Renault Laguna estate which I'll be needing when I have a sort out at the garage where my spares 1500 is kept.

Service & cleanup

After the successful MoT pass I treated Becky to a service. She's had new oil, oil filter, spark plugs and an air filter. While changing the spark plugs I damaged one of the HT leads so I replaced all the HT leads keeping the remaining old ones for emergency spares.

On a more positive note I removed Snowdrop's fuel tank, washed it out and then I flushed the fuel line with clean warm water. I'm having to replace a section of flexible hose as well and once that's done Snowdrop should be sugar-free. We shall see...

Some good news!

Becky has passed her MoT with flying colours. Not even any advisories so I'm well chuffed! Better than last year and the first time I've ever had a car pass the first time! A far cry from the days when my Ford Mondeo would need £500 worth of work to get through the test!

I've faced the inevitable

Yes, I've had to face up to the fact that Snowdrop's fuel tank will have to come out to be cleaned. I've already drained it in readiness for this task and I'll also have to clean the fuel lines out as well. Shouldn't be too difficult to do.
Becky's been booked in for her MoT tomorrow. It was the same guys who did it last year (local independent Rover specialists) so they know the car and they're a good bunch of lads whom I know I can trust.

Got stuff done

Got plenty done with Snowdrop.

The fuel filter's been fitted, I put some Redex & a tenner's worth of Sainsbury's super unleaded in the tank, I've replaced the broken engine mounting and I've bled the brakes which are now working fine. Snowdrop still isn't running right. There must still be sugar in the fuel line. I wish I could clear it. Anyway, the filter will catch it all.

Exhausting

Becky's exhaust problem is now cured. I took it to the local independent tyre place I use and they fitted and restudded a replacement exhaust manifold which I supplied courtesy of my local Acclaim guru. A new gasket for the downpipe was fitted and job done! Well worth it for £35.

Turning my attention to Snowdrop, I went down to the garage where the spares 1500 is kept and I took the engine mounts off the Toledo's original engine. I've fitted a fuel filter and with it fitted I can now see why Snowdrop keeps on cutting out. There's a blockage in the fuel line somewhere no doubt caused by the sugar contamination. I've got it all out now so I'll just put in some additive that should hopefully clear the blockage.

Becky's turn

Becky's now having her turn for some attention. I replaced the rear tyres and I've also made a start on curing a blowing exhaust (at the manifold) which started when I replaced the gearbox. It turns out that the manifold will need replacing because one of the blind studs is just turning. I've managed to source a replaement manifold which I can't get until tomorrow.

Going back to Snowdrop, I think I've cured the running problem, the clutch seems fine but the brakes are playing up again so I'll have to bleed them yet again and possibly fit that new brake hose which I was going to save for the axle rebuild.

Fuel problem

A mate had suggested that my fuel problem with Snowdrop might be a blocked vent or a vapour lock so when I took Snowdrop out on a run. As soon as she cut out I got out an removed the fuel cap. Nothing. I noticed some fine white crystals around the filler neck so I suspected fuel contamination. When I got Snowdrop back to her resting place I removed the fuel sender to get access to the tank's contents and my suspicions were confirmed. Somebody has been putting sugar, salt or some similar substance into the tank. I dug out my siphon and drained about 6 litres out of the tank getting most of the contamination out. I was able to separate the petrol from the sugar/salt/watever and put it back in the tank. (the petrol that is!) I also checked the fuel pump and found that the gauze filter had been blocked with rust so I cleaned it out. I hope I can get this car sorted out for a local classic show this coming Saturday.

Still clutching part 2

I bought a clutch kit for £39 from my trusty local motor factor and set aside a whole Sunday to do the job fitting it. I started at 11.30am and it was nearly 10pm when I'd finished! I was interrupted several times and bolts that refused to budge didn't help. Fitting the gearbox was a struggle so I enlisted another pair of hands to make it comply! Also I used my tap and die set to clean up the threads on the bolts. When I reassembled things I used copper grease to make things easier next time. Unfortunately, I've found another couple of problems along the way. An engine mount is broken so it is either raid my spare parts or buy a new one. The other problem appeared when I was road testing. The engine would lose power and cut out. A couple of minutes later the car would start up and run fine and then it would start hapenning again so that's another thing to sort out. I suspect a fuel problem as the ignition timing was set the previous week.

Still clutching

Still having problems with the clutch. I also found out that the master cylinder was leaking so I ordered a rebuild kit and when I rebuilt the master cylinder and tried it out it wasn't much better. Having got back home and checked the parts catalogue I've realised that I've not fitted the rubber boot correctly. It should fit under the washer and circlip. That's easy enough to sort out though. If that doesn't work it might have to be a gearbox out job to check the fulcrum and maybe replace the clutch.

Clutching at straws

No sooner do I solve Snowdrop's running problems then the clutch starts to play up! It turned out to be a loss of fluid so I bought some flid and a slave cylinder repair kit when I was down at the TSSC International yesterday. When I got back I rebuilt Snowdrop's original slave cylinder and fitted it. I did a test run before I put everything back together and it seemed to be fine. When I'd finished refitting everything I took Snowdrop for anothe road test and it was like it was before I'd started. These cars can be so frustrating!

I hope I've solved it.

Last night I started working on Snowdrop. I adjusted the valve clearances, (tried to) put Redex down the bores, ditched the NGK spark plugs for Champion ones and fitted the downpipe-to-manifold gasket and it seems to have done the trick. I also adjusted the idling and the ignition timing which were both out. Today I've also bought some Holts Flexiwrap for the rear section of the exhaust as the exhaust bandage I'd fitted hadn't worked. Fitting it wasn't too bad and it has cured the problem. The exhaust is a lot quieter now! Snowdrop is running like a dream and since I did all the work she hasn't missed a beat. I'm thinking of going to the TSSC International at Stafford tomorrow and this would be an ideal long-distance road test for Snowdrop.

Problems

Oh dear, Snowdrop isn't running right. I took her down to Hollycombe and on the way down she started suffering loss of power from Leicestershire. The problem keeps on coming and going. Also, Snowdrop was running a bit hot so I've sourced a replacement radiator via eBay. (the rad needs to be replaced) My plan of action is to start from scratch and redo the ignition settings. I'll be putting Redex down the bores, checking the valve clearances, ditching the NGK spark plugs for Champion ones, resetting the ignition timing, checking the points and the dwell angle. Hopefully, that will solve the problem. I'm going to remove the exhaust and refit it making sure all the joints are leak free. To this end, I've ordered a new manifold-to-downpipe gasket as Snowdrop didn't have one!

Give me a brake Part 2

I fitted Becky's brake shoes without any difficulty and the handbrake now holds! The old brake shoes were smooth. No wonder the handbrake wouldn't hold! I've had the brake pedal sink a couple of times but at the moment it seems to be fine. The brake fluid looks like it needs changing so I've bought some more brake fluid. I'm going to do the job on Friday evening before I go down to Club Triumph's National Day at the weekend.
I took the Sprint seats out of Baby Blue and they're now in Snowdrop. Driving comfort is vastly improved and after a 50 mile trip from Halifax to Goole I was feeling fine and without any discomfort. Snowdrop's original seats are now in Baby Blue. I'll be glad of the comfort when I take Snowdrop with me at the weekend to the above mentioned event. It will be over 200 miles each way so comfortable seats are of paramount importance. This could be the first step to making Snowdrop look like a Dolomite Sprint. She's already got the vinyl roof! Anybody got any spare Sprint alloys?

Give me a brake!

Got some new brake shoes from my trusty local motor factor costing me only £8.50. I'm also wondering if I've not reassembled everything correctly when I cleaned up the rear brakes last Saturday. I'll have my Haynes and parts catalogue to hand this time. I've also got Barry's hotline number just in case I'm seriously stuck!

Snowdrop attended the "Northern Dolly Day" on Sunday 18th June at Harewood House in Leeds. This was my first show I've done under the Triumph Dolomite Club banner. It is nice to actually enjoy the car rather than having to work on it. This brings me to Becky. I took her brake drums off, cleaned the brakes, tightened the handbrake cable and it hasn't worked. In fact, I think I've made the handbrake worse because it doesn't hold on even the slightest incline. I've also found out that there are two possible sizes of brake shoes when I rang my trusty local motor factor for a price. According to my local Acclaim guru (I'll call him Barry) he reckons the smaller size ones will fit Becky. I will measure up just to be on the safe side. 

I took the alternator in for repair and a couple of days later it was ready. It needed new bearings and a regulator. When I picked it up it had been cleaned and painted as you can see. Well worth the �38.50 it cost me and is as good as new. I used the same guy who did Becky's alternator because he did a good job with it. I'll also be sorting out the hole in the rear section of Snowdrop's exhaust. I've decided to try exhaust bandage as the exhaust putty I'd used before didn't work. Becky's rear brakes need looking at as the handbrake isn't working to well so there's a bit to keep me occupied. 

Problems with Snowdrop

This car has been giving me a bit of grief this week. First of all the indicators wouldn't work properly (they'd come on and stay on without flashing) then the ignition light wouldn't light up when the ignition was turned on. The problem went away and came back again. I suspected either the battery or the alternator so I did some voltage readings with my multimeter and they were below normal so I took the car to a local independent tyre fitter for a free battery check and a faulty battery was diagnosed so I had it replaced (costing me just short of £40) and all seemed to we well again and then the problem came back. Once again the voltage readings were a bit down on what they should have been. I also did voltage readings along the circuit for the ignition light and I was getting voltage all the way along it. (it earths through the alternator) I then robbed the alternator that was on Baby Blue (which had originally came from the Toledo) and it has been fine ever since. The battery may not have needed to be replaced but knowing Snowdrop's recent history it my have been overdue for replacement as the average car battery has a lifespan of 5 years.