samwhite95

Hi All, I have what I suspect is a dolomite 1500 TC engine in my Herald (engine number missing so impossible to tell!). Its developed a quirk recently where the oil pressure will sit at approximately 50lb/sq" when cold and will stay like that even at idle. However when the engine is warmed up and I've driven the car around for around 20 minutes I'm finding the oil pressure is falling to ~15lb/sq". The pressure rises back to around 45-50lb/sq" when the car accelerates to around 3K rpm (to be taken with a pinch of salt as my rev counter is not the most accurate). I remember someone saying on a previous post that the 1500 engines work the oil quite hard, could this be the issue? Is it possible for the oil to thin to this extent when warm? and what is an expected idle oil pressure when the car is running warm? Many thanks in advance and happy new year to you all! Sam

Hi All, Looking to replace my steering wheel on my herald. I have a 1967 herald 12/50. I've just seen a 1961 948 steering wheel pop up and it is probably the fairest price and best condition that I've seen so far. Is the fit different throughout the life of the herald of the steering wheel to the column? Many thanks, Sam

Many thanks both, I've ordered the oil which should be arriving thursday / friday and plan to take it to my Dad's and get it all filled up and sorted on Sat, will report back if there's an improvement!

Hi All, thanks for the further replies, my dad came out for a drive and commented the same. He also commented saying that some of the noise seemed to be coming from the gearbox too so we'll put all fresh oil in both and see if it does anything in toning down the noise. I'll also check the prop is secure whilst im under there and check to see if there is excessive backlash. W.r.t. diff oil, does it matter which grade is use from 75W/90 to 85W/140? or is the school of thought that is all works, just the more viscous oils are more appropriate with gearing that is a little looser than it should be to take up the slack?

Many thanks Wendy, I will add the oil and see if it alleviates the symptoms a little, I've also noticed the gearbox is a tad tight on the gear shift so I'll make sure it is all up to snuff!

Thanks all for the replies, I will add the oil initially to see if it quietens down things first and then push forward with resealing.

Hi Amy, Much appreciated! I've got a small leak on the diff and was looking to use some leak stop, do you have a experience with a leak stop product? Would you recommend? Regards, Sam

Hi all, What is the recommended oils for the 1500 drive chain engine, gearbox and diff? Rimmerbro's chart is confusing me. Many thanks, Sam

Hi All, Sadly I'm relatively new to actually driving classics as I've spent quite a few years ground-up restoring a herald project that unfortunately never got completed (other commitments) and decided now life has settled down almost 10 years later, I would get back into the hobby. So very familiar with triumph's but not so familiar for what to listen out for! From what I can see from the engine number (starting in YC) and notes left by previous owner who installed the new gear who was 2 owners previous and passed away which separated all the history of the vehicle, I believe my vehicle is running a entire rear wheel drive Triumph 1500 drive chain from engine to diff as it has syncho 1st and some writing on a notepad included with the car says 3.89:1 Diff. When I apply power to the car when moving, there is a mid range (around 300-400Hz) noise that doesnt seem to come from a specific place, I can hear it from all directions in the cabin, ontop of the engine noise. If I drop the clutch at speed, the noise disappears, likewise if I take my foot off the accelerator it stops immediately. The only 'clue' I have is a small leak I spotted on the diff when I got the chance to look under the vehicle when it was on the lift at my local garage. Is this sort of noise indicative of an oil-less diff? Aside from that I cannot hear any clunky, bumpy or grinding noises in any of the stresses of driving, I've even tried to suddenly apply power in an attempt to rule out any slop at the back end. I plan to add some oil to the diff ASAP along with some stop leak for the time being whilst I work out if I need to take it out or replace, is there a brand of oil that is recommended? Is this the best course of action, and are there any other tests I can perform to find the root cause? Or is this just a normal sound for a classic car? Many thanks in advance! Sam.

Hi Both, thank you for the responses, I have contacted both companies or a quote.

Thanks all for the advice! very much appreciated. 🙂

Hi All, I have just purchased a herald! very excited but need to get a trailered around 100miles. Can anyone suggest a good company to use? I am located on the south coast and looking to get the car from the London Area. Thanks, Sam

Hi Both, Thanks for the replies. The lack of service history is less of a nerve rattler for me, it is more that when I put the plate into the DVLA checker it returns saying it hasn't had its first MOT yet so there is no MOT history even on the DVLA site. I HPI checked the vehicle and found it's never had the plates switched over and everything else is above board. There seems to be a void in this car's history between the previous 2 owners ago dying and the one in between him and current who apparently did the conversion. The only explanation I can think of is that this herald was dormant from at least 2006 until the MOT exception which would mean the guy's work is effectively untested. All I can say for it, is that it was a really solid example and ran very well. I'm torn as I've been bitten before by massive GOTCHAs on a car I purchased a few years ago... @Clive are you suggesting the lack the MOT history should be prohibitive to my purchase? Also am I right in saying the above photo is indeed a 1500 spit engine? The owner believes it is the standard herald gearbox, can the 1500 spit engine mate without adaption to the herald box? Regards, Sam

Further to this question, is the change from a to a 1500cc 4 cylinder engine considered to be a 'significant' change under the DVLA rules? https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/historic-classic-vehicles-mot-exemption-criteria/historic-classic-vehicles-mot-exemption-criteria

Hi All, I am returning the world of classic cars and looking to buy a herald 1200 of any variety. I viewed one recently that appeared to be in a really good condition at what I think is a reasonable price. The body work was all solid with no apparent holes, the chassis seemed sound and solid and the ride was smooth, not knocky with no rattling that could shake your bones from your skin! The engine ran really well, no oil burning, idled fantastically and started on the button. I even checked the area that it was place it is always parked after it was driven away and signs of leaking. The car is no history though as it had been separated from the car after owner before the guy who carried out work on it it had passed, and I've looked it up on the MOT checker and no history is present but the registration date matches the plate and V5C details I saw. The vehicle has also had a 1500cc engine of which the type / spec is unknown to the owner (suspected to be a spitfire engine) with twin SUs. Since the work has been done it has changed hand again and some of the details have been lost of exactly what has been done with respect to the engine spec and gearbox used. If the car is solid and at a reasonable price, would no MOT details and an uprated engine spark alarm bells? Or is the assessment with these classics more based on the individual assessment of the vehicle itself and if it is solid and drives well, this should be the focus over the MOT and service history? Is it usual for these cars to have no MOT history present? see photo of engine attached. Thanks in advance 🙂