Last week
I did an oil change to the DHC. And while giving the under-bonnet area an
inspection while waiting for the oil to drain from the sump, I noticed that the
bolts of the thermostat cover and inlet manifold showed clear signs of
galvanic corrosion. So I made a mental note to change them for stainless steel
ones. These being less prone to this type corrosion when mounting alloy parts
together. The initial plan was to change them somewhere later in the spring or
early summer. But as I had a day of from work last Thursday to have the car's
alignment checked I thought it a good idea to also pay a visit to a local stainless fastener specialist. But
first things first, checking and adjusting the front wheel alignment. This meant that the first stop of the day would be at a friend's workshop to put the car on the alignment rig.
With the car on the lift and all the gear fitted, we
found out that the alignment indeed was out, but not as much as I had feared.
It actually still was within the factory tolerances. But as the steering wheel
was slightly askew the alignment was adjusted to get everything spot on again.
After that
I decided to add some miles to the car, and there was a good excuse for that! When
I dug out the car from the shed last weekend I thought it a good idea to check
in the records what needed servicing. That was when I found out that I only
drove the car around 500 kilometres after returning from Club Triumphs 10
Countries Run .... on the 14th of September 2015. Oops! So rather pleased I
managed to add some 200 kilometres to the odometer on Thursday. Also managed to
source the stainless UNC bolts required for the inlet manifold and thermostat
cover. And as I had enjoyed driving the car too much, there was no time left that
day to fit the new bolts.
But with
the weekend upon me it was time to get the spanners out and add some bling. All
rather straight forward really.
But as
ever the half hidden bolt between the coolant pipe and number one inlet put up
a bit of a fight. But some 15 frustrating minutes later this one was
replaced too. A small socket set
certainly helped here. Though it certainly didn't help that the socket and joint
piece fell of the extension piece and rolled to the most inaccessible location
underneath the carburettors ...
Another
thing on the to-do-list was a not so small oil leak from the gear box. When I
discovered it last summer I thought the leak was from the take-off from the
speedo cable but after I jacked up the car I found out there was only
oil around the rear 'box mount. The rest of the 'box was completely dry, as was
the oil seal from the rear flange. That was when I remembered that I removed
the plug from the 'box oil pump galley which I made up when I restored the car.
It worked very well, but I had to replace it with the original plug because it
(just) touched the gearbox's cross member.
Time to
remove the mount and find out where the oil was coming from. Sure enough there were
clear signs that this plug indeed was the culprit, as the oil on the gearbox
mount clearly showed ...
And sure
enough the plug that should seal the oil galley was loose. Haven't got a clue
how that could happen (probably didn't tighten it enough!) but at least pretty
easy to rectify with a #4 Allen head key.
After which
it was time to clean and degrease the gearbox' mount ...
... and
put everything back to where it belonged.
Last job
for an afternoon well spent was topping up the gearbox' oil level. Easy with
some simple tools.
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