Featured Potential New Triumph Owner

youve done the hard part. make sure you get the input and out wires to the box correct and youve got it.

timing it and making it go is easy.

 

there you go. you ll have all sorts of puzzling issues
going forward, but ignition is no longer likely to be one of them.

 

Ha, sorted. And you feel tip top now. Welcome to proper Triumphland my friend. Goody gumdrops. Tomorrow the world

By the way, why does it say "permanent" on your plate. Is it just a saying like "London - fish, chips, cup o tea, bad food, worse weather, Mary fuckin Poppins, London" or is it a legal thing?

 

Nope sorry, non comprehend.

Here a street legal bike has to have a brake light, that's about it as long as it's only used in daylight. If it has a headlight it needs to work along with a back light. But no need for indicators or mirrors, although, strangely, we have to have a small penny sized reflector on the back to pass the required annual safety test. Unless, of course, you are wise and have a vehicle over 40 years old (with no modifications less than 30 years old) as it then doesn't have to have the annual test or pay any tax to the government. Insurance is cheaper too.

But we keep our plate number no matter what. It stays with the vehicle until the vehicle gets scrapped or gets cut up with a hacksaw to make something else.

 

I assume it's a UK based forum. But one of the moderators would know for sure. (Or someone will be along soon who knows better than me).

 

One thing to look for is if the primary cover nuts at the front have been over tightened as it warps the main cover (i have even seen the cover crack) and the timing inspection plate gasket will not seal, i only use a sealer on the case haves and all the gaskets are just wiped with grease for all the covers, push rod seals are fitted dry and head gasket and all other washers in annealed copper, at the worst expect a dewdrop of oil hanging of the gearbox plunger and drain-level plug at times after a run.

 

Some say that if there's no oil under your Triumph, then there's none in it......That's just not true.

Spend some time tracing the origins and they can be sorted at some point. I've got an engine that seeps from a worn brass bush on the end of the main shaft. I've got a later gear and bush stashed away that will cure the leak. But as it's not too bad, I'll wait until I rebuild the engine/gearbox. However, leaks from engine covers are annoying and as long as you don't mind emptying primary oil/engine oil and getting new gaskets to get at them they are fairly easily remedied. Find the origin, find the cure and climb in.

An oil tight Triumph is cool. Can you dig it?

 

The three bolts are detent plunger, holds spring and plunger, oil drain and level plug, remove all to drain or just small part to check level, followed by the big one that is crank drain plug and filter/gauze left to right. Oil leaking anywhere along the primary will end up dripping in that position as its the lowest, wipe it clean and determine if its the gasket at the front timing cover blowing back or the main cover gasket. In all fairness if you are just getting a little drop like that after a good run recheck rightness of bolts/screws and then live with it until you have to remove a cover for other work.

 

Edit - took me so long to write darkman got there before me, but here it is anyway:

Picture One - looks like it's a leak from the primary case and/or primary chain adjuster bolt (the long necked bolt in the primary case top right of your picture). The other drips from the frame could be leak from oil seals on the main shaft either on the gear box side (behind the front sprocket) or on the primary side (behind the clutch). Clean it all off and try to trace after a short run. Feel with your fingers up both sides of the front sprocket (the front of the chain).

Picture Two - is the nut holding the outer gearbox case (it should be a domed nut) it's not the gearbox drain.

Picture Three - the large long bolt on the left is the gearbox cam plate index plunger. Essentially a point on a spring that slots into the cam plate at each gear. The cam plate is turned when you use the shifter which moves the gears into the correct position, this plunger holds the cam plate in position.
The smaller bolt in the middle is the gearbox drain plug and level tube. The gearbox is filled through the slotted plug above the kick starter (as shown in your picture two). Once filled it will spill out of the tube held by this bolt. You'll get a drop or two through this when you get out there and bomb around in the future.
The large bolt on the right is the sump plug. This is where you'd empty the sump and attached to this is the crankcase filter. Inside which is the scavenge tube that the oil pump sucks on to return oil to the rockers and oil tank.

By the way, you can see the numbers stamped into the bottom half of each of the crank cases. It looks like 123 on one and 627 on the other. Shows your bike as a bitsa, these are normally matching numbers. The builder in the Triumph factory would have a pile of crank cases that he would pick out of to match two halves. These cases are roughly cast and need some fettling and an experienced eye to fit perfectly together. Once he had achieved this he would then stamp the numbers as a matching pair. There's nothing wrong with not having matching numbers (I have a mismatched pair running on one of my bikes at the moment) and they snap together luvly when I rebuilt the engine. It's just something to be aware of and to watch out for as your leaks could be the crankcase joint.

Looks like you are going to be climbing into this engine. It's nothing too drastic and nothing to get in a panic about. This is usually what all triumph engines look like, and a lot worse, when I get them. They are all over 50 years old by now. Run it around for a while, you'll get fed up with the drips on the floor, and when you feel like climbing into it. We'll help you with the spannering but you'll have to have the bleeding knuckles.

First shake down run on one of mine today, got this, as well as the same as yours under the primary. Bit still to do then

 

is tha hole driiled in the fin on the head?

 

T140 10 stud heads originally came with a rubber dowel insert that travelled through all of the fins, I think Triumph tried everything to lessen vibration. I haven't seen any heads with the rubber still in for ages. I can't think that it helped much.
I have seen heads drilled with rows of holes that look pretty neat, this is a nice detailed green digger (I don't get/like diggers but a nice bike). Not mine by the way.



Sorry, way off thread