Triumph Factory Service Bulletins

I have some copies of Triumph service bulletins in PDF form. I got them from someone else years ago (To open a PDF file is to download it to your computer). I'm sorry I have no idea who to credit for the hard work of scanning the bulletins and converting them to PDF files. There was a lot of hard work there. After some soul searching and unsuccessfully looking for the site that I got my copies from I've decided to go ahead and make my copies available. There is stuff in the service bulletins that are unavailable anywhere else. Some of which, like the proper way to adjust front wheel bearings on disk brake TRs are important safety information that should be widely available.

Note: in early 2007 I was informed that the original service bulletins belong to Joe Curry, Michael Porter did all the hard work of scanning them into pdf format and that they were first posted to the new by Dan Buettner. Thanks folks for the hard work and making these documents available to all who need them!

Service bulletins, of course are packets of information sent from the factory to authorized Triumph dealers that affect servicing of Triumphs. They were considered company confidential and much of this information never made it to the factory workshop manual. Each of these PDF files contain all the bulletins for that year. I've described most of the individual bulletins that pertain to Triumph TR2-4A only. Now, you can amaze your friends on Triumph email lists by quoting service bulletin numbers and dates when backing up your facts during email discussions. At the bottom of the page I have placed a copy of an email from Gary Grant explaining the Triumph service bulletin numbering system in case you are interested.

Pages from Parts Catalogue amendment #3 1962 providing parts used for 86mm engine conversion (pdf)

Page from Parts Catalogue amendment #5 1962 covering apron letter change and Apron without letter holes (pdf)

1954 Service Bulletins (Shows why it is often not good idea to buy the first year of a new model)

Eight/2/M January 1954 deals with noise suppressors to meet new regulations regarding radio interference.
Eight /4/M January 1954 Provides list of new fire resistant adhesives approved for use by service departments
Sports/3/A July 1954 Provides updated list of TR2 torque specs. Note this a a very comprehensive list of torque specs
Sports/1/B April 1954 Deals with high tach failure rates and specifys a way to route the tach cable.
Sports/2/B April 1954 Crank case breather throws too much oil at sustained high revs. Modified crank case breather fitted starting engine TS972E
Sports/5/B November 1954 Provides extensive list of engine part dimensions and clearances.
Sports/6/B December 1954 Pistons extensively used in rally work cracking crowns. The piston design was modified to add webbing at the crown. The new piston was folded into production with engine TS4882E.
Sports/1C June 1955 Original TR2 thermostat housing and radiator replaced starting commission number TS1201
Sports/5/B November 1954 Revises routing of the water temperature sender unit. Illustration show the exact factory routing generally accepted as correct for all later TR3 through 3B.
Sports/1/D June 1954 Switch to up rated clutch shaft pin starting with commission number TS411
Sports/1/E March 1954 Sealing overdrive solenoid to protect from water damage
Sports/2/E April 1954 Deals with problem of jumping out of second gear on overrun.
Sports/3/E April 1954 Deals with jumping out of reverse gear.
Sports/4/E April 1954 Deals with accidental engagement of reverse gear
Sports/5/E October 1954 revisits water getting into overdrive solenoid.
Sports/1/F May 1954 Deals with rear hubs working loose under competition.
Sports/2/F June 1954 Deals with upgrade to rear crown wheel attachment
Sports/3/F August 1954 Churchill is designing a new tool for assembly rear hubs.
Sports/4/F November 1954 High rate of rear bearing failure due to incorrect assembly
Sports/5F December 1954 Announces additional changes to rear crown wheel attachment bolts.
Sports/1/G May 1954 Announces introduction of front hub upgrade.
Sports/2/G June 1954 Add an additional steering wheel brace starting commission number TS1390
Sports/3/G July 1954 Goes into the correct method for fitting felt seals to front hubs (drum brake)
Sports/4/G August 1954 Reports of fractures in trunnion from incorrect fitting. Goes over proper fitting method.
Sports/1/J July 1954 Announces availability of skid plate for rally work. Provides fully dimensioned set of drawings.
Sports/2/J November 1954 Rear shock mounts break under competition conditions. Improvements fold into assembly with TS4699
Sports/1/L April 1954 Wheels should be balanced whenever changes made.
Sports/2/L May 1954 Lug nuts being commonly over torqued. Introduction of stronger larger lug nut Starting commission TS1634
Sports/2/M February 1954 Flasher units reoriented from horizontal to vertical because of failures in horizontal position.
Sports/3/M June 1954 Wiper spindle attachments moved starting TS995
Sport/4/M December 1954 Tach cable is fouling over drive cable so new clamp added to tach cable to help secure it in place.
Sports/2/N October 1954 Sealing stitching to eliminate leaks.
Sports/3/N December 1954 Battery drain tube added starting commission TS3288 Drawings show proper routing of drain.
Sports/1/P August 1954 Proper adjustment and maintenance of the S.U. H4
Sports/2/Q November 1954 lists the special tools for maintenance of a Triumph providing Churchill part numbers.
Sports/1/R April 1954 New rear brake attachment bolts for added strength starting commission TS740
Sports/1/S May 1954 Too many people complained about the TR having a loud muffler. Resonator added behind muffler.
NOTE: My TR3A is fitted with the early TR2 exhaust behind the 4 tube headers. The sound is noticeable and really nice.
Sports/3/B June 1954 First TR2 cams flexing a lot. Cam stiffened starting engine TS1636E. Also push rods shortened from 10.37 inches to 10.34 inches to compensate for new cam.

1955 Service Bulletins

Eight/19/N December 1955 Lists manufacturer's paint codes for paints used on1955 Triumphs
Eight/10/R August 1955 Don't twist the rubber brake hoses when installing them
Sports/7/B June 1955 Use of sealing compound at the joint between the oil filter flange and cylinder block
Sorts/8/B June 1955 Mentions the factory got a shipment of bad cork valve cover gaskets that leak
Sports/9/B June 1955 Mentions that rocker shaft pedestal suds have been breaking under race conditions and that the factory is uprating the studs starting with Engine TS6238E, Commission TS5849
Sports/10/B August 1955 Mentions customer complaints from engine knocking in the 1500 to 2000 RPM range., how the knock is cured and that the cure went into production engines starting with TS7713E
Sports/11/B September 1955 How to recondition that camshaft bearing housing in an engine block
Sports/12/B September 1955 The factory decided to raise oil pressure to 70 lbs pressure at 2000 RPM, 70 degrees C. Asked dealer to make that adjustment.
Sports/13/B December 1955 The factory changed harness specifications on cylinder head nuts because of reported failures. The change was rolled into production starting with engine TS8937E
sports/14/B December 1955, different spark plugs specified for cars shipped to countries with low octane fuels (these cars were also factory fitted with 7:1 heads).
Sports/8/E February 1955 Rubber gearbox grommet up rated because of damage. Change folder into assembly with car TS5352
Sports/9/E June 1955 Parts changes made to eliminate gear shift lever rattling noise. Changes folded into factory assembly starting with car TS2579
Sports/10/E February 1955. How-to convert a gear box with early over drive to new overdrive that works in second and third gears.
Sports/6/F March 1955 Rear axle seals still leak under racing conditions. Provides a fix for racers with leaks.
Sports/7/F September 1955 Strengthened rear axle nuts allows torque setting to be increased from from 110-120 lb .ft. to 125-140 lb. ft. Change folded into assembly. line at rear axle TS8039, approx commission # TS7700.
Sports/8/F September 1955 Blocked rear axle breathers causing oil to be forced out front pinion seal Suggests breathers be checked for blockage more frequently.
Sports/9/F November 1955. leaking rear hub seals continue to plague thee factory. Rear hubs and seal sizes are changed. Both changes wee folded into assembly by axle number TS8801, commission # 8269.
Sports/5/G March 1955 Additional bracing for steering column.
Sports/6/G December 1955 Bushings for front suspension bottom inner fulcrum bearings changed from rubber o Nylon stating with commission TS9121. This was for increased seal life.
Sports/1/H February 1955 Rear spring rates altered to help handling on high speed cornering on rough surfaces. Went into production starting with commission # TS3175
Sports/3/J March 1955 strengthened jack introduced, Added to tool kits starting with commission # TS5469. Jack pint on car also modified to allow jack to fit.
Sports/3/L January 1955 maintenance of spoke wheels (Should be carried out every 5000 miles)
Sports/4/N January 1955 Additional water seals added to side doors.
Sports/2/P February 1955 Some rally cars have had rocks thrown up break the glass fuel sediment bowl. This service bulletin provides drawings and dimensions for a self made rock shield that can be fitted to rally cars.
Sports/5/R March 1955 Deals with master cylinder fluid leakage by telling the shops not to overfill he reservoirs and suggesting that the cap breather holes should be 90 degrees to the return fluid flow path.
Sports/6/R March 1955 Original 9 inch brake drums supplied on rears of TR2 replaced with 10 inch drum. They used up old stock so the implementation started out in groups: TS5442 toTS5449, TS5454 to TS5465 then TS5481 and newer.

1956 Service Bulletins

SPORTS/17/B February 1956 Reduces spark gap in factory recommended Champion L10S spark plugs to 0.025 inches for better cleaning under long stop and go traffic conditions
SPORTS/19/B may 1956 New big end rod bearings designed to better handle competition. The new bearing was introduced into production with engine TS11427E.
SPORTS/20/B October 1956 New full flow oil filter introduced into production starting with engine TS12650E.
SPORTS/2/H March 1956 Softer front shocks introduced into production starting at TS10132. Change was to answer customer complaints. Stiffer front shocks become a dealer option for competition use.
SPORTS/3/P February 1956 Modifies accelerator pedal stop limit arrangement on LHD cars.
SPORTS/4/P February 1956 Introduces new SU needle into production starting with engine TS10037E. New needle slightly richens up low RPMs.
SPORTS/9/R March 1956 Moved grease nipple on trunnion to make it easier to get to. Bridge pipe assembly modified. This was introduced with car TS10341
SPORTS/10/R October 1956 Front disk brakes introduced. NEW METHOD TO SET FRONT BEARING FREE PLAY
SPORTS/ 10/R October 1956 Discussed tin can style hydraulic fluid reservoir.
SPORTS/ 2/S May 1956 Deals with exhaust pipe vibration
VANGAURD III/3/B February 1956 strengthened filter to engine block flange to reduced distortion leakage, starting engine TS9952E
VANGUARD III/5/B March 1956 Rear generator mount strengthened starting TS10345E
VANGUARD III/5/B March 1956 modified generator front mount adjustment. Specified torque setting now 16-18 pounds.

1957 Service Bulletins

EIGHT/9/B June 1957 Ignition timing by the trace detonation method
EIGHT/12/B September 1957 Champion changing spark plug numbers: Normal use L10S becomes L7, race/rally use L11S becomes L5.
EIGHT/17/E May 1957 Cause for oil entering speedometer
EIGHT/21/E December 1957 Failure of unidirectional switch allows overdrive to be engaged in reverse causing overdrive failure
SPORTS/25/B September 1957 Redesign of big end rod bearing to allow more oil flow starting with engine TS20780E
SPORTS/5/L January 1957 New wire wheel hubs introduced for TR3s with disk brakes. Adapter nuts to be torqued to 65 lbs FT then RETORQUED after about 10 miles of use. New hubs introduced after TS13000.
SPORTS/8/N April 1957 New hole added to frame to allow a socket wrench to be used when R&Ring the rear shocks.
SPORTS/10/N July 1957 Metal strap added to inside hard top to help keep the headliner in place.
SPORTS/5/P June 1957 Carburettor float support bolt grommet deteriorates with prolonged contact with some types of gas. A spare set of four grommets were added to the tool kit after approx. TS18800.
SPORTS/11/R September 1957 Restrictor valve added to brake circuit as cure to loosing brake pressure on disk brake models after a hard corner. Added on TS20320 and newer.
SPORTS/12/R December 1957 There is an aftermarket wheel finisher that may cause damage to disk brake bridge pipe .
SPORTS/13/R December 1957 Incorrect adjustment of the brake pedal top stop may cause disk brake binding on cars equipped with a restrictor.
Vanguard III/9/B March 1957 1/8th inch dia hole added to rear camshaft journal to prevent oil build up between rear of camshaft and plug. Change incorporated starting with engine TS13476E.
VANGUARD III/2/F & VANGUARD III/2/F January 1957 both deal with making the washer on the pinion shaft thicker. Flange nut torque is 85-100 Lbs Ft.

1958 Service bulletins

SPORTS/16/R May 1958 Provides max tolerances for machining rotors
SPORTS/17/R October/November 1958 (Girling Service Bulletin 491.T.103) Illustrated instructions for rebuilding a Girling master cylinder used in a TR3.

1959 Service bulletins

T-59-19 New starter motor

1963 Service bulletins (Several Spitfire & Sports six bulletins)

T-63-31 April 12 1963, Paint formulas for Triumph Racing Green
T-63-48 June 28, 1963, Paint Formulas for: White, Jonquil (yellow)
T-63-49 June 28, 1963 TR4 Stromberg Carburetors , How to adjust and tune them
T-63-52 July 19, 1963 TR4 gets larger cooling fan because of overheating problems in stop & go traffic. Starting with CT21471E, around car CT2100
T-63-56 August 22, 1963 Revised Dupont paint formula for Lichfield Green
T-63-67 November 1, 1963 TR4 rear suspension change part numbers. Change stares with CT23383
T-63-68 November 6, 1963 Smog control component list for parts to meet upcoming regulations
T-63-74 December 6 1963 TR4 rear road springs re-cambered (required change in frame) starting CT23383

1964 Service bulletins (Includes a lot of Spitfire and warranty period service notes)

T-64-3 January 3, 1964 Laycock overdrive, Types A and D, Fault diagnosis and adjustments
T-64-11 march 5, 1964 Decodes the new paint and trim colour coding that will be added to ID tags.
T-64-63 July 17, 1964 How to retrofit TR4s for wire wheels. This looks like a reissue of the one for TR3's with disk brakes.
T-64-28 September 4, 1964 Appears to be a reissue of a TR3 note about oil getting into speedometers.
T-64-29 September 4, 1964. New front springs introduced that no longer require the spacers.
T-64-32 September 25, 1964 Some TR4 started solenoids have become damaged by fuel leakage from rear carb. If this happens, solenoid should be moved 4 inches to the right of stock location.
T-64-41 December 10, 1964 Fixing stiffness in TR4 window winder linkage

1965 Service bulletins (Includes several Spitfire service notes)

T-65-4 January 14, 1965 Adds more colours to Triumph colour & trim commission plate code
T-65-6 January 14, 1965 To avoid clogging SMOG equipment gauze within flame trap should be cleaned every 6,000 miles
T-65-7 January 14, 1965 Fault diagnosis in speedometers.
T-65-9 January 14, 1965 TR4 front suspension spec change. Has complete parts list when caster changed to 3 degrees.
T-65-15 April 15, 1965 TR4's converted from positive to negative earth. Provides instruction on how to make the conversion.
T-65-16 April 15, 1965 maintenance of closed circuit breathers.
T-65-17 April 15, 1965 Proper tyre pressures for solid axle and swing axle TR4A's
T-65-19 April 15, 1965 proper way to fold TR4A soft top.
T-65-21 May 6, 1965 Correct torque for tightening rear shocks on IRS suspension is 55 lbs ft
T-65-22 May 6, 1965 Proper lubrication of TR4A steering
T-65-25 May 13, 1965 Alternate oil filler caps for TR4A
T-65-26 May 20 1965 Alerting dealers that 46 IRS TR4As have been delivered to Hertz Rent A Car
T-65-29 May 20, 1965 How to convert an IRS TR4A to wire wheels
T-65-41 September 30, 1965 How to align rear wheels on a TR4A IRS

From Gary Grant:

This is a very brief history/evolution of the TR Service Bulletins starting in 1954.

Starting in 1954 Standard-Triumph issued the bulletins as Service Information Sheets and the numbering system format was Model/Sequential Number/Group. For example: Sports/16/R was the 16th bulletin issued under the R group (brakes) for the TR2. As the Western Zone distributor for S-T, CAL Sales, Inc. issued their own supplemental bulletins using strictly sequential numbering starting with number one and ending sometime before 1961.

In 1958 S-T changed their numbering of Service Information Sheets to a Group/Sequential Number format. Using my requested bulletins as examples: 3/64 and 3/66 would be the 64th and 66th bulletins issued for group 3 (Rear Axle). The applicable models covered under the SIS would be contained in the sub-title of the bulletin itself.

Starting is 1961, the various Zone offices would receive the Service Information Sheets and re-write them. These were only re-written in the sense that the UK spelling and terms were changed to the more familiar American spellings and terms (i.e.- trunk vs. boot, or color vs. colour). The most common of the issued bulletins used the format of T-61-6, with this example being the 6th bulletin issued in 1961. So far I have identified that at least 3 zones issued these, being the Eastern, Northeastern and Western Zones. There were bulletins issued as S series (sales) or SM series (Service Memo)in addition the T series.

In 1968 the numbering was revised again when Triumph was acquired by British Leyland. This numbering system was slightly modified again in 1970 and was used until the demise of Triumph.

Return to the page top