Engine questions

Alright... I've been looking through various posts, threads, ads and all kinds of different ownership experiences. I've seen somewhat of a trend. I've seen espadas, jaramas, jalpas and urraco cars "back to life with a new engine" - Most of the cars in which case, I tend to see well under 50,000 mile cars.

 

Do the engines on the older lamborghini cars not last long at all? I mean most of them are only 200-300hp which isn't a ridiculous amount of power... am I just unlucky enough to be coming across cars where the engine was treated poorly? Or do the engines not last long before needing a rebuild? Or is it BECAUSE they generally don't get driven enough that they don't last long? I know that letting cars sit for extended periods of time is not good on them.

 

I don't mind rebuilding engines, and I can imagine lamborghini v8 and v12 engines aren't cheap to get parts for. But at the same time, rebuilding engines every 10-30,000 miles wouldn't be on my "to do list" of things I'd want.

 

Anyone? Bueler? Is there anyone well versed on the old engines who could contact me sometime? I would love to talk to someone who is well versed in the oldschool stuff and maybe pick your brain if that would be ok.

subbed as I have been wondering the same exact things.

It's very much the situation of not driving enough. They are, in general, very reliable and well built motors.

 

The rebuilds are usually the one that have been sitting, abused, raped by bad mechanics, etc. Then there are the guys with deep pockets who see a dirty, oxidized motor and want it new again. Then there is the motor-out service that turns into a rebuild, either unexpectedly or a decision just to keep going and may as well rebuild it.

 

Search around further and you will see a couple of V-12's with 100,000+...granted some are old and some are newer models.

 

An old story: Chad's old copper Countach. When he sold it, it ran fine. One of the owners (not Brian), for some reason, put new spark plugs in it......and not the "spec" plugs . Well, from what my shitty memory remembers, the tips, which the plug was too long, broke off and just went to town with the valves. If you search in the Countach section from years ago, there is the story and photos of the damage. It's stuff like that that will lead you to a rebuild whether you like it or not.

 

So, as you can see, there are many reason guys rebuild.

It's very much the situation of not driving enough. They are, in general, very reliable and well built motors.

 

The rebuilds are usually the one that have been sitting, abused, raped by bad mechanics, etc. Then there are the guys with deep pockets who see a dirty, oxidized motor and want it new again. Then there is the motor-out service that turns into a rebuild, either unexpectedly or a decision just to keep going and may as well rebuild it.

 

Search around further and you will see a couple of V-12's with 100,000+...granted some are old and some are newer models.

 

An old story: Chad's old copper Countach. When he sold it, it ran fine. One of the owners (not Brian), for some reason, put new spark plugs in it......and not the "spec" plugs . Well, from what my shitty memory remembers, the tips, which the plug was too long, broke off and just went to town with the valves. If you search in the Countach section from years ago, there is the story and photos of the damage. It's stuff like that that will lead you to a rebuild whether you like it or not.

 

So, as you can see, there are many reason guys rebuild.

 

Let's say worst case scenario something goes wrong with the car and I need to rebuild an engine. I've been looking all day for engine internals, where does one find the parts necessary to rebuild say an Urraco engine, or an Espada engine?

 

I've made the leap to selling my cars so I can approach this. However, I still want to be realistic with myself and have a "rainy day fund" for the car. I've always been under the impression that if my engine blows up, I should be able to rebuild it and fork out the money to do so. The last thing I would want is for something terrible to happen and then be stuck with an old Lambo that I simply can't afford an engine rebuild on. In which case, the car would be better off in the hands of someone who can afford such a rebuild.

 

Just trying to be realistic with myself here. I want an oldschool lambo incredibly bad, however, the more I'm looking at the "what ifs" down the road the more I'm starting to wonder if I may end up wanting to go another route. Not wanting to talk myself out of it, but again, be realistic.

If you're doing the work, then an engine rebuild won't be as bad $$ wise. It all depends on what goes wrong and what else you decide to replace while you're in there. Assuming this won't be a main driver for you then waiting for parts won't be bad. Either spend the money up front in a car that is well sorted or be prepared for say $10k in repairs if you're doing all the labor. I think as said above the engines are reliable when driven regularly and properly maintained.

Some of the parts you can find on eBay. Some you can find through Glen with AMH parts and other vendors on here. Some may be backordered.

Jacques at Maserati Source is good for parts. I got from him his intake and exhaust valves, water pump, etc for my Jarama. All reasonably priced.

 

I do not know about Urraco engine parts. Knock on wood, my Urraco engine has been good.

you can find all

BUT prices of parts are high, sometimes very high

 

 

Once a GOOD mechanic rebuilds a vintage Lambo engine for you, you are set for a long time. I am not talking about a low dollar rebuild, I am talking about spending proper money and getting the job done right, new pistons, rings, boring the cylinder sleeves, and doing a complete job on the heads.

 

Don't be afraid of the older cars, just be ready to take appropriate care of them!

Once a GOOD mechanic rebuilds a vintage Lambo engine for you, you are set for a long time. I am not talking about a low dollar rebuild, I am talking about spending proper money and getting the job done right, new pistons, rings, boring the cylinder sleeves, and doing a complete job on the heads.

 

Don't be afraid of the older cars, just be ready to take appropriate care of them!

 

I have a few places that do my machining work, but I do my own assembly and dis-assembly on engines. So if a rebuild ever came along, I would do the work. I was primarily concerned on how hard it is to get stuff like the pistons, rings, etc...

 

Although in the event that happened, it might be worth the time to ship the stuff off to have it machined by someone who has done them before (None of the places I've used have done such motors, they're used to Porsche motors).

 

One thing I've learned though is that it is well worth the money spent to have quality machining done. It is even more worth your time to triple check your motor as you assemble a motor. Thus far my trackday project motor has had ZERO issues. I went through the check process 3 times on every bolt and surface that I touched. I was incredibly picky with that motor... and that car isn't worth nearly as much as something like a Lamborghini, only a fraction. I would no doubt take a sincere amount of time on a Lambo

 

Peter gave me a bit of a pep talk on Urracos. Once I sell the 914 I will begin the hunt for an Urraco

I cant wait for the rebuild thread, best of luck.

I have had a Jalpa for the last 7 years and went through a full rebuild on the engine at around 25,000 miles. It was not maintained well and awful mechanics made an absolute mess of things.

 

I saw my car in 2000 and fell in love. It needed a few things and I passed on the sale. In 2006, I saw the car again and after the owner listed the service he had done, and since it included repairing the issues I knew of, I bought the car.

 

On arrival, I found a very long list of terribly performed repairs. I started going through it, and every time I thought I had it sorted, something else would act up. Very long story short, I found that the water pump had been rebuilt poorly and water was seeping into the engine. The car had not been driven at all for a year and very rarely for the several years prior. There is a port to let moisture out, but it was clogged. If the engine had run regularly, the moisture most likely would have been forced out. As it was when I got it, water had been in the block for a very long time. I had the pump rebuilt by a Lamborghini dealer and they made things even worse. When the engine re-builder opened it up they found balls of rust where the bearings were.

 

The engine had to come out, all the bearing had to be replaced. While they were in there, I had many of the known issues sorted out.

 

My list of engine work and repairs is a mile long and a small fortune. Had the car been cared for properly and driven often, most of the problems would never have happened.

 

I have talked to many owners who have no troubles at all with there V8s over long periods of time. The Lamborghini V8 will not tolerate neglect. Taken care of, they seem to be only slightly more fussy than your average car.

I have had a Jalpa for the last 7 years and went through a full rebuild on the engine at around 25,000 miles. It was not maintained well and awful mechanics made an absolute mess of things.

 

I saw my car in 2000 and fell in love. It needed a few things and I passed on the sale. In 2006, I saw the car again and after the owner listed the service he had done, and since it included repairing the issues I knew of, I bought the car.

 

On arrival, I found a very long list of terribly performed repairs. I started going through it, and every time I thought I had it sorted, something else would act up. Very long story short, I found that the water pump had been rebuilt poorly and water was seeping into the engine. The car had not been driven at all for a year and very rarely for the several years prior. There is a port to let moisture out, but it was clogged. If the engine had run regularly, the moisture most likely would have been forced out. As it was when I got it, water had been in the block for a very long time. I had the pump rebuilt by a Lamborghini dealer and they made things even worse. When the engine re-builder opened it up they found balls of rust where the bearings were.

 

The engine had to come out, all the bearing had to be replaced. While they were in there, I had many of the known issues sorted out.

 

My list of engine work and repairs is a mile long and a small fortune. Had the car been cared for properly and driven often, most of the problems would never have happened.

 

I have talked to many owners who have no troubles at all with there V8s over long periods of time. The Lamborghini V8 will not tolerate neglect. Taken care of, they seem to be only slightly more fussy than your average car.

 

Hi Ohlgren,

 

Thanks for the feedback on the Jalpa. They seem like fantastic cars. I would be open to a Jalpa as well if one was in my price range. I'm currently waiting for my 914 to sell so I can seriously start looking. Nice to hear from an owner and fellow Oregonian! Perhaps once I get one we can have an Oregon Lambo meet! hah!

 

After hearing from many of the owners such as yourself regarding regular use, it sounds like they're not all that bad after all so long as they are taken care of and driven regularly. I will stop being so afraid of the possibilities, I think I just need a Lambo in my life.

Hi Ohlgren,

 

Thanks for the feedback on the Jalpa. They seem like fantastic cars. I would be open to a Jalpa as well if one was in my price range. I'm currently waiting for my 914 to sell so I can seriously start looking. Nice to hear from an owner and fellow Oregonian! Perhaps once I get one we can have an Oregon Lambo meet! hah!

 

After hearing from many of the owners such as yourself regarding regular use, it sounds like they're not all that bad after all so long as they are taken care of and driven regularly. I will stop being so afraid of the possibilities, I think I just need a Lambo in my life.

 

I can speak from direct knowledge on the Jalpa, but from what I have heard, the V12 is even more solid than the V8. By all accounts the v12 is a great engine. Most issues arise from the fact people rarely drive the cars. Peter K summed it up perfectly! There are known issues with many of the vintage Lamborghini cars. Address the stuff on the issues list, and you should have a very solid car. If issues do arise, proper repairs can be expensive and that is just part of owning a vintage exotic car.

 

I have met a couple Gallardo owners and a Countach owner here in Oregon. Always hear rumors of other Lamborghini owners in the area, but rarely see any. It would be nice to have someone local to share stories with.