Newbie 91 Diablo questions

First time poster here, this is a great site, I have a few simple questions for Diablo owners:

 

I am looking at a 91 Diablo which has passed through a few owners and service records and incomplete. I have been told that the cam chain tensioner upgrade has been done but have seen no invoice.

 

First, is there any visual way to confirm whether it has been done?

 

Is it an engine out job to do it if it needs to be done? What is involved? If I negotiate a price reduction I should know how much to ask for.

 

Lastly, is there any way to check if the clutch is on it's way out? I am supposed to test drive the car on Thursday and have never driven a Diablo. I doubt the vendor will be to happy with me performing full acceleration runs in heavy traffic to check the clutch on a car I have never driven before.

 

Thanks to all.

This sort of question comes up a lot! The short answer is that all of the above require engine removal.

 

A few key questions are: How many miles are on the car. How many owners. How experienced were they in using the clutch. Who actually did the service on the car and how experienced were they. The only way to check a clutch without taking it out in these cars is to floor the accelerator (preferably on a hill) when the car is moving at say 30MPH and see if the RPM shoot up without a corresponding increase in speed.

 

Since this sounds like a big financial commitment on your part, I would have the car checked out by an experienced Lamborghini mechanic/shop.

 

The above been said, try and not worry too much about it. In general these cars are very strong and reliable. The questions and comments you see on forums like these are for those cases where something goes wrong. There are many many Diablos around the world that people enjoy without worrying about them.

 

Good luck!

It is fairly easy to check and see if it has manual tensioners installed but it does require a gasket, half an hour of work and spinning a few wrenches. I believe you can install them on the car with the engine in place. I have removed mine before with the engine in to check 'em out. You would need to be very careful not to drop anything down the timing chain cavity if you were replacing them. To look at them is not invasive but it would probably be hard to persuade the guy you are buying them from to let you unbolt parts off of his car. To check the clutch, see if it lets out near the top or halfway and check the clutch like john tells you to. Make sure the oil pressure at idle when the engine is hot is at least 2 bar. any lower and you will be in the same boat as I was. Having a lambo mechanic look at your car might not necessarily find you any problems. I had one look at my car before I bought it and he gave it a clean bill of health-he was full of shit. I would trust Mike at Evans auto to give you a clean bill of health, but thats if you are close to him. Looking at your address I see you are in united arab emirates so I guess evans auto is out of the question good luck

dave

Thanks for the advice. The local dealer here may be of help (I am going to pay them a visit if the test drive goes well and see if they can go over the car).

 

Prices here for such a car are about half (or slightly less) than the US market value, but you need to be careful as the cars usually come with no service records and the vendor (usually a tiny used car dealer selling on consignment) knows little about lamborghinis. I bought a cheap low mileage 911 a few months ago and after replacing the clutch it was a sweet, straight car, so good deals can be found if you sift through the pile.

 

This car seems straight and unmolested, idles well, had a good condition interior (rare here) but for some additional unattractive aftermarket yellow accents (which I hope can be removed). As it is a Gulf spec car it has no emissions equipment at all and is quite loud (but sounds nice).

 

On the down side, after 15 years in the Gulf, all the rubber bushings and hoses will likely need replacement, but I can do that the next time the engine is out. The Diablo seems oil tight with no drips (I checked, there was oil in the car). Now if I can only get used to yellow....

Ok, I drove the car. He-man steering, no rearward visiblility, the clutch seemed as stiff as I thought it would be, the a/c does not work in this car (it's hot in there), the sound is incredible (puts the testarossa to shame), the power is vivid (I am trying hard to find a good word to decribe the power, basically it is like a fast motorcycle, if you throttle it, you should be pointing in a direction you really want to visit).

 

OK, I am in, I want a Diablo.

 

Maybe this one, maybe another one (we are still about $10k apart on price). My wife almost fell out of chair when I suggested I would like the Diablo over any of the Ferraris I was looking at (I am a die hard maranello fan, pilgrimages to the factory, etc..)

 

Will a Lamborghini dealer typically provide assistance with checking a serial number? When I last looked at a Testarossa the Ferrari dealer was helpful as they told me what the serial number on the engine and gearbox should be for that chassis number, they also told me that they had no record of it being stolen. For a confirming letter they wanted about $350, but verbally they could tell me all I wanted to know before I spent money on a PPI.

 

You Lamborghini Diablo guys are certainly fortunate, until drove one I would hve always dismissed the car in favour of the 512TR.

 

FInally, any good place to get Lambo parts on line? Dealers are not too enthused about oredering parts for older cars here. I am still waiting for a set of door seals for my 911 and I have sold the car already.

Just a few comments...

1. Get the A/C to work! If this car is at a dealer, work it into the price. I converted my entire system to the new R34 and it's ice cold.

2. I took a plexiglass concave mirror - the kind used in a warehouse - and cut a pattern of my side mirrors. Stick it on with double sided tape - NO blind spot at all with 160 degrees vision from each mirror.

3. Don't know about "stolen" report..must be a local issue.

4. Look at the sticky on top... we have found alternatives for parts, for example many Jag V12 ignition parts work in early Diablo's. Here in the US, if the dealer does not have the part, I can get it from Italy in about 4-5 days...imagine your transit times would be better.

Thanks, the cost of a repair of the a/c must bring the price down. In Dubai working a/c is a necessity. Getting this dealer to fix it is not in the cards, I would take it to a Lamborghini specialist.

 

The stolen car issue is more of a question with European cars which somehow end up here on used car lots. With a local spec car like this one, there is only one authorized Lamborghini dealer so it would be harder to resell. Still I want to check the history of the car as far as I can go back in time. It comes with no invoices.

 

Thanks for the idea on the R34 and the mirrors. Parts interchangeability seems to be better on the Diablo than on any ferrari I know. For instance the weber fuel pressure regulators are standard issue Ducati 851 / 888 items as are the injectors. You can even drill out the caps over the adjusters on the regulators and adjust the fuel pressure with a 4mm allen key. I like that. I am curious who charges less for them, Ducati or Lamborghini?

Hay John, you can call Ken on +971 433-95985 or +971 505598097 he is In Dubai and deals with exotic cars, he can help you if you need anything.

 

Good luck with the car and you will enjoy it :supz: :supz:

John -

You can do the same thing with the Lambo pressure regulators. SusukiDave on this forum showed me how - thanks dave!

 

Hazim - :supz:

Thanks for all the information.

 

Since my last posting I have found a nice 93 2wd car. Is anyone aware of any significant technical difference between the 91 and 93 model years?

 

Regards to all.

Thanks for all the information.  

 

Since my last posting I have found a nice 93 2wd car.  Is anyone aware of any significant technical difference between the 91 and 93 model years?

 

Regards to all.

 

 

My understanding is that the 91/92/93 cars, were all produced in 1991.

Lamborghini had excess inventory of 1991 cars. Their was a worldwide

recession in 1990.

 

 

Is the 93 car forsale ?

Most 1992's{except for some very early cars} had the cam chain update done at the factory. Also the front hubs were updated on the 1992 model.

I would be interested in hearing what others you may have found because I believe any of those car should be able to come to Canada without changes emissions. Especially if the price is cheaper than the U.S.

Thanks,