Leone is ready - I am frustrated *now happy!*

[Lukas]

Hello friend!

 

I would like to tell you a story.

 

3 1/2 years ago, I told a friend of mine (owner of a Subaru-garage) to restore the 1986 Subaru Leone he has in the backyard for me. This week on tuesday, I collected it. And oh was I happy. After such a long wait, after so much money, after so much hassle because a lot of parts were hard to come by, it finally is ready for the road.

 

 

 

Looks like new, it´s perfect! At least that´s what I thought... He said he took a test-drive, so everything should be fine.

 

I drove off to Vienna, nearly 160km on the autobahn. After ~ 45 minutes, suddenly the car started to stutter sometimes. When the car is really hot, it stutters when driving away from standstill, when accelerating and even when I drive at a steady speed. It feels like if you suddenly step off the accelerator pedal and right on it again.

 

I phoned him, he said he did not dotice anything and that it may need new ignition cables. Ok, I´ll get them changed tomorrow.

 

Today, I took another drive. After some kilometres suddenly a loud bang from the gearbox. Followed by another bang. I drove to the side of the road, but could not see anything wrong so drove off again. No more bangs, now just a "tack tack tack tack"-noise. Will get this looked after at the mechanic here in Vienna.

 

I knew that there will be problems with the car after the restauration , it´s on the road after 7 years in the backyard. But I hoped everything would be fine, so now I am frustrated. I even thought of getting it sorted and selling it on to get a bit of my money back. Not half the money it cost me, but just a bit of it.

 

Now I need to get it sorted tomorrow, then we will see what other troubles lie ahead.

 

Lukas

[mat_the_cat]

Was it mainly a cosmetic restoration? Or have the mechanicals had a good going over too? If the former then it's more understandable that problems are coming to the surface now.

 

I'd try and keep the faith for a little while longer if you can - everything CAN be sorted and it's unlikely to come anywhere near the cost you must have already spent on it!

[Six-cylinder]

Sorry to hear of your troubles, I too have put a lot of money into a classic car in order that at least I could drive it but have been disappointed that in spite of that instruction to a garage to make it drivable, because of petrol fumes and exhaust/ burnt engine oil fumes it is not usable. I always knew it will still need further welding underside and a complete repaint but that was always next winters job. My solution is, I have put it away for now and am not going to think about it for a while so I don't take any rash action like selling it that I may regret latter.

[KruJoe]

That's lovely!

It does sound like a misfire.

You mentioned "it may need new ignition cables". So if it hasn't had service items replaced in the resto, they'll all need doing. For the ignition system, that's dizzy cap, rotor arm, ignition leads, and probably spark plugs.

Good luck and keep us all informed. And lots more pictures of the car in your lovely scenery please!

[Bucketeer]

KEEP THE FAITH LUKAS.

 

Something as lovely as that is worth the pain.

[HillmanImp]

That looks lovely. Sure it will have some problems, what cars don't when they have been laid up? Sure you will be mega chuffed with it before long.

[New POD]

I once paid a so called mechanic to swap a very worn mk2 cavalier 2.0 8V SEH for a low mileage mk3 cavalier 8V SEH in a CalibrE (note the E, is NOT an A)

 

After weeks of poor running, I worked out that the coil and Dizzy cap required different leads, and the leads were getting "white" hot. (I burnt my hand on one).

 

Then the engine let go a con rod, because A) the mechanic had not bothered to connect up the oil cooler (mk3 didn't have one) and GM had some big end bolt supply issues back in 1992, and had I known I would have been better off replacing them with ear wax, than leaving them to fail at high ish RPM on the hottest day of summer 2006

[Lukas]

Oh I was frustated! Was, because today I was at a garage here in Vienna, where the ignition-cables where changed. Result -> Runs perfect!

 

Almost every mechanical part has been changed, only the ingnition cables remained because my mechanic could not find new ones and thought they might be ok. Now, new ones are in and it runs perfect. Almost a different car to drive. I would have never thought that it may make such a difference.

 

Now I am happy again.

[mouseflakes]

What a looker!

 

Glad to hear it's running nicely now. And the gearbox mystery 'bang! tack,tack,tack' - hopefully that's just gone away?

[Lukas]

Mysteriously, it´s just gone away!  Don´t know what happened and why it disappeared.

 

Had it checked too at the garage today, but nothing looks wrong from underneath, the mechanic told me he thinks everything is fine after a testdrive. Let´s wait and see, if it happens again.

 

L

[Ratdat]

That car is amazing Lukas. Well worth the time and effort to fix whatever is wrong with it. Old cars are often inconvenient... that's all part of the ownership experience!

[Ratdat]

Is the AWD still working? Just a thought.

[nigel bickle]

Probably just a  forgotten spanner falling out.

 

There's a bound to be a few teething problems. He couldn't possibly refurb every component, there must be some cost/benefit analysis limiting every component swop out.

 

Invariably some parts deemed sound will now fail under stress. Tis the way of old car resurrection.

 

Add time for your journeys, carry a few sensible tools/spares, and keep your Rescue/Recovery card handy.

 

I reckon 800kms will sort it out -that's when you can breathe easy.

 

Looks lovely -well done.

[Lukas]

Yesterday, I took part in a classic hillclimb-event in the beautiful Wachau. We had to drive up a hill two times, they took our time and the driver with the most equal times won. I was 19th from 21. Yes, I was 45 seconds faster in the second turn. Just because I had so much fun in the Leone.