[Ozzi]

New Tyres
First up some new rubber was in order. The tyres on the car were over 10 years old and badly cracked. After a few weeks of searching I managed to find a set of Pzero Assimetrico's - 335/30/18 rear and 235/35/18

front.

 

[Ozzi]

Major Service
After a few 100 kms of driving I noticed the clutch was slipping, so it was time to complete a major engine out service. Mechanic gave the car a once over and thankfully this was not a complete disaster. You will see the flywheel in the photos does not look too happy, so the replacement was timely. It was found the thermostat on the top of the engine was stuck, so this was also replaced as well as the coolant exit pipe at the rear of the engine which had some corrosion. Other things replaced included most of the rubber hoses were getting dry and replaced, clutch slave cylinder was leaking and replaced, rear main seal was replaced, oil vapour pipes replaced, gear lever bushing and spring replaced as well as other odds and ends. It felt great to get this major work out of the way.

 

[Ozzi]

Suspension Rebuild
Some of my shock absorbers were leaking and several of the bushes were destroyed. Luckily my mechanic had a set of rebuilt front koni shocks with lift on hand so these were swapped over. He mentioned these were rebuilt in the US by a specialist who I believe has been mentioned a few times on this forum. He was also able to source a full set of bushes for a reasonable price. I was able to get the rear shocks rebuilt locally and swapped these over myself. The car has the lift kit installed but I am yet to get it to work. Mechanic has done all of the basic checks but has not been able to get it to lift. He says it might be the valve block that needs rebuilding. I sometimes get the shock error warning when I press the lift button, however no change to fluid pressure or height. Appreciate if anyone has any pointers on this one. The suspension level settings also seem to work... sometimes... and sometimes I get that red error light... this is another job for a later time. Importantly all shocks now work with no rattles or leaks!

 

[Ozzi]

Great project! Where do you found a set of tyres? The front ones seems hard to find at the moment.

Yes the front tyres were very hard to find. I ended up finding them at Mag Wheel and Tyre shop in Preston, Victoria here in Australia. This was almost a year ago when I bought them and they are 2018 date coded.

 

[Ozzi]

Congrats on a beautiful car! Love the work you’re doing as well as posting here. Couple of things: that fin does not look like a 98, the rear fin is from an earlier car. Not sure that bothers you. They are expensive to replace. Also, your front bumper also looks like an earlier car? The double square Hella fog lamps I believe are from 94 and earlier. Someone on here can correct me if I’m wrong.
That color is amazing!

replace every rubber hose and fuel line while you can with the engine out. Best of luck with your projects.

Thanks mate. I'm not too sure if the wing is original or not, I actually prefer the one fitted compared to the curved variant so not too bothered either way. Although looking at the lp112 website I can see a lot of later model cars also have the same version as mine, so maybe it was an option or lots have fitted them afterwards? From my research the later model VT's all had the double square headlamps. I recently came across this magazine review below from 1998 and you can see the VT is the only variant with the square foglamps.

 

[Ozzi]

A lot of us experience the issue with the suspension error lights. In my case, the lift works but the adjustable suspension does not. While the hydraulic stuff can be rebuilt, the servo motor in the shock cannot.

Thanks, yeah it sounds like a common problem. I do want to get the lift working eventually once I get some more important things sorted.

 

[Ozzi]

What is the color

The original color is actually Fly Yellow. It had a repaint about 12 years ago in Hong Kong. I don't think it was painted in a Lamborghini color, the shop who painted it told me it is a Lotus color B100 from their memory but couldn't confirm. From a few paint chips I can see the original yellow remains underneath... I have plans to return it to original color eventually.

 

[Ozzi]

Hey Oz

The front bumper is correct. Early cars had the 4 square lights in a solid bumper. The VT's had the 4 square lights too, but with the open vents underneath the lights like you have.

The rear plinth (between the tail lights) is wrong though. That's a Roadster plinth.

The wing is correct.

Is it an original LHD car converted to RHD? The rear bumper is LHD configuration. If it's an original RHD car as expected if it's from HK, then the wrong rear bumper was installed (possibly when they installed the wrong rear plinth). Possible rear damage? Do you have its full history?

I thought the Roadster wheels came as standard on '99 Coupes only.

About your lift - take it to someone competent like Massimo from Lambo Melbourne and he will fix it for you, regardless how much they are bagged by Paul

Congrats again on the car and lots to tell you when I see you next.

Hey Andre,

Thanks mate, good to see you on here. I've tried to do as much research as possible (i.e. searched for all 98 model coupe photos on the net to compare lol) and the rear plinth looks correct for the 98 year. You can see the rear shot of the same magazine article below, and i've seen the same rear on all other 98 coupe models on the net, so i'm thinking this is a one year only changed that happened for some reason. The same goes for the roadster wheels, I think this is because they needed the bigger wheels to fit the bigger brakes and abs which was included this year.

I have the history going back about 12 years on the car and also have the original registration papers which confirm it entered HK in 97 which leads me to believe it is all RHD. I can't see any difference on the rear bumpers, what is the difference between RHD and LHD?

Have had a good look underneath the car and behind bumpers and can't see any accident damage thankfully. Thanks for confirming the wing is correct.

Look forward to catching up soon.

 

[Ozzi]

Following the above LHD/RHD issue - have you got a photo of the centre console? LHD and RHD are angled differently with the clock positioned on oposite sides. When the cars get converted that is one part that does not usually get swaped over.

Here is a photo of the the centre console, looks to be correct? Don't mind the ratty leather piping, cracked plastics and aftermarket knob, an interior refresh is on the to-do list.

 

[Ozzi]

That's a RHD console, so you can breathe easy

On RHD rear bumpers, the reverse light is on the left and the fog light is on the right. Yours are swapped around.

I am only aware of 99MY open light coupes having the Roadster wheels and Roadster plinth. I never seen them on a 98MY.

Both Coupe wheels and Roadster wheels came in 18" from '98 onwards. Before that, even Roadster wheels were 17".
Apart from SV that had 17" front and 18" rears (pre '98 SV's that is).

Phew! The lights may have been swapped around when removed for paint 12 years ago maybe... I didn't know the coupe wheels came in 18inch, have never seen them in that size.

 

[Ozzi]

Andecorp is correct, again! I had not realized the differences I mentioned were only for the Roadsters versus the coupes. Still, pretty fascinating how many changes they made for such a limited number of hand built cars back in the late- and mid- 90s. They only made something on the order of 260 per year back then, but had not insignificant changes between Europe, Saudi Arabia, and the US models not to mention Canada and Australia. Really interesting following all the changes.

Ozzie, there’s that cool yellow piping. It would look good to revert the exterior back to fly yellow I suppose! Beautiful either way.

Yes it is fascinating how many changes they made considering the small number of production. I didn't realise these differences made in 98 when I first purchased the car and also just assumed the rear panel and wheels were swapped out afterwards. I've since realised that maybe my car is more original than I thought, so have tried to confirm this which has been fun, but until I see a photo of my car rolling out the factory will never know for sure. Ragingbulldiablo on instagram recently sent me photos of a magazine from June 98 which compares the 98 model cars. I can only assume these cars are unmodified at the time and may be specific to the Turkish market, however think it is as close to the truth for that model year that I have come across so far. These may have already been posted on the forum previously, but I will copy them below for those who would like a read. Google translate will help you with the Turkish.

 

[Ozzi]

 

[Ozzi]

Fuel Pumps and Filters Replacement
A few months into ownership I smelt a strong petrol smell after parking and found a puddle under the fuel tank area. I went to the store and bought a fresh fire extinguisher for the passenger footwell and then went about finding the problem. Removed the plate below the fuel tank area and saw the fuel pumps were leaking, so decided to replace all pumps, filters and rubber hoses. First step was emptying the fuel tank which I did by removing the exit fuel hose to pre-filter. I drained about 30 litres of fuel from the tank which was surprising since the fuel light was on when parked! The rest of the removal process was straightforward until needing to remove the coolant reservoir tank to access the fuel filters which were above the fuel tank, which took me some time and made some mess. Replacement parts were all pretty cheap. I ordered 2 fuel pumps (Bosch 16141179232) and 2 fuel filters (Bosch 0450905021) from FCP Euro for about US$200 + delivery. I ordered the 2 pre-filters (#7563164) from autoricambilineaverde website in Italy for 7 euro each. Looks like these are shared with a Fiat Uno. Also sourced 2 meters of 7.9mm fuel injection hose and 1 meter of 12.7mm fuel hose and clamps from the local auto store. No more fuel leaks.

 

[Ozzi]

Been debating replacing my fuel pumps because I’ve replaced everything else in the fuel system except for the pumps and the carbon canisters and the tank. Were your pumps making any noises before you needed to replace them or was it just leaking?

My fuel pumps were working fine and not making any weird noises. Only one was leaking from the corner of the plate of the fuel exit pipe.

 

[Ozzi]

New Alternator
I was driving the car for the first time at night and about 10 minutes into my drive I noticed the battery warning light up. The car was running fine so I decided to U turn back home. During a stressful 10 minute drive back I noticed my headlights go dimmer and dimmer but made it back home safely. Jacked the car up to get to the battery and checked the voltage was showing ~12v, this should be higher. Started the car and the voltage remained around 12v, so I knew the alternator was bad. I then turned the car off and tested for any voltage drain when stopped. I could see a constant 3 amp draw when car was off. I then disconnected the main positive cable from the 250A fuse to the alternator and the amp draw disappeared, another confirmation my alternator was toast. I guess the extra load of the headlights on the aging alternator made it blow up.

I decided to bring the alternator to a local auto electrician to see if it could be rebuilt. Sadly the rectifier was fried, so it couldn't be rebuilt. From some research on this forum I learnt the alternator is shared with a Porsche 928 (#Bosch Al170X) and searched far and wide over several weeks for a replacement unit. I contacted about 10 shops and they were all out of stock. I ended up with two options available, order a rebuilt Bosch unit through Porsche imported from Germany for about A$2,200+, or the same rebuilt Bosch unit from BuyAutoParts in the US for about A$700 delivered, so I chose the cheaper option. Installing the unit was pretty straightforward after removing the exhaust heat cover and the right air intake access was easy.

There were two other reasons my alternator probably broke. Firstly my car was missing an alternator heat shield (which my mechanic previously warned me about), so I sourced a second hand unit and installed this between the cats and alternator. Secondly, there is a fresh air inlet tube which connects to the alternator which mine was also broken and not connected. This tube connects from the right skirt intake next to the fuel tank. So I ordered about 2m of new brake duct tube and connected this to the alternator cover inlet.

The car now maintains ~13.7 volts when driving and there is no more amperage drain when standing. I also purchased a new battery trickle charger to make sure no more weak battery.

 

[Ozzi]

when you trickle charge, make sure to disconnect the power switch. I dont know if there is any truth to it, but some report it could fry the LIE's having the trickle charger connected with the power switch on.

Thanks, yes that is a good idea for sure. I am a little paranoid and always turn off the battery disconnect switch when parked and also have the trickle charger connected directly to the battery if that makes any difference.

 

[Ozzi]

^yes, or so I’m told. Not a bad habit to form. Also, remove and thoroughly clean all your grounds if not already done. These cars are very fickle to clean grounds.

Thanks. Cleaning the ground straps was one of the first jobs I did to try fix a random starter motor click that happens from time to time. Grounds are immaculate now.

 

[Ozzi]

Hi there

Paul is an old friend and an Excellent Technician, Ozzi have you change your clutch?

Thank you

PS: Say please Hi form us to Paul )))

Hi there, I agree Paul is a great mechanic, I will send him your regards. Yes, I replaced my clutch already late last years. Cheers

 

[Ozzi]

We like to offer your beautiful Lamborghini Diablo in return to write on Lamborghini-Talk a review our (2000$ Value) PEGA FXSS-SC Full Kevlar Clutch Disc, just Pay the S&H. This offer is valid to 15 days and we expect you to install the disc at Paul's shop with in One year. If this sounds Good for you please contact us, and

>>>>>>>>>>>we have one more Lamborghini PEGA Clutch Rebuild available Lamborghini-Talk for a review <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Please contact us for details

Some pictures for the last rebuild we made for the Lamborghini Diablo:
View attachment 335488 View attachment 335491 View attachment 335489 View attachment 335492

Cheers

Thank you, that is a very generous offer but I only recently replaced my clutch and hope I don't need to replace it again within the next year Your kevlar clutch looks great, maybe another forum member is due for a clutch replacement and is interested in your offer. Cheers