|
Repair Topic |
Picture |
Description |
|
Removing a Diablo rear
bumper |
.jpg) |
From a posted by "Placid" (in
Scandinavia) at LamboPower.com |
|
Replacing Diablo Belts |
 |
This explains how to remove the two engine belts of a Diabllo. |
|
Replacing Diablo Door Struts |
 |
This is a series of pictures illustrating how to replace the door struts in
a Diablo |
|
Refurbishing the engine and clutch of a 1993 Diablo |
 |
Removing the
engine from a Diablo is quite a complex task. This is already written up
once on this web site. See
here.
However everybody has a slightly different way of doing it.
This write-up is
really a series of photographs showing in detail many important steps
in the process and describes in great detail how an engine should be
refurbished. |
Installing an Alpine NAV System in a 1999 Diablo |
 |
For
those that wish to "do it yourself"
Rick Warwick has submitted this
account of installing an Alpine NAV system in a '99 Diablo.
He installed a system consisting of an Alpine IVA-D310 flip up
LCD, an
Alpine NVE-N872a Navigational unit and a Crimestopper rear view
camera. His Diablo already had an after market radio with a hideaway
unit in the trunk when delivered. This was an upgrade from that unit
Lamborghini supplies in these cars. |
|
Replacing a Broken
Clutch Connecting Rod |
 |
The connecting rod
that connects the hydraulic clutch slave
cylinder to the clutch lever is a weak
point in Diablos from 1995 onwards.
Many brakes have been reported. Failure
is immediate and with no warning. There
is a sudden loss of clutch control.
Further, if you continue to pump the
clutch pedal, you will push the broken
rod out of the cylinder dumping it on
the road. The cylinder piston comes out
of the cylinder and brake oil leaks out
with each pump. A better solution is
illustrated here. |
|
Replacing the
Tachometer Dash Light
|
 |
From time to time the dash lights can burn
out in Lamborghinis as in all cars. (Unfortunately LEDs are slow to
be adapted by the industry). Fortunately replacing them in
Lamborghinis is often fairly easy. |
|
Repairing Koni
Front Lifting System in a Diablo |
 |
All Lamborghini Diablos (after 1993), the
Murci?lago and from 2005 onwards Gallardo's have a system that
allows the driver to raise the front of the car about 2 inches (when
driving at low speeds) to get over obstructions on the road or
driveway. Unfortunately this system is a notoriously badly designed
system. It is perhaps the greatest failure in the design of
Lamborghini cars and is the subject of numerous discussions in Web
forum discussion groups. The major problem with this system is that
the front Koni shocks (through which oil is pumped into to rise the
car) leak. There are particularly prone to do so if they are
"bumped" when the car is in the raised condition. The oil pressure
system puts out over 1500 PSI to raise the car. The seals in the
shocks simply are not designed to take this pressure. Also
there are sensitive oil pressure switches that monitor the system.
These switches sometimes fail as well. |
|
Changing Radiator
Stopcock in a Diablo |
 |
Every two years at least you should
change the coolant in your car. Wet cold
winter days when you cannot drive is a
good time to do this. Unfortunately in a
Diablo changing the coolant is not as
easy as in most cars. The reason for
this is that the stopcock is very
difficult to find and open. It is quite
common to have it snap off in the
process. Some people resort to draining
the radiator by disconnecting one of the
hoses instead. I describe here a fix in
which we will replace the Lamborghini
hard to open spigot with an easily
accessible stopcock. |
|
Removing a
Diablo Muffler |
 |
There are a number of times when one may
wish to remove the muffler from a
Lamborghini. Almost any major engine
repair for example will require the
muffler to be removed. Fortunately this
is relatively easy to do in most of the
cars. I will illustrate it here with a
Diablo. I will also outline how to go
about repairing the muffler box if one
of the catalyst attachment bolts gets
broken. This is common on older (often
rusted) cars. |
|
Adding a HID System to a
Diablo |
 |
The headlights of Diablo and earlier
cars leave much to be desired in terms
of lighting intensity. Poor lighting
often becomes the limiting factor for
high speed night driving in these cars.
These days there are a number of
aftermarket kits available to allow you
to add your own Xenon high intensity
lighting display (HID) to your car. What
is needed is to replace the low beam
light with HID lights. It is not
necessary to replace the high beam
lights since the low beam lamps remain
on with the high beam. On 1999 and later
Diablos the lights are actually Nissan
300ZX units. This makes it easy to find
a replacement HID unit. |
Changing the Oil in a Diablo |
 |
Frequent oil changes are one of the best
things you can do to extend the life of
any engine. If you start and stop the
car often this requirement is even more
critical. Fortunately changing the oil
in these cars is simple to do. I will
describe how to do it for a 6L Diablo.
The process is essentially the same for
other Lamborghini cars. I hope the more
experienced readers will forgive me, but
I am going to explain this process in
very simple steps for people that may
not take on the more challenging
"repairs" I have in other parts of this
site but might tackle a simple task like
this. |
Changing Brake Fluid Oil in a Diablo |
 |
In all Lamborghinis the brake fluid
should to be changed every 5,000 to
10,000 miles. This number will change
depending on how hard you drive and use
the brakes. The friction on the brake
shoes on these heavy cars is tremendous.
The brakes quickly get very hot and can
lead to severe burns if touched.
Likewise the oil driving the cylinders
in the brake shoes gets hot. Over time
it starts to char and go brown or black.
If unchanged it will cause buildup of
deposits in the lines leading to poor
brake performance. Fortunately a
brake fluid change can be done at any
good brake shop or if you have the time
and knowledge done yourself. |
|
Rear
Central Brake Light Repair |
 |
This is an easy one! At the 2004 Annual
Concorso Italiano Car Show was held
again in Monterey California, I did a
quick survey of how many Diablos had a
crack in one or both sides of the
plastic light holder for the rear
central brake light. Surprisingly many
had a crack. This is due to the nut
being tightened too tight to the frame
of the car. It seems that the plastic
material that makes up this light is
very fragile at this location. If it is
not taken care of it will shake loose
and possibly be lost. |
|
Removal Of Diablo
Computer Error Codes |
 |
The LIE computer on Diablos (and all
later cars) accumulate a detailed
history of numerous measurements of a
cars performance over time. Things like
the max RPM's the car has experienced.
The max temperature of oil, water etc.
It also contains a detailed list of
engine code errors. Even if the check
engine light goes out the code is still
retained in the LIE computers memory for
about 400 ignition key on/off cycles.
If you have overhauled the engine or
corrected some other engine problem some
people like to clear out these error
codes. Start with a clean slate so to
speak. This can be done using a jumper
socket to the LIE computer. |
|
Throttle Position Sensor
Repair and Adjustment |
 |
The throttle position sensor (or TPS as
it is called), is nothing more than a
potentiometer where over a gradient
range from 0 to +5V a moveable arm reads
out the position of the engine throttle
lever. It appears to be the same unit in
all Diablo cars. I do not know about the
more recent cars.
The sensor is connected to the engine
throttle control by two screws. These
screws can loosen causing the engine to
have a high RPM on idle and/or have the
carter motor remain on after the
ignition is switched off. The latter
will run down the battery overnight.
Alternatively the TPS itself can ware
out giving back unreliable information
about the engine throttle control to the
LIE computer. Fortunately checking and
adjusting this sensor is simple. |
|
Lamborghini
Engines Two Engines
In One |
 |
One of the often overlooked features
when it comes to detecting engine faults
with later Lamborghini engines is the
fact that they are really two engines in
one. The front "Check Engine Lights"
have a (L) Left and (R) Right lamp. This
not only means that if there is a
localized fault with the engine you can
determine on which bank of cylinders it
resides on, but you can further localize
the fault by switching components from
one side to the next. |
|
Repairing a Carter Motor |
 |
The "Carter Motor" is a servo motor that
sits on top of the engine and adjusts
the throttle when the engine is cold. It
is controlled by a separate controller
unit that is situated beside the LIE
computer (but is not part of it). The
reason it is called a "Carter Motor" is
that it is a servo motor made by a large
manufacture of server motors called
"Carter".
The operating strategy of this device is
co-related to the time that passes from
engine ignition and the different
temperatures picked up by the engine
control sensors. The carter motor uses
these parameters to bring the
accelerator opening to a calculated
value. This decreases as time passes,
and the accelerator control is released
when the engine reaches the correct rpm.
If this motor fails, you will get a
"L-check engine " light, an OBDII
reading "Random Misfire" as well as
difficulties keeping the engine turning
over at low RPM's when it is cold. |
|
Checking Engine Misfire
Sensors |
 |
The LIE computer system in Diablo and
later cars is a state of the art system
for getting the maximum power out of the
engine. It has a very sophisticated
system of diagnostic tests that run in
real time to check that the engine is
running properly. Even minor out of
specs changes in engine performance are
flagged to the driver in the form of the
Left or Right "Check Engine" light.
The LIE computer has a number of sensors
to determine how your engine is running.
One, is a set of sensors called "Engine
Misfire" sensors. These sensors are
located on the left and right sides of
the engine. They should be checked
periodically to make sure the hose
connection to them is not leaking. |
|
Changing Air
Filters |
 |
Probably no other single maintenance
change to an engine has a greater effect
on an engine than changing a dirty air
filter. Lamborghini engines suck in a
lot of air! If this air flow is impeded
with a clogged filter performance
suffers greatly. Fortunately Lamborghini
has designed their cars so that
replacing an air filter is simple to do.
|
|
Seat Widening is a Diablo |
 |
A very common complaint from Diablo
drivers is that the seat is too narrow.
This is particularly so for the recent
6.0L models. In these cars the seat and
seat back are separate allowing one to
be adjusted independently of the other.
This is a long overdue requirement.
However for many of us these seats are
actually more uncomfortable than those
of the earlier one piece molded early
models because the actual sitting area
within the seat is too narrow. One needs
to widen the horizontal area for your
butt! This can be done but it does
require a stomach to distort the seat
structure. |
|
Hand
Brake Switch Repair |
 |
A very common problem on Diablo's is
that the handbrake "on light" on the
dash does not always go off when you
release the handbrake. This can often be
corrected by raising the hand brake bar
even tighter and then releasing it. The
bad news is that this gets worse with
time. It got to the point with mine that
eventually it would not go our at all.
Fortunately it is not hard to
permanently correct this problem. |
|
Testing Spark Plug Coils |
 |
Each spark plug in a 6.0L Diablo has its
own ignition coil directly on top of the
plug itself. This arrangement known as
"Coil On Plug" or COP allows for a very
efficient control of engine timing. A
low 12v lead goes to each COP where it
goes to an induction coil. The secondary
coil lead goes directly to the plug
socket. Because there are no high
voltage leads going along the engine top
to each coil higher voltages and sparks
can be obtained.
The only problem is that sometimes these
coils short out. They are buried deep
within the engine (see below). Normal
coil testers will not work because the
probe cannot be placed along side the
actual coil. |
|
Wheel Air Pressure Sensors |
 |
Each wheel of a Diablo (and I assume
later cars) has an internal sensor that
continuously tracks the air pressure in
the tire. Should it drop below about 28
PSI it will alarm the driver by
switching on the "Tire Pressure
Indicator" light on the dash. The system
is very useful. Lamborghini was way
ahead of its time in providing such a
system. What is even more remarkable is
that the sensors themselves do not need
internal batteries. Instead they contain
a magnet and coil that generates enough
current when the tire rotates to drive
the sensor.
The only problem is that if you get a
flat and have to temporally fill the
tire with inflation foam the inflation
rubber like "gunk" inactivates the
sensor. A simple procedure to remove the
sensor and clean it is provided here. |
|
Testing and
Replacing Fuel Injectors |
 |
Fuel injectors play a critical role in
delivering the high performance
standards to the engines of these cars.
Unfortunately they have a history of
failing. The good news is that you can
quickly do a few simple tests to
identify a faulty injector. The Left or
Right "Check Engine Light" is usually
your first indication that something is
wrong. The tests here then will help you
identify the faulty candidate(s). |
|
Replacing Door Handles |
 |
The two door handles in the Diablo
suffer numerous scratches over time due
to the fact that they are made from a
soft plastic material. Fortunately
replacing them is simple and not
expensive (by Lamborghini standards).
|
|
Engine Air Sensor |
 |
The two air sensors on a Diablo can fail
from time to time. This will fire up the left or right check engine
light. Fortunately replacing them is easy and not too expensive.
An Air Sensor is shown here on the left. It
is a simple device containing a small red bead connected to two wires
which I assume changes its electrical conductivity depending on the
oxygen content of the air. |
|
Engine Removal
|
 |
Removing an engine from a Diablo is
quite a complex task. There are a number
of times you may need to remove the
engine from the car. The most common is
when you need to change the clutch. I
will present at a later date information
as to how to do that . Right now lets
concentrate on just getting the engine
out. You will need a few specialized
tools and at least one other person to
help you. The engine itself weighs
almost 1 ton, so a way to mechanically
hoist it out of the car is essential.
|
|
Changing Remote Key Battery |
 |
While not strictly a repair, I have had a few
people ask me on this web site , is it possible to change the battery on a
Lamborghini Diablo VT 98 or later radio security door key. The answer is yes
but it is a bit tricky. Click
below to find out how.
Related: This Security radio has a number
of options that are not mentioned in the car manual. The key is made by an
Italian company called Med. Click on to read an
English translation of Med.pdf.
This describes how to
program the key. Note the page numbers in the .pdf file are not in
order. |
|
Brake Air Ducts |
 |
While checking my VT recently I noticed
that the left front air duct to the disk
brake had a brake in it. This duct takes
air from the front of the car and
redirects it over the front disk brake
rotors. This helps to insure that the
rotors keep cool when braking at high
speeds. Because the front wheels move so
much relative to the rest of the car,
part of the duct work consists of a
flexible hose. This hose is almost 3
inches in diameter. It is made of a
flexible material that also contains a
spiral metal spring like support. Over
time it appears the flexible material
fatigues and shows brakes. This allows
the air to escape leading to less
cooling of the brake rotors. Fortunately
replacement is simple and well worth the
effort. |
|
Brake Pedal Switch |
 |
Recently I noticed my rear brake lights
were not coming on when I pressed the
brake pedal. Needless to say this is a
very dangerous situation in a Diablo
with drivers always following you behind
and trying to keep up. It turns out the
contact brake switch pressing against
the brake pedal arm was at fault.
This report shows how to replace this
brake pedal switch with a common US
generic one.
|
|
Door Contact Switches
|
 |
I live by the sea in the San Francisco
Bay area. One of the best places in the
world to live! One little problem
however. The air has minute traces of
salt in it. When it rains here this salt
can work its way into the car if it gets
wet.
I noticed recently that the red light on
the side of one door that comes on when
the door is opened was intermittent.
Sometimes it came on other times it did
not. The culprit turned out to be minor
corrosion on the door open/closed
contact switch. The switch unit (there
are two switches in the unit) is on the
front side surface of the door. It
needed to be disassembled and cleaned. |
|
Window Worm Screw Adjustment
|
 |
Recently something inside my car door
started to rattle when I ran the car
above about 70 MPH. Even more scary was
the fact I heard a strange sound when I
raised or lowered the window.
This report shows how to open up the
door interior and correct a simple
problem where the red rubber sleeve
covering the long flexible window worm
screw that is used to raise and lower
the window came off. |
|
Koni Shock
Problems In Lamborghini Cars |
 |
Recently there has been a lot of
discussion amongst Diablo owners about a
problem with the Koni shocks in 1997 and
later Diablo's. The problem with these
cars is that the front shocks often fail
(leak oil) if the car hits a major bump
in the road. It appears to be a design
problem related to the fact that these
cars have a mechanism that allows the
driver to pump oil from the power
steering into the shocks that raises the
car about 4 inches. A very nice feature
when going over bumps in the road or
driving up a slope.
|
|
Brake and Clutch Pedals |
 |
A common complaint for drivers of
Diablo's (and perhaps other Lamborghini
cars) is that the brake and clutch
pedals are too small and too close
together. If one happens to be in stop
and go traffic for any period of time
ones left foot can really gets sore
pressing of the small pedal. The
solution involves attaching a larger
"After Market" pedal plate. However
things are complicated by the fact that
the surface of the Lamborghini pedals
are very curved making attachment
difficult. A solution is presented here.
Also a much improved left dead foot
pedal is added to the car. |
|
Diablo OBDII Codes |
 |
Just like any other North American car
made after 1996 the Diablo has an "OBDII socket" for a OBDII scan tool.
Government mandated rules specify that
after the check engine warning light
comes on due to a fault, the engine
control unit must record a specific
error code. The purpose of this code is
to give precise information to the
service technician concerning the fault
to allow its repair.
|
|
Side Mirror Changes For A
Diablo |
 |
One problem we all have driving
Countach's and Diablo's is that
visibility to the rear of the car is
poor. The side mirrors on these cars are
too small and provide only a limited
field of view. To make matter worse,
when other people on the road are
driving alongside to view the car, they
tend to hang back at 4 and 7 o'clock
positions, exactly the blind spot for
these mirrors! The solution: use a
convex mirror. The problem is that
Lamborghini does not provide these
mirrors. At least not in the US.
The solution is simple. Go out and find
a large convex mirror of the type used
in pickup trucks and have a glass shop
cut out a mirror from these mirrors
exactly the shape and size of the one in
your car. Then simply glue this mirror
on to the surface of the current (flat)
Lamborghini mirror. The resulting field
of view as seen from the drivers seat is
simply a night and day difference. No
longer can drivers in the right lane
sneak up on you. The photograph on the
left shows such a modified mirror.
If you live in the San Francisco bay
area you can have this done by Franks of
Berkley at (510)548-1434 They do great
work and are very reasonable price wise. |
|
Battery
Replacement |
 |
The 450+ HP engine of a Diablo is
requires a good battery to crank the
car. It is quite common in a failing
battery to still have strong lights,
radio etc. and yet the battery cannot
even the starter. A good battery is
essential
Replacing a Diablo battery is not as
simple as replacing the battery on your
typical US car. This is because
Lamborghini placed the battery low to
the ground in front of the left rear
wheel in a Diablo.
|
|
Engine Error Codes |
 |
The engine of a Diablo is a marvel of
engineering and really a work of art.
The engine is really two 6 cylinder
engines joined side by side and
controlled by two separate computer
systems. Diablo engines are very
reliable. They can take a tremendous
pounding and are for most of us driven
far below their capabilities in terms of
power demands.
Nevertheless from time to time things
can go wrong or need a minor adjustment.
The computer signals if something is
wrong with the engine by turning on the
R or L engine warning light. These two
lights correspond to the right and left
bank of cylinders of the V12 engine.
Rather than acting as a simple warning
light however, there is a diagnostic
test to then find out what the problem
is. |
|
Shock
Absorber Failure In Diablo |
 |
Diablo's are heavy cars weighing almost
two tons. This weight puts considerable
strain on the six shock absorbers of the
car. The softness of the absorbers can
be adjusted by the driver over 4
settings. One being most soft, four
being like there is no shock at all.
There is also an "auto" setting which
allows the cars computer to match the
settings with road conditions and speed.
Should any one absorber fail an error
light will come on indicating there is a
problem. Fortunately Lamborghini has
installed in the car a computer driven
series of tests to locate which wheel is
at fault. |
|
Radar Detector Installation |
 |
While not strictly a repair topic, this
seems an appropriate place describe how
and where to put a radar detector in a
Diablo. Many suggestions have been made
as to the best location for a detector.
Clearly the simplest is to place it
front and center on the windscreen using
the suction cups supplied by the
manufacture. While this is very simple
to do there are disadvantages. The unit
is very visible, asking to get stolen
and the power wire going to the
cigarette lighter socket looks ugly. The
approach here is to place the detector
between the roof and the passenger side
sun shade running the power cord between
the roof and roof padding. The LED
display from the detector is also
relocated to the roof dome light
fixture. |
|
Horn
Switch Repair |
 |
A fairly common problem in later
Diablo's is the horn button no longer
works. The reason for this has to do
with the design of these buttons. There
are two buttons underneath the leather
on the steering wheel. They consist of
two pieces of brass separated by rubber
disks. When the horn is pressed, the
rubber between the brass plates is
compressed and the two brass disks make
contact closing an electrical
connection. The horn fails when the
rubber gets hardened and does not give
enough to let the brass plates to come
together. Lamborghini's solution is to
supply the customer with a new steering
wheel. |
|
|
|
|
