11749 New Owner, First Post, and Oddities

[spaceboyusa]

First official post in the General thread, as I'm the new owner of 11749, an original Middle East (Dubai) car bought by my father-in-law in 1990 at the Geneva (IL) Lakes Auto Auction. He's owned it for the past 26 years and two weeks ago, asked if I was interested in getting the car. Of course without hesitation I said yes, and shipped the car to Colorado. I have 4 kids and 2 other classics but to say that we're excited about having 11749 would be an understatement. Case in point: Over the first 10 days of having the car, we've already put 150 miles on it. Sit in the garage it will not; I'm ready to invest to update/upgrade the car and get it ready for being on the roads of the Denver area!

The car is 99% original with about 22,000 miles on it. While not a gear head, I know enough about taking care of cars and seeing what's to be seen. So far I've replaced the original overflow tank (with the stainless one from DMC), had the oil changed (went Valvoline ZR1 and Bosch filter), and have front rotor/back brake/stainless steel brake lines installation scheduled for Tuesday. I have also ordered the complete radiator kit from DMC as the car still has the original radiator and its age is definitely showing (this will be installed week after next). My father-in-law also ran into the fuse 1 and 7 fuse box issue so he moved those to other fuse locations which means I've already ordered a new fuse box from DMC and will get to this project most likely over the winter...=).

Overall the car runs really well save for a few known items. Won't bore anyone with those but I do have a few "odd" things that I've noticed that I'd welcome feedback on:
1. Checked my back lights and the left back turn signal and brake light don't work (right is just fine, and left running lights work just fine). I pulled the light board and "flexed" the board and the lights work, but when I put back in the light, they don't work. As such, am either going to order a new incandescent board, or was thinking of upgrading to the LED back lights (welcome any feedback on the DMC LED upgrade kit). Regardless, seems like replacing the board one way or another will most likely solve this (and maybe the next point?) since getting power to the board doesn't seem like an issue
2. The left turn signal blinks faster than the right turn signal; hoping new boards in the back take care of this...or is that wishful thinking?
3. The speedometer only works a portion of the time. Since the front tires will be off to do the brake work, was going to have the speed cable checked out in that area to see if anything's going on.
4. I've got some radiator fluid leaking on the driver's front side, under where the reservoir is for the windshield washer fluid. It's coming out of the black box with the two holes in the bottom of it, and from what I see in the parts books, there's radiator lines in this area so I'm assuming one is leaking/has loose clamps/something.
5. I've got a vacuum leak behind the radio as the car "hisses" all the time; will eventually try to track this down as from what I read, it's not something that will cause trouble with the car running and is a bit of a bear to address
6. The fuel lines are original but look in really good shape. I see a number of discussions of how important it is to replace the original rubber lines with metal ones. Is it really that critical to replace these?

Honored to be a member of the DMCTalk family, and look forward to many years of contributing to and learning from this forum!

46368

[David T]

Freshen up ALL of the fluids and filters. If the tire's date codes are over 7 years old, replace the tires. The taillight boards can be fixed or replaced. PJ Grady has a very nice upgraded set. Should fix all of your speed and no light issues.
Inspect the "dust cover" behind the left front wheel. If the inner hole is rounded (no longer square) replace it
When you replace the radiator, replace the hoses
Rebuild the mode switch with a new diaphragm and the hiss should go away unless it is a hose that is not connected.
If the rubber outer covering is coming off the hoses you can recover them with a heavy layer of electrical tape but if the hoses have been abused, kinked, etc they should be replaced.
Fluid coming out of that "box" is probably washer fluid.

[DaraSue]

If you haven't already, you might want to get in touch with your local club. https://www.facebook.com/Rocky-Mountain-DeLoreans-174133657746/

When I was driving mine back from Chicago to SLC, they were helpful with garage recommendations and offers to help out with repairs. Somebody there might be interested in helping with the work, and even if you're an experienced mechanic it's nice to have another set of eyes and hands who knows the car.

Plus they'll probably be interested to see your car since it's kind of a rarity even among DeLoreans!

[Nate88]

Congrats!!

I'm a new owner as well and learning what I can so I can't help with all of your questions, but I did replace all my exterior lights (except headlights) with the LED kit from DMC. I went with only the bulb kit and did not get new boards. So far I'm very happy with them. They come with the required turn signal module so they don't fast blink as well.

The only thing that MAY be of concern is that the back up white LED's are the bright white modern look instead of the more soft white/yellow of incandecants. Doesn't bother me at all, but if you don't like that look it's something to keep in mind.

Enjoy your new ride!!

[Gregadeth]

The tail-lights not working could just be an issue with bad connections at the rivets. This is what I did to fix mine: http://www.dmcnews.com/Techsection/tailights.htm. The hissing near the radio, check to see if it's actually coming from the mode switch, if it is you need this: http://store.delorean.com/p-7759-mode-control-switch-rebuild-kit.aspx

[Jonathan]

Overall the car runs really well save for a few known items. Won't bore anyone with those but I do have a few "odd" things that I've noticed that I'd welcome feedback on:
1. Checked my back lights and the left back turn signal and brake light don't work (right is just fine, and left running lights work just fine). I pulled the light board and "flexed" the board and the lights work, but when I put back in the light, they don't work. As such, am either going to order a new incandescent board, or was thinking of upgrading to the LED back lights (welcome any feedback on the DMC LED upgrade kit). Regardless, seems like replacing the board one way or another will most likely solve this (and maybe the next point?) since getting power to the board doesn't seem like an issue
2. The left turn signal blinks faster than the right turn signal; hoping new boards in the back take care of this...or is that wishful thinking?
3. The speedometer only works a portion of the time. Since the front tires will be off to do the brake work, was going to have the speed cable checked out in that area to see if anything's going on.
4. I've got some radiator fluid leaking on the driver's front side, under where the reservoir is for the windshield washer fluid. It's coming out of the black box with the two holes in the bottom of it, and from what I see in the parts books, there's radiator lines in this area so I'm assuming one is leaking/has loose clamps/something.
5. I've got a vacuum leak behind the radio as the car "hisses" all the time; will eventually try to track this down as from what I read, it's not something that will cause trouble with the car running and is a bit of a bear to address
6. The fuel lines are original but look in really good shape. I see a number of discussions of how important it is to replace the original rubber lines with metal ones. Is it really that critical to replace these?

Honored to be a member of the DMCTalk family, and look forward to many years of contributing to and learning from this forum!

46368

Welcome aboard, Rob! Good looking family there... might have to dig up those old plans for a DMC 4-door sedan for all those kids!!

1.) The boards on the left and right side are the same, so an easy piece of troubleshooting is to swap left to right or right to left and see if your problem stays with the board or stays in the same location.

That being said, you could probably try the "tiny nuts and bolts solution from Radio Shack" as it sounds like the boards work, but have some poor connections.

http://www.dmcnews.com/Techsection/tailights.htm

2.) One turn signal blinking faster than the other might be trying to tell you one of the bulbs is burned out, maybe the one in the front on the fast blinking side? It will also do funny things if you have a mix of LEDs and incandescents in those turn signal bulbs, but don't have the LED flasher relay installed to go with them.

3.) Once you get the front left wheel off, check to see if the dust cap is in place. If it is, take it off and inspect the inside to ensure the hole is still square and not rounded out. Next you can spin the end of the cable with your fingers (or gently with a drill) and have an assistant (one of those little people in your photo!?) watch to see if the speedometer needle moves. The original speedo system is unnecessarily complicated with a bunch of connection points and things to get wonky. Not the hardest thing to work on though and figure out.

4.) Not sure what else to tell you here other than inspect the hoses and see if you spot the source of the drips. That black box is for the wiper fluid, as you guessed it, so unless your wiper fluid is the same colour as the coolant, it won't be coming from there directly.

5.) A vacuum leak/hissing behind the radio is likely telling you the HVAC mode control switch needs rebuilding.

More information on that here:

http://support.delorean.com/kb/a75/mode-switch-failure.aspx

Mode switch rebuild kit for sale here:

http://store.delorean.com/p-7759-mode-control-switch-rebuild-kit.aspx

6.) If the fuel lines look to be in great shape, then leave them alone. That's the best advice I could give on that. From experience too. Yes, you've seen bad stories of fuel lines gone wrong and fires, but they almost always come back to recent work either done poorly or something missed or overlooked. Don't forget that the fuel lines are all plastic underneath and that only the outer skin is metal versus rubber. The inside tube carries the fuel (and the pressure) and the outside skin is for outer protection from getting rubbed or bumped or cut or to look pretty (cosmetic). I recommended leaving them as is for the time being, or until you have a reason to change them other than being proactive.

[DMC-81]

Hi Rob,

Congratulations on the car! It looks great. ^Lots of great advice here so far. As far as the rear lights are concerned, mine did the same. They had intermittent connection. When I took them apart, the light boards were in great shape, but the sockets were loose. I used a pointed punch in the rivets and with a hammer gently tapped on them to tighten them up (with the backside against a solid surface), then, I cleaned the contact areas up with 600 grit sandpaper.

I went with DMC's LED light kit, and they work like brand new lights. Very happy with them.

46371

If your boards are in good shape, a little bit of TLC can make a big difference.

Cheers,

[Lwanmtr]

Congrats and welcome :)

Not much to add but the same things the folks above said :)

[spaceboyusa]

Thanks for the responses and welcomes, appreciate all the detail, and yes...I seriously need to think about the 4-dr DeLorean given the kid situation...=). With the brake work scheduled tomorrow, I'll take a look at the front left dust cover and see what's to be seen. All other replies make complete sense, and David T, I'm definitely going to replace the radiator hoses when I put in the new radiator. I'll be happy to provide an update on progress later in the week as some parts come in and I'm able to spend some more time on the car.

[DMC5180]

Most everything has been addressed that you asked about. However, as a good practice, you should remove all of the exterior light lens and clean up any rust/corrosion present in the bulb sockets. Front side markers and front park/turn signals are prone to rust/corrosion. Your fast blinking LH signal is due to the rear board issue. If one of the two signal bulbs does not light up then the one that still works will flash faster when using a traditional flasher unit. If you decide to switch to LEDs. You will need the electronic flasher to go with them.


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[Mary]

So happy your family gets to enjoy your dmc! Lots of great advice from our great group! Just got to say it........DON'T burn it down! Get rid of old fuel lines it is the safest thin g you can do first they will fail and most likely at an unoportune time. Got two chargers and a new Yorker all vintage and it happens to all classics. Cars as great as our dmc's need lots of care happy for you still looking for mine. Got to sell my machine shop, quit working on stuff everywhere else and finish our project cars and get my dmc soon Lots of luck and if you know anyone interested in living outside the north east entrance to Yellowstone and wants my shop call me. We are the only precision machine shop in carbon county Montana Need to train someone to take over,my better half was the last apprentice of Harley earl of corvette fame. We are two generations of gm product development,seen it and done it all. Call me at Metalmasters 406-445-2248 if anyone needs anything or wants to talk. Love this site and our car people. Mary

[spaceboyusa]

Dennis, thanks for the response, and good call to check all the lights/sockets. I replaced all the screws on all the exterior lights but I did not pop off the cover to check things out. Sounds like a great project for me tonight/tomorrow night! And thanks for the kind words, Mary!

The car's in the shop today getting new rotors in the front, machine the back rotors and put new pads on, as well as install the stainless steel brake lines. I ended up going with the LEDs in the back, so once I get those in from DMC, I'll plug 'em in (along with the new flasher) and see how things look. Onward the refresh moves!