6k mile 1982 that sat for 30 years-SHE RUNS!!!!!

[rjd2]

Hi folks, another D is on the road!!!! As previously stated, I worked a deal for a 6k mile 1982 one owner car that had sat since the fuel pump failed in 1993. I took the car on, and did:

all suspension bushings, new steering rack, rebuilt calipers, turned rotors, Eibach spring/shock kit, SS brake lines, new radiator, new fans, silicone cooling hoses all around, rebuilt all fuel delivery components, new dizz cap/wires/plugs, new sensors, new alternator, new battery, cleaned tank, new fuel pump/filter/accumulator, replaced all clutch and brake cylinders and soft lines. changed gear oil/motor oil. had rims refinished, new tires.

I got this far, and couldn't get the car to hold an idle. was exhausted, and wanted help. turned her over to Dave Bauerle here in Ohio, and he got the car running and driving wonderfully. Just picked her up, and did a 45 minute drive home. engine performed wonderfully!!! I still have some work to do, but was excited to have seen another one of these get back on the road. got a few initial questions:


- i don't know if this is normal, but the water temp read under the "7 oclock" mark even after 45 minutes of driving (130 ish?). fans came on, but maybe the sender isnt working right? my other D will get up to maybe 180 or so, and hold there consistently.

-havent had the car aligned yet, but got a severe shake/shimmy upon braking. lessened after 30 minutes or so; i have never had such a severe break in period on new rotors and pads. normal?

-drivers side window is out, PS works. is it obvious where the wiring runs? you'd think i would know this after years of ownership but apparently i've never had to mess with it.

-the ring/gasket at the steering column was unseated or missing. gave the steering assembly a wiggle up and down. is that a part that is sold anywhere?

-still need to tackle a bit of mouse funk. definitely was critter hotel for a period. gonna do chlorine bomb and clean and see how far that gets me.

thanks for the help!

[82DMC12]

Hi folks, another D is on the road!!!! As previously stated, I worked a deal for a 6k mile 1982 one owner car that had sat since the fuel pump failed in 1993. I took the car on, and did:

all suspension bushings, new steering rack, rebuilt calipers, turned rotors, Eibach spring/shock kit, SS brake lines, new radiator, new fans, silicone cooling hoses all around, rebuilt all fuel delivery components, new dizz cap/wires/plugs, new sensors, new alternator, new battery, cleaned tank, new fuel pump/filter/accumulator, replaced all clutch and brake cylinders and soft lines. changed gear oil/motor oil. had rims refinished, new tires.

I got this far, and couldn't get the car to hold an idle. was exhausted, and wanted help. turned her over to Dave Bauerle here in Ohio, and he got the car running and driving wonderfully. Just picked her up, and did a 45 minute drive home. engine performed wonderfully!!! I still have some work to do, but was excited to have seen another one of these get back on the road. got a few initial questions:


- i don't know if this is normal, but the water temp read under the "7 oclock" mark even after 45 minutes of driving (130 ish?). fans came on, but maybe the sender isnt working right? my other D will get up to maybe 180 or so, and hold there consistently.

-havent had the car aligned yet, but got a severe shake/shimmy upon braking. lessened after 30 minutes or so; i have never had such a severe break in period on new rotors and pads. normal?

-drivers side window is out, PS works. is it obvious where the wiring runs? you'd think i would know this after years of ownership but apparently i've never had to mess with it.

-the ring/gasket at the steering column was unseated or missing. gave the steering assembly a wiggle up and down. is that a part that is sold anywhere?

-still need to tackle a bit of mouse funk. definitely was critter hotel for a period. gonna do chlorine bomb and clean and see how far that gets me.

thanks for the help!

The brakes should not cause shake/shimmy even during break-in. This means the rotor is warped or maybe it got a bad "turn" at the machine shop. That happened to me once, got the rotors turned, had bad vibration under braking, took them to a different shop, they told me yeah one of them was not square at all. Got them turned again, perfection now. Did you pay for new rotors to be installed?

[Rich]

Hi folks, another D is on the road!!!! As previously stated, I worked a deal for a 6k mile 1982 one owner car that had sat since the fuel pump failed in 1993.

-drivers side window is out, PS works. is it obvious where the wiring runs? you'd think i would know this after years of ownership but apparently i've never had to mess with it.

-the ring/gasket at the steering column was unseated or missing. gave the steering assembly a wiggle up and down. is that a part that is sold anywhere?



Congrats on this good luck resurrection report. Lucky you.

On just these two items.

The typical electrical weak spots for the power windows are
1. The window switches. Swap yours left-right to see if that fixes the driver side. Corroded switches can be repaired if you're handy. Or buy a new one.
2. The window motor. Can be diagnosed with 12V to the 3-pin quick-connect on the motor connector plug. If bad buy a driver side motor/regulator assembly (I have a good OE driver side unit for sale (https://dmctalk.org/showthread.php?19316-LH-Window-Motor-Regulator-w-OE-bracket) - PM me). You can also probe the pins on the female connector to be sure you're getting 12V+ and ground there. The motor connection itself could be dirty or corroded. Always worth trying to just unplug and plug it back together, then test. If you haven't already been in there the DeLorean door is a real treat. Wear thick gloves or tape over the sharp SS door edges you reach past.


The window wiring itself isn't usually an issue. In case you need to trace it the door harness runs up the rear door pillar past the removable headliner panel exiting through a black rubber boot inboard of the torsion bar then into the T-roof. Others can comment about where it goes from there and handy places to probe.

The steering bushing, P/N101994, at the firewall ahead of the pedal box is a known issue. The originals weren't very good. Better/new ones are available from most of the D parts vendors.

[AugustneverEnds]

I would check the coolant hoses with an infrared or contact thermometer. I consider the dash gauge to be more of a suggestion than an absolute value. If a thermometer gives you a vastly different figure than the gauge it's probably time to change the sender.

[ssdelorean]

Bauerle is a great guy!
He is hosting the Camp DeLorean event in Sandusky OH Sept 15-17. Give him a call for more info.

Regarding "the ring/gasket at the steering column..." are you talking about the one where it goes thru the tub ('fire wall') to the under side of the car? If so, that is cheap and sold by basically every DMC vendor. (https://store.delorean.com/101994-steering-column-bushing.html)

Like Nick, I view the numbers on the dash gauge as a suggestion. Each car is different. As long as it is consistent and you know where it usually runs and turns on you can use that as a gauge as to when things may be wrong if it ever starts working differently than normal. But the numbers themselves might be close but not accurate.

[rjd2]

Thanks folks! After further investigation, it seems the DS window motor is shot. Ordered a new one, and have the door apart and old one out.

the bushing at the steering column/firewall was shot. don't tell the Pebble Beach judges but I found that a 5/8" heater hose, if split and cut at the correct length, will fit precisely between the upper spline joint and the "flange" of the steering column. double zip tied in place, siliconed it-it works for now. if it fails in a year, i don't care, as it is a 5 minute installation. I have no clanging or play at the steering wheel now.

I plan on taking the gauge assembly out and cleaning the contacts soon. The battery gauge has not come on a few times; I'm guessing some intermittent/poor connections exist.


I also have had a bizarre experience that I have never had on my "daily" DMC: car #2 will start great when cold, but if mildly hot, on two occasions I have had it take a LONG time to start if shut off. cold start=great, drive car for ~5 minutes, shut off and sit for 5 minutes, attempt to start car, and it will crank for 15-20 seconds or so before begrudgingly starting. any thoughts there?