Lamborghini at Roberts Aerospace & Automotive
OK, we don't really do Lamborghinis on a regular basis, but the story of this project shows the sorts of problems that we'll try to solve.
A
chap rang us up with a sad tale of losing the clutch on his 1997 Lamborghini
Diablo SV 6.0.
Heroically, he'd managed to drive it home without using the clutch, but suspected that it might be a common late Diablo problem caused by a rather "Heath Robinson" arrangement of rods that are used to operate the clutch, which puts extreme stress on some of the components. Further details of this problem can be found here: http://www.lamboweb.com/Repairs_Section/Diablo/Repairs_Broken_Clutch_Rod.htm
The owner had obtained all the necessary rods and a new slave cylinder, and as the slave cylinder looked like an Alfa Romeo V6 one, suspected that we might be able to deal with it. And, indeed, we did have the special tool necessary for the removal and replacement of this slave cylinder, so we popped it into the air to have a look.
On the Alfa Romeo, you might be able to remove the slave cylinder with some ordinary circlip pliers and an extensive knowledge of robust Anglo Saxon, but, on the Diablo, the access to the cylinder is extremely tight, and I would hate to have to try to remove it without the right tool.
As
it happened. The rods hadn't broken in the usual place, but there appeared to be
no fluid in the system, so we filled the system up with fluid - a more than
complex process on a Diablo as the clutch fluid reservoir is completely
inaccessible and the fluid needs trickling in through a flexible pipe - the
manual suggests using a turkey baster! After bleeding, the clutch had some
resistance, but just enough to dump all the fluid out again.
Further investigation revealed that the slave cylinder push rod had broken actually inside the slave cylinder dust boot where it couldn't be seen. Although it was still operating, the jagged end had scored the bore of the cylinder and destroyed the fluid seal - which is why the fluid all fell out.
So, it all needed changing. Unfortunately, the cylinder had completely seized into the bore that was cut into the gearbox bell housing and wasn't coming out. So, we had to carefully cut, grind, and chisel out the old slave cylinder without damaging the gearbox. The slave cylinder was only £33, but, I hate to think how much a new gearbox would cost...
The
access to all this, past the chassis tubes and bits of exhaust and engine, was
about the same as a narrow etter box, so the operation took several hours. The
consequences of rushing this process doesn't bear thinking about as any damage
to the fragile componentry that the slave cylinder was buried in would have been
rather expensive...
So, after all the old bits were removed, and all the new hydraulics and linkage was installed, the awfully convoluted hydraulics bled, and the car was back on the road again - rather than gathering dust. Which is just as it should be.
The "Yellow Peril" was able to fly again...
Thanks to Mr Corke for letting us use his pictures, and for having the good taste to own a Lamborghini in the first place.