1989 G reg
MOT until 19.09.2013
Tax until 31.05.2013
75000 miles
This is the Vario I took to the National and BKV in 2011. Good car with some problems, in need of TLC. I have been using him as a daily and he’s never let me down (yet) but I don’t have the time to look after him and he’s currently a bit fragile. I think I've done about 15000 miles since I bought him in April 2011. I’m having to replace him with some reliable front wheel drive rubbish until I’ve got the time to tinker with old cars again!
Gearbox:
Gearbox vacuum system and the clutch actuation when the shift button is held down doesn’t seem to work. This produces two problems, first it wants to do high revs everywhere (cruises at 70mph @ 5000rpm) leading to appalling fuel consumption (the worst estimate I have had was 11mpg, generally must still be less than 20). The second problem with the gearbox is it will not change gear if the engine speed is above the clutch engagement speed (about 1000rpm). The idle speed seems to fluctuate and I’ve been unable to find a sweet spot on the carb mixture where it’s OK in the cold and will idle low enough when hot. This means that to change gear the engine speed must be lowered, usually I manage to do this winding the windows up and down, but as you can imagine this isn’t ideal!
I did start looking at the CVT a while ago following the guide on the forum where you suck and blow on the 4 way valve hoses and that suggested that the diaphragms in the gearbox have gone. I bought another complete CVT system but have never got round to fitting it. I'll include these CVT spares with the car, currently I've got the main frame, front gearbox and pulleys, rear pulleys, propshaft, bellhousing and pedal box accounted for (see photos). I'm not too sure where the rest of the system; belts, rear gearbox, clutch, shifter, 4 way valve etc is at the moment, buyer may have to collect separately at a later date from Oxford.
I changed the gearbox oils in the summer 2012.
Please note this car really needs either a replacement gearbox or a full rebuild of the current one to stop it being a PITA.
Engine:
It currently has an exhaust leak that I’ve just taken to ignoring, the downpipe nuts were loose so I tightened those back up and it’s quieter but not stopped, maybe resealing it will do the trick. It did, however, have the exhaust welded to pass the last MOT, so a new exhaust is probably imminent. Valve clearances and coolant changed when I bought it.
Interior:
It’s generally all there; fully working electric windows, central locking, electric mirrors, heated seats, heater blower, Volvo radio and dash with the rev counter. Only interior problems I can think of are the front seats are sagged/lumbar support broken (but not too bad to sit on compared to some I’ve had) and annoyingly I tore a small hole in the rear head lining (see picture). Molded floor mats are missing.
Body:
The P/S rear wheel arch has suffered the typical elderly owner parking scrapes against a wall and has some surface rust, there are also a couple of spots on the roof and boot that could do with sorting. I bought some paint but never got round to doing it, two spray cans of 232 Petrol blue (beware two-pack use at your own risk!) come with the car, but may be ruined as they've sat in a cold garage for some time. Both driver side mud flaps have been ripped off reversing in the snow, have saved the flaps and they could probably be refitted with a bit of modification.
Other defects I can think of:
Full beam doesn’t work (I think it needs a new switch/stalk unit)
Starter motor solenoid is dodgy, often takes a couple of tries before it will engage. I’ve never not been able to get the car started, but a replacement starter would be a good idea.
Paperwork:
V5C and MOT present
£50 for spare B14 engine (less carb, rotor arm, dizzy cap and a dodgy rocker cover) with nearly new alternator. Came out of DPG, my 1987 E reg manual that has almost finished becoming a Valver.
