Nubira II from Budapest (English)

[pompiliu92]

My recent calculation after 254km resulted in a mixed consumption of 8.66%, since I drove in some cities as well.

[Martriden]

Some updated:

- I went to a muffler shop and the guy who inspected it showed me underneath what he found. While showing me the rotted part, and scraping the rust off the pipe with a screwdriver, he poked a hole into the pipe 😄 It was going to rust through soon anyway, so I'll take it back to replace the pipe and middle muffler on Monday. 

 

- I also bought a new front grille which will be replaced when the hood is going to be repainted - hopefully this fall. I got a new leather gear shift boot which was advertised as correct size for this model. It's not. Even when I cut some of the sewing and rubber on the skirt's bottom, I couldn't drag it onto the frame. I guess I'll have to take it to a car upholstery shop maybe they can do something with it, or make a new skirt themsleves. On the picture the left one is the old one, it's ruptured. 

Also we made it to 280 600 km, nice round number 🙂 

On the week after the next week I'll finally take it to a mechanic to check the ignition coils, fuel pressure and if thoes aer fine, then I think it will be the injectors. 

[Martriden]

Salutare! 

The exhaust pipe with the middle muffler has been replaced with thick metal that was protected. He ordered one from a muffler wholesaler, but the folding was leaking on the middle muffler, so the guy made it himself. Anyway, it looks nice. 

 

I took the car back from the mechanic yesterday. He said he didn't find anything wrong with the ignition, or the engine itself. The muffler puffing can be caused by either the injectors (injecting extra gas sometimes), or the catalytic converter, which sounds like it's empty. Other than the -becoming worse and worse- valve lifter sound, they didn't hear anything suspicous, and said that she drove "wonderfully" on the test drive. They replaced a coolant hose, and a crankcase vent tube because they were badly cracked (they showed them to me, I just didn't take pictures). Also he said that both the engine and transmission mounts are gone, but I will replace them later, as they don't cause heavy shaking, and both of them are quite expensive here 😭. (Together around 770 Leis converted to RON.) 

So next up is a catalytic converter replacement. And still want to arrange the upholsterer to make the shifter lever boot. 

[pompiliu92]

On 8/12/2023 at 12:22 AM, Martriden said:

Salutare! 

The exhaust pipe with the middle muffler has been replaced with thick metal that was protected. He ordered one from a muffler wholesaler, but the folding was leaking on the middle muffler, so the guy made it himself. Anyway, it looks nice. 

 

I took the car back from the mechanic yesterday. He said he didn't find anything wrong with the ignition, or the engine itself. The muffler puffing can be caused by either the injectors (injecting extra gas sometimes), or the catalytic converter, which sounds like it's empty. Other than the -becoming worse and worse- valve lifter sound, they didn't hear anything suspicous, and said that she drove "wonderfully" on the test drive. They replaced a coolant hose, and a crankcase vent tube because they were badly cracked (they showed them to me, I just didn't take pictures). Also he said that both the engine and transmission mounts are gone, but I will replace them later, as they don't cause heavy shaking, and both of them are quite expensive here 😭. (Together around 770 Leis converted to RON.) 

So next up is a catalytic converter replacement. And still want to arrange the upholsterer to make the shifter lever boot. 

Don't you have somebody with a Scan-100 GM tester to check your car out?

[Martriden]

3 hours ago, pompiliu92 said:

Don't you have somebody with a Scan-100 GM tester to check your car out?

I do, they said there's not any codes, and everything's fine. Although finding someone with a Scan-100 is quite hard nowadays (at least where I live). 

[Martriden]

Little update: ignition coil was replace. Spark plugs from cylinder 2 and 3 looked nice, but the plugs from 1 and 4 were much worse. The guy who checked it said that spark plugs 2 and 3 are ignited at once, and 1 and 4 again at once. So he thought the ignition coil was bad, and replaced to another used original GM part, since we couldn't find a new original GM one. The catalytic converter was also replaced to a new one, since it was toast due to bad ignition. (In the picture they are in order; 1-2-3-4)

After the replacement of the cat, the car started to have a new problem. At first, it wouldn't go above 4000 rpm in any gear. I could feel she was able to go above it, but something did not let her, so she started stuttering but not go above 4000. Then it turned into a temporary problem, meaning if she was in the mood, she could go well over 4000, but other times it disables going faster. 

Today morning I visited a friend who has Scan-100. There was no code whatsoever, and every value was perfect, except one. The O2 sensor was totally wrong, it jumped from lean to right all the time, and the values it gave were incomprehensible. The diagnosis was that due to the bad cat (melted insides) and the replacement of it (the pounding which came with it), the O2 sensor was comprimised with metal catalysts dust from the old cat. If I'm lucky it will burn off after a few hunderd kilometers. If not, I'm in for an O2 sensor replacement, wich isn't that bad.

In other news, the steering wheel was reupholstered with leather, and the steering coloumn was replaced to a newer version, which is tiltable. The one the car had originally was just straight. Since the screws of the ignition switches had to be pierced, it took some wizarding to replace the steering coloumn keeping the original ignition switch, but it worked. 

[Martriden]

Salutare!

Just checking in. The "sometimes it doesn't go above 4400 rpm issue" still exists, when I took her to the car elecrtician and they took her for a test drive she didn't produce the problem, of course... It is the only problem right now, so I'm not mad. 

I forgot to show you a brossure I found online, of course I bought it. It's full of stereotypical marketing sh*t, and some grammatical errors too 😄 Lots of typos and some left-out words, it's funny how they released that brossure like that. 

 

Currently I'm trying to find a 30 (or 32?) mm diameter flexible tube that has seen better days on my engine. I cannot find it anywhere. I asked in the Hungarian Daewoo club and someone said it isn't even possiible to replace it without disassembling the A/C system. Is there something I can replace this tube?

 

 

And lastly something interesting. I just came across an article about an early Daewoo concept car, the Bucrane. Did you know about it? I really like the look of it, it's a shame it never got into production. Link:

https://www.topgear.com/car-news/concept/daewoo-bucrane-was-budget-v6-coupe-we-never-got

[pompiliu92]

10 hours ago, Martriden said:

Salutare!

Just checking in. The "sometimes it doesn't go above 4400 rpm issue" still exists, when I took her to the car elecrtician and they took her for a test drive she didn't produce the problem, of course... It is the only problem right now, so I'm not mad. 

I forgot to show you a brossure I found online, of course I bought it. It's full of stereotypical marketing sh*t, and some grammatical errors too 😄 Lots of typos and some left-out words, it's funny how they released that brossure like that. 

 

Currently I'm trying to find a 30 (or 32?) mm diameter flexible tube that has seen better days on my engine. I cannot find it anywhere. I asked in the Hungarian Daewoo club and someone said it isn't even possiible to replace it without disassembling the A/C system. Is there something I can replace this tube?

 

 

And lastly something interesting. I just came across an article about an early Daewoo concept car, the Bucrane. Did you know about it? I really like the look of it, it's a shame it never got into production. Link:

https://www.topgear.com/car-news/concept/daewoo-bucrane-was-budget-v6-coupe-we-never-got

Well, you could replace that entire AC pipe. It's not that complicated. Just recover the freon, take a few bolts and that's kind of it. The part number is: 96269572

It's number 4 in the picture:

 

 

[Martriden]

Long time, no see here. I would start right off with a vote 😃 
So here's the sound of my beloved's engine. Local mechanic says it's rod knock (they listened to it live). Two Daewoo specialists say it's a very loud valve lifter (they only listened to the video). 

What do yoyu think? 🙂 

[Salex]

It's a recording, so I would not vote 🙂.

However, i don't believe it's a lifter, it sounds very very loud !

Can you give us some context ?  How did it appear ? How was the oil at that time ?

Edited September 7, 2024 by Salex

[Viktor]

Vezérműtengely hang,  sűrű a kopogása. A hidrotőkének hasonló a kopogás viszont ritkább.

Zgomot de ax cu came, batai dese. In cazul tachetilor hidraulici bataile is asemanatoare insa mai rare.    

Edited September 7, 2024 by Viktor

[Martriden]

12 hours ago, Salex said:

It's a recording, so I would not vote 🙂.

However, i don't believe it's a lifter, it sounds very very loud !

Can you give us some context ?  How did it appear ? How was the oil at that time ?

How it happened: it started on the highway, but much more silent, and since it was on high rpm (around 4000 - 4500), first it sounded to me like some rattle from the dashboard. It wasn't even constant, sometimes it didn't have any noise. After 100 km it turned louder and the check engine light came on. So I stopped at the first gas station, but even until then the engine didn't lose any power. The engine stalled when I reached the parking lot, when the rpm reduced to idling. I waited around 10 minutes, started the car, and that's when I recorded the sound, however the check engine light was no longer on (and still isn't). The car was towed home.

The oil was full when it happened. I have the car for 5 years now, and never neglected maintenance. For some years it had valve lifter sound when starting the car, but the sound stopped after like 3-4 seconds. Mechanic said that it's not worth fixing now, and told me to wait until the sound becomes worse. I used a bottle of valve lifter cleaner, but it didn't improve.

Right now the car is waiting for diagnosis at a local mechanic, but still starts right up. 

[Salex]

Even more I doubt the problem is generated by the lifters. I do not ignore the possibility of a faulty lifer (or more), but the chance of appearing such a problem while the engine is working ... is very low.

Do you know what was the cause of the error indicated by the Check Enngine, this can be a good start.

Anyway, good idea to tow the car home !

[Martriden]

5 hours ago, Salex said:

Even more I doubt the problem is generated by the lifters. I do not ignore the possibility of a faulty lifer (or more), but the chance of appearing such a problem while the engine is working ... is very low.

Do you know what was the cause of the error indicated by the Check Enngine, this can be a good start.

Anyway, good idea to tow the car home !

No idea, I only drove the car like 5 km max with the engine light on, then I stopped at a gas station, and the light went away on the next start. I haven't scanned the car since. 

So you think it's rod knock? I'm not sure if the engine would have endured 100 km on high rpm with rod knock. 

[Salex]

From my own experience(s):

1. Leganza, engine worked about 70-80km. In the end, the engine sounded like an AK-47 😁

2. Insignia, engine worked more than 500km, only the rings were fully destroyed

So, is hard to guess in your situation, I hope you have a good mechanic. Let me put it in another way: to change the lifters, you need to take the camshafts out. This involves working on timing belt and so on. I don't think this is more complicated or more expensive than opening the lower part of the engine ... 

So, in my opinion, the problem can be easily fixed, I have, however, some concerns about the spare parts !

 

Edited September 9, 2024 by Salex

[Martriden]

29 minutes ago, Salex said:

From my own experience(s):

1. Leganza, engine worked about 70-80km. In the end, the engine sounded like an AK-47 😁

2. Insignia, engine worked more than 500km, only the rings were fully destroyed

So, is hard to guess in your situation, I hope you have a good mechanic. Let me put it in abother way: to change the lifters, you need to take the camshafts out. This involves working on timing belt and so on. I don't think this is more complicated or more expensiv than opening the lower part of the engine ... 

So, in my opinion, the problem can be easily fixed, I have, however, some concerns about the spare parts !

 

Unfortunately the local mechanic (who's very close to my parents' house) isn't the best, and he's not really thrived either to work on a 24 year old Daewoo. But I don't dare taking it far away on her own legs, and the trailer back to Budapest costs almost the same as one day of work on the car. Another close mechanic have never even heard of Nubiras (???). 

I don't think the timing is a big deal on this engine, and it was replaced a year ago, so I wouldn't replace any part of it no matter what. And it's also not a 100% percent that all damage done can be fixed only by taking off the oil pan. What if the rods also got damaged? Then it would be a full disassembly which costs much more. 

I will know more in a week (at least I really hope so). As much as I like her, I have not yet fully convinced myself that she'll be worth saving (again). 

[Salex]

I fully agree with everything you wrote about fixing a difficult and expensive problem ! Have in mind that 24 years have left serious signs of fatigue over the chassis. Not to mention the rust ! Even if you don't see any, please believe there is a lot that is not visible ! This was the primarily reason I terminated my Leganza, even if all systems worked perfectly !

I would definitely NOT put more than 400-500 EUR into repair !

Good luck !

[Martriden]

22 hours ago, Salex said:

I fully agree with everything you wrote about fixing a difficult and expensive problem ! Have in mind that 24 years have left serious signs of fatigue over the chassis. Not to mention the rust ! Even if you don't see any, please believe there is a lot that is not visible ! This was the primarily reason I terminated my Leganza, even if all systems worked perfectly !

I would definitely NOT put more than 400-500 EUR into repair !

Good luck !

There are some surface rust that I wanted to address this year (not likely it will happen), but I got several mechanics look over it, and already had some serious previous rusts repaired (the proper way, not only hiding it). So structurely it doesn't need repairing, only some cosmetics. And everything else -like I said before- was taken care of. It's time for the biannual inspection, and I'm not aware of anything that needs to be corrected on her to pass. Other than the engine right now... Several mechanics (not only the local) said that the engine rebuild would cost at least 750 EUR. 

@pompiliu92 Why the confusion?

[Salex]

Evaluate the market value of the car. Double it, for sentimental reasons, and then see how much is worth investing in repairing it.

If you can do it yourself, it's a good trade between fun and necessity :). 

[pompiliu92]

12 hours ago, Martriden said:

There are some surface rust that I wanted to address this year (not likely it will happen), but I got several mechanics look over it, and already had some serious previous rusts repaired (the proper way, not only hiding it). So structurely it doesn't need repairing, only some cosmetics. And everything else -like I said before- was taken care of. It's time for the biannual inspection, and I'm not aware of anything that needs to be corrected on her to pass. Other than the engine right now... Several mechanics (not only the local) said that the engine rebuild would cost at least 750 EUR. 

@pompiliu92 Why the confusion?

Confused about the sound that the engine is making. A good mechanic will manage to figure it out, even if it's an older car.

[Geo_ZGA]

In my opinion, that's not a valve lifter sound. But it's impossible to say something for sure without taking the engine apart. Like Pompi said, a good mechanic should know what to do, it's not a complicated engine. Yes, rebuilding the engine would cost a lot, if the damage is not too big. First of all, find out what the problem is and see after that what needs to be done and what is the best option (used parts, new parts, maybe even a used engine)

[pompiliu92]

Most likely it will be a simple and not very expensive fix, even though it sounds bad.

[Martriden]

6 hours ago, pompiliu92 said:

Most likely it will be a simple and not very expensive fix, even though it sounds bad.

I hope you're right!

Thank you all for providing your opinion, I really do appreciate it!

@Salex Evaluating the market value is not easy, especially nowadays... Also there aren't so many left for sale (and not for parts) to give me an indication. 

Anyway I also wanted to say that I visited Bucharest in June for a few days. The city is very beatiful, people are nice, but the traffic is horrendous. I thought Budapest traffic was bad, but compared to Bucharest, it's quite OK. 😄 Poeple are honking like there's no tomorrow. Budapest drivers seem very relaxed and compliant after Bucharest. Another big difference is that you had like 3 times more new luxury cars than us, but also 2 times more neglected ruins on the roads, so the unevenness of the cars' age/condition is very high I think. 

[Martriden]

Unfortunately it was rod knock. Apparently when the engine was rebuilt two years ago the mechanic put the rod a 180 degree turned in the fourth cylinder, which -theoretically- caused the chankshaft bearing to move from its place. At least this is what the new mechanics said. I decided to fix the engine again, and I got the car back this week. I hope it will last longer this time...

[Salex]

This is a typical case of turning trust into disappointment, this is why many auto enthusiasts became occasional mechanics ...  And sometimes they do a better job than an overconfident professional mechanic. I know very well how this works, an so do many of our colleagues here, which I salute !

Good luck with your new mechanic, hope he is what you need !