Off topic - yes - but I got to get a good friend's '91 Allante running and it's a low mile (duh, they never ran long enough to be high mile) POS that is clean but doesn't run and hasn't run for a couple of years. I know better than to just throw money at it. Funny, but the dealerships won't touch it. Is there anyone HAMB friendly that knows these freaks of nature? I would throw a 12 pack their way for a solid lead! If I haven't known this guy 25 years, I wouldn't be doing this in the first place! Thresh
Best starting point is probably to get some power to it and hook up a code reader to the diagnostic port.
once you get that bad boy running correctly you'll be suprised at what kind of power they have! its a nice body style considering they began production in the late 80's, the body's were designed by Pinifarina. my dad has one and besides the fact that even Cadillac dealers have a hard time working on them, they are good strong running cars when all dialed in.
I picked up a 91 with 56,000 miles on it in Daytona and drove it to WV for my cousin (it's the second one she's owned). Only problem that I had was a flat tire near the VA border. I understand the ABS system can be very problematic on them and it's not uncommon to have electrical problems with door locks, window switches, etc. I've heard that there is a national club for Allante owners, so try a google search. They may be a great source for information. Good luck! Jim Winter The Hot Rod Grille Garage www.wvpinball.com
If these are like the Aurora V8-and I believe they are-The rear cyl head has a real potential to blow head gaskets...some of the center of these head bolts strip their threads in the block- on these engines when they were assembled and it takes a while till failure shows up....
I know a guy that has one of those POS cars, he can't even find an ign key for his. Supposidly they made 10 different key blanks with the running chip in them, many of which there are no more key blanks available. Sweet! Sounds like the Ford Vans of a few years ago, you could cut and program an ign key only 10 times after which time the van's computer would not allow another key to be programed. Once the 10 keys were programed through the on van computer, the computer had to be changed out, at over $300. Won't that be nice in a few years? Loose a key and have to buy a new computer. Now I know why I got out of auto merchanics. Gene
Get with a GM tech that has a TECH 2 diagonstic computer. You plug it in, it runs the codes and checks everything electrical. So much better than throwing money at it. I used them when I worked at the GM dealership when we needed to reset air bag lights.
Thats a very complicated car, with lots of marginally designed electronics. That said, always start with the basics..... fuel pressure, spark, vacuum lines... I would check fuel pressure first, should be 55-65 psi if I remember right. Pumps can gum up sitting for a few years. Verify you have voltage at the pump before replacing it. Are there packrats? Check for visual damage to wiring, etc.... A dead crank sensor will inhibit spark and injector pulse. Use a noid light to verify injector pulse. Verify you have a 5 volt reference where needed for the sensors. Get a manual with wiring diagrams. if I think of more, I'll add some. This'll at least get you started.
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