Technical advice needed! Buying a Charade GTti with problems

[Shaolin]

Hi guys,

I'm considering buying a second hand 1987 Daihatsu Charade GTti.
It has a few issues and I'm wanting to know how serious they could be and whether or not I should buy it..

Any input would be GREATLY appreciated...

The symptoms are:

1) Uneven wear on the front tyres - The outside edge of the front left tyre is almost bald, the rest of the tyre is in ok condition. The front right has a similar problem but not nearly as bad as the left one.

What would be the most likely cause for this? A miss alignment of some sort? or something more serious? Likely to be expensive to fix?

2) Difficult steering at low speeds - The steering wheel was VERY hard to turn at low speeds. When I did a U turn with full lock the car seemed to vibrate and shudder while I was turning the wheel (with great effort). As soon as it was up to speed the steering became very light.

I'm assuming this has something to do with the power steering but I'm not sure what exactly?...maybe a bad pump perhaps? Loose power steering belt or something?

3) Rough idle - It took a few moments to start the engine (I guess that's to be expected from a 20 year old car!) and the idle wouldn't sit still. It was jumping all around the place, from a few hundred rpm up to about 1500rpm or so (just guesstimating).

Are these problems likely to cause me great amounts of grief down the line and be expensive to fix? Or are they relatively mild?
I don't know a great deal about cars so any ideas/input at all would be really appreciated.

Thank you!

[94Corolla5Speed]

1.) Most likely an alignment problem

2.) Definitely a power steering problem. Probably just needs PS fluid

3.) Most likely a vacuum leak

[Takigu]

3.) Most likely a vacuum leak

could that also cause a cars rpm to drop drastically when coming to a stop? like it drops to 200 and the car kinda stumbles and then it evens out. about 400-500 is where it idles

[noob5,000,000]

If the front tires have uneve camber, it is possible that the car was in an accident and has some frame damage. I'd have a shop look at it.

[AHTOXA]

I'll echo everyone that has posted above. Good points made.

[Shaolin]

First of all, thanks for your input everyone. I knew I could count on this forum for some good quality feedback!

3) Most likely a vacuum leak

Do you know if this is likely to be costly to repair?
Thanks a lot for your reply.

could that also cause a cars rpm to drop drastically when coming to a stop? like it drops to 200 and the car kinda stumbles and then it evens out. about 400-500 is where it idles

The Charade had the same problem. After I drove the car I pulled in to a park and it stalled even though I had the clutch in.

If the front tires have uneven camber, it is possible that the car was in an accident and has some frame damage. I'd have a shop look at it.

This is the type of thing I was concerned about, thanks for your reply.
I did notice uneven camber on the front left wheel, I was hoping it was just an alignment thing.
What would be a good way to check for signs of structural damage without taking it into a shop?


I really appreciate all the replies guys, it's been a huge help for me.
Thank you very much!

[theholycow]

Does the car have power steering? You might be experiencing manual steering...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daihatsu_Charade implies that the GTti does not have power steering.

[Shaolin]

I'm 99% sure it does have power steering. Thanks for your research.
That article is written a little funny, it says

A 1.0L turbo diesel, a 1.0L twin-cam turbo (CB70)(CB80), named GTti and delivering 101hp JIS (74kW).......In Japan the GTti version was available, dubbed GT-XX, featured a sunroof, power windows, air-con and power steering.

I'm pretty sure this is the GT-XX model.

[Shaolin]

Is it possible that the power steering problem could be linked to the engines vacuum issue?

[Rope-Pusher]

Good way to investigate vacuum leaks is to open hood with engine idling in Neutral with parkbrake applied. Turn on, but DO NOT LIGHT a propane torch. Blow propane at various locations along the intake manifold. If there is a leak and it sucks in the propane, it should run smoother. Use this process to find where it may be leaking and then seal leak with gasket, JBWeld, RTV, whatever.

[Shaolin]

Thank you, I really appreciate it.