Do-it-yourself engine repair Luaz

In this article we will talk about a car such as the LuAZ-969m. This is a light SUV, the production of which began very far back in 1975. Then it was a really good purchase, especially for a villager, because, despite its awkward appearance, the car decently copes with all the bumps and obstacles. In addition, the car is unpretentious either to fuel or oil, absolutely nothing. At the moment, it is almost impossible to meet this "jeep" on the roads, however, tuning LuAZ 969m, like any other SUV, is very widespread. First, let's see what the standard equipment does not suit the owners.

Most people believe that any Soviet car is an evil that must be feared and avoided. In fact, a small, well, sometimes a little more than a small list of improvements can make a decent car out of this creation. Let's see what caused this "bias".

• He is very gluttonous. In order to drive a hundred kilometers on a perfectly flat road, you will have to burn at least 14 liters of gasoline, and this with a volume of 1.2 liters.
• Air cooling. Because of this, it is very noisy, and also does not tolerate high revs, which have to be maintained when overcoming an obstacle. As a result, overheating, however, is quite rare.
• Low power. Even with such characteristics, 40 horses for a 1.2-liter engine is simply ridiculous, hence such a consumption, we will consider fixing this problem a little later.
• A carburetor that just constantly pours fuel into the cylinders. This has a negative effect on both operation and engine starting, especially when the engine is cold.
• Let's refer this to the power plant, since the gearboxes on each wheel are the transmission. Honestly, it is difficult to come up with something more unreliable, because the resource of this node does not exceed even 80,000 kilometers.

Video (click to play).

• High-profile rubber, which promotes swaying on the road, from which handling suffers greatly. This also includes the tire width of 16.5 cm, which is very small. Naturally, it is almost impossible to overcome some kind of mud or snow on it. Yes, another point is the diameter of the discs is 15 inches. On irregularities I must say thank you for this, but overclocking is not very happy.
• Huge play in the steering wheel. A worm gear is installed here. Sometimes there is a feeling that it was collected from what was at the plant at that moment.
• Difficulty steering. In total, there are 8 rods, each of which has 2 ball ends, in total - a huge backlash, as well as constant maintenance, the solution to the problem is only high-quality parts, or you can make ball bearings yourself on a lathe.
• Small wheel arches and low suspension travel, as it is made on the arms.

• Small seats, low, which do not allow you to look at the road next to the car, unless you are about 2 meters tall, but then there will be problems with the ceiling.
• Gasoline stove. Some people like this moment, but most are not happy.
• Low noise and thermal insulation, which is practically nonexistent.

Perhaps that's all. There are still minor flaws, but we can write them off as the fact that the ideal car did not exist, and it will never exist.

Let's start with the fact that the engine needs to be modified. The reasons have been named, it remains to eliminate them.Let's run a little ahead and say that someone is finalizing the standard engine, and someone is changing it to a VAZ one. We will consider each of the options separately.

Tuning the LuAZ 969m engine is primarily aimed at improving reliability and reducing fuel consumption. Therefore, there is a clear list of measures that apply not only to this motor, but to any other.

• Installing a different carburetor. Adapters for DAAZ 2105 are on sale.This will not only help to increase the reliability of the engine during cold starts, but also reduce fuel consumption, but slightly. In addition, in the event of a breakdown, it will not be difficult to find spare parts for it.
• Installing another air filter. Perhaps, the "filter pan", like that of VAZs, does not cope with its duties. And the engine needs to "breathe deeply".
• Grinding cylinder heads. As you know, MeMZ 968M has a V-shaped engine, so the actions will have to be carried out with both heads. To do this, you need to grind off the landing plate by 1-2 millimeters. Due to this, the combustion chambers will be reduced, which means that the compression ratio will increase, which, in turn, will lead to a significant reduction in fuel consumption.

Do not be too zealous, because practice has shown that grinding more than 2.5 mm leads to breaking off the head fastening pins, so the explosion becomes so strong. The nominal compression ratio is 7.4, while after grinding it rises to 9. this is a critical value, exceeding which will damage the engine, possibly even burn out the pistons.

• After grinding, it is imperative to use 92nd gasoline, which means that it is necessary to replace the piston rings with better ones. In addition, the temperature regime of operation will also increase, so you need to think about forced cooling.
• Some craftsmen bore cylinders for a 79 mm piston, from 2106, therefore, the volume increases to 1.3 liters. Power in this case increases up to 60 horsepower.
• It is advisable to split the exhaust system into 2 exhaust pipes, which will allow more fine tuning of the engine operation. Since the ventilation of the cylinders will be greatly improved

Perhaps this is everything with the engine, more and nothing will be achieved. In addition, all these works are fraught with overheating at the most inopportune moment.

So, let's see what is needed in order to install a power unit from the classics under the hood. First of all, you need to understand that it must be installed exactly horizontally, because otherwise the gearbox will not snap into place, and the input shaft will bite, which will lead to it being cut off.

In general, there are few of those who really did such alterations. However, those who did this unanimously say that it is necessary to install the engine from the Niva, that is, 1.7 liters. Yes, 80 horsepower is good, but the mass of the engine and attachments exceeds 150 kilograms.

One craftsman, so to speak, Kulibin, found a solution in the engine from 21083, which solved the problem of overweight. In addition, the volume of 1.5 liters is the most optimal for such a light car. It is also necessary to note the comparative compactness of 21083 relative to the Nivov power unit. Yes, there are some prejudices regarding the timing belt, but this is all gossip and lies, if everything is changed in a timely manner, then nothing happens.

On top of all this, let's not forget about the transmission. The standard gearbox from 2108 is perfectly friends with the razdatkoy from LuAZ. Another advantage is the very small crankcase, which greatly affects the cross-country ability.

As mentioned above, the car's suspension is completely independent, which significantly reduces its travel. There is one radical solution here - the installation of bridges, continuous bridges. Most will consider that this is impossible, however, there are a lot of precedents.In this case, it is not advisable to move the main drive back, because the front drive, as you know, is several times higher.

Many people make a suspension lift, but this is unnecessary, because the ground clearance is already over 28 centimeters, especially with the 21083 engine.

Inside, everything will have to be peeled off, cleaned of mastic and re-insulated. It is better to use a metallized material because it is much more resistant to corrosion. After that, it is necessary to thoroughly re-coat all joints with mastic, such as "Cordon".

Above already mentioned uncomfortable seating. Which, in principle, can be replaced with absolutely any, you just have to digest the fasteners. It is advisable to raise them by 10-15 centimeters, then the landing will be just perfect.

A mandatory measure is to strengthen the roof guides. Otherwise, the car runs the risk of folding in half on bumps. It is also advisable to replace the steering wheel, because the standard one has a too thin rim, which is fraught with slipping of the fingers. And in general, if a motor from a VAZ is installed, then this will fundamentally change the interior decoration, but also the solution with a stove. Why? Because this engine is water-cooled, which means that the heater radiator can be installed in the passenger compartment, a fan can be installed next to it, after which it will be warm in the passenger compartment.

In the same case, it is desirable to install a panel from the classic, or from 2108. This will allow you to place a tachometer, which, I must say, is very important. In addition, the temperature sensor is a novelty for LuAZ owners, so to speak, a curiosity that will have to get used to.

Let's summarize. So this is a car that has conflicting feelings. On the one hand, this is truly an SUV that deserves more. On the other hand, it is almost impossible to make something worthwhile out of it without replacing the power unit. In addition, it is practically impossible to find spare parts for such a unit, not to mention the gearboxes. Tuning LuAZ 969M photos show something that cannot be conveyed in words. After all, you must definitely tell the world about your creation.

The Luaz 969m model can be called the first successful Soviet-made SUV, even despite the fact that the concept of a highly passable and maneuverable car, laid down in production, failed due to the installation of a Zaporozhye engine. In general, this car, the start of production of which dates back to 1967, has shown itself to be on the good side, let's see what else can be done with it.

In Soviet times, this light SUV with a low-power engine was distinguished primarily by a rigid independent suspension, low weight, front-wheel drive and a low car center of gravity. However, over time, all these advantages became disadvantages, since time does not stand still, the automotive industry is developing, technology is growing - it is rather difficult to drive a Luise 969m with normal characteristics in modern conditions.

Today, competent tuning of this model begins with an engine upgrade. A standard unit, which even in the 70s of the last century was already outdated, is most often replaced with a more powerful and suitable one. Depending on financial capabilities, this can be either a new unit from any of the VAZ models, or a foreign analogue, for example, from Isuzu or Toyota cars. In the first case, the ideal option would be to install a 1.2 liter engine from a "penny" VAZ 2101, however, it is very problematic to replace it with your own hands. It is also necessary to replace the transmission of the car, it will be necessary to carry out welding work, because the VAZ engine does not fit perfectly into the body of the Luaz. We'll have to grind the pulleys, change the engine protection and install a new generator, since the standard 40-amp version is completely useless even if a VAZ engine is installed. Chip tuning in this case is impossible due to the absence of an ECU on the Luaz 969 model.

After replacing the engine, it is necessary to replace the clutch, redo the suspension, install a differential lock, power steering, etc.

If you decide to replace the engine with a more powerful foreign-made analogue, there will be much more changes. Some owners choose to fit a diesel version of engines from older Toyota SUVs along with replacing the power steering from the same models. To increase the cross-country ability, it will be useful to replace the bottom of the car and strengthen the roof structure. The bottom is made of sturdy steel plates, and the roof is either completely sheared off or additional support is installed. Lifting will increase the vehicle's ground clearance; it is enough for it to purchase a ready-made lift kit. However, it is better to entrust such serious changes in tuning to specialists in this field, this will save you time, nerves and money.