Technical description of FSO Polonaise Caro

FSO Polonaise is a very popular car, had several modifications, and was produced since the beginning of the 80s. The version of the polonaise featured in this description is FSO POLONEZ CARO.

Compared to the previous version, the wheelbase has been extended, the front lights have been modernized, the rear lights have remained the same as in the transitional version, and the interior design has been modernized. Factory tuned versions appeared under the name "oricziari", this version had special sills and doors, richer equipment. At the moment, the car is not very modern, a classic front-engine drive, shaft drive to the rear wheels, a heavy car for its size.

TECHNICAL ASSESSMENT

The car is of obsolete design, rear springs, front wishbones with springs and two pivots. The car is simple and quite emergency, failures of engine units are not uncommon - Abimex single-point injection was used. The workmanship also leaves much to be desired, the body is not very resistant to corrosion, the brakes often stick.

TYPICAL FAULTS

Steering system

The archaic worm gear and intermediate bracket and many ball joints do not make the system modern, the connecting rod ends often stand out, the gears also like to sweat, not to mention oil. Large play is not uncommon, as is knocking and play on the steering wheel.

Transmission

Quite mechanically strong, but there may be problems with shifting, and the lever itself often has a lot of play, often after improper disassembly, the gear lever “remains in the hand”.

Clutch

A simple solution with a lock and a mechanically operated cable. Sometimes the vibration damper knocks out and the clutch cable clogs.

ENGINE

Three types of engines, Rover's 1400 cc version, the 1600 cc Polish version (the most unreliable) and the 1900 cc French diesel allow you to choose something for yourself. The Polish engine is emergency, the timing belt can fail, the valves are loud, this is an old type unit, the prototype of which was a 1300-cm engine of the 70s, only the power system has been improved and power has been increased, and the chain has been replaced with a timing belt. Leaks are the norm. 1400 and 1900 engines, few failures. The radiator often leaks and the heater valve muddies up / Photo 1, fig. 2/.

Hamulce

On cars at the beginning of production, the disc system known from the Fiat 125 p, on newer cars the mixed LUCAS system with drums at the rear. The rear brakes often seize, the pistons of the front calipers corrode, the brake hoses and the calipers themselves and their guides strongly corrode / Photo. 3, fig. four /.

Body

The body is poorly protected from corrosion, generally heavily rusted in most off-road vehicles. In Polonaise, it corrodes all doors, sills, wheel arches, even the roof / Photo. 5 /. The chassis also does not look very good / Photo. 6, fig. 7 /, front skirt, / Photo. 8 / The door linings are annoying, the chrome ones are covered with black paint for modernization, and the paint just peeled off and looks terrible / Photo. 9 /.

Electrical installation

There are no special problems with the installation, there is only normal wear, starters and generators are being repaired in versions with Abimex, the fuel pump is faulty.

Suspension

Very old design, rear leaf springs often rust and creak / Photo 10, fig. 11 /, the front fingers / fig. 12, fig. 13 /. Stabilizing rods of the rear axle often stick out / Photo. fourteen /.

interior

In general, the appearance of the cabin can not be called either remarkable or beautiful, the poor quality of materials was chosen / Photo 15 /. They corrode the seat rails, making it difficult to adjust the position of the seats, break plastic elements, while the instrument cluster is very readable and relatively modern / Photo. 16 /. Armchairs are often rubbed, but comfortable / Photo. 17/.

SUMMARY

The car is spacious, but it is better not to talk about convenience and comfort. A heavily corroded body is a big minus, the price of spare parts can be a plus, however, riding a Poldeck is not pleasant, especially in case of pin jamming, turning the steering wheel leads to the development of strong arm muscles.

PROS

– Price and availability of spare parts.

– Low purchase price.

– Good engines 1400 and 1900cc.

- Spacious interior.

MINUSS

- The ride is not very comfortable.

– Outdated structure in general.

– Poor anti-corrosion protection.

Availability of spare parts:

The originals are fine.

Substitutions are very good.

Spare parts prices:

The originals are top notch.

Replacement is cheap.

Bounce rate:

high