Early delivery's versus later ones
There were a lot of improvements made in the equipment, workmanship and engines over the course of the L-1011's delivery schedule. I was in Palmdale in the first maintenance training class (1972) and was not happy with the wiring standards I saw. Whole looms were built up in the shop and then placed in the aircraft where the unpinned ends ends cascaded down in the cockpit and FESC like a waterfall. Techies sat there with prints and combing thru the wires looking for a particular number. When found it was trimmed to length and a terminal was installed and it was plugged into the Burndy block, hopefully into the right hole. The checkout was made with the Ditmico testing machine and there were a lot of faults found, in the thousands on the very early ones. Around airframe 1012 they got it under better control and then went to a still higher standard later. We had lots of problems for years with the earlier models with miswiring.
The 22C model RB-211 on the first deliveries were derated and did pretty well. With the 22B models we had first the fan disk failures due to titanium problems requiring us to change them at short life cycles. Then the lack of a stall margin bit us. Pilots logged a lot of two engine time as engines stalled and blew out their compressors and turbines. Tailpipes were full of blades and bits. EAL had a rampful of gliders at one point. They instituted a mandatory warmup prior to takeoff, requiring three minutes at pretty high power prior to applying takeoff power. Mods alleviated the problems considerably after several years of suffering. Still later of course the failures and fires in the #1 bearing hit. I'll never forget viewing the aircraft where the #2 fan came loose and walked forward to near the rear pressure bulkhead before flying apart. Required mods to install a "fan-grabber' and later on the bearing locator warning system modification that essentially killed the -22B.
The -22B starting problems were very bad too. I had the EAL mgr of RB211 engineering up in Toronto one very cold day and we timed out engines that took on average five minutes each to get to idle. The worst took a whole seven minutes. In the AM we looked out the window as an EAL L-1011 and a AAL DC-10 both started up for departure. The L1011 fogged the whole ramp while the DC10 started all three, taxied out and took off before EAL got the third started. Rolls couldn't understand it because Air Canada had faster starting. JP-4 fuel explained part of that.
I almost fainted the first time I saw a L-1011 with -524 engines start right up.
The hot stream spoilers (turbine reverser) were a disaster. Ball-nut jackscrews do not live happily near tailpipes and highspeed flex shafts either. When they were deactivated, we had a celebration.
There were the slat/flap assymetry problems, the flap LRS faults, the infamous FECES computer (actually FCES). Kapton wiring, toilet flush computers. Usual Lockheed overdesigns put heater blankets under baggage floors - not a good idea, heaters on the toilet tank outlets - had a fire start there that almost took out the aircraft.
Then there were aircycle machines that made ice down in Florida and San Juan and delivered spouts of icy water from the overhead gasper air outlets. And never forget the master caution and dimming problems. They had a separate conference at Palmdale on just that one area. The MUX system was a disaster for many years. Always thought too that it needed a manual depressurization valve -
Structurally, the worst problem was the rear spar fatigue. We had one that cracked right across the entire web. The earlier aircraft required a major mod in that area. Fuselage was great with its thick skin design. Usual corrosion problems of course.
All that said, the pilots loved it, it flew better than anything they said since the Electra. The DLC system made the airplane look like it was on rails on landing, no bobbing of the nose, steady attitude. If DLC was turned off as one old Captain did, you had to watch for dragging the aft fuselage. He did it requiring major repairs to rear presure bulkhead.
Later on at another outfit operating the only -1 freighter made, we got some -200 pax aircraft from Gulf Air. Wiring problems pretty well gone, engines much better. Still an aircraft that needed experienced techies but manageable. Those that experienced later deliveries reaped the benefits of the early problems. Proves one point, don't fly the "A" model of anything.