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Oldsmobile Aurora Maintenance & Repair

4283 messages,  Last post on Nov 25, 2009 at 10:33 AM

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What is this discussion about? Oldsmobile Aurora, Auto Repair, Sedan

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#4046 of 4283 Re: Transmission Fluid Flush or Replacement [dmgadget] by pscheid Oct 15, 2008 (9:31 am)
Replying to: dmgadget (Oct 15, 2008 7:19 am) Well, our posts seem to be crossing. I type slow and think slower.   MECHANICS: A good and relatively trustworthy mechanic with reasonable prices. Seemingly a pipe dream, but they are out there. I may have been lucky in 1993 when I found mine, close to home too. I have made a point of remaining loyal to him, even if I pay more for his gas. At least he sees me a lot. And he always asks about my satisfaction with the previous repair. After I tell him everything is fine, I remind him he should name a repair bay after me with no smile on my face. I expect him to be loyal to me in return. I am not shy about pointing out to him that when my cars come off warranty (I'm a cradle to grave car owner) he gets first shot and every one thereafter until HE gives me reason to change. He offers me a bag or box with my old parts after each repair which I look over and leave there for disposal.   He has been particularly good at calling and pointing out preventative stuff where the labor at some disassembly is already a sunk cost and "while it's apart you may want to consider..." I'll have to talk to you sometime about my idler pully assembly (it froze, bearing siezed) and I also opted for a new a/c compressor and I believe alternator to boot. Slap in bearings/shaft fit, and something to go next, stranded with dogs and/or fuming wife. Now that the engine was unbolted and lifted, and the lions share of the labor was already invested......   A COMPARABLE REPLACEMENT CAR: Sometimes it doesn't seem to make much sense to put a grand or two or three in an 11 year old used vehicle with a blue book trade value or a private party sale value is $3-4K. And sometimes you can't buy reliability in an unknown used car at 3-4 times the price. I know what I have and what I have put in it. I know how it has been maintained. Then I look at some of the total ownership savings if I choose to keep the car. I significantly save annually on reduced local excise taxes, insurance costs, financing costs foregone, and the huge one: depreciation expense. On the latter, I can pay for a whole lot of repairs for the annual cost of the last one. And I get paid back every additional mile I drive THIS car after I forked over a bunch of money on a repair or tire replacement. When the reliability starts to fail me or the aggravation gets too great, fine. I'll bite the bullet then.   FUEL RELATED ITEMS: Gas tank capacity on the 1998 is 18.5 gallons, not 18 as I previously stated. And I've put 18.5 in it more than once.   Fuel mileage. Best case 18mpg city, 21-22 evenly mixed, and 28+ pure highway at 65 on cruise, 100+ miles. Never changed since I got the car, and I'm on the original ignition parts as stated earlier. With a happy right foot around town, 14. Drop the other numbers accordingly when I'm having fun.....like those 120 mph blasts.   Fuel. The Aurora manual is more liberal on octane with 91 as the starting point. I burn 93 because we don't have a lot of 91 around here. Downshifted to 87 for quite a few months when my daily commute was 90 miles and gas got ridiculous. No change in mileage, and if acceleration suffered, I couldn't tell. No pre-ignition experienced (pinging per the manual) under a heavy foot or up hills. Engine management retarded the spark to accommodate the lower octane I suppose. Relatively remarkable for its 10.3 compression ratio and nearly 4,000 pounds. So you can save on gas if you choose (see savings above). Hyundai Genesis.....this manufacturer actually rates horsepower and torque at premium grade fuel (recommended) and 87 regular.....about a reading of 5 lower for both for burning the lower octane which on a base of 375 horsepower isn't even worth discussing.   SYNTHETIC MOTOR OILS: Never used them because I could never see the advantage except for their unquestioned lubricating superiority in the colder temperatures, particularly at startup and while the engine is warming up. Synthetics grab and hold, plus their viscosity at even the coldest temps is unchanged. I personally change with conventional motor oil and a filter at an average of every 4K miles or 3-4 months, whichever comes first, 10-30 viscosity in the summer and 5-30 winter. While the synthetic may maintain its lubricating qualities twice or three times as long mileage-wise, can those properties mitigate the dirt in the oil and piling up in the oil filter? Consumers' Report a few years back (perhaps sponsorship biased) tested every motor oil brand, viscosity, and type (natural vs.synthetic), with and without afternmarket additives, in a fleet of rebuilt-motored NYC taxicabs for 100K miles, using scheduled change intervals. After a million words of text, the conclusion: no appreciable difference in wear. I've never had a motor oil/wear related engine failure in 40 years, even with my Corvette (11 years daily driver 24/7/365 in Chicago, ran all season tires year round, my only car at the time). Lots of high rpm use/abuse with that one.   OIL LEAK: If it's a minor oil pan gasket or valve cover leak, tighten and observe. Replace gaskets if necessary. Otherwise, I just drive and add oil as required because it costs virtually nothing. The driveway takes a beating, though. I had a rear seal leak on a Camaro for about 5 years and didn't want to pay to have the engine yanked. Just added oil, no problems except the driveway (again).   BCM...... This is the tough one, and I don't have any advice other than.....you have to have the blower operating, especially in winter for both the heat and especially the defrost. I have read a lot of stuff in this forum on blower motor and blower control module problems. Could never figure out why mechanics could not isolate the problem better with diagnostics, amperage, or voltage meters.   Had a starter motor issue once. Thought it was the battery. Lost a $20 bet. Another time thought I had a battery isuue. Lost a $20 bet. In each instance with the same friend who on the former issue disconnected, cleaned, and reconnected the starter motor ground, same with the battery terminals on the latter issue. These were both on the Corvette.   11 year old wiring alone on your car could be at issue, especially if the insulation rubbed through/off and you are getting inappropriate sporadic touching of a hot on something metal, unwanted. No suggestions here.   TRANSMISSION FLUID CHANGES/SCREEN REPLACEMENTS/FLUSHES: Agreed, if it ain't broke don't fix it. Manual suggests never needs changing under normal driving conditions, even up to the 150,000 mile interval in the manual. Most of what you need to know is in the color and smell of the transmission fluid anyway, despite what I say.   Later, Jack Replies to this message: oldwino (Nov 09, 2008 5:04 pm)
#4047 of 4283 Leaky tube by jstalewski Oct 16, 2008 (11:30 am)
I've got a 2G 3.5 Aurora that's got a coolant leak in the tube that runs front-to-back that has a hose connecting to the water pump on the front end and on the other end a hose to the heater - sort of a long connector.   The tube is corroded and leaking and the dealership wants to charge me $633 to replace the damn thing - and is telling me I can't drive it the way it is. Hell, I drove it to the dealership, why can't I drive it home? Did they poke a hole in it?   What is that tube called, and does anyone else find their repair quote just a tad pricey? I could probably replace it myself if I knew what part to ask for - it's not like it's connected to the diagnostic computer, or in an inaccessible position. Even if they included a coolant flush/fill, it seems excessive to me.   Thanks in advance!
#4048 of 4283 coolant leak by brinwood Oct 16, 2008 (2:57 pm)
Take car to reputable radiator shop and get their quote to fix. should be cheaper.
#4049 of 4283 1997 AURORA by jeff8789 Oct 16, 2008 (4:45 pm)
97 AURORA...NO PARKING/DASH LIGHTS...I HAVE CHECKED FUSES,REPLACED DIRECTIONAL/HEADLIGHT SWITCH,SENTINEL BARREL SWITCHES...HEADLIGHTS,4-WAY'S,DIRECTIONALS AND BRAKE LIGHTS WORK FINE....IS THERE A RELAY THAT CONROLS PARKING LIGHTS ? JEFF Replies to this message: mdeering (Dec 03, 2008 1:27 pm) mastecutor (Jan 02, 2009 10:02 am) chris53511 (Nov 15, 2009 11:27 am)
#4050 of 4283 Charging battery by rweimer Oct 17, 2008 (3:46 pm)
Can you do any damage to the electrical system on a 2002 Auroa by charging the battery with a battery charger?
#4051 of 4283 Re: 2001 Aurora, low miles wonder [dathom] by aurorarich Oct 22, 2008 (7:24 am)
Replying to: dathom (Jul 13, 2008 8:01 am) My 2002 Aurora rear window now falls down by itself. I can hear the motor running when I actvate the switch. Sounds like your problem. Did you ever get a repair? What was the problem and how much was the repair? How did you get the windows to stay up without a repair?
#4052 of 4283 Re: Transmission Fluid Flush or Replacement [pscheid] by oldwino Nov 09, 2008 (5:04 pm)
Replying to: pscheid (Oct 15, 2008 9:31 am) Hi Jack   Just a note to reply to our conversation in the "Buying Experience" forum, which is now read only for whatever reason. I did get the throttle body cleaned, fuel filter changed and new K&N filter for my trip. The gas mileage definitely improved. I got 26.1mpg on the leg from Lexington, Ky to Columbia, SC. That compares to the 23.7 I got back in Feb. over the same route and roughly the same speed. The air temp was alot warmer in Aug. than Feb, but I don't believe it would make much difference, if any, especially as I was running the AC this time. Got 24.4 on the return, but that was with some stretches of sustained 75-80 mph. So overall I was pleased with the improvements. Next big trip will be Feb again to Daytona Beach for the 500.   Take Care, Jack
#4053 of 4283 Re: Fuel overflow and backup; Blower Control Test and Fuel Gauge [pscheid] by e_net_rider Nov 10, 2008 (12:15 pm)
Replying to: pscheid (Oct 15, 2008 4:14 am) Your fuel fill issue is likely related to a problem in the vent system. At least one of the tank lines goes to the front as part of the evaporative emissions and is tied to charcoal canister. During running a valve changes to draw fuel vapor out of charcoal. Canister sometimes has a small filter to stop dirt being drawn in during that purge cycle. It may be totally plugged. The canister may have gone bad. The valve or the computer controlling it may have gone bad. Or you may have crushed the line or it is plugged, the one coming from the tank. Unlikely, but a friend with a new '69 Ford ran out of gas when the guage showed nearly new. He got it to gas station but it would only take a couple of gallons. They had put an unvented cap on vehicle that required vented. The gas pump sucked the tank collapsed.
#4055 of 4283 Re: 1997 AURORA [jeff8789] by mdeering Dec 03, 2008 (1:27 pm)
Replying to: jeff8789 (Oct 16, 2008 4:45 pm) Jeff   Did you ever determine the problem? We are have the same problem. No Parking lights, CD player does not work.

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