Oldsmobile Aurora Maintenance & Repair

rjs200240 · October 2003

Is not adjustable. The PCM will adjust it. Also, it is used for idling... When you are driving, it does nothing. If your tranny is shifting hard, there is probably something wrong in it. It may not be a big deal, or it may be.

stickking1 · October 2003

Yea, I had the same problem that you and mushroom had. Just a funny little hicup during idle. Replacement wires and plugs did the trick for me. Delco wires and plugs all the way.

-Brian

mike025 · October 2003

Greetings, I just purchased a 1999 Aurora and am experiencing a hesitation problem. It occurs intermitently, usually upon acceleration. If i acclerate easier it doesnt feel as bad. Also, it doesn't happen all the time. On two occasions it actually made a popping sound from the intake.I changed the fuel filter and have run 2 bottles of techron fuel injection cleaner, in two full tanks and still have the problem. If im cruising on the parkway at 60mph, its barely noticeable, maybe a shudder here and there....any help would be greatly appreciated....thanks, Mike
ps. the car only has 55000 miles on it.

rodtice · November 2003

most likely it is a ignition problem. A wire/coil/plug. I'd first pull a wire at a time off the coil and look for corrosion, if they are not all shiney clean them up with a little emory cloth (sand paper (fine)) and see if it comes back after a short time of no probs you know what is wrong.

95mushroom · November 2003

I have a problem starting my car, it seems it develops after the car has sat for around 2 hours. I have absoultey no problem starting it over night or just after shutting it off. Which leaves me really boggled because it would seem like after 2 hours things would have cooled down enough. It did it just a few times a while back and yesterday after I replaced the coils and the fuel filter Sat. and the car is RUNNING great. Anyone have any ideas?

garnes · November 2003

I remember starting problems often being related to the fuel pressure regulator (FPR). It supposedly can be a cheap easy do-it-yourselfer as well.

Henry · November 2003

I oersonally think it is a sensor. My 95 did the slaming shift changes and it was a tranny sensor that went bad. I dont rememger it being expensive. Perhaps you should just go to an Olds or Caddy dealer that you trust. they have probably seen the problem before.
Henri

95mushroom · November 2003

I probably should have described the problem lol. The engine just turns-over, and maybe after the second or third time it barely starts. It sounds and feels horrible. Its like maybe a cylinder or two get going and they drag the rest of the engine into starting.

From what you said garnes, it defintely sounds like it could be the FPR seening how the electrical part of the engine is working fine.

nsollman · November 2003

i recently had a number of problems with my '95 aurora. my gas mileage had dropped drastically and my idle was very rough among other things. i took it in and the mechanic switched out my coils, plug wires, and replaced my fuel pressure regulator, and now she runs like a dream.
the only problem is that now i seem to be having trouble with hard starts. seemingly THE one thing i didn't have a problem with before i took it in.
since it seems the universal solution in previous posts has been the FPR, is there something else that i could look to seeing as how i just had that replaced?
she doesn't have any problem cranking, it just seems like she's not getting the fuel she needs. any suggestions?
thanks all....

95mushroom · November 2003

EXACTLY my problem,

however I havent yet replaced the FPR. Probably this weekend. Can someone guide me to finding it?

Also I notice the the thing on top of the throttle body on my car is really bad and one the lines was lose and off. It has two lines, looks like there's suppose to be a third? Anyone have an idea on what it is? If I had a better digi cam I'd show you but all I got was a white flash.

nsollman · November 2003

i believe the FPR is above the #7 fuel injector. someone correct me if that's not right.

mrdubya · November 2003

for finding the fpr, i know it was on the back left. when you buy it, take off the plastic cover on the engine and it is super easy to see, not hidden or anything. just look at the one you bought, they look about the same. for changing its just as easy takes 20 seconds.

from the time you open your hood, it will probably be closed in 1-2 minutes!

donnapaca · November 2003

I also own a 95 and had hard shifts especially from park to reverse. I took it to local olds dealer. They found the PCM to be defective. The normal procedure is to replace with factory rebuild PCM.
Three rebuilds later and with factory tech assistance, the factory finally sent new PCM, which fixed the problem.

The initial code was P0076, the rebuild units gave a code 0025-24x signal,other rebuild gave 0024-25 C set,third rebuild gave 0025-24x.
The tech was good and found the rebuilds were throwing bad codes and all three rebuilds were defective. The factory finally sent a new PCM and it fixed the problem. The dealer only charged based on original quote. $288 for PCM and installation. For some reason the factor rebuilds for the 1995 (at least on my car)don't work. Added benefit (this car has had PCM replaced 3 times previously)the cruse control works again. The factory techline case # for my problems is 6515074 if some has similar problem they might refer GM mechanic to this case number for reference.
My 95 only had 70,000 when I had the last PCM replacement. I have found that the GM dealer,especially aurora experienced can save considerable money in long run since these cars seem to have unique problems.
If any ones needs additional information they can contact me at drf89cpa@aol.com.
Don
PS I have friend that posted looking for good LA CA experienced aurora dealer tech. Please advise if anyone knows one.

stickking1 · November 2003

Hey guys, looks like I will be changing either the tensioner pulley or the idler(sp?) pulley tomorrow. Now that it's getting cold outside, one of them is making some racket at start-up. I just changed the tensioner on the water pump side last week, and now this!

I can't really tell which one it is yet, so I went ahead and picked up one of each. (they are around 15 bucks a piece). I will probably just change both...its a pretty involved process getting in there and once the engine is warm, neither of them make any noise, so to be on the safe side I'll change both. If you've noticed that huge engine mount bracket before, you'll know that it's a tight squeeze...should be interesting.

-Brian

youngc · November 2003

Where is the fuel filter on a 95' located. Is it easy to change. I would like to do it myself. I have not had it changed in over 25,000 miles. Help would be appreciated. Thanks

95mushroom · November 2003

My dad changed it in the time it took for me to run to the store and grab an oil filter. I'll ask him tomm. for details. I just remember him saying something like the fuel sprayed him or something.

Any of you guys figure out the starting problems? I still can't get over how mine any does it only after its warm-ed up and then sat for about 2 hours...

uwmom · November 2003

I purchased a 2001 Aurora on 10/3/03 with 17,777 miles on it. 11 days later it did the hard shift thing and I had the pressure control solenoid replaced. that fixed the hard shift... but now when I let off the accelerator to coast it seems like something is grabbing and it is jerky feeling. also I have a new blacktop road to drive and it is jittery. I think for a car of this quality I should get smooth sailing... the dealer balanced the tires and still the jitters. am taking it in on Thurs 11/13 - any suggestions about these problems?

hammen2 · November 2003

Did the dealer just do a regular balance or use a Hunter road-force balance machine? This is where a counter-force is applied. The G-body cars (Aurora, Seville, et. al.) tend to require this. Does the vibration happen at all speeds, or just certain speeds (i.e. mine did it between 65-70 mph)...

--Robert

uwmom · November 2003

It does it between 35-50. Not so much when I have my foot in it...I'm not sure of the balancing machine but will ask Thursday.

rjs200240 · November 2003

What was the hard-shifting problem that you noticed? Is your car a 3.5 or a 4.0?

Is it possible your rotors warped and are grabbing in one spot?

stickking1 · November 2003

(BTW, This is going to be a long post)
Well, I wasn't expecting such a big deal to change out two pulleys, but that Aurora is full of surprises. Sorry Henri, I know how you feel about pics in the P&S board.

Let me first put up a picture of the 4.0 that I borrowed from RJS. I have highlighted the two pulleys that need replacement.

No big deal right? Wrong. If your engine is anything like mine (I'm not sure if this was changed post-95), then you have a this huge torque-axis mount bracket to the left side of the engine. Well, this bracket is bolted to the engine mount that lies just under the battery terminal they give you for jumpstarts.

Would you believe me if I said that you had to remove the engine mount to remove the pulley? And you have to remove this bracket? Some genius at Olds (probably someone from marketing subbing in on the assembly line), decided it would be a good idea to use these 5 inch bolts in both pulleys. I'm not joking when I say that there was at least an inch and a half of bolt inside the block..maybe two!

So, what this means to you and me is that you have to remove the engine mount to get the tensioner arm off of the engine, and there is no way to remove the idler pulley without either cutting the bolt and then threading it out, or lifting the entire engine out of the bay!! I'm not joking...maybe it's just my car...but we had to cut an inch and a half off of the bolt to get the idler out. That was after the bracket AND the engine mount came out. The bolt literally ran into the body an inch before it was threaded all the way out.

Here you can see the engine support set up. At this point we did not have the engine mount out, but were getting ready for it. Underneath the engine there is a jack also supporting the engine's weight.

So here is a pic from the side of the car. The engine mount is out, but you'll see that bracket still in. That's because the length of the bolt in the idler pulley prevented us from getiing the bracket out until we cut the bolt. After we cut the bolt, there was still plenty to run through the bracket when we put it back together.

And here is the payoff. The smallest pulley is the tensioner from the water pump assembly on the other side. I did that a few days ago. It was a five minute operation...you can see the shape it is in. After sitting on the table for a day, it refused to spin at all. It's interesting to note that this pulley made no noise at all, but when I was inspecting the engine to find out what was making noise (the tensioner and idler), I found this little guy. So I figured I'd change him out as well.

The next biggest is the tensioner pulley and the largest is the idler pulley. The tensioner was by far the worst of the two, but both needed to be replaced. Besides, when the car has 154,000 on it and you're that deep into the engine, you might as well replace a few things just to make sure you don't ever have to do it again.

Total Cost: $37.23 in parts.
Total Labor for my brother and I: 6 hours!!

What a trip. I still love her though.

nsollman · November 2003

wow, i guess i'll be taking her in when she needs those belts done. thanks for detailing it out like that though.

and i think i may have gotten to the bottom of the hard starting. if i turn the key to on and then back off again a few times - without trying to crank the engine - she fires right up on the first crank. i've read that this almost certainly indicates a bad fuel pump check valve. its a valve that keeps the fuel pressure from leaking out when the car is not running. turning the key to on briefly runs the fuel pump. doing this a few times rebuilds the pressure it needs.
the only problem is that i can't seem to locate where this check valve is located, or even if its something easily replaced. i'm going to be switching out my fuel filter sometime this week and plan on really spending some quality time. maybe i'll know more then.
in the mean time running the fuel pump a few times like i mentioned avoids the embarrassing cranking.
if anyone knows how to replace that valve i'd sure appreciate the help.

uwmom · November 2003

my 01 is a 3.5 - the hard shift was taken care of with a new pressure solenoid. the warranty is good until end of Dec 03 and by this looks of this web site... I should definitely get the extended warranty. When I'm at 60 and let off the accelerator it grabs. If it was a warped rotor, wouldn't it grab on low speeds too?

Henry · November 2003

Any picture of an Aurora engine is okay with me.

uwmom · November 2003

Your prior posting were of great help to me and will take some of them in to dealer tomorrow. Waukesha is a great place and us Wisconsinites need to stick together!! Thanks again

Sheila

Henry · November 2003

There is an actual woman in the group! A while back we tok a poll and there were no "Aurorana" in the group. Welcome.
Henri

rjs200240 · November 2003

I thought you'd said it only grabbed around 30-40. A grabby rotor would probably be more noticeable at low speed, and less at high speed. But I don't know. It's probably not the problem. I was just tossing it out.

I'd try to find a place that can do a road-force balance, and see if that fixes it. I think there is a TSB (there is for the LeSabre and Bonnie) about it if you just can't get it balanced to fix it. But the fix is basically new suspension arms that have those large dampers welded on. It's a big weight thing that looks like a box stuck to the suspension, and it works counter to the wheel vibration. But it adds weight to the car, and specifically weight to the suspension pieces, so I personally would only do this as a very last resort.

ffreys · November 2003

I also have a '95 and it is making noise on the power steering side of the engine. Could you describe the sound it was making and when it would make the noise. Mine has 80,500 on her and I live in Southern California,and she always is garaged,so she is not subjected to any severe weather. Anybody else had noise on that side of the engine? Let me know what their problem was,or is the tensioner and idler pulley a common noise-maker? Thanks in advance for any and all help!

stickking1 · November 2003

Well, I would only hear it in the morning right after start-up...it would persist for a minute or two until the engine started to warm up, then it would go away. I wouldn't classify it as a squeeking or something like that...it was really more of a rattle or scraping noise. Like I said, it would go away after the engine had a chance to run for a bit. There was no gradual buildup in noise either, it just started one morning. The tensioner pulley was the worst out of the two..but they both needed to be replaced (the idler pulley was on its way out too).

I may be mistaken, but I think I am the first one to do this job to an Aurora on these boards...hasn't seemed too common.

autobahn95 · November 2003

Stickking1,
You're right about it not being a common issue. I had to replace the tensioner pulley on my '95 back in July of this year. I did not replace the idler pulley like you did. I heard noises coming from that area, just like a solid rattling type sound. Mine did start gradually however, but it would mostly do it only in gear and at a complete stop. I'm guessing because the engine was turning so slow at that time?
I changed the one pulley and it solved the problem. It took me about 4 hours, I had to make a few special tools since it's so cramped in there!
Pete

Henry · November 2003

The steering on the old lady is starting to actup. It seems to have a "Kink" in it sometimes. I executed a steering move at low speed (inside a parking lot) wher I went from extreme to extrem vbery quickly. I noticed a hard part in the steering. However, I have not been able to recereate the problem. I have also noticed some funinest when // parking. It not he pump cause it was just replace in the spring. I am wondering if its the Magnasteer.

2 - This was said a while back but I want to respond to it. I had noticed that I had constantly been leaving my car open this summer. I thought I locked it, but it would be unlocked when I got bacl to it. I wonder if I have been having the same car unlocking itself problem mentioned here. What was the fix?

Henry · November 2003

I just got an email from my warranty company that it has filed for bankruptcy and is rejecting all future claims. So much for suing warranty gold for breach of contract.

I now have a 95 Classic without warranty coverage. Scary thought for this SHOP KING.

Henri

ericmf · November 2003

My Radiator leakage issue seems to be getting worse. I've been patching it lately to slow the pain of replacement. I think I might be forced to replace it by the end of the year. Just wanted to get your guys input on radiators and how hard this thing is to replace. I've looked over it pretty good and most of it just looks like fittings. However I've never changed one. Is there any important steps I should know? Is it as simple as unbolting and disconnecting fittings amd hoses and plugging it all back together? Is there any soldering? Any tips and advice would be great. I am also wondering if I should stick with AC/Delco. I've seen them as cheap as $400-$450. Anyone know a cheaper place? I remember reading on here about not using aftermarkets because of the adapters making the car run hot. Is it drastically hotter? Is it something I can get by till summer for a lot cheaper?

Thanks in advance guys.

sdowney9 · November 2003

In the never ending saga of stalling, it's now cooler here in Maryland and my 96 Aurora is again stalling at stoplights and signs about 15 minutes after driving. If I put the shift into Neutral, it won't stall, but I don't always remember to do so in my automatic. There were a number of messages about this around Jan of 2003. I've had the oxygen sensors replaced. I took the car in last week and had the IAC motor cleaned as recommended. It worked for a few days but is back to stalling when the temperature is below 40. Any new thoughts on this one? THANKS!

hammen2 · November 2003

Was on a road trip to Chicago yesterday, wanted to listen to some tunes. Turned on the Bose, switched to the CD changer, and hit the "Prog" button to switch to a different CD. After 20-30 seconds, when no song played, I went "hmmm" and tried to advance the track listing. No go. Next, tried to go to another disc. Nada.

Figured maybe the unit was bumped or something (I've only had "E34" errors when the door got accidentally slid open partways. Before I started home last night, I popped the trunk and checked the door. Not only was it closed, but, when I opened it, it normally removes the CD and ejects the cartridge. Well, it didn't even do that - just the light came on (so I know it's getting power). No noise, no nothing.

The "CDC" flashes on the radio now. I'm thinking the changer is toast. Has anyone else seen this failure? Time to make an appointment with the dealer. The extended warranty company (not Warranty Gold, thankfully) is going to love this...

--Robert

kayaman420 · November 2003

Crack in the fuel rail. On the hose right by the FPR. Got home from work and put the car in the garage. 1 hr later my entire house smelled like gas. i knew what it was immeadiately. This is very dangerous, i cant believe this isnt a recall yet. Isnt it funny how all the common problems will get everyone eventually. God I love this car.

Fuel rail--$193
labor--$100( dont have expierience on fuel lines)

not too bad I guess.

blk97aurora · November 2003

kayaman420,

I wonder if there is a chance you could use the NHTSA investigation (hammen2's post #4730 in Aurora) as a lever to have the work done gratis at a GM dealership.

e_net_rider · November 2003

Glad I found this group. My daughter and wife acquired this vehicle without consulting me. I would have taken one look and walked without even turning the key. It was so bad I would have felt guilty about unloading it on someone else. Approaching the vehicle you see a crap paint job with sand marks. Four different maker tires all undersized at least one size and a couple of cosmetic dings. Looking closer you find the front has been replaced and the skin on the right side doors and maybe the front fender. The front wasn't done properly and the seems on the doors look like a back yard job. Also missing two hub caps and later found some idiot RTV'ed a third one. Thought I was going to break the wheel in trying to remove. Opening the trunk, the mini is missing and it looks like maybe a full sized off from a Caprice and suspect it may not even fit. The antenna has been replaced with some cheap aftermarket. Popping the hood shows there is either no anti-freeze or maybe one of those new ones that don't read on the standard specific gravity type. Supposedly the oil was just changed recently, but it looks like crap and peaking in the fill spout, it is heavily varnished. The transmission fluid is a shade of brown that I've never seen in a tranny before. I have to wonder if some additive is present. Most of the bolts in the cross support are missing.
Now I try to get in the car and the damned tilt is all the way down so I bruise my leg. Already aggravated beyond the boiling point I give the wheel a jerk and the whole assembly falls in my lap. One of the half-inch diameter steel pins in the tilt assembly is missing and the lack of support busted the housing on the opposite pin. My wife chews me out for breaking it. My daughters boyfreind, whose father was involved in this purchase, replaces the column with a junkyard and at least it seems to work except the wiper delay. I may have to drop it again. Finally I get to get in and start it. The leather is as hard as stiff plastic. Stained to hell and several small plastic items are either broken or damaged. I crank it and notice odd sounds from the engine. I start doing some searches and learn that a vented battery is required and when he disconnected the column he also removed the battery. I didn't remember a vent. Sure enough, and after finding the exploding stories because of battery gases I immediately bought battery and replaced missing vent tubing, $170. Also the new AC Delco battery must be slightly smaller and the vent kit doesn't fit as pictured. It could come loose and needs a recall safety complaint. Finally I drive and it handles and rides like a pig on ice. I notice the engine doesn't ever seem to heat up. I press my wife to get rid of it. Suddenly I put in the situation where I need to make a road trip and gamble on fixing up. After soaking the leather in leather cream for a week it begins to soften. I fix the remote which I discover had the battery holder broken loose, yet most functions don't seem to work. I flush engine with a trusted product and refill with part synthetic and Rislone to help finish the cleaning. I change tranny fluid and filters and use Dexron III also approved for Mercon V. I then discover the grease fittings. I flush cooling system and replace the missing thermostat. Refilled with Dexcool and have had very good success with it and an additive that stops cavitation, makes wetter, and protects. The plug wires look suspicious and I pull a plug. Cheapest Autolite, so I get me a set of the proper plug. In changing I discover another odd one on the right side and a cracked one and possibly one cross threaded and not seated. I manage to get the new ones in and properly reroute the wires. I discover someone changed the hose from the intake to the PCV plastic tube and it has been kinked off. Probably part of why the engine is so dirty inside. I'm reasonably satisfied that it has some life left so I hunt tires. I get a set of Khumo's which have very good reviews for this machine, and I'm satisfied, but will go back and have them align the weight spots with the valve stems. Braking had seemed pretty good and I took it up to 80 on an open stretch. Then I had a hard brake the following day. Even though the pads looked like new, there definitely was a problem as it didn't respond to sudden pedal. So I start on the brakes. There had been some indications of possible warpage, but I didn't expect to find loose bolts and a beveled rotor and lack of any lubrication on the slide points. Someone through in new pads and let it sail. I get to the back and they too appear to have at least 80% left, but some ape used channel locks to retract the piston. Both were heavily scored and a boot tore up. It had the original rotors never off the car as indicated by the keepers. Dropping one, the back side showed that it was heavily scored by rivets and never turned before putting in new pads. The front are turned and back replaced with after-market. System flushed. After 2200 road miles, I think its not braking properly. The rear rotors are still showing most of the machine marks from manufacture. So I get on the brakes hard enough to actuate anti-skid. The left front locks momentarily before the anti-skid activates and still suspect the rear are not working properly.. Any suggestions?????
Also when I started on the trip, I was concerned about oil usage and rolling from Savannah to Macon at 80 (~180 miles) it used a half quart. I topped off with Syntec and drove the remainder of the 1150 miles using about a half quart. On the return I added a half quart of Valvoline high-milage vehicle and finished the trip using almost no oil. The engine looks cleaner inside and suspect I need to change just for the deposit removal. I lost a small amount of coolant, which I smell outside the vehicle and will hunt its location as that smell makes me sick. (1/2 inch in reservoir). Since power steering fluid also looked objectionable, possibly too hot, I flushed it with Valvoline synthetic. Also noted at start of trip was a vibration which I initially attributed to balance. Very aggravating because it was most noticeable at 65-75 MPH. Car would be smooth again at 80. I now think it might be CV joints, probably the inner. Any experience with this?????
I had some jerk in a pickup that insisted upon being on my front bumper. After 50 miles of this idiot, I throttled up slightly and let it fly at 105 for several miles. Saw no more of him. Car handled better at this speed than any other. Was a bit noisy, sounding like the air moving across an aircraft skin. I also discovered some idiot did a hack wire job forcing the fans to be on all the time, including accessory position. Will need to pick up a seat tilt motor for the passenger as it is missing. The memory system for the driver only works seldom. The door locks on the front don't work, can hear motor actuate. Also I'

e_net_rider · November 2003

Your descriptions seem vague. Grabby?? First what tires are on the car? Inflated properly? How much wear? Some tires, depending upon tread design and higher speed rating may try to follow road grooves more than some other tires and result in a feeling that you're fighting to keep the car straight. Balance or RFB doesn't sound like the problem. Balance would be steady vibration or bounce at some speeds. Do you have traction control?? I did talk to a mechanic that said these cars sometimes have a proportioning valve problem that causes intermittant incomplete release of the brakes and subsequent drag burning the brakes. The reason I suspect that my problem is the inner CV joints is because it happens at mostly 70 but will change with constant speed depending upon level, uphill puts components under load forcing them to stay tighter or down hill. Also riding on both sides it seems like the vibration is coming from the other side or center, the location of the inner CV joints. I would try to narrow the scope of your problem unless you have a mechanic you trust implicitly and have deep pockets.

e_net_rider · November 2003

I'm posting this because this appears to be a concerned owner's group and possibly many do-it-yourselfers.
I liked the older computer systems from early 80's till about 95. You could short out a couple of pins and it would give you answers and sometimes even run self diagnotics including cylinder balance and performance. That's gone now that we have OBD II. To read simple codes you need a $100+ scanner and to get more deeply stored codes you need $300+ scanner and to get the full load of info you need a scanner in the thousands of dollars. This sucks, that I have to use some ripoff shop for minor stuff. But wait, it gets even worse. In those earlier models, something worked or you replaced it, including the computer or the chip. With these new ones on the EEPROM they can set it do different than the design. Ford and GM's argument is that if there is a design change the shops machine is given the update for your car via an uplink. But I learned via Ford mechanics that they can set it anyway they want locally. Simple example would be lets say you are tripping a service engine for over heat. Maybe the sensor is set at 230 for this and your car is under warranty. They program it to not trip until 250, until warranty is gone. They could even program it to get you back in the shop in a few weeks with a different concern than your original problem. Do You smell ripoff??
We as consumers will probably avoid taking the car in for service as long as possible if it seems to run OK because of the extreme cost. They could tinker with setting to pass emissions, yet overall it could be polluting badly because of high fuel consumption such as a HumVee. I've heard and seen where the service engine light bulb has been removed. Basically, there is no way of verifying what work has been done and if it is trully needed. This eliminates asking for the old parts that used to keep some honest. EPA and trade commission and consumer protection agencies need to get all over this.

stickking1 · November 2003

Hi E-net, welcome to the boards. Sorry to hear about the experience so far, hope the luck turns around for you and the Aurora in the future.

UWMom- Sorry this is a late response, but from your description I would tell you to change your plugs and wires. I know, it may sound a bit weird, but I am interpreting your description of "grabby" as something a little different than everyone else.
    About 2 or 3 months ago, my 95 started to do the same thing. I would never notice it when I was accelerating, just when I was coasting at around 40-55mph (by coasting, I mean keeping a constant speed, not decelerating). The car would actually jerk....no other way to describe it.
    But the seat of the pants rarely lie, and it felt to me like the engine would momentarily stop producing power, then start up again...and the jerking felt to me like the engine would stop turning the transmission, then it would "jerk" into gear again. Hard to explain. It would literally do this almost once a second at times...very quickly.
    There has been a lot of talk about only using AC Delco plugs and wires in the Aurora, and now I believe them. I had Delco wires in my car, but had Bosch plugs. The plugs were only about 3 months old at the time, but I figured I'd give it a shot (at 2.00 per plug, it's the cheapest fix around). Once changed, the problem went away overnight!
    I may be incorrect, and you're problem may really be mechanical...but you should really check this out. A set of plugs and wires is a lot cheaper than new CV joints. Good luck!!

ffreys · November 2003

Now my '95 has a new problem,after I start it for first time for the day,no matter what time, and drive it about 5 or 6 miles the service engine soon light comes on and it kinda runs rough. If I come to a stop it dies,but starts right back up,I then pull over to side of the road,shut off completely,let sit for about a minute and start again,after that no problems for the rest of the day no matter how many times I start it,how long it sits,or temperature. I think I read about this problem with a couple of other owners and was wondering what fixed it for them. The car has 81,000 on it. Thanks again for all your help. Good to have a place to come for such great information and dedicated owners

e_net_rider · November 2003

You should have a hard code set. I'd drive by Autozone and ask them to use their scanner. You may get lucky and their cheap scanner pick it up.

e_net_rider · November 2003

Thanks Stickking. These were just some of the more important items noted. So far, everything I found wrong was the result of some incompetent mechanic messing it up. Maybe it was bad the first time, maybe it wasn't. Considering looking for another car, but need some answers on this oil pressure thing. What are you all reading at idle. At 8# I'm surprised the oil light isn't coming on and almost have to wonder if someone has defeated that circuit. Since the display is giving me the numbers the computer would be using, I would suspect a code or service engine light, but as I said in my distaste of OBDII it is possible that someone reprogrammed the trip point. Also pressures at higher RPM's might be helpful if anyone will take the time to check and reply it is appreciated.
Maybe of even greater importance is the brake thing. Certainly the machine marks on the rear rotors should have disappeared after 2500 miles. They should have been broke in at 200. Anyone here familiar with this system?? Is there a special procedure for bleeding the system. Any known diagnostics other than relying on idiot light?
After thought, the brakes are of primary importance at this point. I used to say the brakes were the most important item. I've revised my opinion on that and now tires are number one. Reason being is that tires control direction as well as stopping. So if you've got crappy brakes, maybe you can still steer your way out of a situation. So brakes become a very close second. Yet I don't want to lose an engine.

Any thoughts here on recommeded fluids? I do love Rain-X washer fluids. And think synthetic products are fantastic, but hear that if you start using synthetic motor oil, you must stick with it. I did have a bad experience and didn't realize it until too late. I was using Mobil 5W30 and the motor recommendation was 10W30. I had some special ordered and switched at the next change. I noted that it looked more like regular oil while pouring. At 6000 I had used a quart. By 10000 I had used 2 1/4 quarts. When I bought another case, I realized something was wrong, it looked more like the 5W30. Calling Mobil I got them to admit that their regular and synthetic were bottled on the same line.

rjs200240 · November 2003

They are just like any rear disc brakes. They have an integral parking brake, so don't compress the piston into the bore. It needs to be screwed in with a tool.

I'd suggest pulling the rear caliper, and then pressing the brake pedal. See if the piston even moves. If not, try opening the bleeder screw then pressing the pedal just to see if fluid reaches back there (maybe they squeaked or something so the previous owner decided to clamp the brake line as a "fix"...).

If you have fluid pressure, then maybe it's time to replace or rebuild the caliper. Perhaps the piston got compressed, ruining the parking-brake mechanism and preventing the piston from being able to move... All just guesses...

rjs200240 · November 2003

The wive's tale about staying with synthetic once you've tried it is just that. All synthetic is is more pure oil. In fact, most synthetics (not Mobil 1, though) are just made from regular oil that is very well purified. Mobil 1 still uses a real synthetic, but it is still just man-made oil so it doesn't have the impurities and such. It is perfectly interchangable with regular oil, and there is no requirement to stay with synthetic once you try it.

That's very odd that your Mobil 1 was really just regular oil. You sure it wasn't just that the color was darker? Mobil seems to have done that with the new SuperSyn anti-wear formulation of Mobil 1. I suspect the color is added intentionally as there was a lot of complaint about the clear oil. It is very very hard to see the clear stuff on a dipstick.

I've never used sythetic ATF, though I used sythetic gear oil in my Corvette's manual tranny. Synthetics are great, but if your car is burning fluids, they won't fix that (or are very unlikely to).

I hope you get your car running well. The Aurora is a great car, but it sounds like yours really got butchered...

P.S. Anyone wonder if recycled oil gets used again as things like motor oil? If so, I wonder if regular oils will start to be all awesome as they start to be composed of more recycled Mobil 1...

e_net_rider · November 2003

I understand the basics of rear disk brakes. Some idiot used channel locks to turn the piston in scoring them to hell and tearing boots. I managed to get the teeth marks out with file and emory cloth. Parking brake works fine. I would have laughed at your pinching line suggestion before I had this car. Now believe it possible. I will check this when I put the new boot on the caliper, it came in today. I'm more suspicious of something mechanical wrong in the antilock system, or a proportioning valve, or maybe even both hoses bad. But would like to make sure there isn't some special bleed procedure.
Had a bad experience in this area. Bought used car from dealer and word was it belonged to their fleet dealer manager's father-in-law who passed. Bought it no warranty but discovered it had a braking problem. I took it back and they worked on it. I took it to several shops and all said they couldn't find anything wrong. The rear would lock and through you into a sideways skid. It did it on my wife twice and me once. About a year later I was looking in a Chiltons for bleeding procedure on another vehicle and there in a picture was the answer. They showed the diverter valve pin hold out tool installed for proper bleeding. That car still had this tool installed from the factory and that explained the previous body work to the rear quarter panels.

blk97aurora · November 2003

e_net_rider,

Welcome; I think we on the Aurora boards will learn a lot from your nightmare.

Many of us have observed oil-pressure display showing 7 to 8psi at idle after full warm-up. According to the Olds service manual, minimum pressure is 5psi, so the warning will set at 4psi. Pressure this low was certainly cause for alarm in all the other cars I have owned. Someone explained months back that the Aurora's lubrication system is high-volume, low-pressure as opposed to the low-volume, high-pressure systems many of us grew up with. Therefore, the 8psi reading at idle is OK. I'm not sure I buy that yet. One of the things I want to do is replace the pressure sender to see if that makes a difference.

Oil pressure at cold start-up is over 60psi, maybe as high as 80 (I haven't paid any attention to that lately). Pressure at highway speeds after warm-up is 35 to 40psi. I use M1 10W30 in my 1997 classic with 105,000 miles.

Service manual states that excessive oil comsumption is more than 2 qts in 2000 miles. I've always been curious why it doesn't say "1 qt in 1000 miles." In 65,000 miles of driving, my '97 has averaged 1400 miles per quart, ranging from high of 1900 to low of 1100 miles per quart between oil and filter changes. There is no discerble pattern to the variation.

One of the big problems everyone experiences is reading the dipstick. I is nearly impossible to get accurate, repeatable readings. One possible cause is that the dipstick enters the oil surface at a very low angle (about 30 degrees). You can actually observe a higher reading on the bottom side compared to the lower reading on the upper side. So, I have taken to rotating the dipstick 360 degrees before pulling it for a reading. Also need to check level when the car is level, or at least in the same place evey time.

Back to consumption -- some Northstars have the same problem. There is a Cadillac Technical Service Bulletin that attributes the condition to stuck rings and gives a very detailed and extensive course of treatment. Has anyone ever tried it?

I'm thinking of trying Rislone engine treatment just before the next oil change to see if that will help reduce the oil compsumption. Anybody tried that?

For me the problem isn't so bad that I won't just continue to add oil (even M1). Although last week I saw white smoke out the back for the first time when I hit the throttle. I don't like for other drivers to see that.

e_net_rider · November 2003

What I was told concerning the synthetic made sense, but doesn't mean it's right. Supposedly the parts will become so finely polished using synthetic, that it doesn't allow for the non-synthetic to get back into those same places or something like that. I will probably use a part synthetic at this point because of Mobil price. Walmart has such that is recommended for high milage vehicles but good for new in 5 qt containers. Much cheaper. Also have been adding 1 qt of Syntec because of their claims. This makes a 8 quart change more affordable. The problems I had with the Mobil were about 15 years ago and they hadn't yet darkened the sythetics. It definitely was hard to see it. The fluid I used in the tranny is made by AAMCO (tranny people), part synthetic Mercon V and listed as backward compatible with all Dexron III and Mercon. So far so good. Don't know what would have happened if used in older Ford as they have a SB warning against using Mercon V in a tranny calling for Mercon. Would loved to have tried Mobil sythetic, but using about 16 quarts for total flush would have gotten a bit expensive.
Synthetics in the drain? That is a good one. They have been remanufacturing oil for many years. First thought would be just re-distill it and add the proper additives. But I have to wonder if some of the molecules break in use and if distilling alone will separate that. I've heard the synthetics are so good because the molecules are much longer at the start. Any Chemists Here? If I get a chance , I'll give a cousing a call. He used to job oil and always custom mixed his own with additives. Claimed what he was mixing would have cost $25 quart back then. He ran a lot of demolitian tracks and never blew a motor.

e_net_rider · November 2003

Thanks for the info. Didn't know it was a low pressure system, but that makes the high end sound high. Wisconsin V-4 aircools used to run at 8 PSI, but they never rose much above that as the regulator would bypass. As to considering the flush, I have used a product that comes in a quart metal can like the old oil cans that required the piercing spout. It is thin like kerosene, shake the can, and you start with a cold motor and idle for five minutes. It does an excellent job, but may not get it all if really dirty. I noted this looking in the fill spout, yet it may loosen some enough to get it with fresh oil and that new load of detergents that goes with it. I've also used Rislone with several different vehicles that I felt may have been neglected and in this case I've done the 1,2,punch to get it cleaned up. Also I refilled with Pennzoil, which used to be red, because it was known as having one of the best detergent packages around and mechanics would speak of how clean an engine would be. I'm not sure when they took the red out, but it has been recent compared to reformulations of Quaker State. That used to be known as the dirtiest oil. Some would brag that they never had an oil leak, but if you tore it down you'd see why. I did one and was instantly told that engine had Quaker in it. I suspected a big dinosaur took a crap in it. Also one quart of Syntec was added as it used and then followed by a half quart of that Valvoline high milage stuff. Seems to have stopped using. Most of the 1125 coming home were 75 to 85 and several miles at 105. Ran fine at that speed, maybe handled better too. But the gas milage really dropped. I'm draining my oil soon because the Rislone is doing its job and the dirtiness of the oil shows.
Do you know what the TSB says?

Oldsmobile Aurora Maintenance & Repair

Comments

Helpful Tools

Most popular vehicles

Oldsmobile Aurora Maintenance &amp; Repair

Comments

Helpful Tools

Most popular vehicles

Oldsmobile Aurora Maintenance & Repair