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A few weeks back it started dropping back from 4 to 3 intermittantly. And having a delayed upshift to 4, even under mild acceleration. It would be Ok from cold start suggesting that problem gets worse as fluid or engine warms. Then it started totally dropping out of 4, like into neutral. And now it also does it in 3. That is once warmed I have only 1 and 2.
Norman
Have a good day
Les
Les
Any words of help/advice are greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance,
corey
I just did a little checking and it turns out there are regulators for pressure and the electrical solenoid receives pulse width modulation from ECM possibly effecting the apply rate.
According to what I read, a portable scanner needs to be used so that once the vehicle is up to speed the solenoid can be commanded off and on. That is after doing a full scan for other codes and snapshot of condition is recorded in scanner. If other codes are present they need to be considered in diagnosis.
Wow, first I have seen of it or heard of it, but there is a filter under the side cover where the TCC control solenoid is. And it looks like filter commonly used in transmissions versus the plastic screens changed out from the bottom. This filter would certainly catch finer stuff than screens and could be culprit in other things such as sticking of valves. Sediment and deposits are indicated as possible trouble for TCC not functioning properly.
But here is the issue. That side cover is not indicated as removable while transmission is in car, which sucks. But I'd bet there is a good possibility of doing it and the shop is just quoting you the book on labor.
Checking clearances carefully, you might make enough room to slide engine over enough to remove it by completely removing front motor mount. Shops often have such tricks.
Ford in the early Taurus/Sable had an access cover in the left wheel well, but did away with it. I heard it was still possible to remove that side cover via shifting engine, but a hell of a lot easier before they removed that access hole.
Norman
Many of the 95-99's had chronic weatherstripping issues, especially around the rear window. The proper dealer fix was to remove the rear window, replace all of the stripping, and reinstall the rear window. I had it done twice under warranty. I later found that my dealer farmed these repairs out to a local auto glass business.
If done incorrectly or in incorrect temperatures, you wind up with a nice looking leaking rear window.
Remember, water can "run" easily, and the source of the water problem may not be the back window or trunk seals.
why not price out a fuel pump replacement at a local repair shop and then add 50% to that as a fudge factor.
From what you wrote, you are going on what the owners said, and what they say their mechanic told them. You are going into this potential purchase virtually blind.
Do yourself a HUGE favor and take some of the uncertainty out of this decision.
Spend $100-$150 and have a certified mechanic of YOUR choosing diagnose this issue and any others that may need attention, preferably a GM Cadillac dealer that will know the Aurora and the related technical service bulletins. Ask the owners to produce (non dealer) maintanence records and ask they allow you to get the same from a GM dealer for those items performed by GM dealers (it's on record by Vehicle identification number). This can be done while the car is in to diagnose the current issue. A carfax report would not hurt to insure this car wasn't a salvage. All of this will take 2 hours or less at the dealer.
If the seller balks at your common sense approach, take a hike. They have something to hide or could care less about you. I'd take this approach if I was buying the car from my mother.
Spend a little now and have some idea what you are getting into. Buy without doing your homework, and the repairs could cost you more than the car's purchase price itself.
I have to agree...I think the Aurora was flawed - in many ways- that were not acknowledged. Shop around.....
As to whether Olds or GM is the problem in the diagnosis and repair on your Aurora: you'll find that with the complexity of cars today it seems they try a hit or miss approach to issues that could be caused by different things. To the non mechanically inclined like me, dealers appear to replace parts until the problem (or you) goes away. You'll find that matter what brand you buy, new or used.
There is an anonymous auto mechanic locally that writes an auto repair collumn for my local paper. Many of the folks who write in tell stories of mystery issues neither their dealer nor their mechanic can resolve. Of course, he gets to the bottom of the matter. His opinion on all of this is that it is the mechanic you choose that makes a difference, one who has the training (ASE certification), experience, and the diagnostic equipment to pinpoint the problem with an accurate diagnosis on the first pass.
You're not trying to get the best price on a repair. You're trying to get the best value. I have a mechanic that I've used for about 15 years. I've never had a bring back. I don't know how he does it, and I don't care. He has correctly diagnosed and repaired all of my cars, regardless of brand or model. The last thing I want to have happen is for my wife to get stranded somewhere. She depends on me to make the car repair decisions, and by God I had better be right.
I buy my gas at my mechanic's facility, even though it is always higher priced, because my business relationship with him is important to me. Apparently to him too because the car always comes back fixed, and he asks me about my last repair (my satisfaction) when I'm there. Ask your family and friends if they have found such a mechanic.
Rather than buying new cars, I've been buying 1-3 year old used cars for decades because I choose to drive something nicer, letting the other guys take the depreciation hit. Then drive them until the cost of repairs or reliability gets under my skin. The Aurora was one of these used car gems and hasn't seen the dealership since it has been off warranty. Funny, a lot of the Aurora mystery problems discussed and resolved in this forum are things my mechanic has resolved on the first pass.
Good luck.
Bill
What is involved is a big porcelain resistor that gets put in series with the lamps so they are not as bright in the off position for DTR and as I recall, the vehicle has to be in gear for them to come on.
If you are talking about when the light switch is off and DTR should be on, the resistor and relay would be first things to check.
If you are having issue when light switch is on, the relay might still be an issue if contacts have gone bad, but could also be related to logic for switching it.
Unless it is happening in pairs, you might also have a bad filament as I did. Everytime I looked at front of vehicle, it seemed fine. At a stop light I saw the flickering. Checked and sure enough bulb was out. I wiggled connector and back on. Few days later I saw it was out again when pulled up behind someone, but would sometimes flicker on. Turned out it was bulb itself and not connector.
Any info on swapping out the radiatior or hoses or where to find inexpenxive parts. What should I be looking for? Is this something a novice could fix? OOhh it also has the classic high engine temperature. Thanks in advace for any help regarding this issue. A hot summer is just around the corner, I d like to fix this sooner than later.
c
I had a similar problem for about a year. While my problem may not be your problem, read post #3858. I too was losing coolant slowly but could see no leaks. You could smell the coolant on and off. The oil levels never rose, nor was there any evidence of contamination of the motor oil. Had to add coolant every 4 months or so.
One fine day I got to my destination and steam was rising out of the hood area. Upon closer examination, it was just slightly wet in the same place you describe, up by where the radiator hose hooked up to the top neck on the radiator on the passenger side of the car.
Since my 98 autobahn with 82,000 miles was on the original hoses, I was hoping for the cheap fix, loose or worn out hose and/or loose clamp. Not quite, My mechanic listened to my story and did a pressure test with the engine running and hot. You could see the steam faintly eminating from the exact spot, But there was a minute crack in the radiator neck. Time for a radiator swap and a new radiator cap. And new hoses and clamps.
At the same time the mechanic pointed out slight seepage and steam from the original water pump. Took care of that too and added a new thermostat. The car has been fine for the past six months. I'm at 91000 miles now.
High Operating Temperatures:
I have read a lot of posts about high operating engine temps but have not experienced this except in stop and go traffic and when the outside temps are above 80. As soon as the car is moving, the temp drops slowly back to 200 on the temp gauge, where it has been for the past 10 years. I've owned the car for all but 11000 miles, so the radiator flushes and coolant replacement were done every 2-3 years.
If you look, there are no front fascia grills on the Classic Auroras for air intake. So the car depends solely on your front flexible air dam to scoop up cooler air and force it up over the radiator. Sitting in traffic, no air flow. And the air temps down close to the asphalt can get really high. Hence, higher operating temps around town and in stop and go traffic are normal. What does your temp gauge read in 80 degree + and stop and go? Mine can approach 220, though the gauges can be off....actual water temps could be higher, never had the gauge accuracy checked.
I've always used the recommended Delco orange coolant despite all the racket I've read about how the stuff is more corrosive that the green stuff. If it wasn't broken, I wasn't going to fix it.
I hope your "fix" is as simple as mine. I chalk this stuff up as routine maintenance. Beats car payments and watching the Kelly or NADA blue book values plummet on wife's newer car. And as long as the car is otherwise dependable, I can't think of a car I'd rather be driving, including my wife's Infinity G35 Coupe.
Other Stuff:
Struts and shocks are next, I'm still on the originals. The first tuneup will occur when the car starts running rough or the 27 pure highway mpg starts dropping off (at 65 on cruise, 87-89 octane, tires at 35 psi, with a clean air filter). Pure city driving with stop and go, 16-18mpg , less with a happy foot.
C
Parts:
Radiator ($339), thermostat ($35), thermostat seal ($13), upper radiator hose ($34), water pump ($109), lower radiator hose ($29), antifreeze ($26), shop supplies ($29). Total parts $614.
Labor:
Radiator remove and replace ($187), water pump, thermostat, gasket, upper and lower hoses ($170). Total labor $357.
Total parts and labor: $971.
THIS POST WILL HAVE A TON OF GUYS JUMP IN AND TELL YOU HOW AND WHERE YOU CAN GET THIS DONE CHEAPER. My experience doing business with this repair guy for 15 years: it's fixed the first time in, and on time; no bring backs; no breakdowns; pick up and drop off. If he says he fixed it, it's fixed.
If you read posts in this forum about Aurora issues and fixes, they smack of "replace parts, write checks, and pray the problem goes away, if ever."
It is normal for me to see the repair facility owner stroll out weeks after the repair when I am getting gas and without saying a word first checks the coolant level and then asking me if there are any problems.
I'm older. I subscribe to the adage you (hopefully) get what you pay for. This doesn't always seem to be the case with car repairs. So when I hook up with a facility and an owner that seems to get it right every time, I stop second guessing the price. Customer loyalty is a two way street. I pay for results, not good intentions. And by the way, the peace of mind has a price tag too.
Good luck.
C
Just check the CV joint boots first, just because the boots look good don't mean the joint isn't bad but, if the boot is bad then the joint is or will soon be.
and the other problem im having is when you open the drivers door the radio wont turn off when the car is shut off i have to open another door to get it to go off>?
Your car should be acting funny(fast idle or eratic idle etc.)if the iac is going out,it usually don't just quit.....check your fuel pressure.