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Comments
Your right, Q-tips are the way to go, but trying to blow debris around with air spray can might make it worse.
I suspect the cause may be white grease, lithium based, that with age its conductivity increases as the grease drys.
That is what we used to lubricate the tuning strips in really old TVs. Each channel had its own tuning strip with about 10 contacts. Often silver or gold plated but they could fail that perfect contact. Washing with solvent and recoating with grease fixed most tuner issues.
Many thanks in advance for your time & advice!!!
thanks
mr
Are you thinking of the button that controls traction control?
In the off or normal position, the car should upshift sooner with a given amount of gas/accelerator. This is the better position for everyday driving and fuel economy
In the power mode, the transmission, with the same amount of gas/accelerator pedal as you had in normal mode, should hold the gear longer. The result is that the engine will hit higher RPM before it shifts and put you closer to the peak horsepower and torque the engine has on tap.
In the latter mode, the car should be a tad quicker in everyday driving, but the fuel mileage should be down a bit.
Why not just skip the power mode and, in normal mode, let the driver just depress the accelerator pedal a bit more with the same "increased quickness" result? Beats me, other than the car is quicker without you having to depress the accelerator more or think about it.
Think of this feature as a forerunner of adaptive transmissions, where the transmission automatically adjusts to a driver's driving style, aggressive versus conservative. The results are similar.
The Aurora was ahead of it's time in many respects and sported some interesting features and accommodations only found in a few upscale brands.
The 4.0L V8 "mini-Northstar" engine and its larger 4.6L Cadillac brothers were arguably the most advanced V8 engines ever to come out of Detroit. The Northstar was a Cadillac mainstay for about 15 years.
Even the Corvette did not sport dual overhead camshafts and multiple valves per cylinder if my memory serves me correctly. At 250 horsepower and 260 lb. ft. of torque, the Aurora's Northstar version was a monster waiting to be released. But in GM's inimitable style, they left it pretty much unchanged and let another opportunity pass.
Check out the three sun-sensitive sensors in the dash that automatically adjusted the interior HVAC system for temperature consistency and comfort. Or the dual/separate climate controls for the front passenger and driver. This was leading edge stuff back in 1993 when production started on the GenI Auroras. Standard powered (by pump) rear air shocks. The list goes on.
In a good state of tune, the GenI Aurora loaded with passengers and luggage, could cruise at 70+ MPH on the highway and top 27 MPG while doing it in style.
Jack
The diagonistic's a lot of time will say your transmission has problem and needs work-this is totally wrong. I have gone throught this about 6 times in the 100,000 miles I have on it.
The indications that the computer is going out is cruse controls stops working, more immediately indication is hard shifts from park to reverse-it bangs into reverse. The computer controls the shift and when computer starts failing it gives command to shift harder.
When this happens I highly recommend you take to GMC dealer because sometimes you have problems with the new GMC rebuilds. One time they went through 4 rebuilds before they get one that works. Each time the diagnostic said bad transmission. If you research transmission issues you will find people had rebuilds only to find out it was the computer, not transmission. I talked to parts manager at local GMC (formally was olds dealer also and he said that pontiac also "ate" computers and had similar problems.
Try to find a GMC dealer tha has an experienced tec on aurora's, as it can save you a bundle of money if you have a problem and have a bad diagonistic.
When a GMC dealer does the work and their part is bad, they cover the labor and you only pay once. One time I had the computer go out as mention above it took a week to fix and they went through 4 rebuilds before they found one that works.
I just went throught this again about two months ago, first they said transmission needed work. I told them to ignore the code and replace the computer. They did it it fixed the hard shift problem and I also got back me cruse control. If you have similar problems I can email you wrong codes the computer was sending.
Don
I had a 95 Regal which had a weird connector. Not OBDII or the connector that was common before it. I never did figure out what the situation was.
If it is the system prior to OBDII, you had the computer and a chip inside that was preprogrammed to the model of the vehicle. The same computer would be used across several models and sometimes years. My daughter bought a Buick Skyhawk that had several functions not working. Cruise control, torque convertor lock, etc. It turned out the previous owner had a death on highway. Towed to the area dealership and they stole a computer out of a Corsair. Correct computer, wrong chip. I had it to some very good shops that all ended up scratching head. It cost me $30 for the correct chip.
I think the current practice is that if you buy a computer, you are expected to remove the chip from the old computer. If you no longer have it because of core charge, you will have to buy a new chip. Go to the dealer with the VIN.
My Aurora did not exhibit these symptoms at 114,000 when I traded it. The only coolant losses I experienced throughout ownership were due to a cracked overflow tank in a place where I could not see it. A failing water pump. And a small leak in the radiator neck by the top hose.
How did your mechanic determine it was a head gasket leak (internal). From the exhaust? From the motor oil?
PJ
It "wasn't broke" so I didn't "fix it." Trans was the same as the motor.....smooth and trouble free. What was I anticipating? Head gasket @ 120K at the advice of a friend who worked on Northstars at a Caddy dealer.
During ownership, here is what I had done as routine maintenance: motor oil changes, one tranny flush/fluid replacement, two replacement sets of brakes, my second set of replacement tires, the belts and hoses of course, and a thermostat just in case.
What else? Radiator. Water pump. Idler tensioner. Fuel pump and gas tank........neck on fuel tank was rusted off, I live in snow country where the roads are salted. Yet the sheet metal and paint held up nicely, just a quarter-sized bubbling over one of the rear fender wells.
When the idler tensioner went bad at about 94K, I elected to have the a/c compressor replaced because, while it was running/cooling fine, there was slap in the bearings. "While the car was apart" decision where the labor costs were already spent.
Why did I get rid of the Aurora? Grandchildren and dogs, needed more hauling capacity. Traded it for a low mileage CPO GenI AWD Cadillac SRX with the Northstar V8, third row seating, and almost every available option including NAV, DVD, Bose, surround, rear A/C, twing package, heated seats, and the largest sunroof ever put on a production vehicle!!!
The 1998 Olds Aurora was the nicest, most satisfying car I have ever owned in my 45 years of driving. As a replacement vehicle, the SRX still doesn't float my boat quite like the Aurora did. But the practicalities of life intervened as well as the upcoming pipeline maintenace costs on the Aurora which were inevitable. Also, the 4.6L Northstar in the SRX cranks out 320hp and 315lb. ft. of torque. Coupled with the 6 speed trans, it is about 1 second quicker to 60mph than the Aurora. And the AWD provides peace of mind in the snow.
PJ
Good luck.
Thanks in advance
Other possibilities, aside from worn bearings, might be a defective seal in the oil pump pickup tube (sort of an internal oil leak).
your oil pressure specs are:
Minimum Pressure at Normal Operating Temperature at Idle: 35 kPa (5 psi)
Minimum Pressure at Normal Operating Temperature at 2000 RPM: 250 kPa (35 psi)
Did you get new cluster from dealer?
Thanks your your imput.
Don
How did you resolve your problem? ( I know it is an old post)
I just checked with the local dealer and they said new not available, just send in for repair if it turns out that is needed.
I have another job to do on the car, replace the transmission filter , has anyone done that, looks like there are two separate filters.
Also have the red indicator lite out on the transmission gear shift console. Is that a lite that is easy to get to??
(sorry I am 7 years late with an answer) !
I have an '99 Aurora and ran into the same problem. I cant open the passenger front door from inside or outside.
What did you do to get your open?
Thank you
door needed a new mechanism.
rust got it.