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Comments
Best suggestion I have is to remove the lower radiator hose and drain as much coolant as you can. Then refill will water, bring the engine up to operating temperature, and drain again after engine cools. You should get most of the old coolant out that way but beware of air pockets in the cooling system. There is an air bleed valve on the engine and you may have to bleed some air out when the engine warms to avoid overheating. (Good time to replace the upper and lower radiator hoses when they cool.) Then drain again and refill with all new coolant, 1 and 1/2 gallons should do it.
Notice that owner's manual says to drain and flush cooling system at 150,000 miles or 60 months. For most of us that would be every five years but I would not take the chance of letting it break down and would do it in 3-4 years. The coolant is cheap at Wal-Mart. Worth taking it to a shop if you don't want to be bothered, but to me 150,000 mile coolant is just a fairy tale.
Goodyear Aquatread 111 tires. Great car.
with cooling problems. I know on the former generation Luminas,
during emissions testing they would all blow over on I believe, Oxides
of Nitrogen. Why,...combustion temperatures become excessive.
How,... the lock up torque converter engages shall we say " aggressively"
to improve fuel economy. This fact loads the engine considerably and
if the fuel mixture goes lean cylinder temps go sky high. ( no fuel to
quench the mixure ) Hence the " hot running " situation. I had to
disconnect my lock up function and the engine " free wheels " a little
more but now the coolant temperature stays too low. Somewhere in
between is the resolution. I simply baffle the rad to increase operating
temps. My fuel mileage has not taken that much of a hit. My next shot
is finding a " warmer " thermostat.
Original Michelin's did well - new one's would be nice, but price for Michelin was a bit higher than I was hoping. Since I have a base '95 I won't need the performance tires that the LTZ folks are useing.
Does anyone have any experience with Yokohama's? Looking at Yoko Avid Touring or Avid T4. Seemed to get good marks on tirerack and price was reasonable. (without being the most 'ultra-cheap' tire on the list.)
Thanks
Mat
Overall, what's your experiences with this car's reliability and long-term driving durability?
However, there is a substantial difference between rental and fleet. I believe that the majority of fleet cars had only one driver. Probably a salesman or repairman, who put a lot of highway miles, and cared. The car was his tool of trade, after all.
If it have 50k miles or more, probably it was a fleet car. Less than 30k - probably rental.
Any case, used cars in general, the rental especially, require extended warranty. Aftermarket waranties are less expensive.
How dependable must be the car? This is very personal.
For example, I am a computer programmer in academia. Complicated programs, developed for months and years, not days. I often came late to work: there is less distractions when working late in evenings. Can even skip a day, and nobody would notice. Drive only 7 miles to work. There is a bus line in 2 miles: in the worst case I can walk and take a bus.
My friend, also a computer programmer, works in industry. His programs are somewhat smaller and definitely simplier, but he always changes something, on short notice. Communicates a lot with his users, and must be always available during business hours. Commutes 40 miles one direction.
So the reliability of my car does not matter much. Reliability of his car is paramount.
It's been worth the wait.
I'm not a big fan of idiot lights.....
Thanks,
Mark
Stomped on gas, because did not know yet to do it right. Panic braking. Stop and go. A lot of shifting - when learning parking and 3-point turns...
Yes, it was ultra slow, with almost zero driving on highway. However, the exercises must eat the car fast, especially transmission.
Not paramount, of course, but valuable.
Additionally, there is transportation and transportation. Compare a salesman who makes 60k miles per year - and an old lady, why drives two times a week a couple miles to a local supermarket.
http://www.gmme.com/chevrolet_cars/lumina/lumina_ss.htm
I can't understand why GM of Arabia can't import this great car for sale in the USA. After all, when Chevy kills off the Camaro later this year, what high performance car will they have left to sell? Only a chosen few can afford a Corvette.
The first time I washed it, the paint started to peel off of the rear drivers side door panel. The paint appears to peel all the way down to the metal. I can tell where the previous owner tried to touch up a spot, but the spot seems to be getting bigger.
Since then, I have noticed several white Luminas driving around with the same body style also peeling paint in much the same manner.
Does anyone know what is up with this, or if there are any recalls or deals to get the cars repainted?
Also, since purchasing this car it seems like I get pretty poor gas mileage compared to my previous v6- a dodge intrepid. What is the typical gas mileage for these cars??
Thanks.
On a side note...I too have seen several luminas with the delaminating paint issue. Oddly, ALL of them seem to have been white. Must be something about that paint...
And to the guy with the low coolant light flashing, just a thought, but check your engine oil and dip stick for sticky residue. I had an olds cutlass that would flash it's low coolant light every time it blew a headgasket, which was often. The light came on even if the coolant levels appeared fine. Coolant mixes with oil creating a sticky mess if the leak is bad enough.
Quite simply the best North American auto I've owned!
I'm pushing 110K miles,nearly have it paid off and am itching for an Impala.
The 3.8 is a killer power plant and the car hasn't given any disappointment mechanically except for an alternator that failed after hitting a nasty Baltimore pot hole.
Nearly perfect, the car has endured a hit and run sideswipe and a rear ender on I-70...
Here's my dilemma: I know the car WILL last at least 200 K without much problem...do I run her til she dies or do I trade her in for the Impala?
Decisions, Decisions ;-)
We also own a 95 LeSabre with 130K we use for family vacations.Another fine vehicle...
Basically I have a 95 Lumina with 75k miles on it. Basically around speeds of 60-70 mph it seems as if the engine is skipping or something. I thought maybe it needed a tuneup, and I changed the spark plugs and wires but to no avail. It drives fine aside for this, but at around 60-70 you feel a very wierd vibration. Also this is something very recent because about a week ago, I went on a 800 mile drive on this car with no problems.
Also recently (before my 800 mile drive) I had to get my timing belt and intake gaskets replaced by the dealer and ever since the engine has become really Loud. Sounds like your driving a truck or something. Any ideas what could cause that?
Aside for my recent probs though this car is great (Definaly far from being a "dog"). I've had some problems with the paint on the hood (wierd little places where its chiped off), but its been driving great.
Anyway if anyone has had these probs, or knows what might be causing them, let me know. Also, I found another person with this problem at the following url: http://forums.vmag.com/pm-0601/messages/3039.html . This guy thinks its the transmission, which I find really hard to believe.
I'd appreciate any ideas
-Mahmood
The last payment went tonite. I do use her for work, driving 30 -40 k annually.
I just read about the '04 Imp Super Sport and am stoked for that machine! Think I'll wait...
I would by a new car, but the wife loves that LeSabre and doesn't really appreciate the 'sport tuned suspension' of the LTZ. I swear by it, especially within urban terrain my work takes me. I also thought about having a GM dealer where my dad is employed search for a 9C3 used by GM personnel...a long shot for a 'program' vehicle.
First off, the A/C spewed some awful sort of MOLD. On a hot day, you could almost loose your lunch if you didn't roll down the windows, turn it on high, and get out of the car. We took it to the dealer to have some "tray" washed out three times, and $80 later it still stank.
Also, the driver's side power door lock just quit. One day it was there, another it was gone. $62 dollars later (just to find out what was wrong), we decided replacing the actuator just wasn't worth it. The company? They could have cared less. Before we got rid of the car with the fading black paint, the passenger side lock would only lock, and not unlock, forcing my small 5'3" mother to stretch across the bench seat just to unlock the door.
And I thought her 1990 Lumina was bad.
I would say, it was a rather reliable car. Even before accountig for the "fleet" miles.
BTW, mold grows often when A/C is used much on recirculation mode.
Her first Lumina was a 1990 one, which she received at 201,000 miles and turned in at 215,000 miles, and it was used as a sales persons car. The interior was awful, but we never had any quality issues with it like we did on the '95. The black door trim faded off, but the white paint stayed on pretty well. The only problems with it were mechanical ones, such as with hoses, seals, and the BRAKES.
By the way, Luminas have HORRIBLE brakes. Watching my mom getting adjusted from the 95 to my Grandma's Taurus's brakes was hilarious.
The '95 and later Luminas used a front disk/rear drum system that did not experience this problem. While you didn't get the stopping power of 4 wheel discs, the brakes are very reliable (I had a '96 Lumina that went 57k mi. on the original front brake pads).
A lot of the niggling trim issues you experienced with the '95 are probably characteristic of the "first model year" syndrome. My wife and I both had '96's which were very reliable (batteries, brakes, tires, an alternator in hers, a water pump in mine). Not an exciting car, but OK as basic, safe transportation. The Impala carries that same mission today (though, probably in the minority, I find the Lumina's styling preferable to the Impala)...
--Robert
thanks jeff
I've heard 2 different schools of thought regarding the 3.4L Dual Twin Cam (which was also offered as an option on the Grand Prix and the Cutlass Supreme, IIRC):
a) It sucks - stay away from it
b) It's OK
If your relative's put a ton of miles on it, I'd tend to feel that b) would apply - you sometimes can't generalize about these products (if you have success, doesn't mean I will, too). Best suggestion I can offer is to have a mechanic give it a once-over...
--Robert
these 3.4 dohc 215hp have a little more horsepower than the newer 3.8 200hp currently in the grand prix gt ...and i looked through the past reviews and most people said its a fast and reliable ride..
I have a 1998 Lumina LTZ with the 3.1L V6 engine.
I bought it 2 years ago with 51,000 Kms and put on another 35,000 Kms since. I change oil/filter every 5,000 Kms and have had no problems. Last weekend we took a long highway drive (800 Kms roundtrip)under hot/humid conditions running the A/C almost non-stop. It has been 3,000 Kms since my last oil change. For the last two-three days (after the trip) when I start the engine I see the Change Oil Soon light come on and stay on for at least 30 seconds or more until the car starts moving at which point the light goes off. The manual says something about oil contamination that might cause this light to stay on solid. I checked the oil and it appeared to be up at the right level but the texture of the oil on the stick seemed streaky, not consistent. I do my oil changes at the local Chev dealer and they use 5W-30. Could it be that some other liquid has mixed in with the oil? Any ideas as to what might be causing this? What is the appropriate repair and is it expensive? If I ignore it will it cause serious engine damage? Any suggestions?
I really like this car and hope to keep it for another 4-5 years minimum.
Thank you,
Stelios.
When changing oil, insist for technician to reset the oil monitor.
I do not know about Lumina, but the oil monitor of my Regal does not check quality of oil. Absolutely incapable to do it. The car computer knows mileage, engine revs, outside temperature, number of starts, etc. - but know nothing at all about dust or oil contamination. Have no sensors for this.
Additionally, the monitor must be reset at every oil change, to start estimating oil life anew from this point. Otherwise, it will count from the preceding oil change. Again, there is no sensors to tell computer that oil was changed, and you (or techician) must do it manually.
Most probably, the technician who changed oil forgot to reset the monitor the last time. It happens even at dealership.
Oil monitor illuminates the "Change oil soon" when it estimate the oil is 90% spent. 5000+3000 = 8000 km = 5000 miles. 5000 miles looks as very reasonable oil life estimation. With my Regal it would be about 90% of 6,000 miles = 5400 miles, but the mileage depends on driving pattern, car and engine.
Even if the underlying problem is different, oil change would be the first step in diagnostics, and it costs less than any diagnostics. However, I believe that monitor simply was not reset.