Oldsmobile Aurora

53rocket

Edited - Thanks

95mushroom

I need some help with this part #'s. I asked the guy from vanchevrolet for the leather gearshift. He came back with # 25621754 for the handle and #25641595 SHIFT ASSY. I looked them up at gmpartsdirect.com and:

#25621754 came back with a category of transmission shift control and a desp. of Control A.

#25641595 came back with a category of Transmission Gearshift Control and a desp. of HAN ASM.

I think he may have the numbers backwards.

Could the HAN ASM be the button (or power tranny button) you push to shift? Or the linkages you see after you remove the handle?

I ask because they're special order parts that I couldn't return. Any help would be appreciated

slo95

I have 148K on my '95. recently had to replace the radiator and flex plate. Also have had the infamous rear seal replaced and some electronic module (one of three at the back of the engine) replaced. I know that the resale value of these cars aren't the greatest. So I've resloved myself with the fact that I'm going to keep it as long as I can. My question is, what other components or mechanical issues have others had that I haven't listed. The rear seal and flex plate (separate repairs) were big dollar repairs. TIA
Chris

mike98c

Fuel pressure regulato ris one you can expect if it's never been replaced. A doit youself job. Search the site and you'll see that one mentioned frequently.

Henry

There is also the water pump thing. However, mine never went cause I replaced as part of preventative maintenace. After the job was done, the mechanic did say it was a good idea that I did replace it.

Henri

53rocket

Hammen2

I was searching for new '03s in stock and found a black one in Pennsylvania, north of Philadelphia. I sent them an email asking for info. Would you like the info IF I get it? I don't expect to hear from them until Monday.

I can also search all wholesale auction sites in the US using my brother-in-law's login. Would you like info from that too?

John

huskerfan_21

Guys-

I had just got done driving the Aurora from Omaha to Lincoln the other day and noticed a small amount of steam coming from under the hood (at night, I could see it through the headlight beams).
I looked inside and noticed a small amount of 'sprayed' water/coolant right above (near the waterpump?) on the drivers side of the car. I wondered if that was a sign my pump seal is going/pump/or whatever. How much is a new pump? Do they just pull the tire and pull the inside wheelwell off? or is it an engine pull? I figure if I need to do that, I might as well get new belts too when I go in to get my oil changed.
Any ideas on prices? Should I go to a Caddy/Olds/Chevy dealership over others?

Thanks for the input.

By the way, the rear shock replacement went smooth.
About 1/2 per wheel.

Greg
'96 Aurora

sls002

I had mine done at the dealer's (on 98 Aurora). The had a kit to rebuild the pump - cost ~$200 I think. There is a little belt that runs the water pump. Power steering pump required moving the radiator out of the way...

hammen2

Hi John,

Thanks for your offer of sharing the information. I'd love to have what you can find. Both of our email addresses are private, so we'll have to figure out a way to contact each other somehow. Ideas? Guess I could go create a free throwaway email account somewhere, and list that as my public address...

--Robert
sorry for the "private conversation" being public here - really need a PM-like feature for Townhall's message boards...

pat

Just make your email address public in your profile -- that lets logged in members see it, but protects it from the spam bots and any other webpage crawlers.

You don't have to leave it public if you don't want to after your purpose has been accomplished, but there's really minimal danger in doing so.

The worst thing you can do is post an email address - throwaway or otherwise - that's a wide-open invitation to be overwhelmed with spam.

mike98c

The pump is very easy to replace as long as corrosion hasn't glued the pump on. The pump actually is turned a half turn to "clock" onto the block. You need a special socket that fits onto and turns the pump to unscrew it from the block. The socket is available on the internet and the pump wasn't expensive either when I replaced the one on my 98 Aurora.The Northstar water pump ranges from around twentyfour dollars for the cheap stamped steel version to about seventyfive dollars for a forged steel version which tends to allow more pressure on the wrench without slipping off. If you search the Edmunds archives you'll see the procedure is quite easy and usually less time consuming than any other water pump.

Henry

There is this guy selling a rear view mirroe from a 95 on ebay. I was going to buy it and keep it as a back up. But, Henri has a 95 and my 95 mirror dont look like his. If any of you 95 guys have the time check it out on ebay and let me know what you think.

Henri

53rocket

Pat,

I'll assume that means changing your email address to "yes" in the profile.

Robert, I have done that so give it a try.

huskerfan_21

Hey Guys-

My aurora hasn't had an oil change for about 6 months/3000 miles, so I'm taking it to the local GM/Caddy dealership next week. I just bought it about 3000 miles ago, so what should I have them check out/service that I probably cannot/shouldnt do myself?

Heres my list:

Oil and Filter....synthetic Mobil
Coolant Flush and fill (quoted $110, sound right?)
AC System pressure check and fill if needed
Lube
Check a small leak I may have on drivers side engine bay (might be a hose, I cannot tell)

Anything else?

Thanks guys-

Greg

'96 Aurora
Lincoln, NEB

53rocket

Just wanted to drop you guys a note that yesterday I trailered home a Final 500. The car has only 4,000 miles and is the one that was listed on ebay to go off tonite. I did however buy it outside of the auction of course.

I would not have this car without this board! One of the members tipped me off to the car.

I think I'm the second member of the board with two Auroras. I now have the '01 4.0 and the 500.

John

rjs200240

John, you've got to put up some picts of it. Glad you got what you were looking for. Sorry I haven't had time to run down to my local Olds dealer yet...

53rocket

RJS-

Will do but right now I'm still detailing it. I didn't like the job the dealer did. When I showed up, they took a while bringing it out. I think they were in the middle of detailing it when I arrived.

One piece of advice for you'all. If you have a half ton truck like me, do not trailer the car. I had to bring it through the mountains for a total of 8.5 hours. Got home at 2:15am (after leaving the house at 6am to look at it). Three hours later, I woke up and washed it and started going through the entire car again. Today was also a lousy day in NJ with rain so I did most of the work in the garage.

The funny thing is I never did like the way the '01 rides. The'03 rides much better. Now I have a benchmark to argue with the dealer.

I took one digital photo today of the three Olds. I'm sure it's lousy. I'll tri to get it posted shortly.

hammen2

Congratulations on the Final 500, John. I didn't see the eBay auction you mentioned, but I'll go check the completed auctions and see if I can see the car (haven't been perusing eBay much lately - hit my monthly limit on Aurora/GTO stuff already :-)

I always put a sign on the steering wheel whenever I take my Aurora in for service, "Do Not Wash My Car". Also, when we picked up my wife's GTP, I had to about argue with them to leave the car untouched as I didn't want them to add any swirls to the car, or wax, so I could start with Zaino off on the right foot.

Speaking of automotive issues, I washed my Aurora Friday night for the first time in about two months (I know, I know, the weather has sucked). I found lots of orange and yellow paint overspray on the right side/roof of my car AGAIN - @#$@#$@# snowplow factory next to where I work is still having paint overspray issues, *sigh* (car was buffed out, at their expense, a little over two months ago. Thinking about calling the EPA, or threatening to, in hopes it puts the fear of God into them, or something. Makes me want to drive a beater to work - I already park about as far away from the door/their plant as I can)...

--Robert

stickking1

John,

Great news about the Final, and good luck with the detail. Can't wait to see some pics! Of course, you know what this means....another 500 in the "family" means we really have to have an Aurora meeting sometime. With the amount of fans we have, we oughta get GM to sponsor us. :-)

I have had the last week off from work and it has given me the chance to really spend some time working on my car, try a few new products out and find new combinations that work well with my Antelope paint. The string of nice weather hasn't hurt too much either!

-Brian

hammen2

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1- &item=2484502686&category=6404

53rocket

Robert-

Thanks. I'll keep an eye out for a car for you. Heck, you were part of the reason why I got my car (and not at the "Buy it now" price either). I haven't gotten a response to the question I asked in the email about your resources. If you don't have the contacts, it will narrow the odds.

2k1olds

I would like some input from some of the guys that own classics. I looked at 2 today; the first was a Burgundy 1997 Autobahn with 68500 miles. It had all the options, but looked a little rough. Quite a few scratches, food stains on the carpets, leather didn't look like it had been cleaned in a long time. Dealer swears he can make it look new. Talked him down from $7999 to $6800.
The second was a 1998 non-autobahn with 85000 miles but was absolutely spotless. Talked him down to $6900. The first car offered a 6mo/6000 mile warranty covering 100% parts and labor. The second offered a 3 mo/3000 mile 100%. Any input? Is 85000 miles on a classic that was taken care of better than 68000 on one that is questionable? Appreciate any input.

mike98c

I'd either look for a different Autobahn or take the 98 after more bargaining. These cars require decent maintenance to avoid trouble. Unless the 97 has the maintenance records in the dealer database (acessed with vin) or other records I'd be leery of that car.

hammen2

If you have the choice between an apparently-well-maintained car, and one that looks used and abused, take the well-maintained one any time, even if it has a) more miles and b) fewer features. As long as pricing is comparable.

Search back around post 3600 for a posting from me on Common Aurora Failures. Have these items checked out on any Classic before you buy.

--Robert
who test-drove a GTO this weekend and can't get the smile off his face.

95mushroom

I agree with mike. However, he didn't say the 98 had records. Also the fact the 97 is dirty, could mean the owner was a mother w/kids who necessarily didn't care so much what the car looked like and babied it mechanically and the 98 could have been owned by me and had the dog stuff run out of it, but been cleaned/waxed up doing it.

Also, talk to the 97's dealer and tell him to let you know asap when the car's cleaned up because "I'm sure you don't sell dirty cars, right?"

My mom just bought a Suburban and it looked pretty dirty on the first visit but, the dealer did a excellent job shining it up and it looks awesome from what it was, and she ended up buying it. And has been fine since.

Henry

Take a look at the outside of the car and then look at the aROARa. The smile should disappear. I just dont think the GTO looks that good.

Henri

Henry

I would check the oil and all the fuilds on both the 97 and 98. Since the 97 has not been cleaned up, you will get a better idea of how the car was actually maintained. Also, you know my favorite test is whether the front "chin strap" air deflector is still there. Also check the wire in the trunk to make sure it is not damaged from being pinched by the trunk.

Henri

hammen2

I find the outside of the GTO non-offensive; actually somewhat attractive (but not nearly as attractive or sexy as the Aurora). Driving one was a ball, though - a pretty nice, well-screwed together interior (though missing all of the luxury features of our Auroras), gobs of torque, and the best stock exhaust I've heard on any recent-model car.

Don't worry, you're not losing me, my Aurora's not going anywhere. We *may* go this way to replace my wife's GTP :-)

--Robert

hammen2

Check out this video of a Wisconsin State Trooper saving a woman from jumping off a bridge (have to click the link in the page below to get the video - WMP/RealPlayer):

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=519&e=1&a- mp;u=/ap/bridge_rescue

I believe that's a Classic Aurora she was driving - no wonder the cops had a hard time keeping up with her driving at 100+ mph :-)

2k1olds

be a good price on a 98 non autobahn with 85000 miles that is clean inside and out. This dealer came down to 6900 from 7900. I'm thinking 5500-5900. Any opinions??

53rocket

First, I'll apologize if this has already been answered somewhere.

A bit of a selfish question - what was the last day of production for the '03 Aurora? Many of you know I just bought #451 of the Final 500 and my suspicion is that it was made on the last day based upon normal hourly build productivity. I can tell you that it looks like it. I have noticed, even before I bought it, that it has some quality issues. Maybe I should just chalk it up to character. It doesn't make me love it any less.

John

bryanttarvin

John,

The last date that the 2003 Aurora was built was March 28th, 2003. That was the day that #500 came off the line in a big ceremony that GM had at the Orion plant to celebrate the end of the car line. It was then taken to the Oldsmobile Museum in Lansing, MI to be on display and retained by GM for their collection. You can find the build dates for all the Final 500s on the letter in the Collector's Appreciation package.As owner of #55 of the 500, I too was disappointed in the build quality of the car. I had to take my car into my servicing dealer several months after getting the car to have them correct a long list of factory flaws and defects that I found after examining the car very closely. I thought that they would have made sure that the Final 500s were built with extra special care and attention as the last ones off the line. However, they were also cranking out Park Avenues, Lesabres, and Bonnevilles at the same time on the same lines and probably did not care. It was all the same to them -- just build another car to earn their day's pay. How Very Sad For Us!!! I still love my car despite the small flaws.

Bryant

53rocket

Bryant,

Thanks for the info. My car was built on 3/26, so I guess I was wrong.

You also just identified the first item missing from my collector's edition package. I have no sheet listing the build dates. I'd love to have a hard copy or scan of what you have. You know how to reach me.

John

rjs200240

What were some of the issues you guys have encountered? My car has been really stand-up. The mirror module on my car had to be replaced as the memory mirrors didn't move when I used the key fob. But that was the only issue my car has had. The 1-2 shift is slightly firm sometimes, though that seems to slowly be getting better (or I'm slowly getting used to it).

53rocket

RJS-

On both my '01 and '03, there is poor paint coverage in the rain gutters on the roof. There is also inconsistent paint coverage throughout but it is worse on the '03. The door jams come to mind as an example.

Only on the '03, there is also a shortage of topcoat paint under the hood just under where the front fender mounts on the passenger side. It is a bit of a tough area to hit but it should have been better. Just to be sure the 500 wasn't hit, I also pulled up two more '03s next to it that had the same issue.

The interior fit is better on the '03 though.

John

rjs200240

Yes, mine has less than complete coverage in the rain gutter. I suspect that's just how it was. There is a rubber piece in there that perhaps is supposed to hide more of it. It isn't obvious though unless you really look in there.

What do you mean by top coat under the hood? Do you mean clearcoat? My whole underhood part is colorcoated but not clearcoated. This is normal practice for GM. The clearcoat would lead to more obvious marring of it for most people. Since the colorcoat has no gloss, it isn't that obvious when it gets marred. I have thought about clearcoating the underhood area myself for a cooler look, but haven't really decided it's worth the effort.

53rocket

By topcoat I meant that the primer is there but the color (red) is not in spots. This is true at the creased areas. That is what made me suspicious. My wife's car is cappuccino so the light tan and light gray primer are much less obvoius than the dark red.

greenaurora97

Hey, I'm new to the discussion...I have a green 1997 Aurora. Bought it about 2 months ago w/ 50k miles on it. In the shop right now getting a new a/c compressor and dryer (ow!). Anyway, my driveway is kinda long and not very smooth, and the air thing in the front finally gave up and broke. I was wondering if any of you guys knew where I could get another one. If this has already been posted, my bad, I just didn't want to read through 5000-odd posts.

Thanks!

Jesse

hammen2

...25677742 and you can get it from either your local GM dealer, or over the Internet at places like RockAuto, VanChevrolet, GMPartsDirect, et. al.

About a 10-minute job to replace (mine on my '98 broke earlier this year at around 77k miles, despite trying to be careful about it).

greenaurora97

Found the part on gmdirect, i'll try to replace it when it comes home

95mushroom

What are the other places you mean by et. al.? Those are the only one I know/use.

53rocket

My '01 4.0 does not have that problem. I can't even imagine what caused it unless there is a perforation somewhere in the seam where the top of the trunk rolls underneath. I'd check up against the back window.

53rocket

I know I have asked this before but here goes.

My '01 was back in the shop again for the ISS. After they lubed it, the steering seemed fine again. The service manager told me GM will not pay for replacement of this part even they had the same problem on the trucks. He claims they modified the unit for the trucks but his personal opinion was they may not for the defunct Olds line. I know there is a TSB for this. Is it only for lubrication? Has anyone had this unit replaced on the '01 or newer Auroras?

sda

53 Rocket,how many miles on yours? I had ISS lube done around 58k. My advisor said they were using a new grease, and they were not replacing the ISS unless its damaged. It sounded fairly loud (popping and crunching) in the parking garage at work. Lots of circling between floors. It is quiet, now.
   My 01 4.0 has 63k now, and is running great. One odd item thou, and I'm not sure I believe what I heard. Last time I had the car in for service the service advisor came back to me and said my front engine mount was cracked, and needed to be replaced. Funny, just minutes before, another advisor came and spoke with an older woman sitting next to me who was having her Cadillac Deville serviced. He said her engine mount was bad and it would be around $500. So,when they came and said the same to me, I questioned my advisor as I had just heard the conversation behind me. He said, oh, yours is the baby northstar, and they all have that problem. I declined. Anyone heard of the engine mounts going bad on the Aurora? I guess I could go elsewhere for a second opinion, but my gut feeling is that it is fine. It may be time to find another dealer for service.

imidazol97

Sears stores, individually and collectively, have had a long history of doing the maximum to increase profits in the auto area. I was waiting on an alignment or tire rotation about 89, when a worker called a lady about her bad rotors that couldn't be turned on her car. He was holding them in front on my on his way to the parts pickup. The rotors were turnable. Not perfect, but the grooves weren't irreplaceable. He never said they'd been turned before and didn't have enough metal left.

A year or two after that there was a national publicity burst about ripoffs at Sears. There is a lot of pressure to maximum profits in the car area.

I have work done there, but I know more than 99% of the people in the waiting room about my car.
Just as with any car repair place, caveat emptor.

53rocket

According to the database I keep on maintenance, the shaft was lubed twice; at 14,592 and 31,078 (last week) miles. My wife swears it has been more often but I have no record of it.

I have not heard of the "new grease". I don't know if I believe that one and if it is so I assume it is just thicker so it stays there longer.

Sounds like the dealer heard of a common issue on the motor mount deal and tried to take advantage of it. Due to new car sales incentives and smarter buyers, dealers are much more dependent upon repair revenue. I have never heard of the issue. Others, like RJS, would likely be better to comment.

My '03 Final 500 only has 4,000+ miles on it and I have not seen any repeat problems with the '01. It should be interesting to see how this develops.

BTW - I guess I should change my forum name now that I sold my '53 88. What do you guys think?

imidazol97

That was one of the first cars I was in love with. I remember cutting out advertisements from the newspaper. A friend of our family had one; blue with white upper/front.

Henry

cwiley1

Keep the name!!!!!!!!!

53rocket

I have to admit I was quite surprised on the responses. I'll keep the name.......

John