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If you're getting the error 32 on the CD, it won't last long. I couldn't find anyone to repair, or even replace the CD unit. Had to go an extra 20 miles to an Olds dealer who dealt with a local shop who sold 'reconditioned' assemblies (CD, tape, radio, and panel) for $320. Otherwise, you pay $750 for a new, complete assembly.
A great site for BRIX Aurora pics here.
Henry, you have something against us elements?
I'm looking at the 2001 Olds Aurora 3.5L
and the 99 Acura 3.2TL
I've done all my research on the TL and was almost 100% sure of getting that but now I've seen a few Auroras and I love the interior -- I drove a 98 a while back and remembered it felt solid. I am, however, worried because Consumer Reports gives teh 95-99 Aurora's a "Spotty" reliability record & teh TL Exceptional -- I have a TBird now taht has been nthing but a pain -- rattles, tranny probs, etc. etc.
My next car *HAS TO* last me thru college (about 7 years --- 120K miles probly)
So NE how -- how have ur 2001's held up so far?
Likes dislikes?
Are there any body kits/GFEX avail?? I know theres a kit for the 95-99's.... I haven't been able to find one for the 01 + models though. Also is there a forum like www.acura-tl.com, http://forums.maxima.org, etc. like a big web based Olds/Aurora Site??
Thanks
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Yeah, you're college all right - I remember goofy login names like that from some. Did you get that from MTV or make it up yourself?
As much as I'm biased in favor of the Aurora and a lot of domestic cars, I'm sure you can't go wrong with an Acura for reliability, but you are right - the Aurora interior is the best looking ride from behind the wheel. It's killer. And if you get the Bose stereo, you will flunk because you won't leave the car.
Don't college kids bum rides off the ride board anymore? Or has the wealth of the 90's made it possible for college kids to get nice new cars?? I must have missed the boat somewhere. I'm 35, an engineer and doing fine and I just got my first nice car - a 98 Aurora this spring. But yeah, I am a cheap-[non-permissible content removed]. I milked a 91 plymouth sundance for 131,000, and an 86 sunbird for 161,000. I must have worn 10 years off my behind on that crummy sunbird seat! Why??
Zinc1 - Wow, thanks for the great pictures. I've printed 2 and saved them.
I finished my air box mod as descibed in other posts. It's better. It's quiet too unless you stomp on it. Then you get a nice low growl as the air rips through the box freely. It's got to add at least 10 HP with the K&N filter. I did not cut the metal hole bigger. Not going there. I've more than doubled (maybe 3X) the air intake area into the lower box and most of it is straight up into the filter too - that's good enough. I used a "dremmel" tool with a nice cutting blade to cut the plastic on the lower box and cut the buttons that hold the upper box inner liner. Where goggles! I'll watch for how this handles wet pavement - I hope no water gets up there. I don't see how it can right now though. I got a new "spare box" now too - just in case.
Okay, how much was the extra box? Do you have the part number? The Wheel to Wheel endorsement pushed me over the edge.
And, hey, I discovered that my '96 isn't so old. Here's a website that's still introducing the 1996 Aurora - on a site that was last updated in 1995, whoa.
Just call any GM dealer and tell them you need the air intake box. They will look up the part number and order it. With 5% tax, it was $140. I got mine from a Chevy dealer. When you're done messing with the existing air box, it is obvious that you need a "spare" in order to go back to stock if needed.
BE careful removing the inner liner from the top portion. The portion in the outlet port hangs up a little and you end up pulling on it, and it is easy (I did) to break the little plastic guard around the temp sensor. The sensor was not hurt though and all seems OK. I'd maybe cut the inner liner from the port a little as well so it all slips out easier after you remove the bottons that hold it in. This will make sense if you take it apart and start looking at it.
The "plastic thing" that drops in a hole in the bottom air box piece has to be pulled a bit to get it out. It is surprisingly easy to get back in though. I put everything back stock just to make sure I could and I was not stuck. Then I went back to the modified deal.
Cut the plastic hole in the bottom piece to take advantage of the existing hole in the metal under the air box. File down the rough edges. Just wear goggles the whole time!
If you do this, be sure to remove the filter and check the inside of the air box for crap after driving in the rain - highway and everything to make sure nothing gets in. I have no experience with this yet in wet conditions.
Oh yeah, after modifying both pieces, make sure to blow out any crumbs of plastic or debris - don't want that in the engine.
When you get it done, you will realize how "bottled up" the engine is to keep noise down at any throttle.
It's very roomy, actually has a good looking interior, is really comfortable, quick, high safety rating, rides like a smooth quiet luxery car with some sportiness too, and costs way less. The new 2002's don't have the funny looking tail plastic either on many of the colors. It's definitely a "road trip" car. Be open minded and check out a Chevy -really. It's not as snazzy as an Aurora, but it is great.
Sorry to be confusing. I will post something more coherent when I understand my topic better. No periodic tables will be required.
fjk57702,
Thanks for supplying info about your '98's speed at 2000 rpm. My '97 also shows the same 66 mph at 2000 rpm with stock size tires (235/60-16). Both have the 3.48 transaxle.
Can any of you autobahn (3.71 trans) owners check your car's highway speed at 2000 rpm with trans in overdrive and torque converter locked? This is harder to determine than I originally thought; need to be slowing down slightly or on a down-hill grade, otherwise there will be slippage in the torque converter that will give you an inaccurate, lower speed.
garnes,
Great work! I have a few things to report also. Sunday I removed the horizontal panel below and just behind the front bumper, thinking that opening the area under the fender would supply cooler air to the airbox. Surprise!! If you recall my temperature sensor in the airbox, I observed temperatures 2 to 3 degrees F higher than my dash indicator when the car is up to speed. With the panel removed it is consistently 14 to 16 degrees higher. Somehow hot air from the radiator or engine has found a path to the airbox. So the panel will go back on. I think your good work on opening up the airbox needs to be complemented with a scoop or some other means to bring in cooler air.
Jetchips has what they call a power control unit (PCU) for our cars -- $260 msrp; claim 10 to 12 hp increase. Zinc1 reported this several messages back -- part number 68003. From everything I have been able to find, it is a reputable company. Does anyone have direct experience? Hypertech does not have a programmer for Auroras.
Yesterday I tried two more 0-to-60 runs -- a 7.85 and a 7.37! This last one is the only run of the 10 or so I have made that felt good coming off the line. I staged with brakes on and engine at 1500 rpm; traction control on. When I hit the gas, I got a small chirp from the front tires before traction control kicked in. I will make some runs with traction control off after I feel I have a good understanding of performance with it on.
I want to get a new exhuast system. I don't want something extremely loud, just something that will increase the HP and sound a little deeper and throaty. Any suggestions? Prices would help too.
I've been saving up a little money and in the next 3 months I hope to get an air intake, exhaust, and a PCU. If after those 3 things I can beat the kid who drives the grand prix GTP in my town, you'll see me driving around with a big smile on my face.
BTW on the Borla Stealth Aurora it says that he reprogrammed his electronic tranny. Anyone know how much of a HP increase this could give and how much it would cost?
I have checked goodyear, and 235/55-17 tires are a 0.1 inch bigger diameter (27.1 vs 27) than the 235/60-16. The 17's are standard on the 01 models. One can do the speed in third gear too, but the torque converter needs to lock up, so the highway is the best place. In third gear my car runs at 3000 RPM's at 66 mph. Overdrive is .68 to one.
Also wondering if anyone has put any tires on there Aurora that are a little less wider?
BTW what is that black odd shaped box on the intake for? To quiet down the intake?
Bottom line - I am going to have to experiment with my backup "stock" airbox arrangement to see what happens for comparison. No matter what though, I will forever lose that inner lining from the upper box piece. I wonder if this is not worse than the lower box arrangement. That has to add a little boost by itself.
matrixfrog - see my post 1384. Wheel to Wheel (they make the GM pace cars) told me they use Corsa. They said that they are not loud under normal around town driving. Corsa said they don't have a Cat-back for the Aurora now, but can/will do it - eventually. They said they will look at one to see what is needed. Maybe their Caddy STS system only needs slight modifications. In stainless steel, it would be about $1,000. Pricy. But it should give you a 270 HP Aurora by itself. Call them at 800-486-0999 and ask for Jim Browning Jr. Show some interest.
Matrixfrog - I removed the plastic thing and left the hole open for more air flow.
Blk97aurora - thanks again for the cool time stuff and your experiments with the air. Wheel to Wheel said they made a little "scoop" that goes inside the fender to push more air through the stock opening (for their project Caddy). They are checking to see if they have/can make one for me.
I wonder why the times listed on edmunds are so much slower (8.1 is the best listed for 97). Speaking of which, did you see the review for the new Q45 here at Edmunds? Infiniti claims 5.9 but the BEST Edmunds could produce was 6.7. Big difference. They ask "where did all the HP go?" It's rated at 340 HP. As Elmer Fudd often said "there's something awful scwewy going on awound here". I kind of wonder about the entire 0 to 60 game. It is so competitive that I wonder if the rewards of a little false advertising aren't too tempting. The 200 HP ford taurus is "claimed" to do it in 8.0. I've driven one - no way. The wife's Impala 3.8 is listed at 8.2 - the same as the Aurora. Now I have an autobahn, but still, these two cars are just not even close. I'm going by feel of course, but my Aurora would eat the Chevy. I'm sure of it. I'm sticking with Elmer's assesment right now.
Still no Aurora. I think a total of 12 minivans have dusted me off to date, but I stopped counting.
Still no Aurora. I think a total of 12 minivans have dusted me off to date, but I stopped counting.
Wow, with the totally stock air box and the paper filter back in - I swear there is a noticable difference. The "opened up" box (top and bottom)with the K&N is just more responsive.
Yes, I think that "plastic thing" in the bottom of the air box is to reduce intake noise. It's funny how the ports are different lengths - as if to cancel or produce some sort of resonance.
Blk97 - I gave it a small try at 2000 rpm. It's tricky. I think I'm doing about 62 or 63 at 2000. It is tough to do, but I did try to follow your instructions. I'll give you more info in the future. I bought the 98 with only 13,000 on it and it has the MXV4's (very little wear), so I assume it is an autobahn.
If I have to scrap the bottom opening idea, I'll just use the bottom part of the "plastic thing" in the hole, but open up the side really big where the air currently enters. If I get dampness on the filter with the stock set-up as much as the modified set-up then I'm staying with the modified of course.
The jet chip thing involves wiring - according to them. I'm not to sure that sounds so great.
Want an old Aurora brochure?? I got them from PJ's auto literature. 319-345-6760.
gisom - just bring it in. The dealer will hook up the diagnostics to it and the car's computer will tell you what is happening. They seem to go off on many cars for all sorts of reasons. If the car seems to run fine with the light coming on, I'd bet it is nothing big.
When you are going 50-70 mph and do not have this button pressed in, you will sometimes experience a lack of responsiveness when trying to accelerate quickly. That's what that button is for. By pressing it in the RPMs go up into the low 3's where your torque seems to kick in.
In the last few days I now have the hang of it and am experiencing a new level of enjoyment.
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My right headlight is showing moisture again. It was just changed 3 weeks ago. The mechanic looked at it this morning and pulled a newer designed one out of a box. Another Aurora owner is on vacation for 5 weeks, so he's giving me his!
You can see rubber gaskets coming out of some of the rear holes and the tube routing is different. I'm getting it changed Tuesday.
This condensation is a problem that has plagued many brands, Japanese and American and who knows who else.
Aurorabill (95)
Been travelling a lot for work lately, and have not had time to catch up on the boards.
As Henry would understand, there is nothing like driving your aRoaRa. After over a month in and out of rentals, I always was looking forward to my Olds.
I drove several Tauruses and Sables. What a plain car and talk out no power. Those cars just had absolutely no character. Blah, Blah, Blah. And the seat, what a pain in the rear! No joke. I drove about 5 hours strait in the sable, and could not get comforable.
Got a Expedition one time, and what a hulk. Henry complained about parking the Aurora, this thing sucked. It was slow, ponderous, and just a pain in the [non-permissible content removed].
In Knoxville, I got a Subaru Outback. That car had character and handles great, but just didn't have the oomph to handle the hills while passing. It did save my butt though when I hung a rear tire off of a mountain road near Gatlingburg while executing a 3-point turn. The all wheel drive just sucked me back up off the sub-frame! Great AUTOMATIC tranny for engine braking as well. A bi-turbo or something and this car would be superb.
Anyway, each time I looked forward to driving a different car, and was dissapointed every time. I missed by tons of white lightning.
All the performance stuff is great. If I only had the time and money......
Its time to buy a warranty for the car soon, guess I know who I won't be dealing with. From other boards, it looks like 1st source will be the best. They do their own admin and that seems to be the bulk of Henri's problem. I like the fact they have rep that admins their own board here on Edmunds. That says something about a commitment to customer server.
Well enjoy your Aurora (real or virtual) and keep the excellent postings up!
AURORA ATS=AURORA TOURING SEDAN
I belive Henry made up his own version, because ive never heard Olds call it the ATS.
Gison - if you have a 95 I know exactly what is causing this. It is the reason my car has stayed in the shop for so long. I only point to 1995's because the two folks that had this happen both had 1995's.
The error codes you get should say EGR valluve problem and the torque lock-up problem. If it is just the EGR valve consider yourself lucky.
If it is the torque converter, I hope you have a good warranty in place. Otherwise, you may be added your own verses to the Chi-Lites "Have You Seen Her."
If is turns out to be the the troque converter, I hope you are near me in New Jersey, cause I would just tell you to go to Norman Gale Olds in Ceder Knolls, New Jersey.
If you choose to keep her, in about 2 to 3 years . . . . .
Have you seen her . . .
Tell me have you seen her?
Aurora Tip #143: While waiting for the AC to cool the car on a hot day (105 here today), open the center console and place your right arm over the coolest vent in the car. When wearing a short-sleeved shirt, the air will go right up your back. Caution: Don't attempt this with people you like in the back seat.
Wingnut - Did you use the spell checker by any chance?
My little 4 point 0,
shes really looking fine
Oh my little 4 point 0,
she really blows my mind...
ALSO -- what's with the 18 different positions and two switches for headlights on the lever?? can someone explain
I found the center console vent also. Very useful.
That black plastic thing in the air intake is a silencer, I think. The parts microfiche does not show it as an individual component -- it is part of the duct going from the air box to the mass airflow sensor and throttle body. I replaced mine with a plug I made from PVC pipe parts.
I'd be concerned about removing it and leaving the hole open as it is on the clean side of the air filter element.
Zinc1 did you get any photos showing the owner with that "proud pappa smile"?
I left the funny thing that's on the intake tube (clean air side) in place. Yeah, it's probably for sound too, but I don't see how it hurts leaving it on. It really doesn't block air flow.
Check out the Lincoln LS board. There are some guys that have been messing with the air box too as well as cat-back systems and then dyno testing. Brian (who did the dynos) didn't seem to have experienced the gains from a K&N that K&N claims (2 to 4%). With the air box opened up and the filter, he thinks the gain would be 5 HP. Of course it all depends on how bad the stock box is (which he noted). Trouble is, I don't have a Lincoln LS air box to compare to the Aurora. The Lincoln and the Aurora are rated about the same for HP, so I think the comparisons are helpful.
I need to find a place to dyno test.
There is an error in the Chrome configurator that most sites (Edmunds, KBB, GMBuyPower, Yahoo!) use on the 2002 Aurora. For 2002 there are 3 radio options. Base, Bose, and Navigation are seperate exclusive options. Navigation can not be had with the Bose system. That makes my new 4.0L $430 cheaper, and my hearing will probably last longer, but I really wanted it all. I chose the new toy (nav radio) over the big sound. 2002 cars all come with the LATCH system for child seats which is good for us as we have three boys, one age 6 and two age 3.
Henry - I haven't pushed the Aurora owner pics, it's hard enough to get people to snap their cars 8^) But I'll do a me-and-mine soon (btw, I put a pic of the Aurora on my profile here at Edmunds).
dishwish - Give the Parts Dept at a GM dealer the last 7 (or 8?) digits of your VIN, and ask them if you have option QQX (Autobahn).
I saw a Riviera today and got to wondering what it's intake tract looks like. Since the Riv and Aurora are built on the same platform, I'm thinking what comes on one may fit the other. And the Buick engineers may have designed a better-flowing intake for their supercharged engine.
We got a lot of rain today so I tried out the stock air box system - and the paper filter got a little damp (where it normally gets dirty) so I guess this is normal. I drove it hard with some full throttle stuff to try and pull a lot of air and get the worst case scenario. I drove on the highway too and got some spray off other cars. I then switched to my modified box and it really started raining buckets. I put in a new dry paper filter too. I ran it the same way as before around the same approximate route. The paper filter was a little damp as well. About the same - even though the sky was falling for that test. So, It seems this mod is not too bad for now and so I'll stick with it and put the K&N back in. However, I'm keeping the stock air box set-up in the trunk with a paper filter and a screw driver and a 10mm socket just in case. I'll keep monitoring things. I wonder how the sloppy snowy roads will do.
Dishwish - If the car has the original tires and they are the Michilin MXV4's, that's a good indication you have the 3.71 transaxle. Also, like some of the guys here have pointed out, if the car is at 2000 rpm, going somewhat downhill (no acceleration) you should be doing about 62 mph. The regular 3.48 transaxle will have you doing 66 - according to others here on the board. The math works out too I guess 3.48/3.71 X 66 = 62+/-. It's tricky to get the car "locked up right" to test this.
I did some more checking on this and yeah, I'm doing about 62 @ 2000. It's difficult to do. I think blk97 described how it works best on post number 1400.
(Did I horribly screw up a word or something, or just my typical bad grammer?)
I just thought this line looked like one of the spell-checker substitutions. It looks like the spell-check prog was updated though, doesn't do that anymore
Your post said a lot about what's available out there. I remember test driving quite a few cars after trying the Aurora, they didn't compare either. Haven't had to rent for a while, though. Once rented a Vauxhall in England, but I was so intent on staying on the wrong side of the road that I hardly remember the car itself :P The last rental was something in Maui, I can't even remember what it was now, but I drove the entire north shore road (don't ever try it) and when I got to the hotel I read the rental agreement, which stated that they wouldn't cover any claims on that particular road.
Just proves that I spend too much time around those things:P
Guess I should start reading rental agreements as well.
wingnut - I don't usually read the rental agreements because there's nothing important in them. Don't know why I read that one, but I guess it's a good idea to check them out. That *road* was tricky: it gradually went from a two lane, asphalt road to a less-than-single lane dirt road, and there was no place to turn around, being on the side of a hill. I didn't want to risk driving in reverse all the way back either, so, 10 miles later, at 5mph, I find the other end. One of those unforgettable experiences.
An Aurora convertible.
There is yet another way to determine if your Aurora has the autobahn package. Every GM car has a service parts indentification (SPI) label. Our 1997-1999 Auroras have one glued to the bottom of the spare tire cover -- a dumb place IMHO for something containing information very specific to each unique car including its VIN. I believe the 1995 and 1996 Auroras had their SPIs in some other location, but I do not remeber where.
This label lists all applicable regular production option (RPO) codes; QQX is the one for autobahn. You will see dozens more. These include sales "options" from the window sticker point of view, but the complete listing is more like a high-level bill of materials for manufacturing the car.
Thanks to all who responded to my request about road speed at 2000 RPM in overdrive. Without exception, responses have been 66 MPH for standard transaxle ratio (3.48) and 62 MPH for the autobahn (3.71). The math (3.48 vs 3.71) works out the same, too.