Oldsmobile Aurora

garnes

Just finished cleaning the throttle body. It was very easy. At 29,000 miles, it really wasn't very dirty, but now it's like new.

RJS - thanks for the simple tip about placing old rags under the opening of the throttle body because some cleaner does dribble out.

Question - Why does the varnish like stuff and crap accumulate entirely on the throttle plate side of things? When driving, I imagine the plate is open to some degree and I would expect the debris to collect upstream of the throttle body as well - but none does.

Another question - does the cleaner that goes past the throttle body also help clean the rest of the intake and manifold??

rjs200240

I'm sure that stuff does help clean the rest of the intake, but probably not much. I doubt it really gets in there much. When I swapped the intake runners on my Corvette for SLP runners, the intake and runners had the same thin layer of grime on it that the throttle body gets. I wonder how much the PCV contributes to that. I don't think it matters much as it is such a thin layer. I think in the TB it only matters because it starts to affect the TB valve's turning. Cleaning it keeps it from sticking and such. I don't think it really lets more air in or anything. Mine was usually dirty on both sides, though. Not sure why your's wouldn't be.

dlcleav

I've recently noticed a "chirping" sound in the cabin only noticed when the car is moving. The sound is intermittent and seems to be coming from any and all angles. Weather or road conditions appear to have no effect as well as applying the brake. Years ago I thought a manufacturer used a "noise" to alert the driver to inspect brakes. Is that the case with the '98 Aurora? The chirping sound is very annoying and cannot be found by the Olds dealer...of course it won't chirp when in the shop! Any ideas? Thanks...Dave

rjs200240

I took a 300 mile trip to the Outer Banks this weekend. On the way down, I got about 23.7 mpg, but I got mired in horrible traffic enroute (1+ hr to get 10 miles). After that, I was cruising 75-80mph to make up time. On the return trip I was much more leisurely at 65-75 mph. While I still hit a few decent sized patches of congestion, I managed to get 27.0 mpg. I'm confident that a smooth cruise on open road would get the claimed 28mpg highway rating. All mileage is from the DIC, not pump. As of yet I have not installed the K&N filter I bought, and the car is totally stock.

larryfl

First a rant: I travel around Florida's interstates for a living in my '95 classic and have gotten tired of scraping bugs off the front every weekend. I went to the local Oldsmobile dealership and ordered an Oldsmobile bra for the front several weeks ago. It finally arrived 3 weeks ago and I did the initial installation including installing special "snap studs", etc. that weekend. The paperwork included with it stated it was designed to absorb both heat and moister and could be left on the car as long as the car was driven regularly and not left parked for "an extended period".

Driving it daily I left the cover on for about 4 days and then took it off. AND IT RUINED THE PAINT ON THE HOOD. Where the cover went over the hood the paint under the clearcoat is now "foggy" and dull. The detailing shop I took it to said it was from the heat. The dealership body shop said in 30 years they have only seen one car do this and they don't know why. The paint guy said he thought it's from moister getting under the clearcoat(?) on the aluminum hood and would clear up in a couple of days. Well, it's been 10 days in Florida heat and it's just getting worse. And, of course, neither the dealership or Oldsmobile is taking any responsibility and I'm stuck having to pay for a paint job.

ANYBODY WANT TO BUY A FACTORY BRA FOR A CLASSIC - CHEAP?

Now that I've ranted.... If I'm going to have to paint the hood, then I'm going to have to paint the front bumper as well to match it. If I'm going to do that.... The Razzi ground effects are looking pretty good! (gotta be a way to make lemonade out of all of this). My '95 is the exact color (champaign)of their model aurora and for 7 years old, the paint really is in pretty good shape. I'm thinking I could add the ground effects without having to paint the rest of the car.

800watt, what don't you like about the front air dam? and what do you mean about the black line between body and kit? I don't see any from the pics (zinc's razzi pics 1 and 2). Did you get an estimate for installing / painting the kit? and finally, what is "GFX"?

Larry

larryfl

Welcome to the club! I purchased a '95 with 50K miles last May and have never regretted it. It is a great car. While mine had it's share of parts replaced before I owned it, I'd have to say the engine and trans weren't part of them. I did replace the shocks with Monroe Sensa-Tracs a few months back, including the rear load levelers and it rides great. Everything works exactly as it's supposed to. Still tight and no rattles. And until last week, no blemishes inside or out (see my previous post).

In fact, during a high-speed (85-95 MPH) run from Miami to Tampa last Friday I got to thinking of ground effects and the corsa exhaust. We'll see.

Hope you enjoy yours as much as I've enjoyed mine.

Larry

garnes

RJS - that's what I thought too. I still like seeing that thin film melt away on contact from the cleaner. It's like everything is new.

My throttle plate only got dirty on one side - the engine side. The other side stays completely clean. There's no crap in the MAF either (on the classic is screws directly to the throttle body). Is that weird?

I'd say you are getting outstanding mileage. I think the K&N adds a little on the highway. Maybe 1 mpg. That would be hard to prove though. I'm always amazed at the mileage my autobahn gets on the highway.

You have to admit the Aurora gives an incredible combination of Luxury, performance, economy and price. Where else can you get a solid true luxury 3800 lb (or 3900+ for the classic) ride with a silky smooth V8, great acceleration (despite the weight), and it's still possible to get upper 20's highway mpg - and it's not 40+k? The Lincoln LS is the only other car I can think of off hand.

rjs200240

Maybe you need to crack the throttle open more often to better distribute the grime... Just kidding. I suspect the coating comes not from incoming air, but rather from the PCV spraying a bit of oil into the intake (fine dirt from incoming air might stick to it, though). It is pretty amazing how easily the grime dissolves with TB cleaner. I think if you sprayed it up into the intake it would clean it up a bit. The spray bottle I bought (Gumout) says to use the entire bottle for one cleaning, but I thought that was nuts. I've used the same bottle about four times now and it's still pretty full.

You're right, the Aurora is awesome. The LS is nice, but it doesn't seem as luxurious, and the exterior certainly isn't as memorable.

800wattaurora

larryfl-That's to bad about the bra. I've heard of that "fog" thing happening before, especially on non-OEM paint for some reason. Was your hood factory paint?

GFX is easier to type than ground effects every time. You should go for the razzi kit, I'll be gelous. Find a high quality repair shop to paint/install. They will re-paint your hood, front bumper, and Razzi nose piece they same, and paint the rest of the gfx to match your 7 year faded paint. I went to body shop for a quote, that worked on my mothers car, 99 monte Z34, It got caught in a hail storm, rolled away with +60 dents, on every panel. Car was only 8 months old. They did a great job. They said they would paint each piece of the gfx to match the neighbor panel, blending everything perfect to match. They will also re-paint for nothing if it doesn't look right. They quoted me on the high end because I didn't have instructions or picture
Front $225
Rear $225
Rockers $300 per side
TOTAL $1050 for ground effects only.
spoiler $350 +/- spoilers vary greatly on install, show actual instructions for real $$
Grand Total $1,400 for paint and install at Top-quality 100% customer satisfaction shop.
The lowest I found Razzi's kit was around $550 with free delivery. I like the spoilers4less
spoiler and that cost $189 also with free shipping
TOTAL COST= $1,700 w/ spoiler =$2,200. Probably be little less, I rounded high.

About the white line. On these picts of white Aurora's there's a line from between the kit piece and body (only front & rear)
< a href="http://members.fortunecity.com/zincster/images/99whtfx.jpg" >displayed-text< /a >
< a href="http://members.fortunecity.com/zincster/images/97whitecustom.jpg" >displayed-text< /a >
It's not on any of the 5 razzi picts, only picts from zincs site on white cars like mine.

800wattAURORA

800wattaurora

Two different white aurora's with black lin on front and rear body line.

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800wattaurora

At least they link to the picts, Something about the kit on the White front piece dosent look right to me, maybe it's because the paint doesn't match. If I get the front piece, I'll probably re-paint the front bumper too. Due to little chips from rocks and @#%$.

Weird noise-dlcleav-My 96 Aurora started making a clicking sound in the cabin. It would click at random. Never happened in front of the dealer, figures. Turns out to be a Selonid (?), from under the dash. Told my Olds dealer and they said that they knew just what that sound was, the Selonid. After a while the contacts get worn, and start making a clicking noise.
"It's normal" they tell me. Not bad for the car, just annoying to the driver. Replace noisey Selonid $85, just to have it make that noise again. It comes and it goes.

-800wattAurora-

shucknet

Did they tell you which solenoid it was or what it does? I have a hard time believing that a solenoid randomly clicking on and off isn't wearing something out. Or at least causing a lot of unnecessary switching on a piece of electronics.

BTW, I had to make a hard stop the other day (stupid UGLY PT cruiser pulled out in front of me) and now my CD changer doesn't work. I haven't had time to investigate it, but my head unit isn't recognizing that there is a CD changer there. Does anyone know if there is a separate CD changer fuse?

Ryan

dlcleav

The noise I hear isn't consistent with what a solenoid click sounds like. This noise sounds like a 1-2 second high pitched "chirp". At times I think it comes from behind the dash while other times it seems to come from beneath the car radiating through the steel. I'm gonna have to take it back for service and hope it makes the noise for the tech.

cwiley1

shucknet--
did the door to your CD changer come unlocked? I had that happen in my '97. When I opened it and re-closed it it started working. You might check it, worth a try. Also check your connections if you can.

worldii2

When my 1996 Aurora was purchased new...a clicking sound at about 35mph was coming from instrument cluster...after several visits to dealer and a review of TSBs. Linkage to throttle body needed adjustment. No problems since adjustment.

larryfl

Got it. I'm in the computer business so I should know acronyms & abbreviations.

$ 2200 for the razzi kit installed? Then a new set of wheels & tires....($1500?). The corsa exhaust installed ($1000?).

My '95 is begining to become quite valuable :-/

Guess I'm gonna have to wait for the next commission check...

zinc1

800wattaurora, I've been fine thanks. Busy as all get out at work though

Musclecar97, I still have the witch. She's on life support as I attempt to drive her from lot to lot looking for a new car, and no a/c in 90 degree weather - same old same old. Probably going with a Sebring or maybe even a 300. Don't know yet - you never know, there might be a sweet '99 Aurora out there somewhere too...

Stay well guys. And keep the warranties current!

mike98c

I've had a clicking noise coming from under dash intermittently. It always seems to be in the summer (heat?). It seems to be a relay controlling the headlights. When it happens the lights flash on and off if the car isn't running as the relay clicks.

garnes

RJS - yeah, a whole can at once. Whoa. I was feeling weird about how much I used (just a fraction of the can) and I sprayed a good bunch past the TB. I was expecting a funny start up or something but everything was normal. I'll probably use the can gradually like you did.

Thanks for the expalnation on the grime deposits.

Henry

Just mentioning that you would go from the Aurora to Mopar is reason enough to Ban you from the board.

REPENT

REPENT!

REPENT!!

Henry

My, how the mighty have fallen.

blk97aurora

mike98c,

I had what sounds like the same problem with my '97. High temps were definitely a contributing factor. Intermittent as you mention. The problem circumvented the function that is supposed to prevent lights from completely draining the battery -- so I had to hook up the battery charger several times. I finally located two fuses under the back seat which when removed prevented relays from clicking, lights from flashing, and battery from discharging. I was fortunate enough to get it to my dealer and demonstrate the problem before my warranty ended (about 300 miles left). They replaced the headlight switch in the steering column. I was not completely satisfied with their explanation, but since I wasn't paying, I didn't push it. That switch is about $400. That was 18 months ago, and so far, no reoccurences.

musclecar97

Zinc, before I got my Aurora I really liked the looks of the Chrysler Concorde, the front grill just screams old Jaguar. The problem is that in this State you have to have a front licsence plate and they mount them right in the middle of that beautiful grill (it looks like the car is chewwing on a chicklet). The back end sits up to high though and once I test drove it and the Aurora back to back, the Chrysler couldn't compare in overall quality and performance. Seeing as your "The Man!" you gotta look for a '99 temptress.

larryfl

Zinc - My wife just got a new car. She really wanted a Sebring sedan from seeing and sitting in one at a local car show some months back. I don't know if you've driven one yet, but we were really disappointed. It really didn't seem to have a solid feel about it and I didn't think it would hold up very well. The performance was pretty lackluster as well. She wound up buying an Impala LS (not my first choice either, but it's her car). The impala at least has a solid - well built feel to it and reasonable performance with the 3800 V6.

BUT, neither can hold a stick to the Aurora. I'd have to agree w/ musclecar97, having tasted the forbidden fruit you won't be satisfied with less.

Musclecar97 - "looks like the car is chewing on a chicklet" That's Great! Perfect picture!

aurora5000

RJS- What is this??? It is on the Oldsmobile Aurora site under vehicle care. The 800 number folks didn't know what it was and said to contact the local dealer.
Service Advisor said it might be a couple of things. Zerk fittings on the front steering need some grease or it might mean that they spray silicone on the rubber where it joins the body at. Any thoughts? Thanks, Steve

shucknet

cwiley - I haven't had a chance to get into the wiring much yet. I put all of it in myself (including the wiring) so there's a chance the harness got popped off in the hard stop. The deck should return an error code if it's just the door being open (had that happen - what's E27 ?!?!? heh) but I'll give that a shot, too.

Been having some rough starts with my Aurora lately. It's a 98 with almost 70k miles on it now. After it's been sitting for more than a day (I have a pickup I drive when the weather is bad) it starts in the normal cranking time, but idles really rough and puts out a nice cloud of blue smoke upon starting. Anyone had this? Anyone know more about engines than I do and can tell me what's going on? I had a new ICM, new wires, and one new coil pack put on the car about 6 months ago to fix a surging problem. Could it be another coil? Something more mechanical? Looking for any input here.

Ryan

shucknet

In addition to my 98 Aurora, I have a 92 Toronado trofeo. I have wanted to put a 4.6L Northstar in it for a long time - some guy did! It's on ebay

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1823101161

Too bad it's so ugly (not a big fan of the yellow). Anyways, I figured if anyone would like the souped up olds, it would be this group. I want mine to have the same stuff under the hood!

The trofeos handled better than the Auroras do, but they just never had enough oomph under the hood. If GM would have put the Aurora engine into those trofeos, we'd still be able to buy them cuz they would have sold like hotcakes!

rjs200240

Steve, I remember seeing that on the Aurora web site too. It isn't listed in the owner's manual. I have a feeling it is a carry-over from the classic Aurora. I'd noticed many of the specs were wrong for the new Aurora (like the engine) because they weren't changed. I suspect they took an old maintainence schedule and just changed the miles they get performed at. I am going to rotate my tires this week and I will check if they have zerk fittings. This is most likely what was meant by chasis lubing. However, many cars have sealed the components that used to require lubing (which is good because most oil change places don't bother to lube, so they get neglected on many cars). On an aside, I've been using Mobil 1 grease on the Corvette, and was pretty happy with it.

I haven't gotten the service manuals yet, so I can't consult them. However, my inclination would be to go with what the owners manual says rather than the website. I will let you know what my tire rotation reveals.

I think I will go to my local dealer and actually buy the GM multi-purpose lubricant for door/hood/trunk hinges as well as the silicone grease for the weatherstripping. I've always used Armor All or equivalent on weatherstripping, but I think Armor All sucks.

Shucknet, if you peeled off all the stickers and never opened the hood in public, the car would be pretty cool. I always thought the Toronado was cool looking, sort of mysterious. It's interesting how much the runners resemble the runners on the LS-1.

Henry

I have three letters for you:

C T S

dlcleav

Called tirerack.com to order tires, spoke with "taylor" and asked about comparison between Dunlop SP Sport A2's (H-rated) and Yokohama AVID V4 (V-rated). Based on his recommendation, I purchased the Yoko's. They've been on now about 100 miles and are awesome! The old Michelins MXV4's had 48K on them so I suppose any new rubber would feel good. Makes the car ride as if new! Weird noise update: still makes the "chirping" noise as intermittent as ever...not so pronounced with the new tires. I still have no idea what is causing this noise.

autobahn95

does anyone know if there is a way to program their key FOB transmitter without going to the dealer ??
thanks

gisom

While changing the rear pads yesterday on my 95 classic, I noticed the bar at the center of the rear hooked up to near the shock had a rubber bushing that needed grease and it had a fitting. Maybe that is what they were talking about. I am going to change the oil on tuesday and going to give the car a looksy for underneath because I have never greased anything on this car but when I saw that fitting it surely needed grease in it.

javidogg

In your manual there is a section about re-programming your keyless entry remotes for when you change the batteries or some how you take out the batteries from the remote, your suppose to hold on to the 2 upper buttons for like 7 seconds so the remote can re-program itself, all this while stand near the car. Check your manual for more information.

As for the Homelink universal remote on your Aurora, I programmed that by going to [link]www.Homelink.com[/link] and checking out there instructions. I ran into one small problem I happen to have a rolling code garage door opener system but you have to reset your system so it can identify your Aurora transmitter, no biggie. Any way hope this sheds some light on this, Peace.

rjs200240

Gisom, I'm sure the classic needs greasing, and I bet it is part of the maintenance schedule (look in your owner's manual). What Aurora50 was asking about was on the new Aurora. The web page lists chassis lube, but the owner's manual does not. I suspect it is because the web page took info from the web page for the classic rather than starting from scratch. I noticed the engine specs are wrong too, and are the specs for the classic. The correct specs are on the GM Powertrain page.

Javidogg, I hope there is more to programming the key fob than that... What's to prevent some dude from walking up to my car in a parking lot and pressing both buttons on his new key fob, thus programming it to open my car up? Perhaps when you remove the batteries from an already-programmed key fob it still has some memory/association with the car. I hope that isn't the case with a brand new key fob.

shucknet

In the Aurora, you HAVE to take the car to the dealer if you get a new key fob. Reprogramming is a function that is inititated by the diagnostic computer. I guess if you had a Tech 1 or some other diag computer, you might be able to access the function. But either way, the receiver is entered into the programming state by a command on the communications bus in the car (probably E&C bus).

The two button press your manual talks about is only if you remove the batteries from the transmitter. That allows it to sync up with the rolling codes in the receiver, but doesn't reset its ID.

rjs200240

Well, I rotated the tires today at 7,234 miles. Here are some observations I made:

- The 2002 does not need the chassis lubed. There are no grease points, nor a place to install grease fittings. The usual pivot areas on the suspension are permanently sealed. I suppose every 2-4 rotations you could shoot some spray grease/lube into the suspension bushings to keep them rotating freely, but that is about it. I have to say I'm glad. I hate greasing, and the grease gun is always disgusting no matter how I store it. Grease just oozes out while it's on the shelf, and it gets all over my hands making it hard to grasp anything.

- The rear end has tie-rods (of sorts) so it allows for the rear alignment to be adjusted (which is good).

- The front of the car really is heavy. I was surprised by how difficult it was to jack. I've never jacked a car so heavy before.

- The front brakes are really big. They are thick as heck, too. Much thicker than my Corvette had.

- The rear pads don't seem to make full use of the rotor size. There is about 3/4" between the bottom of the pad and the center of the rotor surface.

- All the rotors are held on with two little clips over the wheel bolts. They seem like they'd be a pain in the butt to remove when the rotors eventually need replacing. The brakeline flex hoses also look like a pain because they run through a metal bracket that looks like it must have been bent around the hose. Not sure how you would pull it through or thread a new hose in it...

- The parking brake pulls the caliper; it isn't a drum-in-hat type (like I assumed it was). This is too bad because the drum-in-hat type doesn't usually need the cable adjusted as much since the shoes really never wear, and the caliper is much easier to remove when changing pads since there isn't a cable attached to it.

- The wheel/tires are pretty dang heavy. They seemed a bit heavier (or I am just older) than the wheel/tires on my Corvette. This is not necessarily surprising. The Corvette had 16"x9.5" wheels with 255/50-16 tires. Don't let the 255 fool you, though. The 9.5" wide wheels stretched the tires out a bit. They were pretty darn wide (most 255/50-16 tires couldn't even be mounted on my wheels as they were too wide, which made tire selection easier...). However, the Aurora's are an inch taller wheel and are still fairly wide. Plus, they have more weight on them and might need to be a bit beefier because of it.

- The suspension is neat looking, and is aluminum which is cool.

- The wheel covers are impossible to remove without leaving some sort of little nick in the wheel. I even put a rag around the pry bar. It's not a big deal, but it is a bit annoying. Especially if it went to a shop and they gouged it.

- There aren't really any good jacking points for the rear of the car. The screwjack that comes in the trunk is great since it fits right in a groove, but this is awfully slow. A general purpose hydraulic scares me in the stock jacking points because they usually bend the body ridge, or bow out the lower body panels. Underneath there is only the rear subframe as it is a unibody car, and there aren't any real great places on it. I need to get one of those rubber jackheads so that I don't worry about scratches rusting up or anything... I need to get a second jack too. I hate using jack stands, and two jacks will work fine for rotation as I don't get under the car (or using the spare, but that's a pain). If anybody knows of any hydralic jacks or jackstands that utilize the correct jacking points, I'd love to hear about them. The GM mounting point is a pretty standard shape, so maybe there's something out there. Maybe I should just buy three more GM screwjacks...

rjs200240

I bought the GM multipurpose lube, silicone grease, and Lubriplate (for the hood and trunk strikers) to lube the car per the owners manual. I still think it's weird that there isn't some specific weatherstripping product instead of dielectric silicone... There is a fourth product called Chassis Lube (which I didn't buy) that is for the parking brake cable guides. However, for the Chassis Lube, where they list the specs that a non-GM product should meet they are exactly the same as for the Lubriplate. Any idea why there are two different GM products but a single non-GM lube could be used to replace both? Also, when lubing the key cylinders, do I just squirt it in the keyhole? I know that's the only way I could get it in there short of taking the door apart, but it just seems weird. Should this be done to the ignition cylinder? That seems even weirder... Thanks!

dlcleav

Anyone have any idea why the cruise control would simply go off while "cruising" down the highway?

javidogg

The only reason for the cruise control going off while on the highway, it would be if you step on the brake or if you turn it off manualy.

beachlover

RJS
you mentioned that there was a way to tell if the theftloc feature was on or off by a blinking light or something. Does anyone know this, or is willing to experiment with it and figure it out? I will be replacing the airbag and switches on my steering wheel and will need to disconnect the battery for safety sake on my 95 Aurora.

gisom

Your radio will show "LOC" in the display when it is in the lock mode. You will need your secret code to unlock it. If you don't know code, you will have to take it to dealer to unlock it.

rjs200240

But there is some way to tell if the secret code has been set. It's possible to have the Theftlock disabled so that it won't ever lock (which means someone could steal it and use it). I think if there is no password set, then the light blinks occasionally while it's on. However, I'm not sure. Try checking the owner's manual. My Theftlock doesn't work in the same way, and doesn't use a password.

When the Theftlock is enabled, it will prompt you for the secret code if the power is disconnected. If the Theftlock is not enabled, then the radio will always work and will never prompt for a secret code. I believe it will blink when the car is off if the Theftlock is enabled. I'm not sure if it blinks when the car is on when it's disabled (as a reminder to set it). I wish I had more specific detail, but I only remember some of it from a family member's '95 Bonneville with it.

I do know that if you go to set it, it will display a different message if there is already a code or not. To set it (you don't actually have to set a code if you don't want to, but this will let you know if one is currently set), do the following:
- Turn the ignition to accessory or run
- Turn the radio off
- Press the 1 and 4 buttons (presets) together and hold them down.
- "---" wil display if there is no code set. At this point just don't do anything and the radio will time-out with you changing nothing. "SEC" will display if a code is set, and you'd have to enter the current code before you can change it to another one or disable it. Again, just let it time-out and you won't have changed anything.

stormdavy

Liking the way the original Auroras look, noticed a '99 for sale w/ only 22K mi on it and am contemplating it. Use would be for (roughly 100 mi) daily driver. I see many problems reported on this board. Is this car considered trouble-prone? The one for sale has balance of factory warranty and the 4.0 engine. I swore I would get a RWD car when I traded up-- but like I say, have always liked the looks of these cars-- very solid. Thoughts? Thanks.

dlcleav

javidogg - that's what makes this sound so crazy. In addition to the intermittent "chirping" noise, I also get to enjoy an occasional glitch with regard to the cruise control. I was cruising down the highway at 70mph when the car started to lose speed. The cruise had simply shut itself off. This isn't the first time this has happened and yes, I thought I had probably touched the brake or when using the signal wand, had manually shut off the cruise. Not this time! And as always, the tech can't find anything wrong. I must've been very lucky with my '95 Classic in that in 160K miles, I did nothing but replace brakes and tires and did the 3K maint. I really didn't expect this type of performance out of this '98.

rjs200240

Keep in mind that any forum will have more problems than seems normal. Most people who don't have problems and aren't car crazy probably won't bother to find a forum. Those who aren't car crazy but do have problems are a lot more likely to find one to vent or get info on their problems. Car crazies will probably find one whether or not they have problems. So just keep in mind that this is not a representative slice of Auroras. I don't have a classic, so I can't comment on it's reliability. However, the car has a warranty, and you can extend it. They are great cars to drive, though!

Henry

Based on feedback that I have seeing this forum over the past three years (time flys), I would say that as all first year cars - the 95's and for some reason the 97's have had the most issues. Maybe bacuse 97 was the first revamp of the car. I really did not see a lot of issues with the 98's and 99's. The one thing I did notice on the 98's was that the fuel gauge has a tendency to jump around for some reason.

I don't think the Classic has more issues than other performance sedans its age. Even the Lexus lot isn't in motoring heaven. And we all know Lexus is the PERFECT car (or so the delars would have you believe).

However, since Olds is dying, the car may suffer from a lack of support in future years. Ever try to find someone to give you support on Wordperfect 5.0??? The same thing will eventually happen to all Olds. My 95 will be 8 years old in December. It will be time for me to start stacking up on parts soon. I am already considering buying another air deflector for the front, just to make sure I have one.

Henry

After reading the article on the topic, I am once again back to saying PASS on the chipping my 95. The part aboout the car being less tolorant to weather conditions is a concern to someone living in New Jersey where we get the full spectrum of weather.

Maybe when i get my "NEW" 99 I will think about chipping the 95, but I doubt it.

Henry

Well I guess the hole in my Cat has started to rob power from the engine. The car no longer gives me the kick in the seat when I hit at about 50mph. However, I am not ready to spend the $$$$ on the Corsa exhaust (plus, it seems LOUD). Can I replace the Cat with a performance CAT and still keep my existing piping untill I am ready to upgrade the rest of the system?

What Perforamce CAT would anyone recomend? I know we discussed this before, but isn't there a problem with expanding the exhaust too much because of the loss in back pressure and hence a SLOWER 0-60mph for the car.

What is the limit in terms of increaseing the exhaust flow on the Northstar?

garnes

Henry - I think flowmaster sells high flow converters. They will have one for your 95. I called and they do not sell these for 96 and newer cars. I'm not sure if this is because it will interfere with the OBDII computer (don't see how) or it's some legal reason.

I would guess an extra 1 or 2 HP from one. Nothing great. I would not worry about making things "too big" or unrestricted by just replacing the converter with a less restrictive unit. I've heard that replacing the entire exhaust system with something too large could lower exhaust exit velocity to the point where it doesn't "scavenge" the exhaust gasses from the engine as well at low rpm's. Supposedly that can hurt torque at the low end.

The trick is to remove some of the back pressure from the system without lowering velocity too much on the low end. Generally, a system on a car like the Aurora is pretty bottled up (for a quiet ride), so there is a lot of room for performance improvement without getting into trouble with the velocity.

Again - a high flow converter should be fine IMO. It should just be a simple replacement of a failed part. Also - I'd think any well designed performance exhaust system shouldn't hurt performance. I'd stick with reliable companies. Corsa's designed a system just for the caddy. When I asked them if it would be too big for the 4.0 (less exhaust per rpm than a 4.6) they said that the difference was too small to be significant.

beachlover

I did what you said and therefore saw "---" and then knew there was no code. Promptly set a code, and now can sleep easy, knowing after a battery switch or power loss, I can recover. Owe you one....