Oldsmobile Aurora: Care & Maintenance

homer2000ssei

weird, i swear i have done the hold reset and thats it thing - ill keep at it . .

and yes, i will get to changing the filter (i was being a smidge sarcastic) - an endearing trait im told )

thanks for the feedback . .

pizza442

Yep, my 95 can tell the diff from 87 and 91 (CAl. just went from 92 to 91 across the board!?). I can actually here a few pings out of it a times with the 87, especially if it is hot and dry out. And it is a little sluggish out of the hole with 87.
Jay

carnut444

Regarding homer2000ssei's comment on not making oil changes as often: Remember, that as long as the oil is not completely changed, the impurities stay in the engine even though the engine is "using oil". and hence the oil change indication.

kletts

Does the 35 after the all monitored systems ok mean anything, I just purchased my 97 with 45000 miles on it and the manual does not have a code reference section. New owner first time town hall user.

kletts

I have just bought a 1997 aurora with 45000 miles on it. I know very little about the vehicle I just fell in love with the ride, speed, and sleek good looks. My question is when I start up the drivers info center says all systems ok but a number pops up after that "35". what does that mean and should I be concerned? The other thing I would like to know is if there is a different battery you can use than the Delco? I have had a experience in the past with this companies batteries and prefer to shop else where if possible.

To

pizza442

Check out this link for specifics to why the AC Delco Ultragard line was disco'd. www.caddyinfo.netgetgoing.com/howtooilfilters.htm

Henry

I have a 95 and my Classic does not display a 35.

Although, this may be that "red light" in the roof conversation all over again.

rjs200240

I changed the oil today because I am going to be putting some miles on the car and it will probably need to be changed during this time. It had been 6,645 miles since the last change, but amazingly the oil life monitor said it was at 34%. This extrapolates to about 10,000 miles of oil life. Pretty insane, ehh? Actually, I probably could have waited on changing it, but I figure better safe than sorry. I added 8 quarts of Mobil 1 this time (last time 4 and 4 regular) and put in an Ultraguard filter. I only have one of those filters left, and I think I'll go back to regular Duraguards after it. Pizza, that article you posted about them was interesting.

I remember reading somewhere an interesting article about brake pads/rotors and why they warp. I can't remember where it was posted, but basically the idea was that rotors get build up on them from slow, easy stops. The guy seemed to suggest that you need to re-bed the pads every once in a while if you are a sissy stopper. This seemed interesting because oftentimes rotors will develop vibration even though they aren't used hard. Anyway, today I figured I'd make 3-4 stops from about 45 down to 5 mph. The first three stops I pushed the pedal pretty hard but not panic hard. I then decided I'd try pushing it real hard for the fourth stop (I don't like doing that as it seems sort of abusive; in fact, I don't like flooring the gas a lot as it too seems abusive). I was quite surprised that the ABS activated right away from about 50 mph. I was on straight, dry, clean road, so I didn't expect that. I guess the 12" front rotors have some guts to them. I've never locked the Corvette up at that high a speed, although I also didn't like to brake hard in that car if not necessary. Plus, it had steamroller 255 tires on 9.5" wide rims, and only had 11 3/4" rotors. The Corvette was also lighter, but I can't figure if that would make it harder or easier to lock up a tire... Anyway, I just thought it was interesting, and it's nice to know the brakes have that sort of power if it's needed.

garnes

Rotors - That's a sore subject with me. I had new front pads (raybestos ceramic) and rotors (supposedly Raybestos)put on. 4,000 miles later I start getting a vibration when hitting the brakes on the highway (not hard either). Now it's almost 8,000 miles and I'm starting to feel it a little around town. They did not last worth a $&%%. I got them at Pep Boys.

Abusive: I guess I'm guilty of abusive acceleration once in awhile - OK, sometimes a lot. Maybe I'm wrong, but with frequent changes with M1, I figure I should be protected from the adverse affects of an aggressive acceleration. I never hammer it until the engine is fully warmed up too. I've generally been going no more than 3,000 on M1. From the results of the oil lab, it does seem wasteful, however, with very frequent changes you flush all contaminants out - even those that the filter cannot remove.

I'll mention this again. If you get a replacement drain plug from any GM dealer, you will get one with the magnet on it. It's less than $3. They do collect the worn metal (iron of course). It's surprising to see. It has to help with reducing wear and maintaining top performance.

rjs200240

Thanks Greg, I'd forgotten about that. I would like to have a magnetic one and was just thinking about it when I changed the oil. I forgot you mentioned getting it from the dealer. I'll have to stop by and pick one up. I had one on the Corvette and there were always some tiny little shavings on it. There's certainly no downside to them.

About the brakes, did you bed the pads in when you got them? It seems like it isn't just abuse that caused rotor problems. It seems like they can be caused from driving lightly or stopping hard or who knows what. I wish I remember where I saw that article, or where I saw the link posted so I could put it up here. It was an interesting take on rotor vibration.

I don't think there is anything wrong with accelerating hard. I'm just weird about things. Sometimes I get in a mood where I punch it all the time too. I'm sure the car can handle it.

nne3jxc

I seem to remember reading somewhere (Road and Track perhaps?) that another cause of warping is having to come to a complete stop at a red light and then having to hold the car with the brakes while the light cycles. The theory went that while the rest of the rotor (not covered by the pads) gets to cool off, the part of the rotor covered by the pads retains its heat. This causes the rotor to warp due to a difference in the expansion and contraction of the metal.
I don't know how true it is, but after reading it I tried changing my braking behavior.
I'll slow down to a stop and leave some room in front of me. Then after 10 seconds or so I'll roll forward a few feet to allow the covered portion of the rotor to rotate out from under the pads.
Maybe I was/am misleading myself, but after going through front rotors like mad on my Ford RotorWarper...errr, I mean Probe GT, I did seem to notice increased rotor life after applying the above technique. (And so far, so good with my Aurora)
As always, Your Milage May Vary

95mushroom

I've had my Aurora for about a lttlie more then a month now and everytime I drive it, the temp will raise to about, I think its 210 or so(the 3/4th mark in the classic), and never get any warmer then that. It is time for a coolant change? Thanks Shawn

rjs200240

is pretty normal. I bet the fans don't even come on until like 215 to 225. I wouldn't worry too much.

Henry

everybody has to get used to it because it seems high.

The interesting thing is that here in New Jersey the temp stays around 150 to 175 during the winter (like now).

pizza442

Anybody have a GM part # for this?

pizza442

I've been poking around on the Caddyinfo.com board and it seems that the common freeway vibration that most of us have experienced might have another cause/solution that I am told the dealers know about. I was told to have them check the runout of the rotors and bearings. I did not have this vib until after I had the front pads done and the rotors turned by my tech buddy at the Buick dealer. I started feeling a little bit of peddle pulse shortly thereafter, but it hasn't gotten worse. He said one rotor was getting a little out, but neither had ever been turned and had full meat on them. I wonder if I should have them double checked?

rjs200240

Henry, is it possible your car has a low-temp thermostat in it? Otherwise, the thermostat should force the temp up to at least 195. If you have a low-temp thermostat, your car may operate in a "cold" mode or something. Also, it can shorten the oil life because the oil doesn't get hot enough to burn off condensation in it (although it should shorten the oil-life monitor interval too). I've also heard it can make the burn in the cylinders less efficient when they are colder.

garnes

Drain plug: I posted the part number for it a while back, but you don't really need it. Just go to any GM dealer and give them the make, model and year. It's less than $3, and like RJS said, you will see some stuff on the magnet and you will be happy it's been trapped. I did this for our Impala too.

nne3 - rotors, yeah, I've done the "move the pads" thing too. I'm sorry, even if the "you can't drive too much this way or that" is true (maybe it is) that is really really sorry. Stupid %$@(&% rotors should not have to babied like some lab specimen so they don't die. Good grief. I think there is a lot of junk on the market as far as rotors are concerned.

One note when I got my new rotors. They only had 1 ray's rotor in stock (how can you only have one of those - think about it) but assured me they would get another from a different store to do the job. I wonder. Apparently once they are out of the box you don't know who made it.

Temp: my car generally runs a little under the 200 line. Sit a little and it goes a little over the 200.

cwiley1

My '95 runs a little under 200 when I'm moving and in the cooler months, my '97 runs a little over 200 under the same conditions. I changed my coolant and thermostat last year in my '95, my '97 will be flushed and a new thermostat installed next spring.

chstr1000

My 96 always runs a little over 200. Idling or slow city driving, it will get up to the next mark. It never goes over that. I flushed the radiator and put it new coolant, same temperature reading. I take it to be common.
At first I was really concerned but now I don't worry. Who knows if the guage is that accurate anyhow. If it does get hot, you'll know it.

garnes

That reminds me. I've heard of replacement thermostats that are fail-open. In other words they won't stick shut on you and leave you stranded. Maybe the stock ones are like that, but I kind of doubt it. When reviving the cooling system, that would be a great replacement if it is available.

Anybody know more about this????

Henry

My dealership says that the temp gauges are not that accurate on the GM cars in general

cwiley1

I have had manual switches installed on my '95 and '97 so I can turn the high speed side of the cooling fan on when I need it. It works great here in Kansas in the summer when the temperature is hot.

My manual for both cars calls for 180 degree thermostats. I stopped in at one of the automotive suppliers to see what their books recommend and they said 180 degrees. GM calls for the 195. I wonder if the person that has their temp. running so cold if they didn't have the 180 installed. I have often wondered how a 180 thermostat would work in the summer?

pizza442

Another new thing I found out about Northstars in general is that the thermostat is on the outlet side of the radiator (inlet side of the engine) so it opens on the temp of the h2o as it comes OUT of the radiator, not the temp of what is coming out of the engine and going IN to the radiator. This explains why it seems to take a little long for it to get up to that 200 mark, and if the h2o is already at 180 when it goes into the engine, no wonder it is at almost 200 by time it finds its way to where the gauge sensor is! Also, the h2o pump is a high vol. deal that recirculates much more coolant within the engine than most V8s usually do; for more uniform cooling and elimination of hot spots.

mike98c

Well i'm just one persons experience so take this for what it's worth, I always flush the radiator and the trans. before my vehicles get many miles on them to flush out the casting remnants. I do know that my water pump is approaching 118,000 miles. Knock on wood!

fdion1

It's been a while, but I've had quite a bit of interesting aurora stuff to report, so I figured I'd post some observations before I forget about them.

Not too long ago I changed my spark plugs on my S2. Propably my longest spark plug / cable greasing operation ever. Took 2 hours. Had it not been for the removal of the AIR pump valve and all that, it would have been much quicker.

Anyways, anybody noticed that the spark plugs from the rear bank seem to suffer a bit from heat compared to the front ones? I also noticed that the plug closest to the passenger had signs of slight rusting, and so did the coil tip for that plug, and same for the closest coil pack screw.

I'm thinking of making a splash guard, that should take care of the humidity. Plus I used silicon grease. There was none left on the rear bank.

The grease missing and the color of the plugs is telling me that the rear bank sees a lot higher temperatures. I'm thinking of getting air from the front grille (passenger side, the part that is currently blanked out) and ducting it to the splash guard to bring colder air where the rear exhaust manifold is.

Anybody else noticed that?

BTW, I switched the original Denso platinums with NGK TR55IX iridium.

mike98c

I did notice that the pasenger FRONT and the two closest plugs to the passenger REAR were quite rusted on my classic when I changed them but I figured at the time the high pressure water from the car wash was getting in somehow. And no I don't abuse the paint by using the so called soft touch washes! last Year I watched as a first generation eclipse turbo like mine had the rear wiper arm bent then ripped from it's socket at the gas station I fill up at sometimes. RE: thermostat I believe the northstar thermostat is the wax pellet style that does fail in the open position. It also usually starts to fail (especially if its been overheated at some time) by not closing completly, so it would be more noticeable if thats whats happening, in the winter time. Current temp. in minneapolis is a toasty 6 degrees.

homer2000ssei

they arent related - its ok

i think 35 is something for the stereo ? i get it sometimes, and my multicd changer doesnt work - coincidence

in the last 2 months i have had the following changed

alternator (that was bad timing, failing at 1am, 30 min drive from home)
water pump and water pump belt
all 4 tires (thats happening tomorrow actually)
new front pads and machining of rotors
wiper blades

i now have 200,000 kilometers on it, its a 97 and i like it. keeps the camaro off the road, and does it in stlye.

r.r. power window just stopped working (in the up postion thankfully) , but since i sit in the right front seat, im not worried

800wattaurora

I used to get E30 on my stereo sometimes. It's a radio malfunction code. Sometimes I 'd get E31 too. Deal told me that any codes that come up on the stereo, ARE stereo related problems only. I figured because codes started when the CD's stopped playing. This was the last straw for me and the Delco headunit. This is where I went aftermarket and the Alpine went in, shortly after, here I am now, 800wattAURORA. Anyways, might of left it stock untill that darn E30 code

Homer- "D'oh". Just messing around. BIG Simspons fan over here. What's the back ground on the screen name? I remember you saying before that you sold Zaino, right? I've been reading the http://www.autopia.org/ board and what to give it a shot on my white 96.
Let me know

taylorsturf@attbi.com
http://www.cardomain.com/id/800wattaurora

hammen2

I don't sell it, just have been using it for the past 15 months on my black Aurora.

Zaino is AWESOME. I've done 5-6 cars (mine, wife's, relatives) and they are completely in awe how well their cars look (even when dirty), how easy they are to clean, etc. Lasts long, too (haven't put any Z on my wife's car since June, and it's finally seeming to wear off/not beading as well). I also use the leather cleaner and conditioner (use it on my leather sofa, too :-) and their glass cleaner (also great).

There's a Zaino discussion over here on Edmunds.

Highly recommend you check Zaino out.

http://www.zainobros.com

Not a shill, just a happy customer,

--Robert

homer2000ssei

Hey - yes i sell it, but only locally up here in canada. thats about all i can say on the forum, there are sponsors , rules abour soliciting etc (and im not). . . yes, its worth checking into the forum...

my name?
big simpsons fan - and when i joined up here wayyy back when, i had a new Black 2000 SSEi . ..
so there you have it - actually, i frequent about 15-20 car forums, and usually i have a different name "Homer2" - but it was taken here when i registered, and im not terribly creative in a pinch - PLUS - i LOVED that car, and couldnt see why not to use that name . ..

cheers

rjs200240

What name to you go by on Autopia? I might suggest you consider Blackfire as well just because your car is the White Diamond. It does a neat job on metallics so it may make that pearlecent paint look really cool. But I think it is better on darker colors because it adds a lot of depth. Zaino might be perfect for your car since it is apparently very reflective and white doesn't tend to be deep anyway. There is a guy on Autopia who gets good depth/shine from Liquid Souveran on his white Integra (Jngrbrdman) but I don't think that stuff tends to be too durable. You'll have to take a shot of that Zaino shine on your diamond if you get it!

seth042280

It is starting to seem as if every message you have some kind of sale pitch about zaino.Its really starting to sound as if you are soliciting on this board.

nne3jxc

Can we just give RJS the benefit of the doubt here?
I know that when I find a product I really believe in, I too will tell anyone about it who will listen.
He's probably just trying to help us all out. Afterall, if he was trying to sell the product, I'm sure he could find a more efficient method of advertising than the Aurora board....

800wattaurora

All I can say is that I'm going to give Zaino a try. I've heard a lot about it and like the pics on the autopia board. I hear it is better on darker colors but I will find out my self. Rjs, I use the sam name here 800wattaurora. I don't think ive posted any messages yet, just done a lot of reading. I read all the post here and at gmfourms I just dont post all that often. My car unfortunatly isn't the White Diamond with the pearl coat to it, it's white artic. I wish it had the pearl but it's not. looks good regardless, I love it.

rjs200240

Gee, sorry about that. I didn't realize I'd mentioned Zaino much at all (a search of this thread for "Zaino" reveals two by me: this one, and the one you just commented on). I've never even used it. If anything I'm a shill for Blackfire. I really was impressed with it. Would you say I'm a shill for Corsa too? I mention that a lot... And I mention Auroras a lot. Maybe I work for Oldsmobile. Ok, sorry for being smart there... I am sorry if it appears that I'm pushing Zaino. I certainly didn't mean to. As I said, I haven't even ever used it. I've just heard some good things about it. Actually though, not enough good things to buy it. The prep seems like a pain for it, you can't use a glaze under it, and the ordering process is difficult (no credit cards accepted). Durability is a non-issue because I would never dream of going 6 months to a year without applying another coat.

sinatra2

Let us not discourage enthusiastic product recommendations and experiences that may keep our Aurora's looking great and performing at their best.
Cheers

Karen_S

Although one or two may slip by me, I'm normally very good about spotting the obvious shill.

If you're interested, there is a very active discussion devoted to Zaino in M&R, as there is also a discussion devoted to Store Bought Waxes (No Zaino posts).

800wattaurora

Didn't think I was out of line on that Karen. I just was telling other Aurora owners that I'm going for a better looking finish on my Auora,going to try a new product, I've never even used it yet. I'll try to keep my conclusion to my future "care and maintance" plan Solicitation free.

Rjs, You never pushed it, I just said I wanted to try it because I've heard good things about it. On a side note, I searched Aurora in the Autopia board and your name came up. Mis-understanding there. I plan to start posting there when it gets warm enough to start the weekend wash routine. I always like a clean car, and don't want anybody to touch it. If I pay for a wash it's at Delta Sonic only. All jets, no brushes, except for the hand drying. So usually on saturdays, I'm out in the driveway washing my cars. All my friends and family know that I do this and stop by and wash their cars too. I'm a good son and usally wash one of my parents cars every other week. Mostly it's Mom's 99 Z34, Dad likes his dirty escort wagon. That's the Dog car. Literaly! He's always taking our 100lb dog Domino somewhere. The front pass seat is hair infested. I'll ride in the back and you wash it.

As for paint prep. I need to do it anyway, after being 6 years old and 92K, theres a fair amount of micro scratches. I'm going to clay bar the car and bring it to a pro and have him buff the top layer of paint with a mild abrasive. Then bring it home and strip it and start the Zaino process. This should be a good base start with. I'm willing to put 4-5 coats on in the first week. 6 months durability isn't a problem for me either. 1-2 coats a month. Baby better really shine! In prevention for future micro srcathes, going to use a 3-bucket system for washing, and get all new car towels. I Dry it with a car squee-jee (sp?) best way I've found. With the sleek areodynamic design, the silicon squee-jee works great. No scraches either.
Anyways, hope the Pro does a good job.

homer2000ssei

i have a friend/customer with a detail shop. i have watched a single stage light buff perform miracles that would take someone in their driveway a long time with off the shelf products . .

the secret - get references and check them out . .

rjs200240

I think Karen was just posting because there was reference to someone being a shill, not because she felt our discussion was inappropriate. She posted the car care links because it related. Care & Maintenance is a perfectly appropriate place to discuss how we care for our Auroras. If she found one of our posts to be inappropriate, I'm quite sure she would have let us know a little less subtly than that.

Watch out when you have those people dry your car at the touchless wash. That part isn't touchless. Water jets never get all the dirt off, and they reuse the same towels for everyones car, so they end up wiping a lot of grit around on your paint. This doesn't help the micro-marring.

As far as a pro, Homer is right. Try to see some of their work. Just because they have a buffer and charge you doesn't make them a pro. Buffers can put in worse scratches than they remove if the guy using it is a dope. You might try to find out exactly what products they use, and maybe probe them about how they think it works or removes scratches to see if they seem knowledgable. Make sure they will check the paint to ensure the swirls were removed and not just filled in.

3-bucket wash... Man, I always think that's overkill. I use two buckets, and that's like 4-5 gallons of water right there. With three buckets I'd have more water in buckets than I spray on the car.

garnes

The clay stick is a good idea. However, I'm confident you can get professional results yourself. After clay sticking, get an orbital buffer. I got a 7 inch diameter orbital buffer from Sears. I use the Meguires No. 7. If you have some tougher scratches, Meguires makes a No. 9 that I've seen at Pep Boys. It is supposed to have more cut. But really, I swear you can do this yourself and it's easy. As long as the car is totally clean and you are careful about nothing getting on the bonnet, you will be fine. My car is black. It would show any problems and I've always had excellent results. You can buff the small scratches out - permanently with the orbital buffer and the no 7, but no 9 will probably work a little easier.

The orbital buffer is safe too. I've really leaned on a scratch, got it out, and you can't burn the paint with the orbital motion and something as mild as no 7.

A high speed rotary buffer is another story. You can burn the paint with that, but I don't think it is needed much. Only for really serious damage, or the first buff after a wet-sanding job.

800wattaurora

Thanks for the support guys. I do have a buffer myself, I've used it before. I did a pretty good job, but not really feeling up to it. I have micro sratches all over. I definitly will check refrences. Going to tell them that I'll know if you just fill them in, when I come home and strip all the chemcials off to begin the Zaino steps. I also am considering having someone detail the engind compartment too. Might do that my self, never done it before.

I do need some help with leather care though. I've tried half a dozen leather cleaner and conditioners to get out the marks from the heated seat coils. You can see the coil pateren very easily on my light color leather, from lots of toasty buns and black shirts and jackets. I think I'm SOL. Only the drivers seat has this problem, since It gets used almost every time I drive.

Rjs, I know what you meant by being a shill. LOL. It's not a big deal. Although one of my recent posts was deleted during this conversion and I didn't think there was anything wrong with it. Not a big deal though.

rjs200240

There is a bulletin about that seat problem (Leather Seat Dye Transfer pg.4). Have you tried Lexol? I love their stuff, but the cleaner isn't really all that strong. You can also try rubber/vinyl cleaners. There was a guy on Autopia who used Meg's #39 on some really filthy Riviera leather seats. But it wasn't baked into the seat. I clean my seats about 3 times a year.

I've had great success on engine cleaning with Meguiar's All-Purpose Cleaner Plus. That stuff is awesome on upholstery and carpeting too. You just dilute it to varying amounts depending on what you are cleaning. And it is safe for the environment. Just spray the engine down with a 4:1 mix of it and hose it off. On tougher areas, use a soft brush to agitate a bit, or just let it sit longer. But you will most likely need to brush a bit. Just make sure to be careful with the water. You might check to make sure water doesn't pool in the cylinder's "V". I think the starter sits there. Drive the car around a bit to get excess water out. I use Megiuar's Engine-Kote afterwards and it comes out looking awesome. Plus, the Engine-Kote helps keep it clean. You can just wipe the engine down with a cloth every few weeks to keep it shining.

I've done this procedure on two grungy engines and they both came out looking great. I've coated the Aurora's engine bay with Engine-Kote and I wipe it down on occasion.

rjs200240

I came across this too while I was looking for that heated seat bulletin:

It's a cleaning kit for the TB and injectors.

garnes

Good luck. I know what you mean by just filling them in. I've stripped the surface (Car-Brite product for removing old waxes and such before buffing of applying new wax) after buffing and the scratches are truly gone. No filler fake - out stuff. My car was heavily micro scratched too. It had the look of many cheapo car washes.

The ultimate test is to park it under a street light at night - or under the lighting of a service station at night. Even my black car under these conditions will look like a mirror. Many a great looking car will look bad under those conditions.

RJS is right - the Lexol stuff is the best I've tried too.

800wattaurora

Thanks for the tips guys. I think I'm just SOL on the seat problem. I have exactly what you found rjs. I clean my seats 3 times I year and everything looks great. except for the drivers seat heat coils. I've scrubed and scrubed and didn't get into the patern. I'll try lexol, but don't think I 'll have much luck. I will try rjs's engine cleaning advise once its warmer here in the Windy city.

garnes

You could also have the bottom portion re upholstered. Probably expensive though. I'd guess around $400. Maybe a bit more.

Henry

Why not just buy another seat off of ebay?? They don't seem to go for a lot of money.

800wattaurora

Haven't really considered getting a new one or off ebay, not a bad idea. It dosen't bother me that much, everything is usally clean and detailed. I never see it when I'm driving. ha, ha. Not to worried about it, just want to know if there is some miracle heated seat coil stain remover that I'm not aware of. I'll just keep scrubing it more often with one of the 5 leather cleaners ive already boughten. I'll take a couple of pics of the seat when I take some pics of the Corsa install. It's to cold and I don't have a digital camera. I need to get one of those. Some time this year I'll get one, but proabably later than sooner. Pics when it warms up some. Today 18.