Hmm, with all of these codes being thrown, and all of these sensors purportedly being bad, I would start to wonder about the PCM itself maybe being the problem.
Have you tried disconnecting the negative terminal of the battery for 45 minutes or so, then driving the car? Do the problems continue to occur/does the car drive and accelerate OK?
I will try disconnecting the battery today when I get off work. The problem happens everytime I start my car after its been running. Its fine in the morning. It drives fine. What would taking the battery off do?PCM?
Disconnecting the battery resets the PCM (Powertrain Control Module - i.e. your car's main computer) and its "learned" settings. I would try that before swapping sensors - make sure the problem reoccurs after a reset. May also want to track down where "alcan" posts - he's pretty service knowledgeable and might be able to help you troubleshoot this further (I have a Classic Aurora, not a 2001+, so I'm a bit out of my league when it comes to model-specific issues).
I tried disconnecting the battery and still no luck. Its doing the same thing. Thanks for all your help. If you think of something else I can try please let me know.
Thanks for the reply... --window--I was thinking the same --radio-- still no sound, checked fuse, it's fine, checked all connections I could easily get to, I live in GA, have had very high humidity--in fact, my trunk area was a little damp after all the pounding rain from Cindy & Dennis--(I need to clean out the garage), I have read that some owners have humidity problems. --still have a whine-- --have always used Dex--(orange) leak seems to be at hose connections to actual radiator (either large rubber, or the smaller metal one) Can see corrosion caused by fluid--still the "Mensa" Service Techs say no leak!!
Anyone out there have fuel injection problems with their aurora. My aurora is pouring fuel in so fast it's going through a tank in 20 miles. I'm not driving it now of course but the last time my daughter came home in it, I'd just filled it, it was on empty blowing white smoke and gas was dripping out the tail pipe. Some one said it was the cars computer messing up but another thought it might be the fuel regulator. Any thoughts
Have you had the recall done on the fuel lines yet? The nylon lines crack over time - the recall is to replace them with stainless steel. If you haven't had the recall done, do not drive the car until it is done - have it towed into the dealer. Something is not right here...
Did you ever fix the "loud blower" problem - I have the same thing and am assuming it's a blower fan out of balance scenario - not looking forward to taking out the dashboard!
I have a '96.A month ago a problem started.The starter would only run for a second or so, or not at all.Repeated attempts would finally cause it to run long enough to start the engine.The dealer said it was a starter problem.The starter is inside the engine so I got a new starter plus a couple of gaskets and labor for $655.All was fine for two weeks and the problem is back.The service people don't have a clue.My car is back there and I am waiting for a phone call.It burns me up that I am paying labor charges to train a technician and am buying parts for trial and error.This is my second poor service problem with this car and GM.And they wonder why sales are poor.ctoensing
Hey guys, I got a new Delco battery from the dealer, group 79 I think, but it is about an inch shorter. Is this what you found also? The vent tubes on either end are now too long but I put a long plastic wire tie acrossed it to pull the ends together, seems like it should work. Was your battery shorter than original?
window problem- 9 times out of 10 the window problems occur because the wires running from the door to the dash break. They are very brittle and break very often in the classic. Just pull back the rubber boot in betwen the door and you will see any broken wires. This just happened in my 95 a few weks ago. I had like 7 broken wires in there.
whine- I have always had a Power steering whine in my classic. Just learned to live with it myself.
bose- Im not positive , but dont the Bose systems run off of an amp in the trunk? If so I would bet money the amp is blown. Because you say the head unit seems to work fine. Might find an amp at a salvage yard ?
radiator leak- If noone can find the leak it must not be too large. Have you had the GM seal tabs put in the radiator ? If not I would flush the radiator and have the seal tabs put in. Its one of the best things you can do with these aluminum engines and maybe it will seal your leak. Maybe even save your head gasket or give you a little more time if thats the problem. A head gasket is going to run you a couple grand for this car.
I have a 97 Aurora witha gas gage problem. I fill it its fine when i get to around a 1/4 tank it just stays there. when I am almost out of gas, the gage will climb up to full and back down, slowly.
It is likely to be a bad spot/contact on the sending unit in the gas tank. Mine will occasionally stay low or fall to empty right after a fillup, only to peg all of the way to full as soon as I start driving. As long as the "Range" on the DIC continues to work, I wouldn't worry about it too much (until your fuel pump dies, and then you can replace the sending unit when the tank is dropped to replace the fuel pump :-)
--Robert
P.S. Don't let your tank get below 2-3 gallons of gas, as the gas in the tank helps cool the fuel pump. If you are constantly running low on gas, you are shortening the life of the pump...
time to replace the fuel level sensor in the tank unless you can live with it. The sensor is part of the fuel pump and goes for about $400 (parts only). If you have alota miles then take it as an omen to change out the pump and sensor.
if you are lucky it is a total failure of the fuel pressure regulator (common, although not to that extent). $60 and 10 minutes will fix it. if that is what it is then be sure to change your oil immediately as it is surely diluted with gas.
is there a check engine light? if so what are the codes?
If you replace the sender and pump assembly your gas tank does NOT have to be dropped..the sender unit is accessed through the trunk. There is a plate you can remove that is located under the trunk liner. Under that plate is the sender/pump assembly.
When I replaced my Classic's battery in 2001, the ACDelco designation was 76-84. I just checked the ACDelco website and it shows 79-7YR as replacement for my car. I guess that is what you have. Google returned zero hits for the 76-84, which was the same size as my original 681.
Looks like ACDelco has gone to a smaller physical size for replacement. What are the electrical ratings of your new 79-7YR? Both my original and the replacement are rated 970 CCA and 480 reserve test.
For the last 3 years I've driven a fully packaged 98 with the Northstar 4.0L. I was fortunate to have found a it as a theft recovery - hence 'salvaged' title - $6 grand instead of $13+. I've put around 60k on it without too many problems. It's now at 145k and given the title and less than pristine condition it's resale value is < $1000. This summer it's developed intermittent overheating problems that's proving difficult for 2 different mechanics (one's the local dealer) to pinpoint. Lots of indicators pointing to head gasket (coolent loss) but also contra-indicators (when tested at even a few pounds over standard there's no significant pressure loss).
All the above is to say that 'i feel i've gotten good value from the car and if i have to walk away from it - so be it. A $2,000+ repair pretty much seals it's fate'. And yet, it seems a shame to walk away from a machine like this without a bit more of a fight.
The primary complicating factor in the decision is the intermittcncy. The temp gage has gone into red a couple times with AC running - only once without it running. OTOH, yesterday in 90+ temps it tolerated a 60 mile drive with AC.
1) Why is it so hard to definitively determine if coolent is being burned in the cylinders? That sure seems like it'd be detectable.
2) If this is a coolent system leak (not head gaskets), would it be possible to escape the the odor of leaking coolent? I park over gravel so obviously i won't see a puddle but shouldn't i see discoloration?
3) But way more indicators point to head gasket than otherwise so I should probably accept that as the source of my problems and given that I don't want to spend $2K or write it off as a total loss and junk it I begin to ponder taking on the job myself. To my standards 'unfeasible' is lack of a shop guide that would adequately document the steps required and/or an array of specialized tools needed to get far enough into the system to get the heads out.
I can afford to spend my own time this way easier than I can afford $$$.
I'm new here and if there's some kinda secret to getting hard returns to show up you'll need to clue me in. I've tried editing...i've tried inserting . whatever.
My 96 has a crack in the radiator on the top and is leaking so I am looking for a new radiator, can anyone tell me how much do they cost and with the cost of the labour how much am I looking at....or is it easy to do it yourself?
ACDelco replacement radiators are available online for about $250 plus shipping; try GMPartsDirect.com and rockauto.com. Non-OEM radiators are less, but I wasn't willing to gamble.
I replaced mine myself. After draining the coolant, you remove the bar across the top of the radiator, the engine oil cooler and transaxle fluid cooler lines, upper and lower hoses, and fasteners to the a/c condenser and fans, then pull the radiator up and out. The greatest difficulty I ran into was the molded rubber pads that hold the radiator at the bottom had distorted with age and did not fit well nor stay in place when I tried to insert the new radiator. I finally figured out a way to hold them in place with cord until I got the radiator in place, then pulled the cord free. I do not remember if this is required, but removing the air deflector will give you much better (and maybe needed) access to the lower hose and lower cooler connections.
If they have never been replaced, I suggest you take this opportunity to replace the upper and lower radiator hoses and thermostat. If the old coolant was dirty, you should probably flush the system to clean it. Clean the expansion tank. Insert three of the GM walnut shell tablets (Bars Leaks also sells them (and probably makes them for GM)) into the lower radiator hose. Refill the cooling system with 50/50 mixture of Dex-Cool and distilled water.
So, with much fanfare and excitment, it was time to finally get the Aurora back in the shop for some much needed attention to the front suspension. This has been work that I've had to put off for almost a year and this weekend was the time to get it done. In the pic below you can see:
2 of Gabriel's ready-mount strut assemblies that can be purchased from Autozone/CarQuest/etc. New Bosch rotors, new Morse ceramic pads, new front bushings for the lower control arms, a pair of new tie-rod ends and a lube kit for the intermediate steering shaft. Not pictured are a pair of stabalizer link kits, Inner and outer CV boot kits and a pair of new ball joints. Things always come up while working on this car and today was no exception.
After opening everything up in the wheelwell and taking the old strut assembly, we notice our first problem. The strut mount is obviously the wrong size for my car. After a call to Autozone and one to Gabriel's support, it's determined that this is indeed the part issued for the 95 Aurora...it's just the wrong size. So we compress the springs and take just the mount from the old struts and put them on the new. problem solved and I get to keep the entire new assembly, just with the original mount. Here's a pic of them side by side.
To this day, I believe that if you put these on a 96 and above, you'd have no problem. I think it's just another case of the 95 being a sort of "one off" with so many of its parts. I'll confirm it next time I can get someone to lift the hood of their 96.
Next come the control arm bushings. We didn't have a press with us at the shop, so it's a simple deal of hammering them out. Tough to do until you get a little heat on the arm by way of the torch. Standard stuff in any shop, and with some heat, the metal expands and they hammer right out. A few minutes later, it's cooled and we've got the new ones in.
The wheel well looks mighty empty, eh?
At about this point was when we noticed a hole in the inner and outer CV boot, so it was off to Autozone to get the outer and the local Chevy dealer to get the inner. Fit them to the CV shaft, re-grease and reassemble the shaft and we're good to go. While buttoning up the suspension, one of my stabilizer links snapped, so it was back out to get a pair of them. They go for 7 bucks each, and I couldn't bear to put a new one on the passenger side and keep the old on the driver's side. Then go the tie rod ends..grease em and re-grease the ball joints. By that time, the brakes were a snap. Rotors and calipers on, new pads on and bleed them all the way around. Here's a finished view:
I decided to skip the new ball joints because mine looked pretty good and on the Aurora, they are riveted to the control arm....a total nightmare to replace. After the work was completed, it was off to get an alignment and put the good wheels on for the first time this summer. She rides great, I am very happy with the quality of the Gabriel's. What can I say, the car rides better than it ever has since I owned it, but we didn't miss many parts on this front suspension rebuild.
search is broke as it won't return A/C but only AC which is a lot of wrong info. So I apologize for posting without doing an adequate search. Problem is that cooling is marginal and I would like some hints. I put one can of freon in and it took it very slowly. I am about to borrow a set of gauges to check pressures. This is a 96 with 128K. Do these pumps have a wear issue with age? Other issues I might look at?
The A/C in the Aurora is a fickle thing...very sensitive to the right amount of refrigerant in the system. If it's even a tiny bit low, you will notice a dramatic decrease in cooling efficiency. If your driver side is blowing hotter than your passenger side, then that is another strong indicator of low refrigerant. I'm not sure what it is about the Classics, but when they get low, the driver side of the evaporator core stops getting cold, while the passenger side remains frigid. It's a surreal experience when you open up the HVAC system enough to reach in and touch the core, it's literally cold on one half and warm on the other.
So, check the pressure...my guess is that you are just a bit low. Squeeze every bit that you can into that thing and still be withing safe operating pressures and it should cool back down for you.
Nope, didn't paint 'em at all. In one of the pics you see a caliper hanging by wire in the empty wheel well...that's still the old on hanging on, hadn't changed it out yet. I thought about painting the new pair black again, but liked the look of them unpainted. I know, they'll be covered in rust in a year and look like garbage, but I'll enjoy them until that point.
As for the ISS lube kit, you're right, I forgot to mention in my post that we skipped it for now. With the few problems we ran into during the work, it turned into a 2-day job and I put the ISS lube on hold for a bit. I am not in terrible need of it, but I picked it up anyway since I was at the dealer for the bushings. I'll get it sooner or later, and will post up some pics. I'll probably take care of the multi-function switch grease problem at the same time...so I'll grab pics of that as well.
By the way, my paint is getting worse in regards to the clear coat issues that I believe Henry and I are experiencing. Multitudes of long, straight lines on different body panels. I could never get a good picture of them, but they are getting bad enough that I'll give em another shot. Can't feel them in the paint, and all my efforts to buff them out have been unsuccessful. Glazes and wax do seem to hide them a bit, but not for long. And I am completely sure that they are not from my washing/waxing practices. I'll get a snapshot for you guys sometime.
Greetings, all. I recently (about 1-2 months ago) acquired a 1996 Oldsmobile Aurora, and have loved it.
However, the other day I was driving home and the display indicated a "Check Charge System" error. I looked at the volts for my battery and it was hovering just around 12.0 (with slight fluctuation up and down between 12.2 and 11.8 .. turning everything off got the volts up to 12.5.... normal reading while driving is 13.8-14ish)
I assumed it was the battery, so I pulled it out and had Auto Zone test it.. it tested OK. I tried a different battery and got the same result.. 12-12.5 volts. When I attempt to start the car, I hear a loud clicking noise and then nothing... no grinding, or chugging like it is trying to crank.
Any ideas on what I should be checking to correct the problem? I hope to have a service manual soon, but have been unable to locate one thus far.
If it helps or is possibly related, my driver side control for the passenger window will sometimes not roll the window up (down works all the time) and the recline on the driver side seat controls has been working intermittently. Both of those issues have been present since I acquired the car.
How do you get at the evaporater? I'd like to, as it might be covered with road grime limiting heat transfer. Another note is that down stream from the orifice tube, near the low fitting, the tube doesn't seem to be very cold. Also the return line from the evaporator is of equal coldness to the feel.
Hi, just recently purchased a 97 aurora with 90k on it for 4000.When i first bought the car it was said to me that it needed a tune up,it was running pretty good though.The next day it started skipping ever so lightly.I drove it for 2 more days and it started getting real bad missfire, i took it to a friend of mines shop and he put it on the computer, came up misfire 1 & 5 cylinders possible causes wires plugs.The next day i replaced the plugs and wires(had some crap wires on it) i replaced with the delco oem wires and plugs.The car ran great that day and the next evening (today) its starting to feel like the skip is coming back very lightly.I pop open the hood and i can hear a clicking sound, i trace it back to the coil, so i play with the plug wire and it seemed like the click would responde to my moving the wire.My question is- are coils supposed to make this noise?Do they do it when the cyclinder is misfiring?Or is it a sign that the coil is shot?Im hoping its just a coil or other replaceable part because the car ran absolutey great after i changed out the wires and things-no smoke( never did) or any other signs of problems besides the flaky gas gauge which i believe is a sending unit in the tank.Its our only car at this point.Ive also read that the fuel pressure regulators cause some symptoms like these but i took the car on a good ride after i did the plugs-maybe150 miles just to make sure it was gonna be reliable for my girl and son, and the car had no problems even with the ac on not a glitch.Any info is appreciated.Sorry for the long post i just wanted to give some backround. thanks alot
It's been almost a year since last time I was that far into the HVAC system and all I remember is how much of a royal pain it was. I had the service guides with me, so I'm sure I followed their instructions, but I couldn't tell you off-hand what they were.
Thanks for the tips of what I already suspected. PIA, I'd bet too. Anything comes to mind please post. Will have access to guages later today I hope. But this is an uncertain area. Wife had him look at her car. He hooked up and declared that 110 psi was way too much and the system was overcharged. Think about that. Static system, R-134, and ~92 degrees. This guy has a license. If you have a freon chart or guages with the temps on them this is correct. And there is no way to tell if there is a teaspoon of liquid freon or a ton if you could get it in and still have room for gas. Such rip off expertise is why I dread a shop. Even though that system had the correct amount of freon and it is an electrical, no compressor engage situation, it is likely anywhere she takes it now they will declare it a leaking system, pump all the freon out and bill for an entire fill once the electrical is fixed.
The evaporator is not likely to have road grime on it as it is under the dashboard. I think you are thinking of the condenser, which sits behind the radiator. You can get partial access to the front of it by removing the steel bar across the top of the radiator; it is held in place by about a dozen fasteners. There is about an inch of space between the radiator and condenser. You can spray water in there to clean out leaves, bugs, etc. When I opened mine up for the first time, I found a plastic grocery bag. To get to the rear of the condenser requires pulling the cooling fans -- probably not necessary.
Given your car's symptoms, indicting a coil seems reasonable. I have never had one fail (knocking on wood), so I do not know the exact symptoms. Coils should not click. As I recall, new ones cost about $40. Cylinders 1 and 5 use different coils. If you can change the arcing by moving the wire, that could mean that the wire is not fully seated on the coil tower. Or maybe it's arcing to some metallic part on the engine. Try looking for arcs in the dark; that way you can see where the arcs are occurring.
I seemed to have cornered the problem, i pull off the wires again and the third coil was very corroded, i replaced the coil for #5.I cleaned off one of them and replaced one of them and it seems to be running just fine, for now that is.I think ill go ahead and change out the fpr and fuel filter because i heard they are problematic at this stage, just for peace of mind.thanks for the reply.
I wouldn't know for sure, but since there isn't a CAF cabin air filter as in some newer vehicles it could let anything in. How much would stick to the evaporator is of concern. I know I cleaned a CAF that was totally plugged by all the stuff it trapped from the air. And too, I've seen where stuff could get sucked up from by the floor board, through the fan and onto the evaporator or heater core. Never know, If I can get it apart, might find a plastic grocery bag?
Good point. I hadn't thought of that. But just today I pulled the center vents over the radio and couldn't believe the amount of fuzzy stuff adhering to the vents.
I had the same problem similar to ur problem on my 96 last year and i found out was the starter. i changeit the first time the car was fine after one month it started the same problem and i went to the shop where i put the starter and it happen to be a bad starter i gueess thats luck , so we put the second starter and from then no more problem with the battery .
I think that this was a bad month for my 96, I changed the shift solenoids for $600, I flushed the engine cause the oil was completely black for $ 70, 2 days ago the radiator had a crack in it and was leaking a little bit that was $400, I changed the thermostat too and the water pump belt $50 , I changed the FPR $80, but still the car wont start with the first try maybe with the second or third i dont know what is wrong with it??? I hear a noise krrr krrr kr down from the water pump belt????...I guess its not the water pump cause i will go nuts... what can i do i love the car but its costing me a lot of money .
Thanks, Fierak. That's what my father-in-law was thinking... but, I wanted to double check if anyone had the same problem. So, now I guess we just have to get to it and change it... fun times.
What is different about the coils? Is the requirement for silicone grease still present. I use it on all after seeing what just a loose connection arc can do. That creation of ozone at the metal contact points will eat up the metal in short order. Might look like 20 years of rust.
He seems to have pulled the ad. Do you know of any other way to get a copy of such disks. Seriously doubt copy protection because of the era they were written.
Ah, heheh, I see them now in the first picture. You didn't mention them in the text and I thought they were just the original calipers. Aren't they made out of aluminum?
For the paint checking, if it's clearcoat checking, polishing the paint more might just make it worse. I've had a couple cars where the clear started to fail and in my experience it seems best to just wax the car a lot to try to slow/stop it from getting worse. The Nissan has had checking and slight bubbling for about 5 years now and it really hasn't gotten much worse since I've started maintaining the finish. It's swirly a bit, and the gloss isn't the best, but it looks pretty good after occasional chemical cleaning and keeping it well waxed.
Yes i put silicone grease on them, when i pulled the origianl wires off they looked horrible inside like a bad battery terminal would look all green and corroded.I figured they would be fine as the contacts looked ok, but this car is very finicky im finding out.I cleaned them off real good with a wire brush and i replaced the one coil and it seems to be running just fine now.B efore it would just about die with the ac on, now it dont stutter a bit.Im hoping i got it fixed and not just masked for the time being.Im not sure what you mean about what is different with the coils? It looked identical to me if that whats your asking. take care
Comments
Have you tried disconnecting the negative terminal of the battery for 45 minutes or so, then driving the car? Do the problems continue to occur/does the car drive and accelerate OK?
--Robert
Disconnecting the battery resets the PCM (Powertrain Control Module - i.e. your car's main computer) and its "learned" settings.
I would try that before swapping sensors - make sure the problem reoccurs after a reset.
May also want to track down where "alcan" posts - he's pretty service knowledgeable and might be able to help you troubleshoot this further (I have a Classic Aurora, not a 2001+, so I'm a bit out of my league when it comes to model-specific issues).
--Robert
--window--I was thinking the same
--radio-- still no sound, checked fuse, it's fine, checked all connections I could easily get to, I live in GA, have had very high humidity--in fact, my trunk area was a little damp after all the pounding rain from Cindy & Dennis--(I need to clean out the garage), I have read that some owners have humidity problems.
--still have a whine--
--have always used Dex--(orange) leak seems to be at hose connections to actual radiator (either large rubber, or the smaller metal one) Can see corrosion caused by fluid--still the "Mensa" Service Techs say no leak!!
--Robert
Was your battery shorter than original?
paul
whine- I have always had a Power steering whine in my classic. Just learned to live with it myself.
bose- Im not positive , but dont the Bose systems run off of an amp in the trunk? If so I would bet money the amp is blown. Because you say the head unit seems to work fine. Might find an amp at a salvage yard ?
radiator leak- If noone can find the leak it must not be too large. Have you had the GM seal tabs put in the radiator ? If not I would flush the radiator and have the seal tabs put in. Its one of the best things you can do with these aluminum engines and maybe it will seal your leak. Maybe even save your head gasket or give you a little more time if thats the problem. A head gasket is going to run you a couple grand for this car.
Any help would be great
Thanks, pl390
--Robert
P.S. Don't let your tank get below 2-3 gallons of gas, as the gas in the tank helps cool the fuel pump. If you are constantly running low on gas, you are shortening the life of the pump...
is there a check engine light? if so what are the codes?
When I replaced my Classic's battery in 2001, the ACDelco designation was 76-84. I just checked the ACDelco website and it shows 79-7YR as replacement for my car. I guess that is what you have. Google returned zero hits for the 76-84, which was the same size as my original 681.
Looks like ACDelco has gone to a smaller physical size for replacement. What are the electrical ratings of your new 79-7YR? Both my original and the replacement are rated 970 CCA and 480 reserve test.
Les
All the above is to say that 'i feel i've gotten good value from the car and if i have to walk away from it - so be it. A $2,000+ repair pretty much seals it's fate'. And yet, it seems a shame to walk away from a machine like this without a bit more of a fight.
The primary complicating factor in the decision is the intermittcncy. The temp gage has gone into red a couple times with AC running - only once without it running. OTOH, yesterday in 90+ temps it tolerated a 60 mile drive with AC.
1) Why is it so hard to definitively determine if coolent is being burned in the cylinders? That sure seems like it'd be detectable.
2) If this is a coolent system leak (not head gaskets), would it be possible to escape the the odor of leaking coolent? I park over gravel so obviously i won't see a puddle but shouldn't i see discoloration?
3) But way more indicators point to head gasket than otherwise so I should probably accept that as the source of my problems and given that I don't want to spend $2K or write it off as a total loss and junk it I begin to ponder taking on the job myself. To my standards 'unfeasible' is lack of a shop guide that would adequately document the steps required and/or an array of specialized tools needed to get far enough into the system to get the heads out.
I can afford to spend my own time this way easier than I can afford $$$.
whattayathink?
many thx
--steve...
I replaced mine myself. After draining the coolant, you remove the bar across the top of the radiator, the engine oil cooler and transaxle fluid cooler lines, upper and lower hoses, and fasteners to the a/c condenser and fans, then pull the radiator up and out. The greatest difficulty I ran into was the molded rubber pads that hold the radiator at the bottom had distorted with age and did not fit well nor stay in place when I tried to insert the new radiator. I finally figured out a way to hold them in place with cord until I got the radiator in place, then pulled the cord free. I do not remember if this is required, but removing the air deflector will give you much better (and maybe needed) access to the lower hose and lower cooler connections.
If they have never been replaced, I suggest you take this opportunity to replace the upper and lower radiator hoses and thermostat. If the old coolant was dirty, you should probably flush the system to clean it. Clean the expansion tank. Insert three of the GM walnut shell tablets (Bars Leaks also sells them (and probably makes them for GM)) into the lower radiator hose. Refill the cooling system with 50/50 mixture of Dex-Cool and distilled water.
Hope this helps.
Les
2 of Gabriel's ready-mount strut assemblies that can be purchased from Autozone/CarQuest/etc. New Bosch rotors, new Morse ceramic pads, new front bushings for the lower control arms, a pair of new tie-rod ends and a lube kit for the intermediate steering shaft. Not pictured are a pair of stabalizer link kits, Inner and outer CV boot kits and a pair of new ball joints. Things always come up while working on this car and today was no exception.
After opening everything up in the wheelwell and taking the old strut assembly, we notice our first problem. The strut mount is obviously the wrong size for my car. After a call to Autozone and one to Gabriel's support, it's determined that this is indeed the part issued for the 95 Aurora...it's just the wrong size. So we compress the springs and take just the mount from the old struts and put them on the new. problem solved and I get to keep the entire new assembly, just with the original mount. Here's a pic of them side by side.
To this day, I believe that if you put these on a 96 and above, you'd have no problem. I think it's just another case of the 95 being a sort of "one off" with so many of its parts. I'll confirm it next time I can get someone to lift the hood of their 96.
Next come the control arm bushings. We didn't have a press with us at the shop, so it's a simple deal of hammering them out. Tough to do until you get a little heat on the arm by way of the torch. Standard stuff in any shop, and with some heat, the metal expands and they hammer right out. A few minutes later, it's cooled and we've got the new ones in.
The wheel well looks mighty empty, eh?
At about this point was when we noticed a hole in the inner and outer CV boot, so it was off to Autozone to get the outer and the local Chevy dealer to get the inner. Fit them to the CV shaft, re-grease and reassemble the shaft and we're good to go. While buttoning up the suspension, one of my stabilizer links snapped, so it was back out to get a pair of them. They go for 7 bucks each, and I couldn't bear to put a new one on the passenger side and keep the old on the driver's side. Then go the tie rod ends..grease em and re-grease the ball joints. By that time, the brakes were a snap. Rotors and calipers on, new pads on and bleed them all the way around. Here's a finished view:
I decided to skip the new ball joints because mine looked pretty good and on the Aurora, they are riveted to the control arm....a total nightmare to replace. After the work was completed, it was off to get an alignment and put the good wheels on for the first time this summer. She rides great, I am very happy with the quality of the Gabriel's. What can I say, the car rides better than it ever has since I owned it, but we didn't miss many parts on this front suspension rebuild.
-Brian
Problem is that cooling is marginal and I would like some hints.
I put one can of freon in and it took it very slowly. I am about to borrow a set of gauges to check pressures. This is a 96 with 128K. Do these pumps have a wear issue with age?
Other issues I might look at?
So, check the pressure...my guess is that you are just a bit low. Squeeze every bit that you can into that thing and still be withing safe operating pressures and it should cool back down for you.
Also, did you paint your calipers? They go from dirty black powdercoat looking to clean aluminum paint looking.
Nope, didn't paint 'em at all. In one of the pics you see a caliper hanging by wire in the empty wheel well...that's still the old on hanging on, hadn't changed it out yet. I thought about painting the new pair black again, but liked the look of them unpainted. I know, they'll be covered in rust in a year and look like garbage, but I'll enjoy them until that point.
As for the ISS lube kit, you're right, I forgot to mention in my post that we skipped it for now. With the few problems we ran into during the work, it turned into a 2-day job and I put the ISS lube on hold for a bit. I am not in terrible need of it, but I picked it up anyway since I was at the dealer for the bushings. I'll get it sooner or later, and will post up some pics. I'll probably take care of the multi-function switch grease problem at the same time...so I'll grab pics of that as well.
-Brian
However, the other day I was driving home and the display indicated a "Check Charge System" error. I looked at the volts for my battery and it was hovering just around 12.0 (with slight fluctuation up and down between 12.2 and 11.8 .. turning everything off got the volts up to 12.5.... normal reading while driving is 13.8-14ish)
I assumed it was the battery, so I pulled it out and had Auto Zone test it.. it tested OK. I tried a different battery and got the same result.. 12-12.5 volts. When I attempt to start the car, I hear a loud clicking noise and then nothing... no grinding, or chugging like it is trying to crank.
Any ideas on what I should be checking to correct the problem? I hope to have a service manual soon, but have been unable to locate one thus far.
If it helps or is possibly related, my driver side control for the passenger window will sometimes not roll the window up (down works all the time) and the recline on the driver side seat controls has been working intermittently. Both of those issues have been present since I acquired the car.
Thanks for any help!
I'd like to, as it might be covered with road grime limiting heat transfer.
Another note is that down stream from the orifice tube, near the low fitting, the tube doesn't seem to be very cold. Also the return line from the evaporator is of equal coldness to the feel.
Such rip off expertise is why I dread a shop. Even though that system had the correct amount of freon and it is an electrical, no compressor engage situation, it is likely anywhere she takes it now they will declare it a leaking system, pump all the freon out and bill for an entire fill once the electrical is fixed.
Help if you can, please.
Les
Les
Les
out was the starter. i changeit the first time the car was fine after one month it
started the same problem and i went to the shop where i put the starter and it happen to be a bad starter i gueess thats luck , so we put the second starter and from then no more problem with the battery .
I flushed the engine cause the oil was completely black for $ 70, 2 days ago the radiator had a crack in it and was leaking a little bit that was $400, I changed the thermostat too and the water pump belt $50 , I changed the FPR $80, but still the car wont start with the first try maybe with the second or third i dont know what is wrong with it??? I hear a noise krrr krrr kr down from the water pump belt????...I guess its not the water pump cause i will go nuts... what can i do i love the car but its costing me a lot of money .
Is the requirement for silicone grease still present. I use it on all after seeing what just a loose connection arc can do. That creation of ozone at the metal contact points will eat up the metal in short order. Might look like 20 years of rust.
For the paint checking, if it's clearcoat checking, polishing the paint more might just make it worse. I've had a couple cars where the clear started to fail and in my experience it seems best to just wax the car a lot to try to slow/stop it from getting worse. The Nissan has had checking and slight bubbling for about 5 years now and it really hasn't gotten much worse since I've started maintaining the finish. It's swirly a bit, and the gloss isn't the best, but it looks pretty good after occasional chemical cleaning and keeping it well waxed.