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Thank you! Not only for getting back so fast (wowsers!), but also for the well written reply(s).
I've found a local shop that seems competent and honest, if not the guru I could hope for. They seem to take the middle ground, replace the common problem parts, charge the usual prices, hope that solves the problems. I had an intermittent Check Engine Light that seems to have been related to emissions. Replaced fuel cap, 2 O2 sensors and tried to avoid overfilling the screwy gas tank, and eventually, it cleared and has stayed off long enough to pass the IL emissions test and so far so good. I got this car w/115K on it and am at about 130K now. I've kept the oil changed and topped off, using hi-mileage synthetic every change, but as my trans keeps performing smoothly, I am a little worried to risk it going south by changing fluids. Don't rock the boat and all. Obviously, 130K is a lot of miles on the same fluid (I have no idea if it had been done before). But, I've heard from more than one shop the only way to have it done (SHOULD have it done) is at the dealer's, so they can cover the work if it screws up the transmission. With the few little annoying bugs that I keep chasing down, I'm reluctant to "grease" a "wheel" that isn't "squeeking" if you follow me.
I stopped by a local radiator/AC shop on the way to work this morning and showed him the BCM that I pulled successfully last night. I asked him about the possibility of testing it and he said something I couldn't follow about how it could only be done in the car, with grounding it, checking continuity and the rest. I know what he was talking about, but not how to do it, exactly. He seemed convinced that the problem was more likely the blower motor itself, than the BCM. Of course, niether part is particularly cheap and I know the blower CAN blow quite well...when it feels like it. If the blower (fan?) works, but the Motor is intermittent, any ideas how I can compare/check that against the possibility that the BC Module is the problem? Winter is right around the corner here in Chicago and I'm NOT looking forward to it.
An aside: Regarding Winter driving: The first time I encountered snow w/my 'rora was on a trip across the Cali/Oregon border to see a monster truck rally. Seems that a storm rolled in and dumped a good dusting on the mts between where me and my 2 friends were in Oregon and home. I stopped at an auto parts store and purchased a pair of chains for the front tires. (We had a great time spinning doughnuts in the parking lot with the traction contol turned off and using the e-brake before we put the chains on. For a sedan, that boat can handle pretty well, if you are comfortable with the mass!) After rolling along quite smoothly for a number of miles, passing cars slipping into ditches and moving at about 15 mph, I found that the 'rora was smooth and managable at 45-55, depending on visibility. At one point, I was not sure why, when things cleared enough that my high-beams should have been piercing the road farther away, I stopped and got out and my best friend and I discoverd that the reason the hi-beams weren't working was NOT that they were reflecting off the snow in the air, but rather, during the more blustery conditions, the snow had actually buried the headlights! Only the heat from the low beams had managed to keep the snow melted in front of them! After clearing the hi-beams, which now worked quite well, we noticed that not just one, but BOTH of the chains off the front tires were gone!! Now, I had purchased the medium priced ones, and also added the bungee-tighener option that was designed to help hold them snug (like a spider-wed covering the hub, pulling the edges of the chains together). I'm also familiar with putting on chains and had never lost a pair before. I was mostly concerned about their loss because of the damage to the wheel-well that may have occurred upon their release, but there appeared to be none. I have no idea how long I had been driving without them; the car was smooth enough (and the snow/road rough enough) that I couldn't even tell when they were on the car...Crazy, huh? The rest of the ride home was uneventful.
After arriving in Chicago last winter, I was able to compare my car (w/o chains) against a couple of other cars belonging to friends and family. Talk about stable. I felt like I was in a go-cart while driving the 3 other cars (all similar to a 4 door Corolla). Not so with the Aurora. I felt like I was back in the Army driving the Bradley Fighting Vehicle (M1A2)...but with much better visibility...and fewer bullets.
Enough story telling...I've had questions about the transmission and proper maintenance of it since I got it, as I'd like to make sure it keeps running for as long as possible. I could never afford a comparable replacement car... Unfortunately, there seems to be some serious division in the camps as to the right way to keep it on the road. Coolant leaks? I can keep topping it off. Same with the slight oil leak. (Any thoughts on the whole, "flushing the oil" idea?) Crazy fuel gauge? Keep an eye on the DIC and use the tripometer. Fuel not going into the car at a resonable speed? It's a nuisance, but it DOES go in, albeit slower than honey. But, I have a functional and seemingly finely performing transmission that I don't want to have to fix if I can prevent a costly repair with maintenance, but don't want to create the need for a repair while attempting to maintain it! Good grief...what a delima. Open to more input.
I'm really happy to have found this site and hope I can be of as much assistance as you all have been to me. I have to get back to being productive so I can pay for the upkeep on my 'rora. FYI--Gas has dropped more than a dollar a gallon here, from around $4.65 to $3.35 since H. Ike....Yeah. Oh yeah, that reminds me, thoughts on the ocatane requirements? When this car was produced, there was 87, 91 and 93 ocatne avavilable. The manual says use 91. Now, we have 87, 89 and 93. (If memory serves.) I've always tried to use 93, but when the price gets back up to $5/gallon....ouch. Any experiements tried? Thanks!
~Daniel (DMGadget) '98 Aurora, 130K
2. I can't seem to get gas to do into my car at anything other than a trickle. If I don't hold the gas "throttle" at the pump just as slow as I can, then after a few seconds you can hear the gas backing up the tank neck and before you can stop pumping (or the auto-stop kicks in) you have a "spurt" of gasoline backing up and out of the car. I DID end up trying to cross a median that seems to have been a little higher than my clearance. The same day I bottomed out (scrapped/banged the bottom of the undercarriage) I found my self needing gas and when I tried to put it in, my '98 Aurora decided to spit it back out on my hand! I've never had a car that didn't LIKE gas! Unless it was that cheap junk.
I am probably stating the obvious here. A restriction of gas going in, no matter what. Well, the fuel/air back pressure is shutting down the pump because it is telling the pump the tank is full when it isn't. Plus the gas spurting out indicates a physical restriction somewhere.
Even if you put a 1' x 1' x 1' dent in the gas tank when you drove over the median, the car should still take on fuel normally, albeit at a lesser amount. There has to be an actual restriction between the fuel filler hole and the filler neck on the top of the gas tank, including the neck of the gas tank. Now that I have stated the obvious.....
First, wonder if you can see something crimped from underneath the car from the tank to the filler tubing? You can probably squeeze under the car with a flashlight in hand without jacking up the rear.
My Infinity had a factory recall which if I remember correctly noted a possible crimping or an outright leak in the connecting plumbing (flexible tubing?) between the fuel filler opening and the gas tank. Recall repair (allegedly) completed no charge under recall.
Your gas tank may have moved just enough to slightly crimp some flexible or not so flexible tubing that did not uncrimp, or actually bent the filler neck on the top of the fuel tank. Remember, it doesn't take much of a restriction with the fuel/air back pressure from the gas station pump to shut down the station pump or to cause the fuel backlash.
Now for the highly technical part which requires professional tools, a pair of vise grips/locking pliers. You might want to try snaking a straightened-out metal coathanger down the fuel filler opening as far as you can to see if you can either uncrimp the restriction (flexible tubing) or at least determine the relative location of the restriction. You may later be able to get at the point of restriction from under the car in any event.
I'd suggest you bend/loop the pointed end of the coathanger back around 180 degrees so at least a smooth rounded point of attack is offered, and make the loop relatively tight, flat, and very closed...... so it doesn't snag on something (inside of gas tank or on filler plumbing) when you are GENTLY withdrawing it. You can always increase the size of the loop if the "smaller is better" approach isn't working on the first pass.
Measure the length of the coathanger from the edge of the filler hole to the end of the coathanger loop once the restriction is reached so later you can somewhat pinpoint the location of the restriction.
Otherwise, you may have to spring for a mechanic on this one. Hopefully, the fix does not require dropping the gas tank.
Good luck, and keep us posted on your adventure.
Jack
PS: It ain't gonna get any warmer out in your Chicago driveway this year, so try this soon.
MECHANICS:
A good and relatively trustworthy mechanic with reasonable prices. Seemingly a pipe dream, but they are out there. I may have been lucky in 1993 when I found mine, close to home too. I have made a point of remaining loyal to him, even if I pay more for his gas. At least he sees me a lot. And he always asks about my satisfaction with the previous repair. After I tell him everything is fine, I remind him he should name a repair bay after me with no smile on my face. I expect him to be loyal to me in return. I am not shy about pointing out to him that when my cars come off warranty (I'm a cradle to grave car owner) he gets first shot and every one thereafter until HE gives me reason to change. He offers me a bag or box with my old parts after each repair which I look over and leave there for disposal.
He has been particularly good at calling and pointing out preventative stuff where the labor at some disassembly is already a sunk cost and "while it's apart you may want to consider..." I'll have to talk to you sometime about my idler pully assembly (it froze, bearing siezed) and I also opted for a new a/c compressor and I believe alternator to boot. Slap in bearings/shaft fit, and something to go next, stranded with dogs and/or fuming wife. Now that the engine was unbolted and lifted, and the lions share of the labor was already invested......
A COMPARABLE REPLACEMENT CAR:
Sometimes it doesn't seem to make much sense to put a grand or two or three in an 11 year old used vehicle with a blue book trade value or a private party sale value is $3-4K. And sometimes you can't buy reliability in an unknown used car at 3-4 times the price. I know what I have and what I have put in it. I know how it has been maintained. Then I look at some of the total ownership savings if I choose to keep the car. I significantly save annually on reduced local excise taxes, insurance costs, financing costs foregone, and the huge one: depreciation expense. On the latter, I can pay for a whole lot of repairs for the annual cost of the last one. And I get paid back every additional mile I drive THIS car after I forked over a bunch of money on a repair or tire replacement. When the reliability starts to fail me or the aggravation gets too great, fine. I'll bite the bullet then.
FUEL RELATED ITEMS:
Gas tank capacity on the 1998 is 18.5 gallons, not 18 as I previously stated. And I've put 18.5 in it more than once.
Fuel mileage. Best case 18mpg city, 21-22 evenly mixed, and 28+ pure highway at 65 on cruise, 100+ miles. Never changed since I got the car, and I'm on the original ignition parts as stated earlier. With a happy right foot around town, 14. Drop the other numbers accordingly when I'm having fun.....like those 120 mph blasts.
Fuel. The Aurora manual is more liberal on octane with 91 as the starting point. I burn 93 because we don't have a lot of 91 around here. Downshifted to 87 for quite a few months when my daily commute was 90 miles and gas got ridiculous. No change in mileage, and if acceleration suffered, I couldn't tell. No pre-ignition experienced (pinging per the manual) under a heavy foot or up hills. Engine management retarded the spark to accommodate the lower octane I suppose. Relatively remarkable for its 10.3 compression ratio and nearly 4,000 pounds. So you can save on gas if you choose (see savings above). Hyundai Genesis.....this manufacturer actually rates horsepower and torque at premium grade fuel (recommended) and 87 regular.....about a reading of 5 lower for both for burning the lower octane which on a base of 375 horsepower isn't even worth discussing.
SYNTHETIC MOTOR OILS:
Never used them because I could never see the advantage except for their unquestioned lubricating superiority in the colder temperatures, particularly at startup and while the engine is warming up. Synthetics grab and hold, plus their viscosity at even the coldest temps is unchanged. I personally change with conventional motor oil and a filter at an average of every 4K miles or 3-4 months, whichever comes first, 10-30 viscosity in the summer and 5-30 winter. While the synthetic may maintain its lubricating qualities twice or three times as long mileage-wise, can those properties mitigate the dirt in the oil and piling up in the oil filter? Consumers' Report a few years back (perhaps sponsorship biased) tested every motor oil brand, viscosity, and type (natural vs.synthetic), with and without afternmarket additives, in a fleet of rebuilt-motored NYC taxicabs for 100K miles, using scheduled change intervals. After a million words of text, the conclusion: no appreciable difference in wear. I've never had a motor oil/wear related engine failure in 40 years, even with my Corvette (11 years daily driver 24/7/365 in Chicago, ran all season tires year round, my only car at the time). Lots of high rpm use/abuse with that one.
OIL LEAK:
If it's a minor oil pan gasket or valve cover leak, tighten and observe. Replace gaskets if necessary. Otherwise, I just drive and add oil as required because it costs virtually nothing. The driveway takes a beating, though. I had a rear seal leak on a Camaro for about 5 years and didn't want to pay to have the engine yanked. Just added oil, no problems except the driveway (again).
BCM...... This is the tough one, and I don't have any advice other than.....you have to have the blower operating, especially in winter for both the heat and especially the defrost. I have read a lot of stuff in this forum on blower motor and blower control module problems. Could never figure out why mechanics could not isolate the problem better with diagnostics, amperage, or voltage meters.
Had a starter motor issue once. Thought it was the battery. Lost a $20 bet. Another time thought I had a battery isuue. Lost a $20 bet. In each instance with the same friend who on the former issue disconnected, cleaned, and reconnected the starter motor ground, same with the battery terminals on the latter issue. These were both on the Corvette.
11 year old wiring alone on your car could be at issue, especially if the insulation rubbed through/off and you are getting inappropriate sporadic touching of a hot on something metal, unwanted. No suggestions here.
TRANSMISSION FLUID CHANGES/SCREEN REPLACEMENTS/FLUSHES:
Agreed, if it ain't broke don't fix it. Manual suggests never needs changing under normal driving conditions, even up to the 150,000 mile interval in the manual. Most of what you need to know is in the color and smell of the transmission fluid anyway, despite what I say.
Later,
Jack
The tube is corroded and leaking and the dealership wants to charge me $633 to replace the damn thing - and is telling me I can't drive it the way it is. Hell, I drove it to the dealership, why can't I drive it home? Did they poke a hole in it?
What is that tube called, and does anyone else find their repair quote just a tad pricey? I could probably replace it myself if I knew what part to ask for - it's not like it's connected to the diagnostic computer, or in an inaccessible position. Even if they included a coolant flush/fill, it seems excessive to me.
Thanks in advance!
should be cheaper.
Just a note to reply to our conversation in the "Buying Experience" forum, which is now read only for whatever reason. I did get the throttle body cleaned, fuel filter changed and new K&N filter for my trip. The gas mileage definitely improved. I got 26.1mpg on the leg from Lexington, Ky to Columbia, SC. That compares to the 23.7 I got back in Feb. over the same route and roughly the same speed. The air temp was alot warmer in Aug. than Feb, but I don't believe it would make much difference, if any, especially as I was running the AC this time. Got 24.4 on the return, but that was with some stretches of sustained 75-80 mph. So overall I was pleased with the improvements. Next big trip will be Feb again to Daytona Beach for the 500.
Take Care, Jack
Canister sometimes has a small filter to stop dirt being drawn in during that purge cycle. It may be totally plugged. The canister may have gone bad. The valve or the computer controlling it may have gone bad. Or you may have crushed the line or it is plugged, the one coming from the tank.
Unlikely, but a friend with a new '69 Ford ran out of gas when the guage showed nearly new. He got it to gas station but it would only take a couple of gallons. They had put an unvented cap on vehicle that required vented. The gas pump sucked the tank collapsed.
Did you ever determine the problem? We are have the same problem. No Parking lights, CD player does not work.
also noted rust bubbles near jack point drivers side.
concerned? yes.
NYS salt has done it. 118K and still runs fine. 28 mpg on trips, 21 around town.
Rear window regularors both went out with in days of each other. What a pain and what a cost to repair. So, I just had the cables "tied" in the up position.
But real issue is a whine noise at speed. No noise at any RPM while at rest. At speed whine noise (bearing?) increases as speed increases. Also, when the steering wheel is turned right at speed, noise decreases? Power steering pump? I am at a loss on what is is.
Anyone?
FIRST THINGS FIRST, I'VE HAD THIS SMALL LEAK FROM THE RADIATOR FOR ABOUT A MONTH, NEVER REALLY LOST A LOT OF COOLANT BUT I NOTICED A SMALL DRIP... THEN ONE NIGHT AS I WAS GETTING ON THE FREEWAY I LOST POWER, ALL THE LIGHTS ON THE DASH CAME ON AND THE DIC READ CHECK CHARGE SYSTEM... HAD THE BATTERY TESTED IT WAS LOW SO GOT A NEW ONE, LASTED 1 DAY.... REPLACED THE ALTENATOR & NEW BATTERY. WELL DUM DUM ME CHECKED AND REPLACED THE FLUIDS AS YOU ALL KNOW THE RADIATOR HAS TO BE REMOVED... IN THE COURE OF THIS I FILLED THE TRANSMISSION "WITHOUT" CHECKING IT @ OPERATING TEMPERATURE SO I DIDN'T GET AN ACCURATE READING.
LONG STORY MADE KINDA SHORT, I DROVE HER THE NEXT DAY ABOUT 15 MILES AND SHE FIRST OVERHEATED. I PULLLED OVER LET HER COOL, ADDED THE LIL BIT THAT I LOST AND TRIED TO HEAD HOME. HAD TO GET ON THE FREEWAY, AND THAT LASTED ALL BUT 1/2 A MILE. SHE OVERHEATED AGAIN, THE RPMS WENT TO 5000 + (NO REDLINE) AND I PULLED OFF TO THE NEAREST GAS STATION.
HAD SOMEONE RECOMMEND DRAINING THE FLUID, AND REPLACING THE SEAL (?)... HOWEVER THIS IS NOT A AURORA EXPERT AND I'M REALLY WONDERING IF I DAMAGED SOMETHING... SHE WON'T GET OUT OF FIRST GEAR.
ANY HELP IS APPRECIATED!! SORRY SO LENGTHY BUT TRYING TO GIVE AS MUCH INFO AS POSSIBLE.
THANX IN ADVANCE.
1) your radiator drip sound like you have a crack in your radiator or your hoses are broke. First things first. Determine where the drip is coming from. I've had three cases of losing radiator fluid on my 98'. A) Water pump seal bad.(Solution, replace water pump (belt just because) cost $200).
Before you changed out the Alternator did you check it to see if it was bad? If you just changed it to change it then that was a bad move. More so a waste of money.
You should verify how much load you are pulling off the battery. With the coolent leak you had maybe it dripped on to a electrical line and you are getting a short somewhere in your car which would cause all your electrical to go out.
What did the Transmission fluid look like. Did it have a burnt smell to it. Should be bright to dark red in color.
Considering it is a 95 and if you did damage your tranney. The blue book on this care is not more than 1800$. RIP.
The leak in the radiator seems to be coming from the very bottom of the radiator near the cock plugs (there are 2 on mine) I have checked the hoses and they all seem to be ok so Im in the process of finding a radiator.
As fr the tranny fluid it doesn't have a burnt smell to it however, it is not bright nor dark red, it actually has a brown tint to it. I notice something new this morning, I tried what they call the idle relearn on it yesterday, and now there is tranny fluid underneath the car not a lot but it seems to have come out of the pan because it is almost rectangular in shape. I haven't driven her since the problem started.
I'm leaning toward a diagnostic on the transmission ($50) and if it is blown then I have another option... a local wrecking yard has the exact same car color and all with a bad engine they want $550 I can buy it and swap engines and keep mine for parts or sell it all together.
Any input you give is greatly appreciated!! Oh yes, Im a female that tries to keep cost down... and I must add that I've had some really nice cars (Lexus, MBs,Cads) but this Aurora is the best and honestly Im going to hate letting go if it comes to that because no one will appreciate her as much.
Thanx
Besides being clutch material from tranny it could be the convertor clutches. It is highly recommended that be changed at the same time as a tranny rebuild or replace.
You might luck out or not. If when you refilled the tranny there were air pockets fluid may have slugged a modulator valve or some other component, especially if you did not let it idle long enough in gear with wheels off ground to allow the transmission to clear all the bubbles and then slowly increase RPM enough to force shifts. The downside with this is that you should have the car supported at the strut so that you are not turning CV joints at the fully extended point.
Such a slugging could break a spring in a clutch pack, modulator valve, accumulator, etc. If it is in the modulator pack, it is accessible without pulling tranny from the bottom. I also suspect the end pan may be removeable if some parts are removed from the front of the engine (the belt end) and the engine/tranny assembly is slid to that end. Do check for clearance if trying and let me know if it works.
But also there is a known problem with a couple of solenoids in that lower valve assembly and there is a service upgrade for that. Typically they break and leak. Usually this leaves limp home mode which gives only first and second gear and reverse. The parts for that fix were around $100 and you can probably find where several have done the work themselves in one of the Aurora forums. Biggest headache seems that some have accidentally misplaced a small part so it is imperative that you use caution in disassembly and reassembly. Make sure you have a contained environment so that if some small part drops you can find it and check the area routinely for stray parts. Other than basic tools you should have a small torque wrench, which I consider basic anyway.
I agree the Aurora is an interesting car. But GM's are notoriously bad for electrical problems. That being said they are compounded when dealing with the Olds Aurora. The cost of fixing them can go through the roof.
Any one who says that the Aurora is an economical car to maintain is full of something or they work for GM(mind you not for long).
Brown by the way is not good if this is the color. I would question the person that put this oil in for you when you said you changed out your transmission fluid.
Happy trails.
Replacement fluid should be GM grade transmission fluid , nothing more and nothing less.
When you drain from the pan your only replacing 6-7 quarts of the fluid. You do not actually change out all of the tranney fluid when changing from the pan.
Verify your gasget at the pan to see that it is not cracked. you said you have it dripping around the pan. This is not a good sign. You could have been running the car with low transmission fluid levels. A new GM gasget for this car is 50-75$ unless you go with the cheap cork aftermarket gasget which I only reccommend if you plan on keeping the car for a couple years.
Draining and checking the tranney fluid is your cheapest route to take. If you go the alternate route of replacing the tranney (mind you if this is the problem) your cost will go up considerably.
Dallas Tx.
in some instances those contacters become shorted and your lights will turn on even after the iginition has been shut off. Have seen many peoples batterys drained becasue of this same issue.
As for the swap, Im thinking of just buying the other Aurora he wants $450 for it now. The guy says it needs a new engine, it has a bad rod knock. It only has 118k on it, and I believe it's well worth more than $450.
I will keep you posted on my tranny issue... Hope it's something simple.Thanks again for all your help!
Again, I would drain and verify that there are not shavings or metalics in your oil or attached to the magnetic strip just inside the pan. your best hope is that you had air pockets in the modulator
Good luck.
Along witht he many headaches pointed up concerning someone swapping the tranny for you, there are a couple of points about pulling a tranny from junk. If the vehicle was wrecked the impact can damage parts inside. There is a lot of weight suspended on the main shaft and it has only a bearing at each end. Also there are bearings between those heavy components, clutch packs, planetary gears, etc. and the main shaft. So, in addition to the possibilities of the main shaft being bent just enough to through it out of balance, there is the possibility of these soft material bearings being dimpled by the impact. They actually are more of a bushing made of material like the connecting rod bearings and depend mostly on the thin layer of oil to stop damage.
Ford had a bulletin concerning damage because people failed to use the parking brake. Any incline would put the torque of the wheels into any of the final drive components, that is all solid connections between the wheel and the parking pawl in the transmission. The result was that every last drop of lubricant was being forced from points of bearings resulting in dry starts. Dry starts are very bad and the beginning of wear points that will deteriorate faster than other areas. The bulletin specifically addressed transmissions, but with a little thought you will see this also affects the CV joints on the drive shafts. I'd say it is very important to always use the parking brake.
Other than a few of us that found the bulletin on the net, I'm unaware of this info being passed to customers.
Monique
1 Torque Converter $265
1 EDC Solenoid $97
1 filter $45
1 filter left $15
1 filter rt $21
1 input speed sensor $45
1 solenoid PWM $65
fluid supplement (block) $20
12 quarts ATF Fluid $42
Here are the codes that were listed as well...
90- v cc brake switch input prob.
95- engine stalled
95- shift ratio "A" problem
109 - Internal ECM problem
27- Throttle switch or circuit open
39- torque converter clutch malfunction
56 - input speed circuit problem
52 - defective ecm
70 - intermittent throttle position.
All these things were listed and according to the repair order fixed. The total out of pocket expense was $1697. How common or rare is it to have issues with the same parts? Im leaning toward the speed sensor because now she acts as though she wants to shift, but still doesn't. Also forgot to mention previously that I use to get a loud thump when put in reverse but since I drained fluid and replaced it has disappeared.
Would you happen to know how difficult it is to change the speed sensor? I went and purchased another, hoping to be able to resolve it this way and avoid the costly labor at the shop. I really need a manual on this car and no one seems to have one other than the dealer.
Your help is greatly appreciated! It actually keeps me from giving up on her... she is expensive, but when she is up and running wow the comfort & reliabilty is well worth the expense.
I suggest you find a non-dealer shop that works on Cadillacs. If they work on Caddies they will work on the Aurora. You may be better off selling the car and picking yourself up a less complicated more reliable car. This is too complicated and way too expensive your your young pocket book. Just being honest and trying to cut your losses.
If you can dodge a ball you can dodge a wrench. You just got hit by a wrench and a wench.
good luck,
The battery's in these cars are usually good for the full life, 6-7years. Having the battery in the back seat away from the thermal variations of the engine increase the battery life by two fold. Problem is these suckers run 150-200 bucks depending on your local dealers price. It's AC DElphi (Delco) or nothing.
RT
That being said, 10 years is pretty incredible! However, I think your pushing it by letting your battery levels go so low . Warning this is a GM, very very sensitive to electrical bugs/problems.
Your quite a risk taker. Me... I dont like to ride the fence, too hard on the back side.
Enjoy the ride.
You and I have a similar scenario.... I got mine from a family member for $1000, and when I got it there was an exisisting problem with overheating. Thought it would be a simple fix (thermostat, water pump) but there was more to it then that. I've had the car for almost 2 years now and have put more into it then what I paid, one repair alone cost me $1697.00 and once again she is sitting in my driveway and I am asking my fellow Aurorians here on the forum questions... look at posts #4063 thru 4071 (those are all me, and one shows a breakdown in repairs).
What I'm actually trying to say to you is have the car FULLY inspected by someone that knows Aurora's. You have a power steering issue right now, but there could be something else leading to the problem since it has been repaired once. You are young, and there are a lot of other things you can do with your money (school, etc) besides put it into a car that you may soon decide you no longer want. Again, it is an awesome car, but the maintenance is $$$$ if you can understand what I mean.
Not trying to discourage you, I mean I have so many times wanted to throw the towel in on mine but here she still sits... For this car you have to keep a piggy bank. lol
Good luck to you, and Happier Aurora days to you!
Monique
I wish you nothing but the best! Enjoy the thrill of an Aurora!
Your codes are from too many different areas to be tranny alone. Did all those codes show up since the tranny problem?
I would be suspicious of wire damage if they pulled the tranny last time. To get the end pan off, they had to at least shift the transmission sideways and may have damaged something.
You need to get some good charts such as All Data would have for the car. The fee is quite reasonable.
With that assortment of codes I have to wonder if there is wire damage. And those charts will allow you to check for any shorts that might have caused the ECM to fail.
You have a code related to the cruise control circuit and the release of cruise when you push the brake.
The throttle position sensor is right on the throttle body and hooked to the end of the butterfly shaft.
I'm not sure what they might be calling throttle switch off the top of my head. Maybe the idle air controller.
One thing I notice is that the signals for these codes, except the ECM, go through a common connector that is located near the rear of the engine, top of the transmission housing. Careful, old plastic may be brittle.
But you have those two ECM codes saying that the computer is bad. All Data charts will tell you which are the most important codes. That is if you look up one code, it will tell you that certain other codes can not be set, meaning they have a higher priority.
The Rack and Pinion is located against the firewall horizontally. If something to the output end of the rack broke, you'd have movement on one of the tires. So it would have to be internal or the shaft from the steering wheel. I think I read that the subframe needs to be lowered to change the rack. That would make it labor intensive. But those labor books are very generous with time usually. Considering that shop refused to do it a second time makes me suspicious that the problem is related to something they did. Because of the danger evoked that such a failure would occur the part has to pass a high safety standard and I've never heard of such a failure to a rack. Maybe they used some cheaper than dirt part. If you can find the manufacturer of the part you can probably talk them out of a free one considering the age. Labor is a separate issue and listed in a manual such as Chiltons Labor book.
Back to the input. I'd check to make sure the steering shaft is turning with the steering wheel and is connected at the rack. The connection is accessible fron inside and covered with a rubber boot assembly. You might have to roll the carpet back a little and there are several small bolts holding it in place. The shaft connection is splined and there will be a single bolt, sideways, pinching the coupling tight to the racks input shaft.
If something is broken between the steering wheel and that point, you have a different breed of problem, nothing to do with the rack.
I have this fuse that continues to blow now, I just discovered it Monday. It is the ERLS (Brake-Transaxle Shift Interlock, Heated Oxygen Sensor, Linear EGR). I went through all the fuses on a whim, found this one blown replaced it with a new 15A and as soon as I started it, the fuse blew again.
Your input on wiring has me curious if they damaged wires... Of course they supplied me with a 6 month or 6000 mile warranty and I am beyond that.
Is it common for a speed sensor to fail that quickly? I just can't see that being logical.
Thank you for your input... I don't know what I would do without you all here in the forum!