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Anyone know if these are separate circuits or what? I'll dig into my service manual tonight, but I wanted to pose the question to see if anyone else had dealt with this.
I'm sorry to say it but I'm seriously considering selling my aurora. ( I need something faster, cheaper, and something with a wide array of aftermarket parks. I got my eye on a 98 Mitsu Eclipse. AWD and turbocharged and 1/2 the price I paid for my aurora with the same ammount of miles.
Don't get me wrong, I love my car to death. I just want something a bit faster and cheaper. I got to fix a few things before I do sell(if I do breakdown to it) so dont count me leaving the forum just yet ;o)
Before I pull and open up the radio, I thought it wise to learn others' experiences.
shuchnet: I think your suggestion in message #1841 is a great idea.
If you really want aftermarket stuff, you have to go Honda. Everything is made for the Honda, espcially if you get the car in stick.
The aROARa is not a good choice for Mods because of its target audience of 40 years to dead usually does not do MODS.
If you can't find the bulb at a local electronics store, let me know (ryan@shucknet.com) and I'll see if I can't take one out of my extra radio.
Either way you'll probably have to be prepared to do some soldering.
If you hang on to the end of the year, there's a Supercharger kit that will be available for the 4.6L. I e-mailed the guy about 4.0L compatibility and he didn't see why it wouldn't work with a little modification.
Corsa is going to have a 20HP exhaust kit soon. Got the K&N airfilter option in addition to a little altering of the air box. RSM has a wider throttle body, strut tower braces, KYBs, and poly trans and engine mounts. I think there is also a Baer 3 piston brake kit available, but I haven't been able to find it yet. I've seen it on Cadillacs which leads me to believe it would work on the Aurora, too.
It would be pretty easy to get a 350HP Aurora between the S/C (~70HP), exhaust, and intake changes. That's a pretty powerful car. Not to mention, That Eclipse isn't going to feel near as stable as your Aurora at 140mph, if the Eclipse can get there
On one note, the Eclipse will be cheaper. That is, until the turbo rips up the little 4 banger in there.
What did Corsa tell you about the Aurora?? I talked to them a week ago and they are still no closer to doing Aurora stuff. I'm trying to get them to do a one time thing for my car. Perhaps if a few of us would put our money down they would be more motivated to disrupt their daily routine. I always talk to Jim Browning Jr. I'd hope for a 10 to 15 HP boost at the wheels from an Aurora system (just proportional to the Caddy results).
Also, don't forget the Granatelli mass air flow meter. It is supposed to gain 8 to 12 HP at the wheels.
My car is running great. I disconnected the battery overnight to reset the computer just in case my pulling the temp sensor blunder had changed anything. I plan to hit the dyno at the end of the month to test that MAF sensor and my further air box work. I'll bet I can get it on the Caddyinfo.com site with pictures of what I did as well. I still think a 280 to 290 HP Aurora is very possible by just letting it breath better.
Try hassling http://www.carputing.com they may address the computer too for the Northstar - someday. One thing I learned last time at the dyno is that the full throttle fuel/air ratio can really make a difference - and that perhaps they don't exactly optimize this at the factory. You would think they would, but if they did, there would not be the chip market I guess.
Also, is anyone here well versed in suspension? If so, drop me an e-mail or something. My Aurora doesn't "bounce" evenly. It was hit in the left front before I bought it and I have a feeling there's something goofed up up there, but I have absolutely zero suspension knowledge. Any help there would be appreciated.
http://www.helminc.com
Then just follow the menus.
Campo57
The Town Hall is not an appropriate place to use "rice" terms when discussing vehicles. Please find other ways to get your point across than using that word or any derivations of it.
Thanks.
Pat
Host
Sedans Message Board
Errr.... there's the PC police looking out for us again. That's right, rather than let others form their opinions of me on their own, they are telling us how to think. Whether it was implicit or not, that message is basically saying "everyone should think that it is not ok to use that term." We are smart, we can form our own opinions.
My name is attributed to my comments, so if someone who is reading them has issue with them, they may take it up with me personally (ryan@shucknet.com). And I must say, if someone is so deeply offended by my use of that term, then they must have a pretty easy life to have time to worry about things so miniscule.
I am not personally attacking our host, but I am saying that I think since this is not an anonymous forum that Edmunds doesn't need to censor us. The check and balance here is that our names are attributed to our posts.
In addition, those four letters are much easier to type than "over-zealous appearance modifications that do not enhance performance". So see, I'm really saving Edmunds money - less bandwidth and less storage space to save my message. But hey, I guess we throw simplicity and clarity out the window so everyone can feel all warm and fuzzy about themselves.
We have a number of members of the Town Hall who do indeed find that term offensive - this is why it has become community policy.
In case you might not have thoroughly read the Membership Agreement when you joined us, you might want to check it out - there is a link on the left sidebar of this page to it.
If you have further comments on this subject, please email me - this is not an appropriate place for this discussion. I can give you other contacts within Edmunds to speak with, if you'd like.
Thanks.
Pat
Host
Sedans Message Board
[taking a breath]
Or is it just me?
You have a good point about using the Caddy system and I talked to Corsa about it. They suggested it too. I mentioned that not knowing what modifications are needed, I would not want to spend the money and have some goobers have to bend up the thing or compromise the system. They agreed. So, Corsa e-mailed me yesterday and they are looking at a 1998 Aurora today to see what is required. They may want me to visit their place next week. Maybe after looking at it, they will determine they can indeed modify the STS system easily and send it to me.
Zinc - I second your thoughts. One way of looking at it is that you never before knew if one of these goofs was behind the wheel of a car near you. Now they identify themselves and warn the public. It's a good thing. Same with what some of these people adorn their faces with sometimes. You could not pass a law to get the stupid to publicly identify themselves, but now it's being done voluntarily. Again - It's a good thing.
Matrixfrog - before making the switch, consider the mods discussed on this board. There really is a lot you can do. Yeah the car is heavy, but with 280 or 290 HP and the 3.48 or 3.71 transaxle, you're gonna move - and still ride first class all the time.
There should be a code with the letter U after it. That is the paint code. There should also be a code with WA in front of some numbers. That should be the full paint code. You can't always go by the 2 number with the U after it.
Hope that helps.
Campo57
BC/CC WA-L0848 U0848 A7372
BC/CC is the paint type or technology, in this case "base coat / clear coat"
The body paint "WA" number follows. "L" denotes lower color, "U" denotes upper color, and "A" denotes the accent stripe color.
The actual numbers on my SPI differ somwhat:
BC/CC U 8555
Note that "WA" is not printed, and that there is only one body color "U 8555". Looks like the codes default to showing only the upper body color when lower is the same. And my car has no accent stripe. Therefore, "U 8555" must then indicate black.
The RPO codes listed in my Aurora / Riviera service manual for "Primary Color Exterior" are:
16U bright white
30U medium Adriatic blue metallic
34U light teal metallic
36U light Adriatic blue
41U black
43U majestic teal metallic
47U medium dark lichen
48U dark yellow green metallic
50U stone beige metallic
72U medium garnet red metallic
77U dark cherry metallic
78U bright white diamond
I have not been able to find a cross-referrence from the RPO "nnU" codes to the WA "U nnnn" codes except for my own car where black = "U41" = "U 8555".
I say this because I dont see it listed above.
I noticed some questions about aftermarket warranties. I have no experience with them, but I would be skeptical about them. The offerors obviously want to make money on it, so I would wonder if the price makes it worth it. Plus, I would wonder how they go about making good on the warranties. I would bet they either have maximums on repairs, or else they require you to go to certain repair facilities.
It just seems unlikely that someone could offer a quality warranty on any car at a reasonable price.
I believe (and I know zinc agrees with me), that, at least with the Classic Aurora, and probably the new one as well, that there's so much than can (and does) go wrong, it makes sense to have a warranty. A transmission failure, or even the AC compressor (a common Aurora failure point) can cost as much as the warranty.
In finding a warranty company, I recommend you go to the Finance, Warranty, and Insurance board here on Edmunds, and research the companies. First of all, are they well-known? You don't want to sign up with some company you've never heard of. Do they pay their own labor rates, or a shop rate? Do they charge one deductible per shop visit, or one for each line item? Who is their administrator? Who is their reinsurer/risk retention group? You'll find virtually all (reputable) warranty companies backed up by some kind of insurance company...
Hope this helps,
--Robert
When I am involved in a race I usually dont push it up to 140mph. Most races occur at stop lights from dead stops and only gor for 1/4 mile or so. Auroras are horrible from dead stops. Let's face it, Auroras suck from dead stops, but on the highway it's a different story. The only problem is how often do I race on the highway? never...
AWD has it's advantages too, how many auroras can take a corner at 60? And after all this I've decided to keep my Aurora. I cant give her up. And with the talk of this new supercharger kit I gotta start saving. Anybody got a price estimate on these? Prolly around $4000???
Now go out and treat your Aurora to a nice oil change, some Amoco premium fuel and a nice hot wax job and detailing. Maybe then she will forgive you for even thinking about selling her.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/aw-cgi/ebayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=597806233&r=0&t=0
On the lights for the shift indicator: My accessory power works. I took the side panel off on the drivers side ahead of the console which gives access to the lights under the console. I didn't see one for the red bar that shows what gear your in, but found the blue one that lights up the PRND321 and a light that lights the ash tray.
Kudos on the good advice on finding a reputable warranty provider.
However, I thought it was interesting that you compared warranties to insurance. The majority of people come out on the losing end with insurance. The majority of people pay more in their lifetime to insurance companies than they ever get back in claims. Aftermarket warranties are probably not very different.
Hey Matrixfrog, why an Eclipse? A Z28 would probably cost the same, it has more interior room, would smoke an Eclipse at any speed (the LT-1 or LS-1, maybe not the old L98), and is readily upgradeable. In fact, for not more than a couple grand, you could buy an '89 or so that belches out 345 lb-ft of torque, and is cheap enough that you could keep the Aurora.
I see why the guy is offering a rebate if you send him pictures when you install his spoilers.
Anyone have any great reasons to buy one over other vehicles? Why is it better?
What is everyone going to do about the warranty once olds closes? How is service going to be handled?
Thanks in advance.
Ref. warranties and insurance, rjs200240, you're probably right that the "average" person pays out more in auto insurance than they get back. You have some control over this (how you drive), but you're somewhat at the mercy of the other idiots on the road. Likewise, with an extended warranty. If you take care of your car, in theory the repairs will be minimal, but sometimes things happen. The Aurora is a very expensive car to repair (it has lots of gadgets/technology, it sold in relatively small numbers, from a maker which is going out of business), and, at least with the Classic Aurora, there are a few problem areas (AC, transmission) where the repair costs can easily exceed the extended warranty costs, sometimes by as much as 3x. Just as I'd never drive a car without insurance (if I could help it), I wouldn't drive a (Classic) Aurora without an extended warranty. If nothing else, it gives me peace of mind to know that my exposure (for serious mechanical problems/issues) is fairly limited.
sbcooke, I don't know if you're considering a new (2001-2002) or "Classic" (1995-1999) Aurora. I have a Classic (Black '98), and love the car. It's just the mixture of styling, creature comforts, performance, and luxury that I've been craving. I've loved the looks of the Aurora since it came out, and, with the death of Olds, the costs to get one (new or used) have declined significantly.
Of course, so has the resale value, so, if, after driving a few, you're not sure if it's the one for you, don't do it. I personally do not plan to sell my Aurora when it's no longer my daily driver. I got mine (loaded, sticker over $40k) for less than half that price. To put it another way, a Seville STS (which is fundamentally a sister car - same chassis, similar drivetrain, different styling and interior bits) was probably $50k new, or twice what I paid, used. That's a tremendous value.
Regarding chronic problems, there are things that tend to go wrong with the Classic (water pumps, AC evaporator, sometimes tranny), but, by and large, the Aurora V-8 is a pretty solid powerplant. I had the good fortune to look at the warranty repair history of my car before buying it, and most of the repairs to mine were things like door/window seals, trim, wind noise, etc. - nothing major mechanically (I've since had a water pump replaced). My totally unscientific opinion is that the '98 and '99 models seem to experience fewer problems than the earlier ones, maybe due to being newer, but maybe also due to in-line engineering changes. With any luxury V-8 with as many gadgets as the Aurora has, you should consider an extended warranty (though not GM's, or one from the dealer, as you'll likely pay 2-3x what a decent third-party warranty is).
Regarding service, GM has to make the parts available for several years, and you're supposed to be able to take the car to any GM dealership. Myself, if/when the Olds/GMC dealership near my house drops Olds, and doesn't service my car well, I'm taking it to the Pontiac/Cadillac dealership across the street. The Aurora V-8 is a derivative of the NorthStar engine, and many common or similar designs and parts are used. Ditto the chassis, and, again, I think a good Cadillac dealership should be able to handle the maintenance on the car. I did buy the shop manuals just as a backup, though I'm more comfortable replacing hard drives and motherboards than spark plugs and plug wires :-)
Hope this helps,
--Robert
The repair costs sound troublesome. Are there a lot of 100,000 mile problems? The Japanese cars I have experience with run without major problems for the life of the car.
hammen2 - Yeah I prolly would miss my aurora too much and got out and get another if I sold it. Thats why I've decided to keep it and try and get a project car. I think what happend is my aurora lost its new car feeling and I feel like Im left with a small 8 that weighs 4000lbs and costs an arm and a leg to fix. I think me and my car need to spend some time appart.
We need to start a FAQ page on Aurora problems or something. It seems the same questions are answered and are still un-answered. Myabe there is already something simular to this on the net somewhere?
Pat
Host
Sedans Message Board
As far as building a 5.0 beater, how much are you looking to spend? If you want to do it in style, buy an '85-87 Corvette with a high-mileage motor and an auto tranny (the autos had fewer probs and are cheap to replace). The high-miles will keep the price low, and you can put the money towards a new engine. For $2.5-4K you can easily drop in 300-450 hp worth of 350-383ci motor. The TH-700 automatic has many readily available parts. You could cheaply put in a higher-stall converter and a shift kit, and have that thing barking through at least one upshift.
If you want to replace the Aurora and still have some room/comfort, then try an Impala SS. That thing will dust a 5.0. Plus, (again) there are readily accessible mods for it. Just pay as you go. If the Impala is too rich, try an '80s Caprice and drop in a 350-383ci V8 for a few thou'.
Don't care about style or comfort so much? Get an '80s Camaro or Monte Carlo for about $2K and (again) drop in a 350-383ci motor and some tranny work and you'll have a beast of a car (the Monte could be a real sleeper since they look so old and bucolic).
P.S. I'd bet the insurance on an Eclipse GSX is just as high as for a V8. If you want to skimp on insurance, get a beater and don't bother with collision coverage (that's the expensive part). I bought a Corvette at 21 and my insurance wasn't bad without collision.
Then people could just go search through those threads.
While it's true that the newer Mustangs ('94+) have been lacking power compared to their GM competition, they are still some of the most easily modified muscle cars out there.
In terms of their competition at the time, the 87-90 Mustangs were FASTER than the Camaro/Firebirds of the same years in 1/4 mile ETs. I've got drag strip time slips to prove it.
It was later on, (1990+) that the GM twins really started to out perform the Ford.
If you're looking to build a muscle car, don't discount the Mustang. Get yourself a nice 89-93 LX 5.0 for a couple grand and throw in some go-faster toys. You'll be rockin'!
(The questions are pretty funny)
Over all, it says I'm a good fit -- although I'm a little too young for an Aurora. (37 is too young?)
Anyway, check it out, it's pretty funny -- I'd be interested in seeing whether some of the other Aurora owners here are right for their cars. (especially Henry and Zinc!)
Go here: http://cartalk.cars.com/Survey/Results/Psychographics/
------------------------
Here's part of my results if you're interested:
Comparing You to Other Oldsmobile Aurora Owners:
Boy oh boy, Jim, you picked a vehicle which is just about perfect for you. Congratulations! For example, when compared to other people who own a Oldsmobile Aurora, you're just about the same in terms of your educational level, the extent to which you're a cheapskate, and your grasp of reality.
But there are some psychographic and/or demographic measures on which you differ from other Oldsmobile Aurora owners. For example, you're a bit too young to be driving this vehicle, and you care a bit too much about your car compared to other Oldsmobile Aurora owners.
Car-O-Scope Makes Suggestions for More Compatible Vehicles
Despite the fact that your personality profile pretty much matches that of Oldsmobile Aurora owners, Car-O-Scope would like to suggest some alternative vehicles--should you be thinking of making a change.
Note: some of these suggestions might surprise you. But try to keep an open mind. It's quite possible that the car-o-scope has discovered some hidden and/or repressed aspects of your personality.
1. Volvo 760
2. Mitsubishi Diamante
3. Acura Vigor
4. BMW 325i
5. Jeep Grand Cherokee
Lastly the 82-92 Camaro doesn't look like a Cavalier that was scaled up 20%. The same can't be said for comparing 80's Mustangs to Escorts.
I admit it. I am a GM die-hard. I can also admit that the Ford Mustang would be a good choice too. Definitely better than an Eclipse. (I've had friends with Mustangs, Camaros, and Talons. The Talon TSI my friend had was pretty fast with HKS turbo mods, but the engine eventually blew up from the 20psi of boost)
I should have mentioned an Oldsmobile product, though, in my recommendations. Sister to the Monte Carlo was the Olds Cutlass Supreme. It had a V8 and rear-wheel drive in the early-mid 80's. It too would accept a Chevy 350-383. However, the TH-200 tranny in the Cutlass/Monte wasn't quite as strong as the TH-700. You could replace it with a TH-700 or a TH-350/400 or just see if it blows up.
At this point I will try to resume conversation about Auroras. I've been getting about 17-19 mpg in my commute with the Aurora. I would usually get 19-21 in the Corvette. I didn't think the Aurora would do much better than the 'vette, but I'm surprised that it does worse. In it's defense, I don't get on any highways. 15 miles of suburban street driving (35-45mph, but a lot of stops). Does anyone have any driving tips for maximizing mileage, or any "amazing mileage" stories?
On the highway I have averaged 29 MPG (didn't go over 70 MPH) on a trip to California. My 86 vette would get 25 MPG on a long trip if I remember right. I didn't take the 84 on a long trip.
As an aside, my mileage high-mark was 28.6 mpg(measured from the pump) in my '87 (manual) 'vette. It was a 350+ mile stretch at about 65 mph.
Gas mileage - come on guys - let those magnificent Auroras rip! Put the pedal to the metal once in a while and let it roar!! lol
I average about 25 mpg overall in my 2000 Bonneville SE (3.8L not supercharged) on combined highway (2/3) and secondary roads for my 50 mile commute each way. Trips (driving some hilly and some flat terrain at 75-80 mph) usually get me 28 - 30 mpg and once I got 32 but never repeated that performance. For my next car I'd go for an Aurora V-8 in a NY minute - and wish they'd offer that engine in a Bonnie. Love mine just fine for now though.
Best Aurorian wishes to all of you. (Hi there Henry!!)
Ken
I have never gone over 100 MPH with it, the limiter will kick in at 110 anyway. I did get the 86 vette up to 185 kph in the mountains once.