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Oldsmobile Aurora Maintenance & Repair

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Comments

  • mdearingmdearing Member Posts: 3
    For almost a year the ABS and traction control lights have been on in the Aurora. After $150.00 the dealer simply told me that the brake system was fine.

    I have seen other sights discussing this issue. My guess is there's a sensor or something that's bad. I haven't been able to find any repair manuels or other info to pursue a resolution.

    Any ideas?
  • HenryHenry Member Posts: 1,106
    Just had mine fixed. Please see postings in the main board for information that could be useful to you.
  • VectorManVectorMan Member Posts: 2
    I have a 2001 3.5 27,000 miles which I bought used and the only problems I have are:

    #1 The A/C blower is loud when on med or high setting (not dual system)

    #2 The headlights seem to blink or get dim while driving at night.
  • hardestyhardesty Member Posts: 166
    There was a TSB issued in May 2001 regarding a headlight dimming problem (#110501).
  • cehsr8033cehsr8033 Member Posts: 11
    Hey, my 2001 has that momentary blink of the headlights that seems related to the shift in the transmission--what does that TSB say it is? Just curious because I e-mailed Olds and they haven't answered. Is this a big problem or just an minor thing? You guys are getting me a bit unnerved with my purchase. Oh,yeah, I had the dealer check out the intermittent wipers and it was in the rainsense dohickey on the windshield--apparently, the windshield had been replaced and the wrong kind of glue was used to reattach the sensing device--a kit is ordered! How is that thing supposed to work anyway? Experienced rainsense owners only--is it automatic or does the driver have to activate--yes I have an owners manual but it is unclear.
  • rjs200240rjs200240 Member Posts: 1,277
    You do have to activate the rainsense wipers. Essentially your wipers have four settings:
    1) Off
    2) Rainsense (instead of intermittent)
    3) Low
    4) High
    (5 could be when you push it down to momentarily activate the wipers while you hold it down)

    When you set it on Rainsense, you can control how sensitive it is by adjusting that ring. This would be where you would adjust the time interval on intermittent-only wipers. The Rainsense takes the place of intermittent and will activate the wipers when it sees "enough" water on the small amount of windshield by the sensor (figuring that if it is wet, the rest of the windshield must be too). By adjusting the ring, you set how much is "enough". They work pretty well, and I like them when it is just misting or the rain comes and goes. I always used to have to mess with the interval on my old intermittent-only car because otherwise the wipers squeaked or there was too much rain on the windshield. The rainsense works like a charm for this.

    As an aside, would you believe my 1987 Corvette had fully adjustable intermittent wipers? I am always suprised at that considering it was 1987, and that most cars still don't have fully adjustable intermittent (many econo and family cars have just one or two intermittent settings) It had ABS too, which was certainly rare then (I beleive only Porsche and the Corvette had them in 1986).
  • rbitr8trrbitr8tr Member Posts: 1
    My 96 aurora has a steering vibration when I turn, most noticeable when I turn to the right. Changed the power steering pump, the tension pulley and rack, all under warranty. Vibration is less pronounced than it was but still there. Someone said it is the egr, another said it is the harmonic balancer. Any Ideas? Warranty is running out.
  • hihosilver2hihosilver2 Member Posts: 9
    I had a problem with a '95 engine (3.4l)... a friends car was overheating ( low on antifreeze, actually bone dry ) so i filled the reservoir and the radiator with haveline GM approved long life fluid... started the car and noticed white smoke from the exhaust. Shut off the car, told her she had blown a head gasket or intake manifold gasket and she had it towed to GM dealer. They said that the wrong antifreeze caused more damage. I know if you have the new stuff, you can't add the old. But has anyone heard of the old can't be updated?
  • rjs200240rjs200240 Member Posts: 1,277
    I don't have any facts on your problem. However, it seems the wrong type of antifreeze would just damage the water pump or possibly cause long-term corrosion of iron components in the engine. However, even straight water wouldn't cause any damage that quickly (except maybe to the water pump because it is a poor lubricant). What sort of "more damage" do they think it caused? I would try to get specifics. If the gasket was blown/damaged, then I would bet it was from running with no coolant, rather than from the later addition of the "wrong" coolant. Plus, doesn't the antifreeze say on the packaging that it is ok to use in any application?

    I suppose if coolant seeped into the intake manifold and then into the combustion chamber once the gasket was bad, it could cause some damage. However, it wouldn't matter what type of coolant it was as it is all incompressible... Just my two cents, though.
  • cwiley1cwiley1 Member Posts: 82
    I hope your mechanics were wrong about using the wrong antifreeze, I just had my cooling system flushed and the "red" antifreeze installed in my '95 Aurora. I wanted it to be compatible with my '97 that has the "red" coolant in it from the factory. In fact my bottle of "red" coolant says it is compatible with the "green" coolant. Does anyone know if I can replace my coolant with the "red" coolant? The old coolant was completely drained and flushed. I also had a new thermostat installed, it runs somewhat cooler now on the temp. gauge.
  • hardestyhardesty Member Posts: 166
    The new coolant is compatible with the old. However, even after a complete flush, the new coolant will not last in a system that has run the old stuff. You may use the new "red" stuff in the old system so that you only have to stock one kind, but you still need to follow the old schedule. The problem is that even the slightest contamination of the new stuff shortens its life to match that of the old "green", and any system that has had green in it will always shorten red life.
  • hihosilver2hihosilver2 Member Posts: 9
    Thanks everyone.... I also spoke in more detail with the mechanic manager at this dealership. I feel he was sending out a line of bull. Two mechanical friends of mine stated ... the damage was done, no added damage could result from the "wrong antifreeze" although both said that if you convert from green to red flush the system at least 2x then change the red at about 12k miles again.
  • kcb2kcb2 Member Posts: 22
    My father "sold" (nominal amount) us his 96 Aurora last March with 57K and never had any trouble with it before then. It seems like it just started to go bad when we got it. The throttle was cleaned for sticking. $194. The spark plugs were replaced when it seemed to be misfiring. With tune-up $503. Then the main belt shredded, lost power steering and A/C before making it into the driveway. $184. Performed 60K service and replaced front brake pads $288. Replaced transmission fluid $96.

    Now at 69K, the Service Engine Soon light stays on and sometimes blinks. Computer codes say "input speed sensor going open intermittently. Internal harness found to be leaking fluid past terminals to outside of trans which in turn caused saturation of external harness also." Dealer wanted $2400. Found someone to do work for $1500, but says it may mean damage to trans and require total rebuild for $2200. Right now we have $4000 in the car from insurance plus repairs. Carmax offered us $4300 and we are about ready to take it to get our money out as it seems to have so many expensive repairs. Oh, the A/C has low freon too. I wish we could find someone out there that wants to give us a better price without us having to fix it up. We have been car shopping but wondering if we are giving up too soon on this car. Reliability???
  • rjs200240rjs200240 Member Posts: 1,277
    It seems to me that part of your problem is you pay too much for service. $184 for a new serpentine belt? All you need is a $30 belt and a $10 breaker bar... $194 for throttle body cleaning?? They probably just sprayed a $5 bottle of throttle body cleaner in it (which should work fine). Almost $300 for just the front brakes? Maybe for the front and rear... I gotta tell you, there is no way I would have paid for any of that. No offense...

    Did you ever check the transmission fluid before it was changed? I have heard that if the fluid it burnt, changing it will cause many more problems than it solves (although I've never heard any reasonable explanation of this). This might explain your immediate tranny problems after having the fluid changed. Also, is that quote actually what the computer code said? That is pretty darn specific. What work was done to the tranny for your $1500?

    I wouldn't recommend CarMax especially if your car is more than a few years old. They say their prices are around blue book, but that is crap. Even more so for older cars (older than about 2 years). You probably ought to at least see what an Olds dealer would give you. Maybe it would be a bit more than CarMax.

    Now that you've fixed everything, though, you may as well keep it. :) They are nice cars. Many people on this board have had success with aftermarket warranties to help diffuse the cost of repairs.

    As an aside (since I am already adding a post), I have never noticed any of the vibration in my 2002 that some of you have mentioned. Also, it was alluded to earlier that Bonnevilles are about as rare as Auroras. In fact, the Orion plant produced during the calendar year 2001:
    66,783 Bonnevilles
    33,921 Auroras
    45,418 Park Avenues
    and there were 163,919 LeSabres produced between Orion and Detroit.

    To put this in some perspective, during the calendar year 2001 Cadillac produced 28,026 Sevilles, 118,967 Devilles and 12,043 Eldorados. Keep in mind that this is part of the 2001 model year and part 2002 model year. Plus, this is built not sold, although there is a strong relationship between the two...
  • kcb2kcb2 Member Posts: 22
    Thanks so much for taking time to reply. This was my first post.

    We were taking our 96 Aurora to the Olds dealer when we first got the car because I had not had time to find an independent mechanic that would work on it, hence, we overpaid on repairs. The SES light came on *before* the transmission fluid was changed. I was hoping that changing the fluid per the 60K mark might make the light go off. The specific diagnosis on the internal sensor is from the computer codes done before changing the fluid. I have found an independent mechanic that came up with the same diagnosis. When the dealership started talking about major transmission work, I started asking around more to get a second opinion. The independent mechanic referred me to someone who does transmission work. He told me he had replaced this sensor on several Northstar engines and if that was all it was, then it was fixable. GM has issued a replacement sensor. He said it would take him three days to take it apart and he didn't know what he would find once he got in there (of course not....:-\)

    The $4300 price from CarMax is exactly what wholesalers are paying for SUV's, trucks and luxury cars, and the CarMax fellow told me that they would send the car to an auction because it is over 4 years old. Banks won't issue loans for cars over 4 is what I have read. As for selling it to a dealer, my father plays golf with a dealer, and he said he took two months to sell one recently. He was not interested unless we fixed it up first. That would mean we would pay $1500 more + the cost of fixing the A/C. There also is a high pitched squeal coming from the engine when it first starts up. The independent mechanic told me it was a bad solenoid. (?) We would end up with $4000 + $1500 + $700 or $1000 on the A/C + whatever the solenoid costs.

    of course new cars aren't cheap either.
  • rjs200240rjs200240 Member Posts: 1,277
    Filling the A/C with freon shouldn't be too expensive. Certainly not $700. I *think* freon is about $40 for a can (can't remember how many pounds), which is usually all it takes to refill if the system is low. Or you could buy R-13a for less and just vent out the freon (I would think a place would do this for free or cheap). R-13a doesn't work as well, though, as it is a crummier refrigerant. Systems designed for R-13a are usually larger to make up for it's inferiority.

    If the tranny doesn't prevent you from driving it, you might shop around more for a more satisfactory diagnosis. $1500 to replace a sensor seems pretty steep. I realize it might be a lot of labor, but all the same...

    As far as the squeal, I wonder if an accessory is binding up (going bad) like maybe the A/C compressor. This would explain the destroyed serpentine belt and the crappy A/C and the squealing. Or it could be some other accessory squeaking like the power steering pump (check fluid level) or the alternator. The "solenoid" answer sounds like a line... However, selling it is all up to you. If you like the car, it wouldn't be a rip to repair it. $5-7000 for a 1996 Aurora with 60K isn't bad.
  • cwiley1cwiley1 Member Posts: 82
    kcb2--My '95 had the input sensor go bad and turned the SES light on. The Olds dealer said what it was, my extended warranty would cover it and they fixed it. It did cost about $1500. It works fine now, but I don't think I would have had it fixed if hadn't been covered under warranty. Have you tried having a mechanic turn off the SES light? Maybe since you have had your trans. oil changed the SES light won't come back on. Just a thought.
  • kcb2kcb2 Member Posts: 22
    Again, thanks rjs for taking time to respond.

    I know freon replacement isn't a big deal, but my concern is fixing the leak. You are right about $6000 not being a bad deal for a 96 Aurora though it has closer to 70K than 60K. We average 18K per year on a car. I am frustrated with the uncertainty of the cost of repairs and whether it is going to go for another 100K or not if we do fix it. Plus A/C leaks seem to be hard to diagnose and we live in Georgia (ie, A/C is a necessity.) To get the warranty it has to be running well at the time. I looked at Warrantydirect.com.

    Thanks so much for your comments. I will sign off for now. Have a good weekend!
  • tipsicobobtipsicobob Member Posts: 29
    Another comment on the rainsense wipers--they work so well that for a while I just left them on that setting even if it wasn't raining.Then I realized that the headlights will go from daytime running mode to full brightness as long as the wipers are in any "on" position. Now I just use rainsense when it actually is raining.
  • rjs200240rjs200240 Member Posts: 1,277
    I've noticed that if you set the foglights on, they don't just come on when the headlights come on. Instead it causes the headlights to turn on all the time. It seems like weird behavior, but I can deal with it. I don't mind having to participate by only turning on the foglights when they are needed.

    Leaving the wipers on Rainsense all the time would make me nervous. You never know when they will come on. It might be at a time you don't want them to like in a car wash (although I don't take my car to car washes) or if bird poop or some other crap landed on the sensor.
  • oldsman2oldsman2 Member Posts: 14
    I have just read through all of the postings, and it seems that no one has a clear, definate answer on what causes the vibration problems. I have a 97 that does it, and a friend of mine has a 98 that does it as well. Both of us recently got new tires, and still the problem persists (the fact that both of us got new tires shows me that it is not a wheel-balance issue).

    I recently asked a gentleman who I saw at the local car wash (a fellow Aurora owner) if he had ever had any similar problems, and said yes. He had his spark plug wires and all 4 ignition coils replaced, and the problem disappeared. Anyone else try this? I hate to go spend $250 for nothing...

    Also, my new tires are Eagle Aquatred 3's...they do not handle quite as well as the original Eagle GA's, however, they are 100% better in the snow and rain...a trade-off that was well worth it.

    Please email me with any answers...ready2play81@hotmail.com

    thanks
  • shucknetshucknet Member Posts: 98
    My 98 is the same way. At about 68-72 mph, I get a pronounced vibration that seems to be coming from the front of the car. I put brand new tires on the car when I got it (Michelin Pilots) and still have the vibration. I have read that ball joint problems can cause vibration.

    I can tell you that the ignition coils most likely will not solve this problem - it's further down the drivetrain than that. I had a problem with my engine missing earlier in the year and it turned out the ICM and one of the coils had gone bad - they were tahnkfully replaced under warranty. 4 new coils and new wires will probably cost more than $250 and my guess is it won't help. I'd look up front behind the wheels somewhere.
  • oldsman2oldsman2 Member Posts: 14
    What about the plug wires being bad? I feel the vibration most in the gas pedal (but I also feel it in the floor boards and seat).
  • rjs200240rjs200240 Member Posts: 1,277
    Oldsman2, are the Aquatread 3's as quiet as the original tires? I got them for a 200SX because I didn't care much about dry performance, but they really squirm in dry cornering. They are great in bad weather, but I don't think I would put them on my Aurora. They also seems to generate a bit of noise, although the previous tires made some noise too, and the 200SX is no Aurora...

    I have been really satisfied with the Michelin Energy MVMX4 Plus's that came on my Aurora. They exhibit good grip, good wet weather handling and are very quiet. I think I would probably get them again when they wear out.
  • gisomgisom Member Posts: 144
    I have 95 with sunroof and on a wet day the sunroof gurgles. Any suggestions?
  • oldsman2oldsman2 Member Posts: 14
    These tires are great, especially when compared to the original Eagle GA's (which sucked!). I have noticed any increase in road noise from them either. The only negative change is a bit more "howling" on hard, sharp turns. The Aquatreds also have an 80,000 mile life expectancy. I got 60,000 mile out of my Eagle GA's, so these new tires will probably me in good shape when I get rid of the car (it currently has 65,000 miles on it).

    What kind of mileage do some of you other people have on your Aurora? I would like to keep mine for another 3-4 years, but I do not want to start sticking a ton of money into it either. From past experiences with GM cars, when they hit 90,000 miles, time to trade up!
  • rjs200240rjs200240 Member Posts: 1,277
    Gisom: How strange... Does it do this when the car is just sitting, or when you are driving? Does it seem like water is leaking into the body?
  • gisomgisom Member Posts: 144
    It only does this when I am driving on a wet day. It sounds like it is right at the top of the roof. The glass looks like it is sealed tight as a drum.
  • shucknetshucknet Member Posts: 98
    I had new wires put on right before I had the ICM and coil replaced. We originally thought the wires were what were causing my engine to miss. I just wish the engine missing would have been the vibration, but I could tell it was further down the drivetrain.

    My vote is still for ball joints.
  • larryfllarryfl Member Posts: 214
    oldsman2, shucknet: I own a '95 I purchased back in May w/ 50K miles from a reputable Buick dealer here in Clearwater. The car had the same vibration from about 70-80mph. That was a stipulation of my purchasing the car, that the vibration be removed. It took them 3 days and two trips back to get it out. They wound up putting a new set of Continental ContiTouring (?) tires on it and the vibration -while reduced- still didn't go away until they did something they called a "four wheel 'forced' balancing". It apparently included indexing, dis-mounting, re-positioning and re-mounting all the tires. Anyway, it eventually got the vibration out and I took delivery of the car. Today, 22K miles later, it still is fine.... - although now I'm scared to have the tires rotated/balanced for fear it will pop back up :-). A GM dealer may be able to get the vibration out of yours as well.

    Gisom: My '95 does that same "gurgling". It's only noticeable on wet days with the sun shade open and it sounds like it's coming from directly over the driver's head. I'm sure it has something to do with the water runoff at/near the sunroof. Good news is that I don't get any noticeable water leaks and it really only happens occasionally (we don't get many rainy days here lately). I had pretty well decided to ignore it until it really becomes a problem. Sorry I'm not much help to you on this one yet.
  • gisomgisom Member Posts: 144
    Yeah you are right. Since I don't see water I am not going to worry about it. Thanks tho.
  • oldsman2oldsman2 Member Posts: 14
    Thanks for all the advice on the vibration problem...I am taking the car into the Goodyear tire shop that I purchased my Aquatreds from on Monday 2/11. Hopefully they will eb able to propperly balance the wheels this time, or least give me an accurate diagnosis of the problem.

    I did have a question about the audio system in the Aurora. Anyone have any inexpensive ideas for upgrades? I avoided the Bose system when purchasing the car in 1997 cause I thought it was not all that much better than the standard system (and I was not about to spend $900 on audio).
  • kevinsmith22kevinsmith22 Member Posts: 2
    I recently purchased a '95 that had not been driven much during the past 6 months. Shortly thereafter, the engine began to run roughly and backfiring. I suspect that the fuel tank was probably dirty with old gas. I have changed the spark plugs and fuel filter (fuel filter was filthy) and it runs much better but I still feel some hesitation when driving, it idles beautifully. I'm going to try to clean the injectors. Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks - Kevin
  • gisomgisom Member Posts: 144
    circuit problem is what I got. I bought a scan tool from autoxray and received that message as to why my abs and traction lights stay on. When I caught the ses light on, I scanned it again and got the same message. Any suggestions as to what that means? A short maybe?

    Oldsman - On the audio upgrade all I did was replaced the speakers with Sony's in the back and Rockfords in the front and the sound is thumping.
  • oldsman2oldsman2 Member Posts: 14
    I took the advice of having my wheels re-balanced using this special method, and the car drives great now. The guys at the Goodyear shop were a bit pissed that they messed up, but all is good now. Thanks for the tip...it saved me at least $300 for new coils and plug wires.

    As for the audio, I will replace the speakers this summer...
  • va3pkva3pk Member Posts: 6
    Hello to all,...I am a Newby Aurora owner after just picking up a Champaign coloured 1995 with the V8. I was not lucky enough to get the owners manual so am pretty well in the dark about what i really have. ( Enjoying the adventure though!!!!)
    What I am looking for is an owners manual or direction to where I can get a Servive manual for this vehicle.

    Secondly, I have a question abt the heated seats. I was told that this vehicle does have heated seats but have not found the control for it.....Any ideas?????

    Any help would be appreciated....Tks..Peter
  • hammen2hammen2 Member Posts: 1,284
    Hi Peter,

    Welcome to the little Aurora corner of Edmunds!

    Regarding your queries... I'd look on eBay (specifically, eBay Motors, http://www.ebaymotors.com) for your owner's manual and service manuals needs.

    You can buy new manuals from Helm, Inc. (http://www.helminc.com), but they're a little expensive ($20 for the 95 owner's manual, $30 for the manual + portfolio, $120 for the service manuals).

    Regarding heated seats, if you have this option, the control will be on the door, near the power lumbar adjustments. Pressing the button once will put the seat in "HI" mode; again to LO, and one more time to turn them off. Great feature, if you live in a cold-weather climate like I do (Wisconsin)...

    Hope this helps,

    --Robert
  • gisomgisom Member Posts: 144
    va3pk You can try your oldsmobile dealer and if he doesn't have one lying around, he can order it for you. I went this route myself paid $15.00 and got it within a week.
  • jephjephjephjeph Member Posts: 17
    I got my 2002 owners manuals emailed to me free of charge in PDF format from Oldsmobile.

    talkwitholds@oldsmobile.com
  • HenryHenry Member Posts: 1,106
    I think the best way to get rid of the problem is to blow out the drainage line. Since the sound is coming from 95's, it is a safe bet that after 7 years there is enough crud and/or leaves to cause the drainage hose to gurgle.

    IMHO

    Henri
  • va3pkva3pk Member Posts: 6
    Thank You all that responded to my questions.
    Nice to know that there is a resource out there to give a helping hand.
    I went staright over to Ebay and managed to bid on an owners manual.
    I should have it in my hot little hands before too long.

    As for the heated seats,..I dont see the control on the drivers door so I an figguring that this is one option that this car came without.
    Thanks again for the help.............Peter
  • gisomgisom Member Posts: 144
    EWT
    If you could, can you email me where you ordered your wheel bearings. I have a 95 but I'm sure they are all the same.

    Thanks Greg

    isom01@yahoo.com
  • dwbeachdwbeach Member Posts: 7
    Just put my 2001 4.0 on a wrecker. Stopped for breakfast and the car would not restart. Just a "clicking" sound when the key was engaged. Even the horn would not sound. However, Onstar worked and sent a tow. The DIC gave numerous messages about the air bag and theft system. The dealership will not open until Monday. Will post the final outcome.
  • aurora5000aurora5000 Member Posts: 168
    Any news yet on 2001?
  • dwbeachdwbeach Member Posts: 7
    The dealer indicates that the "computer" suffered a fatal "crash". Naturally, an item that is not in stock. Hope to have the repairs completed this week.
  • aurora5000aurora5000 Member Posts: 168
    Not in stock but should be able to get by Friday.
    At least it is not out of warranty.

    Best of Luck
  • taylorb27614taylorb27614 Member Posts: 15
    52K miles on my 98 ... speedo has started to become intermittent and drops to 0 mph from any speed occasionally. This causes the tranny to shift erratically. Ideas? There is a speed sensor on the transmission but the drivability notes in the GM shop manual say I should get a SES light for sensor related problems. I get no SES light.
  • musclecar97musclecar97 Member Posts: 111
    Never heard of this problem. Sounds like its time to visit Mr. Goodwrench. Hope you've got a warranty...ouch.
  • tipsicobobtipsicobob Member Posts: 29
    My 2001 (10,000 miles) quit running while I was out of town-I had some occasional surging before that. The fix appears to be the crank sensor(s). This apparently has been a common problem, but it is almost unheard of these days to be left stranded on the side of the road with a new car!
  • campo57campo57 Member Posts: 94
    Make sure they check them both. I was told by a tech that there are 2 of them on the 01's.

    Of course, take that for what it's worth since most tech's don't know their heads from their feet without a computer readout telling them.

    Campo57
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