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Comments
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?
#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.
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).
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.
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???
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...
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.
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.
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!
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.
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
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.
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.
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!
My vote is still for ball joints.
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.
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).
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.
As for the audio, I will replace the speakers this summer...
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
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
talkwitholds@oldsmobile.com
IMHO
Henri
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
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
At least it is not out of warranty.
Best of Luck
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