Fixed a bunch of problems.
10-06-2008, 03:13 PM
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Fixed a bunch of problems.
Just thought I'd post my recent experiences fixing my bonneville. I started making a list of things to do about 6 months ago but just recently some more problems came up and I couldn't put it off any longer.
About a year ago my car started stalling when it was hot. I didn't mind because it would only stall when I wasn't in a rush and it only lasted a minute or two before starting. Recently its been getting more severe. I've stalled at red lights in busy intersections and worse than that I've stalled while going 20MPH turning through parking lots- no power steering or power brakes!
Right about that time the car starting using antifreeze big time. Each day my expansion tank was empty, the antifreeze in the radiator was low, but the oil was always normal. It'* been about 2 years since the intake gaskets were changed so I knew it was time to replace them again. On top of that my mileage went down a bit
So I spent last weekend going down my list....
degreased engine
replaced crankshaft sensor
replaced water pump (leaked at bearing)
replaced lower intake gaskets with the good aluminum ones (two cylinders were getting coolant)
new APN upper intake with reduced diameter stovepipe (old stovepipe area disintegrated)
New coolant elbow while I was in there
cleaned throttle body (1/4" of grease from the coolant leak)
new serpentine belt (shredded at inside)
new air filter
fixed vacuum leak under airbox (I had a HUGE vacuum leak)
replaced bad spark plug wire (got hit by the electric fan blade)
It was a lot of work for a weekend warrior but i was commited and managed to get everything back together sunday night. I probably saved over $1200 in labor costs. What helped me the most was reading all the posts here on the forum. I was able to buy the right tools before even opening the hood. The car runs better than it ever has and I expect my mileage to go up too.
A couple of tricks helped me along the way as well:
1) I was able to loosen the crank by startng the car with the breaker bar on it, check youtube for the video.
2) I couldn't find long enough M6 bolts so I bought a 6mm threaded rod at lowes and cut it up into 3" sections.
3) if you don't care to do a thorough flushing just loosen one of the bigger bolts from the bottom of the water pump. This lets enough of the coolant out.
4) to get the old stovepipe out I used a 10lb weight chained to a vicegrip (re-use the threaded rod in between the jaws).
5) taking pictures before disassembly helped me when I forgot where things went.
That'* about it.
About a year ago my car started stalling when it was hot. I didn't mind because it would only stall when I wasn't in a rush and it only lasted a minute or two before starting. Recently its been getting more severe. I've stalled at red lights in busy intersections and worse than that I've stalled while going 20MPH turning through parking lots- no power steering or power brakes!
Right about that time the car starting using antifreeze big time. Each day my expansion tank was empty, the antifreeze in the radiator was low, but the oil was always normal. It'* been about 2 years since the intake gaskets were changed so I knew it was time to replace them again. On top of that my mileage went down a bit
So I spent last weekend going down my list....
degreased engine
replaced crankshaft sensor
replaced water pump (leaked at bearing)
replaced lower intake gaskets with the good aluminum ones (two cylinders were getting coolant)
new APN upper intake with reduced diameter stovepipe (old stovepipe area disintegrated)
New coolant elbow while I was in there
cleaned throttle body (1/4" of grease from the coolant leak)
new serpentine belt (shredded at inside)
new air filter
fixed vacuum leak under airbox (I had a HUGE vacuum leak)
replaced bad spark plug wire (got hit by the electric fan blade)
It was a lot of work for a weekend warrior but i was commited and managed to get everything back together sunday night. I probably saved over $1200 in labor costs. What helped me the most was reading all the posts here on the forum. I was able to buy the right tools before even opening the hood. The car runs better than it ever has and I expect my mileage to go up too.
A couple of tricks helped me along the way as well:
1) I was able to loosen the crank by startng the car with the breaker bar on it, check youtube for the video.
2) I couldn't find long enough M6 bolts so I bought a 6mm threaded rod at lowes and cut it up into 3" sections.
3) if you don't care to do a thorough flushing just loosen one of the bigger bolts from the bottom of the water pump. This lets enough of the coolant out.
4) to get the old stovepipe out I used a 10lb weight chained to a vicegrip (re-use the threaded rod in between the jaws).
5) taking pictures before disassembly helped me when I forgot where things went.
That'* about it.
10-07-2008, 09:33 AM
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