So, after a month with the Tin Indian...
09-19-2006, 03:55 PM
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So, after a month with the Tin Indian...
By and large, the Pontiac has been very good to me in the month I've had it so far. Put nearly 1800 miles on it, and I'm getting 22-24 mpg with mixed around-town/highway driving. After the "open-heart surgery" for the UIM it has run without flaw.
The Good
- L36 power isn't too bad- it has some testicular fortitude- probably helped by the fact it has the 3.06 final drive (Verified with RPO sticker and TechInfo)
- Incredible seats. No one can be uncomfortable in this car!
- Headlights are plenty strong, even with OEM bulbs. Thought I would need to upgrade... nope!
- Mechanically it doesn't feel like it'* coming up on 145K.
The Bad
- In dire need of new rear shocks... floats like an old Caddy. Sometimes it'll try to get majorly sideways over bumpy turns. Looking at Sensatracs, apparently Monroe makes a set that works with the rear air suspension (it has the FE2 pkg). Looks easy enough to replace them.
- Rust hole in RR fenderwell. Nothing a fiberglass patch and some rubber undercoating can't take care of!
- Brake lines up front (the ones running near the transaxle to the ABS controller) rusted pretty bad. Treated to a coating of POR-15 this past weekend. They won't rust anymore.
- Water leak in passenger front floor. Could be any number of things based on my research here... As far as I can tell no leaks elsewhere.
- Noticed a very slight amount of soot on the bumper near the exhaust cutout. I'm not sure if this is normal- my car is a light color so things like this show up easily- so I pulled the spark plugs to see what was what. It has NGK TR55'* and they all looked fine. Light white-gray deposits all around so I assume the engine'* state of tune is OK. Seafoam is on my "to-do" list.
And that'* pretty much it for now, I haven't posted much but I've been learning a lot from simply poking around and reading. Great info to be had here!
The Good
- L36 power isn't too bad- it has some testicular fortitude- probably helped by the fact it has the 3.06 final drive (Verified with RPO sticker and TechInfo)
- Incredible seats. No one can be uncomfortable in this car!
- Headlights are plenty strong, even with OEM bulbs. Thought I would need to upgrade... nope!
- Mechanically it doesn't feel like it'* coming up on 145K.
The Bad
- In dire need of new rear shocks... floats like an old Caddy. Sometimes it'll try to get majorly sideways over bumpy turns. Looking at Sensatracs, apparently Monroe makes a set that works with the rear air suspension (it has the FE2 pkg). Looks easy enough to replace them.
- Rust hole in RR fenderwell. Nothing a fiberglass patch and some rubber undercoating can't take care of!
- Brake lines up front (the ones running near the transaxle to the ABS controller) rusted pretty bad. Treated to a coating of POR-15 this past weekend. They won't rust anymore.
- Water leak in passenger front floor. Could be any number of things based on my research here... As far as I can tell no leaks elsewhere.
- Noticed a very slight amount of soot on the bumper near the exhaust cutout. I'm not sure if this is normal- my car is a light color so things like this show up easily- so I pulled the spark plugs to see what was what. It has NGK TR55'* and they all looked fine. Light white-gray deposits all around so I assume the engine'* state of tune is OK. Seafoam is on my "to-do" list.
And that'* pretty much it for now, I haven't posted much but I've been learning a lot from simply poking around and reading. Great info to be had here!
09-19-2006, 04:10 PM
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Good to hear that it is (for the most part) treating you well.
The gang here will do there best to help you resolve the outstanding issues.
Honestly, at 144k miles, I am surprised the struts are still functional at all.
The gang here will do there best to help you resolve the outstanding issues.
Honestly, at 144k miles, I am surprised the struts are still functional at all.
09-19-2006, 04:23 PM
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Originally Posted by Echo SSEI
Good to hear that it is (for the most part) treating you well.
The gang here will do there best to help you resolve the outstanding issues.
Honestly, at 144k miles, I am surprised the struts are still functional at all.
The gang here will do there best to help you resolve the outstanding issues.
Honestly, at 144k miles, I am surprised the struts are still functional at all.
lash No sunroof, I had the cowl apart yesterday snooping around and the weatherstrip looks ok. I think it might be coming in near the wire loom. Can't tell for sure. Our Bonnies like to give us hell with the leaks haha
09-19-2006, 04:39 PM
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Well, pick your problems as you want them addressed and we'll be happy to chime in. Here'* my 2 cents for now:
The Bad
- In dire need of new rear shocks... floats like an old Caddy. Sometimes it'll try to get majorly sideways over bumpy turns. Looking at Sensatracs, apparently Monroe makes a set that works with the rear air suspension (it has the FE2 pkg). Looks easy enough to replace them.
I'm a big fan of Monroe Sensatracs. Others here have used them with success, too.
- Rust hole in RR fenderwell. Nothing a fiberglass patch and some rubber undercoating can't take care of!
Depending on the status of the rest of the car, you might consider patching with a piece of metal brazed inplace of the hole here. It is the most permanent and best looking option, but takes more time.
- Brake lines up front (the ones running near the transaxle to the ABS controller) rusted pretty bad. Treated to a coating of POR-15 this past weekend. They won't rust anymore.
Keep an eye on these and consider buying replacement lines as money permits. Depending on the depth of the rust, these will fail when you least want them to. Being a stickler for brakes (Safety Item), I seriously recommend you replace ASAP if it'* more than surface rust.
- Water leak in passenger front floor. Could be any number of things based on my research here... As far as I can tell no leaks elsewhere.
- Noticed a very slight amount of soot on the bumper near the exhaust cutout. I'm not sure if this is normal- my car is a light color so things like this show up easily- so I pulled the spark plugs to see what was what. It has NGK TR55'* and they all looked fine. Light white-gray deposits all around so I assume the engine'* state of tune is OK. Seafoam is on my "to-do" list.
Have you changed the O2 sensor? Especially since you experienced an UIM failure, Look into replacing this. It sounds a bit like you are running rich.
- In dire need of new rear shocks... floats like an old Caddy. Sometimes it'll try to get majorly sideways over bumpy turns. Looking at Sensatracs, apparently Monroe makes a set that works with the rear air suspension (it has the FE2 pkg). Looks easy enough to replace them.
I'm a big fan of Monroe Sensatracs. Others here have used them with success, too.
- Rust hole in RR fenderwell. Nothing a fiberglass patch and some rubber undercoating can't take care of!
Depending on the status of the rest of the car, you might consider patching with a piece of metal brazed inplace of the hole here. It is the most permanent and best looking option, but takes more time.
- Brake lines up front (the ones running near the transaxle to the ABS controller) rusted pretty bad. Treated to a coating of POR-15 this past weekend. They won't rust anymore.
Keep an eye on these and consider buying replacement lines as money permits. Depending on the depth of the rust, these will fail when you least want them to. Being a stickler for brakes (Safety Item), I seriously recommend you replace ASAP if it'* more than surface rust.
- Water leak in passenger front floor. Could be any number of things based on my research here... As far as I can tell no leaks elsewhere.
- Noticed a very slight amount of soot on the bumper near the exhaust cutout. I'm not sure if this is normal- my car is a light color so things like this show up easily- so I pulled the spark plugs to see what was what. It has NGK TR55'* and they all looked fine. Light white-gray deposits all around so I assume the engine'* state of tune is OK. Seafoam is on my "to-do" list.
Have you changed the O2 sensor? Especially since you experienced an UIM failure, Look into replacing this. It sounds a bit like you are running rich.
09-19-2006, 04:56 PM
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Good replies, there, lash.
On the water leak in the cowl/wiring loom area, we need jr's3800 to chime in. In the meantime, here is a thread about water leaks. You can do a "Search" for more threads and info: http://www.bonnevilleclub.com/forum/...highlight=leak .
On the water leak in the cowl/wiring loom area, we need jr's3800 to chime in. In the meantime, here is a thread about water leaks. You can do a "Search" for more threads and info: http://www.bonnevilleclub.com/forum/...highlight=leak .
09-20-2006, 10:07 AM
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lash As far as the brake lines... no moisture/leaks/cracks present, and the master cylinder fluid level hasn't changed. Looks to be just bad surface rust, the lines are still solid. Before it gets cold out, the system will be bled. As for the O2 sensor I read a post yesterday about another guy with a UIM failure and it was mentioned that coolant in the exhaust can kill an O2 sensor. On top of that I don't believe the original owner replaced it, you might say it'* overdue.
echossei Thanks for the input about the water leaks, it rained here yesterday but not enough to try to trace anything. Will check with the garden hose.
jr's3800 please chime in
echossei Thanks for the input about the water leaks, it rained here yesterday but not enough to try to trace anything. Will check with the garden hose.
jr's3800 please chime in
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