Congrats to me....2/18/04 just bought a 95 Aurora (autobahn pkg) 67,000 miles--white with beige int.
Hey Jim....I finally bought one (I'm the guy that posted on Jan 12 with questions on helping me decide on how to shop for Auroras--thanks for the tips)
Well, it'* only been 2 days since having the car....and the 1st day I noticed the temp needle climb to just one mark past the 200 degree half way mark--so I guess that would be like 210 or so degrees. That is while sitting at idle after an in-city 30 minute drive. Today I went to a radiator shop, the tech said that was normal operating temp for these cars. He noted that the coolant was getting to be a little acidic and that I should probably drain, flush and fill with a fresh mix, and I shouldn't have anything to worry about. Well an hour after leaving the shop, the temp needle climbed an extra notch (the mark just before going into the red zone) while in stop and go traffic (a slow crawl with an outside temp of about 78 degrees), then once I resumed a steady pace of driving, the needle drop back down to the "200" half way mark. Any suggestions? (oh, yeah....cold starts are very hesitant. While holding the key in the "on" or cranking position--the engine cranks and cranks but doesn't turn over. Trying it a 3rd time and giving the gas pedal a little push does the trick. Any suggestions there? And to add to that--while the radiator tech had the car running for about 12-15 mins. the car just cut off. No sputtering or anything like that--just cut off. I did some research on that part--and found that I should maybe change the fuel pressure regulator. Any help greatly appreciated.

Are the radiator fans functioning?

yepp, fans come on. Tech said there was no air trapped inside.

Its an all aluminum engine, its gets hot, it has a stock 180 thermostat to keep the temps down. When the car is a peak operating temps my gage reads 90 degrees C or about 195F, sounds like your are ok there.

The 180 is doing its job. In idle condtions it gets really hot...really hot...under driving condtions it howevers around 90C for me. I agree a coolant servicing is a good idea...keep it fresh.

I have experienced no starting troubles yet, sorry can't be of much help there.

The FPR'* are known to fail, TaylorD can vouch for that, no issues with mine thus far. I have changed an FPR on my old Bonneville, its easy. No worries.

Congrats on the purchase, once you get her goin properly, you'll love it

Thanks for the words of encouragement and attention to my problem, guys. I'll let ya know how it goes (flush and fill....and FPR change).

FYI

If the cooling system fails totally, the car will shut down 4 of 8 cylinders, you speed will be governed to a max of 60 mph for 40 miles...or 40 mph for 60 miles I forget and the fuel is re-routed to keep the engine cool.....

Neat eh?

they all run 220*-225*, completely "normal"

do NOT neglect the cooling system in this car. if the tech said its getting acidic FLUSH AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. i cannot stress this enough. this is the #1 killer of headgaskets in this car, and it is not a uncommon problem. everyone that neglects the antifreeze has headgasket problems. you don't even want to know how much it costs to replace them, probably 1/2 of what you paid for the car, over $2,000

When changing the coolant or when a flush is needed. Don't forget to add the GM coolant supplement tablets to the lower radiator hose before refilling the system with a 50/50 mix of coolant and distilled water. In my 98 caddy shop manual it says this must be done or serious engine damage could occur. This supplement is needed in all N* engines, it is a sealer made of walnut shells and ginger root.

The GM coolant supplement part number is 363462. You can also use Bar'* Leak HDC tablets, they are the same as the GM tablets. My manual says to use 3 tablets, Bar'* Leak says to use 2 tablets per gallon of coolant mix.

Mikey - Is that price parts or is it P&L. Im sure its labor intensive but can a good home mechanic do it ? Or do they have it so you'll need to buy a hundred in special tools first ? Is it a head gasket problem or worse ? I remember a long time ago reading about some failure but cant pinpoint it. Had something to do with coolant and intake or heads. There was an engine on ebay 4 years ago. Had a problem and needed rebuild but under warrenty the car just got new engine and dealer was trying to sell the old longblock. They were honest about telling the repair it needed. I remember that particular ebay sale had me suspect of the Aurora engine but I never looked into if it was a common problem.

These tablets are for aluminum engines ?

I have already taken care of my coolant issues. The radiator has been replaced on my Aurora and a tranny fluid flush as well as a coolant change was done.

Acidic is a word no one likes to here, take care of it now and save the headaches in the future.

Great thread guys