General DIY frustrations

[gui]

I think a lot of us here have been wrenching on cars for a long time so you can all understand why we get frustrated working on these cars. 

Yesterday I removed the oil filter adapter (why in the world did they use one???) so I could get to the crank sensors. The codes came up on those when I first got the car but it ran fine. I got new ones anyway. I got the o-rings for the adapter from the local dealer so I could get them quickly. Got the adapter off, laid it on the floor a little hard and the oil pressure sending unit broke. 

(sigh)

That won't get here until Friday unless I want to pay double the online price for it. Nope. How can a sending unit cost $70 at an auto parts store??? It's $38 online. Anyway... I got the sensors changed, that wasn't real difficult once I got the right 1/4" ratchet & extension length. There is just no room to work on these anymore. Oh, the plastic panel under the front end was missing half the fasteners and some joker used an old straight-slot screw & nut to hold it in one place. That rusted so badly I had to cut around it to get the panel off. 

The joys of car repairs on a budget.

[AUROD X]

I agree, out of all my cars this one is the most Frustrating one. I hate FWD and this one is Special cause it's a V8, no Space at all...😩
Well good luck Dude.

[Paulaurora]

Yes its not fun to work on that V8 do agree even oil sending unit sensor that you broke is not fun to change . I mean its easy but amount of time it takes to change it cuz of no room is not fun. I had to change it 4 times on all of my cars back in day oh ye it was fun when I went to change one of the times and realized that you cant do it when engine is hot lol.

[ljhermsen]

Frustrating cars to work on ~ I'd say yes

Going to get rid of it because of that ~ NOT happenin'.

[gui]

If this ends up being good in the end I'm going to love driving it. I did before it started acting up. But my gosh, it seems like the problems never end.

[Greg K]

I LOVE driving my 3.5 2001 Aurora -- but I've paid for the privilege with lots o' skinned knuckles and abundant curse words.

Years ago I bumped into a retired schoolteacher at a gas station who owned it then. It had a 'wealth' of problems, including a broken rear window regulator, dead front passenger window motor, and much more. We became friends chatting up our love of Oldsmobiles, and I invited him to my driveway, and offered to fix everything for free, so long as he bought parts, which he did. Fun! fun fun!

A couple of years ago, he felt it was time for a new car, so he gave me his Aurora. It had a whole new raft of issues, and new ones since then.

For example, I don't know why all the dash and cluster and steering-wheel control-button lights burn out in these -- and are non-replaceable with bulbs -- so I had to pull my cluster and almost every button and switch in the doors and console, take them apart, and solder in new lights, which I did. (I have a 1997 Aurora, and every light works perfectly. The quality must have dropped for Gen 2, I guess.)

The antilock brake warning light was on -- so with my lack of funds for even a used ABS control module (by the front left wheel) which cost $600 or more online / and my utter lack of funds for a shop mechanic -- I pulled the part myself on a slushy driveway, pried it apart (not fun), and resoldered all the critical connections inside -- and now my ABS system works fine.

Then my Aurora started flickering lights and shutting down while driving. Some scary surprises there! So I replaced the ignition switch. Fun fun fun!

Then I got smart and bought a set of Olds shop manuals for it; worth every penny.

Oh, I've done cosmetic stuff, too. I replaced the smaller 3.5 rims with the larger chrome V8 engine style rims.

Over the past two years, I've found matching interior air vents (which were damaged and missing fins) in the correct colour with pristine ones from pick-and-pull cars. I've pulled spare parts for the future including fog lights, headlamp modules, dash components and more of the stuff I know may be non-obtainium soon.

To defeat the Theftlock on my radio, which had burned-out lights, I found a good radio with lit-up buttons, took the faceplate off of it, and transplanted it to the guts of my original radio. Fun fun fun. But it works, and I didn't have to pay a 'stealership' a fortune to reprogram. (Radio cost me $40, they wanted $200 or so, minimum, to do it. Greedy bastitches!)

A piece of the rear left wheel well was 'gone' due to rust -- so I built a new portion using a turkey aluminum roasting pan and fiberglass -- and it turned out super cool! That made me happy.

The "A" from "Aurora" in my rear trunk emblem was gone, so I stole an "A" from an Alero and you can't tell the difference from three feet away. Success!

I've done my front brakes and rotors myself. Also repaired the window-washer tubing. Bought plastic push pins to reattach the lower front air dam properly.

I've taken the guts from a 2003 Buick Park Avenue turn signal module and transplanted it into the shell of my module so I could have turn signals again, since our modules are no longer available anywhere from what I can tell. (The Buick shell won't plug in to the Olds connector, sigh....)

I could go on and on ... and after typing this, I must ask myself ... what kind of a maroon am I?

Yet I LOVE the design and lines of these cars. I LOVE driving these beautiful cars. And my grandfather loved Oldsmobiles, and although he's been gone since 1973 when I was a boy, I feel it's my spiritual connection with him, and treasure my memories of drives in his old Dynamic 88.

But really, it's about the fun of learning things, the joy of fixing things, and acquiring new skills and knowledge.

So, to all the frustrated Aurora drivers out there, I can only say I walk the same path with you, but when my ride's running well, the sweetness makes up for the sour.

Enjoy these cars! Nothing is forever, and it's been almost 20 years since the last Olds rolled off the line. We're not forever, either.

But hot damn, are we learning lots about keeping cool old cars purring away!

And remember, the journey is a lot easier, and a lot less lonely or frustrating, thanks to the great folks here at the Aurora Club of North America!

[gui]

I get what you're saying. I'm a Buick guy but I couldn't find a good LeSabre anywhere in Michigan that I could afford at the time and this happened to be available. It does have a section of the floor pan and a door module out of a LeSabre so I'm considering it part Buick now anyway. I know they're corporate parts but it makes me feel good and that's all that matters.

I don't know how old you are but when I think of old cars I think of my '64 Skylark. That's old. It's a year younger than me. I don't think of our 2000s cars as old but I guess they are now.