So it’s been two months now and I’ve had several bugs to work out and additional work to do. Here’s a recap.
- The lower radiator hose failed twice, first on 4/3/07 and again on 4/4/07 due to rubbing against the compressor pulley. Shortening the NAPA 8696 hose by about an inch at the radiator solved the problem.
- The transmission failed 4/7/07 during the cross-country trip from Wisconsin to Washington while towing a 1,000 lb Uhaul trailer in Bozeman, MT. It had gone about 2,400 miles from the time of reassembly. The car had to be towed back to Seattle on a dolly, and I had to take the engine out again.I replaced the transmission, along with a new transmission mount, and refilled it with Red Line MTL fluid. Powertrain was successfully reinstalled 5/24/07.
- Driver’s side door handle broke 4/4 in the sub-zero temperatures of South Dakota enroute back to Washington. Replaced with a new one for $40.
- Fixed a malfunctioning sunroof by repairing a cracked solder joint on the control board.
- Fixed a multitude of problems in the ignition system by using electrolytic grease to improve contacts at both ends of the spark plug wires. The plugs and wires were new, but there was significant corrosion at the contacts from having sat outside in the Wisconsin elements for eighteen months. This improved engine performance both in low-RPM hesitation and lack of top-end power, eliminated a long-cranking hot start, and further smoothed out drivability.
- Fixed an ill-behaving starter with an additional 1/32″ shim.
- Fixed a missing windshield washer tank with a replacement, as well as replacing the firewall connector nozzle which had been broken by the previous owner.
- Fixed an oil leak at the oil pressure sender with a replacement.
- Fixed noise from lifters and bearings by replacing Super Tech 10W-30 with Castrol GTX 10W-30. Apparently this engine is fussier about the quality of oil it receives than other pushrod GM engines.
- Replaced upper torque strut (dogbone) due to cracked and compressed bushings.
- Replaced driver’s side rear strut due to poor ride quality.
- Replaced the windshield due to a massive crack.
- Vacuum and vent lines were still not right. I thought I’d done it correctly, but it’s even harder than it looks when you’re trying to fix what someone else screwed up. There was a missing vacuum line from the MAP sensor to the HVAC/Cruise Control circuit (it had been removed by the previous owner) and had the crankcase ventilation line crossed with the purge canister circuit. I was also missing the check valve that runs between the HVAC and Cruise Control vacuum circuits. Repairing that improved drivability, brought my Cruise Control back to life and made the climate controls work properly again. This enabled the next item….
- Replaced the A/C accumulator/receiver-drier, replaced all A/C o-rings with upgraded HNBR rings, and charged the system with R-134A+. Restored functional A/C!
After all this work the car is a real pleasure to drive. It’s got loads of power, shifts smoothly, pulls hard to a stratospheric 7000RPM, and cruises quietly at 28mpg.
