Sold Howdy, Cowboys! *New Pictures, see Page 8!*

[danthecapriman]

Excellent decision, it will be worth it!

[Felly Magic]

Aww no flower bed future for it

[hauserplenty]

Ausgezeichnet!

 

Shite is as shite does. And shite is in the eye of the key holder.

 

I guess you would really rather have a Buick after all!

[Sigmund Fraud]

Good man ! Make sure your tame mechanic takes lots of pictures of the work, for our entertainment 

[Lukas]

Aww no flower bed future for it

 

At least not yet. I want to get more kilometres out of it before it gets turned into a flower-bed. 

[MarvinsMom]

good amn!

 

i'm pleased tha this will live on, for now.

 

COS IT IS AUSUMMMM!

 

this is what autoshite is about isn't it?

 

cars what are rubbish and not worth out, getting cash/monies spent on it.

[Lukas]

It´s gone! 

 

Yesterday, I drove the same twisty route across the mountains like in the horrible drive I told you about on page 4. 

 

It was a bit less horrible this time. I locked the transmission in [2] so the "Transmission Component Failure" did not appear this time 

The last time with the lever in [D], as you all know, it gave me warning-light-troubles. 

 

The "ABS" and "Traction OFF" did come on after ~ 10 minutes driving, but disappeared with starting the engine after I stopped for fuel.

 

The rest of the journey was very un-eventful, and thats a compliment. 

 

Now I am awaiting the diagnosis from my mechanic. 

 

P.S.: Yesterday we discovered that my mechanics father has a boat in Croatia with the same engine as my ParkAve. A 3800 V6 Series II. 

[Lukas]

News from the workshop!

 

It´s getting more and more expensive, but that was foreseeable. 

 

First things first, there is the coolant-problem. My friend removed the intake-spider  and this was what greeted him:

 

 

 

He said he is sure that the coolant loss is coming from there. Like the experts on here told me before. 100 points, guys! Thanks a lot for that! 

 

He is now removing all the parts mentioned here before, and after that, he will check if the radiator is in good condition or not. Maybe that will get replaced too while at it. 

 

I think I mentioned before that the headlights are absolutely horrible, the visibility at night is dangerous. Why? Because the headlights are completely corroded, they are dead. 

 

 

The high-beam is fine, but the low beam-lights are completely dead as you can see. 

 

So I will need new headlights. Maybe there are some good* used ones I can get somewhere. 

 

*cheap

 

So it has started and it´s a work in progress now. Looking forward to have it back when spring arrives. 

[danthecapriman]

Glad to see this get fixed. It'll be well worth it.

Headlights don't seem overly expensive new over on Rockauto, http://www.rockauto.com/m/mobilecatalog.php

Of course it may add up once shipping goes on top.

[Rocket88]

If you can get the headlights apart, lining what used to be the reflective backing with Bacofoil will improve matters.........................

[Lukas]

 

Look at the beginning of that video:

 

 

Somehow, I remember Troy McClure.     

 

[John F]

Fucking hell... that's the most wooden acting & awful scripting EVER.

[Lukas]

Fucking hell... that's the most wooden acting & awful scripting EVER.

 

 

Funny, isnt it? 

 

And there are other Buick-videos with Chuck McLennan too. None of them are different to the one above or the ones with Troy McClure. 

[Lukas]

There is a double of me in the UK! 

 

http://www.bigyellowtruck.me.uk/buick.htm

 

But mine wears the euro-spec-rearlights with pride. 

[Lukas]

Thanks for asking, nice of you!

 

The last month, I was happily driving my Pajero V6 as a daily, with never ending joy. The Buick was at my friends workshop, 

I almost forgot about it. 

 

Buy to prevent me from forgetting that I own a Buick Park Avenue, my friend sent me pictures. 

 

Meanwhile, the ParkAve looked like this:

 

 

and like that:

 

 

and like this too:

 

 

It had many faults (rust on sills and a-pillars, knackered suspension  bushes, blowing exhaust, the water-leak-problem etc.), so the almost new austrian MOT must have been a miracle. Or some money changed hands, because the car was definately not road legal, my tester said. But I will not sue the seller or the mechanic who did the testing, because it´s not worth the hassle and the risk of revenge. 

 

But now, it should be ready to collect. Maybe I´ll go and get it next week. Some goodies (US-lights, side-marker etc.) found its way into it too, so it

should be ready to impress the ladies here. 

[danthecapriman]

Good stuff. Glad it's been fixed instead of binned, and sounds like it's been fixed properly too. Just in time for some summer yank tank fun!

Break out the cavity wax and underseal once it's back and that should stop the rot coming back, which reminds me, I've got mine to rust proof this summer. A horrible messy job but well worth doing.

[mat_the_cat]

I know it will be worth next to nothing after the repair too, but I dont care. 

 

this is what autoshite is about isn't it?

 

Enough said!

[Lukas]

Two more pictures of the sill-repair for your enjoyment:

 

 

 

Both sills and the complete undercarriage are full of sticky rust-protection-stuff now. So it should last a few more years to come. 

 

Lukas

[Lukas]

Today was the day, I drove to my friends workshop to go and get my Buick back home.

 

When I arrived, the car looked absolutely great. The new wing was painted and looked great. The old one was cracked, you remember. 

The right hand sill has been welded and painted black, the car looked good to go.

 

The engine bay is clean and shiny too, with all the new intake-manifold-bits and pieces on it. I put on my license plates and off I was for a test-drive. 

 

The engine seemed to be limping at the first seconds from start and blue smoke came out of the exhaust. "May be the piston rings", my mechanic 

said. I thought "OK, it never did that before, but maybe from the long stand-still and from the engine-work there was oil in the cylinders, no problem"

and drove off. The radio played "Mexican Girl" from Smokie, so everything was fine:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S14lX-3EHsI

 

This song fits to the car somehow. Almost as good as the songs from Engelbert Humperdink. 

 

After around 10km, the car started to screak and squeak from under the bonnet, so I drove off to the workshop again quickly. I was a bit angry and

argued with my friend that if he took a longer testdrive, he would have recognised this earlier. 

 

The mechanic disappeared unter the bonnet and told me he has to get the alternator out. After 10 minutes, it was out, thankfully the PA is easy to 

work on. He checked it, said he has to dismantle it and found a loose bolt inside, that was not far from loosing it´s nut. So he fastened it again, put

the alternator back in place and... the car screaked and squeaked like before. Horribely loud, at idle, at 2000rpm, above 3000rpm, it could happen 

all the time, but it was not always there. No system to recognise. 

 

 

So he checked the reservoir for the power steering. Oild was low, so he topped it up, bled the system and... it was quiet. So off I went to a test-drive

and everything was fine and quiet. Perfect, time to drive home. Two hours later than planned, but finally. 

 

After a few kilometres, suddenly the squeaking came again.   But I did not bother and kept on driving. The car drove fine, except from the sreaming

noise from under the bonnet that sounds like a young cat dying. 

 

When I got home, I was greeted by Mrs. Lukas and little Baby-Lukas, 8 month old.  He wants to play in my cars with only 8 month old. He fits in the

family perfectly.

 

And while playing with the steering wheel, I thought he might like to hear the engine roar. So I started it again ~ 15 minutes after I got home. After turning

the key, it was very lumpy again, smoked and suddenly did not run on all cylinders. The engine made a ticking noise when idling and felt somehow "light". 

It revved up faster than before, sounded different and was ticking when revving and on idle. 

 

So we got out, I slammed the door and now I officially hate this bloody piece of shit! With one thing repaired, two other problems appear. I even dont feel

comfortable to take my family with me for a drive with it because I never now when and why it will break down or leave us stranded somewhere.

 

With the baby in the car, not a beautiful thought.

 

I dont want to assume that something went wrong while my friend repaired the intake-manifold-problem. But sometimes, these thoughts come into my head. 

Maybe he did something wrong...?

 

I dont want to risk our friendship, so this topic is a bit touchy.

 

Tomorrow, I will check if it runs like that (ticking, lumpy idle) again. If it does, I will not put anymore €€€ into this car. It is haunted, believe me. Maybe I´ll sell 

it as it is to cut my losses (quite huge by now  ) or I´ll take the seats out, the emblems off and burn this bloody thing down in my garden! 

 

For your enjoyment, maybe the last pictures of it, who knows...

 

 

 

Of course I invested in US-sidemarker-lights front and rear. Money down the drain! 

 

Lukas

[Rocket88]

What oil did he put in it.............sounds like hydraulic tappets aren't "pumping up", screeching isn't aircon pump seizing up is it?

[Lukas]

Maybe its the aircon-pump, I really dont know by now. If it is, I´ll get a shorter belt because the AC does not work anyhow. 

 

He put in the usual 10W40 he puts in all the cars without complicated new diesel-engines. The car never had a problem with the hydraulic tappets.

Is it possible that this rises its ugly head suddenly and after ~ 140km of normal driving without anything like that?

[Urko]

I can't offer any car help, but I'd cheerfully accept being saddled with a chronically unreliable brown vehicle of restricted desirability if it meant I never had to listen to anything else by Smokie.  It's popular in the UK to ridicule our domestic motor manufacturer's offerings from the 1970s and 80s, but the real ire should be reserved for our pop music - they should all have received lengthy jail sentences (actually quite a few have - but not for crimes against music).

[hauserplenty]

Hmmm...

I'd say it depends on how long the car had been driven with that intake manifold problem. I suggest you plug in a scan tool, set it to live data, and have a look at what it says when it's acting up. Compare these readings to those obtained while it runs well.

 

The screeching could be a belt tensioner or the water pump, although the AC clutch is most likely as has been pointed out. The clutch can be partially disassembled while still on the car, allowing you to eliminate it as the source of the problem without replacing the belt.

 

I believe 5W-30 is the correct oil though, but your problem sounds more like the early stages of HGF than anything else at this point. A simple cooling system pressure test, followed by a leakdown test will confirm if this is so.

A good old-fashioned compression test seems a good idea too. At least you'll know more about what you're dealing with before you spend too much more in parts.

[Lukas]

This thing is driving me crazy. I never thought that there are cars out there that are haunted. In films like Christine, but not in reality.

 

But since I own this Buick Park Avenue, I am believing in things like that.

 

Let me start at the beginning:

 

Yesterday, it was hell with the PA. The belt screaked and squeaked almost the whole drive. And dont forget the ticking noise the last time

the engine ran yesterday evening.

 

Today, I was not very confident, but in the afternoon, I gathered all my courage and tried to start the damn beast again to see if it is

completely knackered by now or if it runs.

 

The engine started fine, but sounded like a diesel. Tack Tack Tack Tack, like an old 1.9TDI. Horrible, I thought it might have completely

knackered big end bearings. But regardless of that, I took it for a drive. I thought "Now I´ll drive it without mercy until it goes boom."

But after a few kilometers of "Rack tack tack tack", the noise disappeared. Just gone.

 

I drove it around an hour or two, took my father and my neighbor for a cruise to have fun with the old beast. And it run perfectly the

whole afternoon. Without any squeak from the belt, without and ticking, rattling noises after they had gone after the first few minutes.

And no warning lights showed that they are still there.

 

This car is very ambivalent.

 

One day, this car can be full of faults and problems, it can be the ticket to a world of pain. It can wreck your nerves, yesterday evening I

thought about burning it down on my drive. I hated it. 

 

And the next day, it works perfectly fine, without any problems. Without any mechanic doing anything to it. On these days, I really enjoy to

drive it. I adore how it looks, I really love it.

 

I think, it is alive. I hold it as accursed. One day it wrecks my nerves completely, the other day it is the coolest car I ever had. I dont know

how long I am able to stand all that.

 

@ all your suggestions:

 

My Pajero V6 has hydraulic tappets that are noisy the first few kilometres. So I know how that sounds. And this ticking, knocking noise does

sound completely different. Like knackered big end bearings. Or something like that.

 

And I really dont know why there was such a horrible soundscape from the fan belt yesterday and today it was completely gone. Without

anyone doing anything to it. Now I really fear that tomorrow, it may be the same drama like yesterday. Oh my overwrought nerves...

 

Lukas

[danthecapriman]

Weird. If it was me I'd just monitor it over the next few days and see how it goes. If it was a serious problem it'd be constant. Is it not possible it's just from where it's been sat unused for so long? Maybe a pulley bearing or something has got sticky or partially seized while it's been sat and now it's being used again it's making a bit of noise?

The air con pump on my Mercury makes a bloody awfull ticking tapping sound. It works ok but is very noisy so maybe it is that?

[Rocket88]

Haunted Rover syndrome.............I'd try and disconnect the aircon belt though.......

[dugong]

Can you not AUSTRIAN TAG TEAM the thing with Junkman and make it run properly between you?

 

[Junkman]

[Junkman]

I never thought that there are cars out there that are haunted.

 

You should see what it is like to have one that's actually possessed by an evil spirit.

 

Also, the A/C needs fixage. These become unbearable inside at the first ray of the sun, if the aircon isn't working.

10W40 is deffo the wrong oil and needs to be changed for 5W30 immediately!

With 10W40 it will smoke like a fresh cow pie on cold start and oil will not reach everything quickly enough

during this already critical phase for an engine.

[Lukas]

I phoned my mechanic today, he told me he had put 5W40 Grand Prix LL in it. What ever that is. Is that a problem, so should I put 5W30 in it or can I keep the 5W40?

 

Today, another thing raised its head. The car is heating all the time. No matter if you choose 15°C or 30°C at the climate control, the car is blowing warm air inside the interieur.

And no matter if you choose "Floor" or "Mid" or "Screen", the air flow goes to the windscreen, no matter what. 

 

I have to say I dont want to have the A/C fixed. Because I dont want to put more money into this car now. I really don´t trust it and as it is worth nothing and the next §57a will

be quite critical too, so nothing will get fixed that is not absolutely neccessary for it to run and drive. 

 

I will get a shorter cambelt so the A/C is not driven anymore.