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

[Rocket88]

Did he use synthetic or mineral oil?

[Lukas]

It´s "teilsynthetisch", so partly synthetic. Junkman will know the right translation. 

 

Should I get it out or leave it in there? 

[Mr_Bo11ox]

Leave it in, it'll be absolutely fine

[Junkman]

 

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.

 

Someone forgot to reconnect a vacuum hose.

[Lukas]

I´ll check that with my Chilton repair manual when it stops raining. It will be Tuesday by then, but at the current weather, heating is a nice feature. 

[dugong]

It´s "teilsynthetisch", so partly synthetic. Junkman will know the right translation. 

 

Should I get it out or leave it in there?

 

'Teilsynthetisch' translates as semi synthetic. Or Lance Henriksen.

[John F]

Lukas, on 12 May 2016 - 6:20 PM, said:Lukas, on 12 May 2016 - 6:20 PM, said:

... and the next §57a will be quite critical too... 

 

This won't mean much to English-speakers, Lukas. You'd be better off calling it "MOT".

[hauserplenty]

...Agreed. Subsection fifty-seven eh??

Do wot?

 

Probably not HGF then. As for the climate control, there should be a vacuum reservoir under the hood someplace. I'm starting to think you may have a defective A/C clutch. So nothing to lose bypassing it for now.

[Lukas]

Just to keep you updated:

 

The last week, I just drove this da** f***ng s**t, like the Yankees would say. Maybe... 

 

And every day, there has been a different problem. That disappeared over night. Just to be replaced by the next phenomenon. 

 

Different sounds (knocking, squeeking, rubbing, banging etc.), different warning lights (Check Engine, AIRBAG, ABS/Traction Control etc.), different faults indicated by the OBDII-diagnosis. I have bought me an engine fault code reader just for this car. 

 

The result of this petulance of the Park Avenue is that I absolutely do not trust this thing anymore. So I am driving it here around town and maybe up to 50km away, but not much further. 

 

An uncle of mine had an old Jaguar XJ6. He only drove it along train lines with a ticket home in his pocket. Just in case. And he used the train quite often to get home again. 

 

But the funny thing is: The Park Avenue is a real drama-queen, but has started first time every time in my ownership and has never let me down. So I would consider it as reliable. But everyone who knows this car would not say so.   And every morning there is a pile of heat-protection-mat-pieces under the car. Could not be much left by now. 

 

The next weekend, the biggest Classic Car exhibition starts at a town 250km away, so two and a half hour drive in one direction. I dont know yet if I am brave enough to take the Park Avenue. I know if I take the Pajero V6, it would be an uneventful drive full of satisfaction and happiness with the certainty to get home again. But with the Park Avenue... 

 

Lukas

[DSdriver]

As long as you keep driving uphill (Austria is full of mountains right?) you can always roll home or to the car show if there is a problem.

[Lukas]

     

 

I did that once in the S80. It broke down on a mountain pass and I rolled down to the village a few kilometres without brake and steering servo so the recovery truck could pick me up a bit easier. 

 

That was the day when this picture was taken :

 

 

The driver of the recovery-truck wasnt happy. He told me it was too dangerous and that I should not do this ever again. 

 

But on to the Buick again. 

 

I just decieded that I will go in the Buick on saturday because a friend of mine is joining me so I´d like to scare him. 

 

I´ll keep you updated how the 500km-drive worked and which car took me home at the end. 

[hauserplenty]

If the dashboard lights are coming on randomly, I think a battery/charging system test is in order. Also your battery cables should be clean and freshly filed until you can see your reflection. Also, check the engine-to-subframe grounding straps, as well as the condition of the engine mounts. The engine mounts could be the source of clunking/knocking sounds.

 

Way to persevere. 😎

 

P.S. in my part of the world, perhaps "F*****g piece of s**t" would be more common...

[Urko]

The combination of (at least some of) your faults sounds like when my crappy Jaguar was suffering from disintegrating earth points.

[Lukas]

Today, I took a testdrive to check if everythings fine for the 5 hours drive tomorrow to the Classic Car exhibition.

 

And of course, the haunted Park Avenue has discovered another annoying habbit:

 

 

After ~ half an hour drive, the car starts squeeking when I step on the accelerator. And a few minutes after it started squeeking occasinally,

it starts to make this sound you hear in the video permanently between 1000 and 2500 rpm. 

 

On short drives around town, all is well. No squeeking, no screaking. 

 

I think it might be the AC-compressor on it´s way out, isnt it?

 

I´ll take the Pajero V6 tomorrow, I dont want to risk being stranded on the side of the road in the Buick. 

 

Lukas

[Lukas]

And have a picture of my drive through town today. 

 

The looks you get are the main reason why I am still with this car:

 

[Lukas]

After the miserable Fryday when the Buick decided he does not want to drive to the Classic Car Show, I tried to mend it in my absolutely ridiculous fashion. 

 

I thought: Maybe the A/C-compressor is squeaking that loud. So I removed all cables from it. Without electricity, it should not kick in so it should not squeak and scream anymore. 

 

I was wrong! 

 

But today, I discovered what happens exactly:

 

From cold-start, the car runs absolutely fine. But every time exactly after 33km (I´m serious!), it starts to squeak. The first 5 or 10 times only every few 100 metres when I step on the accelerator. 

After a kilometre or two, it starts to squeak more frequently, no matter if I step on the accelerator or not. And from that, it suddenly starts to scream constantly like you could hear in the video above. 

 

No matter if the A/C-compressor gets electricity or not. 

 

What would you suggest? Drive it only 32km a day?

 

Lukas

[Felly Magic]

The compressor pulley will still be turning I'd say, as the A/C is driven by the auxiliary belt

[Lukas]

A friend of mine told me that´s not a problem because without any electricity, it will not throw into gear. 

 

He is no mechanic, so there you see how you can rely on him. 

 

So I just need a shorter auxiliary belt, aye?

[hauserplenty]

The compressor clutch can wear out, even if the system is not working. So regardless of whether it is connected or not it will make that sound. It can either be dismantled or the compressor bypassed with a shorter belt. I think you're on the right track.

[Lukas]

I am trying to sell the Park Avenue. 

 

Somehow, I lost faith and because of that interest too. 

 

I know it´s not an option for you UK-people because of the very high prices here in Euro-land, but just to keep you

updated, I´ll post the link to the advert here:

 

https://www.willhaben.at/iad/gebrauchtwagen/auto/buick-sonstige-park-avenue-3-8-v6-series-ii-161727013/

 

Bought it for 1500 Euro, another 2000 Euro went into it. So I guess that may be a fair price for a buyer and for me. 

Let´s see how it goes... 

 

Lukas

[brownnova]

What I most like any this advert is the fact that ' The good, the bad and the ugly' are in English and the rest of the ad is 'auf Deutsch'...

 

I wish I had whatever €1900 is in pounds, and a reasonable way of retrieving it from euro lands. But sadly neither is true. So I hope you find a good home for it!!

 

GLWTS!

[mouseflakes]

Yep, good luck with this, seems very fair considering all the effort and cost to date. Good idea to include multiple photos of the sumptuous seating - could make it hard for (probably slightly strange*) folk to resist.

 

(* there's nothing wrong with strange of course )

[Junkman]

So a squeaking a/c compressor clutch is enough for you to lose faith in a car?

Gosh, you aren't ready for 33 yards in any car I ever owned.

 

Change that clutch bearing and be done with it.

 

[Lukas]

It´s not only the compressor clutch bearing, Junkman. That would be too easy to say. 

 

I´m just not enthusiast enough to get this car back to it´s former glory. If it were an old Pajero or a Datsun Laurel/Toyota Crown etc., I would have done that. 

But I dont feel enthusiast enough to be in charge of trying to safe the Buick Park Avenue from extinction. 

 

It was fun, it was interesting and: I dont think that I need to justify myself. 

 

And all that in German for a better understanding:

 

 Irgendwie mag ich nimmer. Für einen Schrauber mit Kontakten zur US-Car-Szene ist das sicher ein tolles Auto. Aber ich steh einfach nicht genug auf die Kiste, um alle Zipperlein und Unzulänglichkeiten teuer in Werkstätten beheben zu lassen, die letztendlich damit doch überfordert sind. Die Kiste muss in US-Car-Liebhaberhand, das ist wohl ihre letzte Rettung. Ich bin nicht Liebhaber genug. Hab es eingesehen.

[Junkman]

Whoever owned a yank once in his life is lost for the Yeeropeen market forever.

[eddyramrod]

Truth! 

 

 

 

GLWTS

[Junkman]

And again in German:

 

Wer einmal ein Ami Auto gehabt hat, ist für den Europäischen Markt für immer verloren.

 

Besides, I find Japanese cars irritating.

[danthecapriman]

Well, I'm a bit disappointed it's got to be sold, especially after so much works gone in to it.

But if you've had enough then I understand. When it gets like it has your doing the work for the love not financial rewards so if your not 'into' the car anymore then it's time to call it a day.

 

I've just looked at the £ - €, this is about £1500 and I'd say it's worth that all day long.

I really wouldn't mind this at all! But my passports expired and I'm balls deep (financially) into my Capri resto at the moment so, while I've got the money I'm not sure I should be spending it!

[Lukas]

 

 

Whoever owned a yank once in his life is lost for the Yeeropeen market forever.

 

 I think I will proof you wrong! Oh wait, you did that by yourself... 

 

 

 

1971 Mercedes 280SE.............................fucked

1971 Rover P6 V8..............................not fucked

1975 Rover P6 V8.................................haunted   

1979 Mobylette AV89......................disassembled

1997 Peugeot 405 2.0 Executive Estate.........boring

 

 Not one yank in the list. 

 

 

 

Besides, I find Japanese cars irritating.

 

... Pajeros are crap, my mother is ugly and I am completely out of my mind...? 

 

Come on, don´t be childish!

[danthecapriman]

 I think I will proof you wrong! Oh wait, you did that by yourself... 

 

 

 

 Not one yank in the list. 

 

 

 

... Pajeros are crap, my mother is ugly and I am completely out of my mind...? 

 

Come on, don´t be childish!

Technically Junkmans Rovers have American V8 engines!