WOW! (and I need some help)

I'm in awe of the things you younger people are doing with 'my' car. I'm 40 and I just want my car to run right. I have a 1990 3.1 Lumina Euro - Maroon in color ( looks like the black one on that one 'razzi' page). I love my car - been driving it for 10 years now. I even bought it back from the insurance company after they totalled it - very minor damage. My main problem right now is performance, possibly due to exhaust issues. Oil is full (but leaks a lot, and no one can seem to tell me where it's coming from), transmission fluid is full...but there is noticable decrease in performance when accelerating - whether or not it's being 'punched'. Hubby says it is because it needs a new muffler - which it does; it has a 2-3" diameter hole in the old one. Problem is he went local 'franchise stores' and the muffler they found in 'the book' has one of the hangars on the wrong side and only room for one tailpipe to come out. He also says he 'may have' damaged the pipe that goes from the muffler to the converter; he had trouble trying to fit it to the muffler they gave him. I must also mention that my hubby - wonderful as he is - does not know much about cars. Matter-of-fact, it didn't start leaking oil until he changed it himself last year, instead of taking it in to someone. Says it's not his fault, but..... Anyway, the only other muffler these 'franchise stores' could come up with was a stainless steel one that cost over $150.00. I spend enough trying to keep up with the rear brakes - even got money from that class action suit that dealt with them. I can't believe there isn't a muffler avaiable that won't break my checkbook. Any help is more than greatly appreciated. P.S. Hubby has no idea how much I push it when I'm on the highway alone....I love this car!!!!!!!

Sounds like you will be right at home here - we all have a love affair with our luminas. when was the last time your lumie had a full tune-up? Plugs, wires, pcv check, oil, air, & fuel filters, plus some GM top engine cleaner or some seafoam to remove the carbon build up from your intake and your valves.

The oil leak may not be his fault. When GM decided to stop using distributors on our cars and go with coil packs, they just put a cover and an o-ring where the distributor would be, and it is notorious for leaking on our cars. Problem is to repair it correctly, the heads must come off (lets hope thats not your problem). There is a quick fix but some folks advise against it.

As far as the muffler, shop around at some other places, you can DEFINATELY get a muffler cheaper than $150.00. A clogged catalytic converter can cause performance issues too.

Also, at your next tune-up make sure they clean out your idle air control passage.

Welcome to the madness. :biggrin:

Oh, and you mentioned your tranny fluid is full, but when was the last time the filter was changed and fresh fluid was added? (just a thought).

Lots of info there! Not sure where to start. LOL Don't think it has ever had a 'proper' tune-up - just parts replaced as needed - the engine still looks very clean to the naked eye. I do know I insisted the transmission be flushed around 100,000 miles (has about 120,000 now). We did have a leak after that and did have problems finding the right pan gasket (those 'franchise stores' and their 'books' again) - I'm assuming the filter was replaced when it was flushed. I do also know it started leaking when he changed it and I told him to try that 'high mileage oil' - he said it's a heavier oil and that these cars are known for that. I just can't get over the fact that it didn't leak before he touched it. Plugs and wires - I know he hasn't done anything, have to check all my receipts (and I do have everyone of them from day 1; although, most of them are for the rear brakes...lol). The performance loss has been since the exhaust became much louder - but it could be a co-incidence. I have looked at a few different sites for car parts and there are some that have good diagrams to show what parts (and numbers) are needed where. They even seem to have a converter to adapt the two tailpipes into one. Thank you so much for your input and advice. I'm learning more about my car than just to put it in drive and go lol. I keep telling hubby that we have to take care of it - a new car isn't coming any day soon (not that I ever want to bury this one - but.....) I just compared worth between our other 2 cars - 1990 Chevy Celebrity Wagon 3.1 and 1990 Olds Cutlass Supreme 4dr 3.1; turns out my car is worth more. I was sure the Olds would be with electronic dash and all. I'm happy!!!! Now - to find a muffler......

First off, does your car have two mufflers, or one muffler with two outlet pipes? The twin outlet single muffler part number in Walker is 22540. The two muffler system is only listed for 91-94 with the 3.4 dohc engine, not a 90 3.1 like yours. Secondly, if the oil leak is coming from the drivers side, you have the prior mentioned oil pump drive leak, very common on these cars. It does not require the removal of the cylinder heads to change, just the throttle body to gain access to it. You will need 3 gaskets to complete the job. Fel pro part numbers 70800(the factory o-ring), 70194 (a flat gasket not installed at the factory but is a nice cheap insurance against future leaks, and a 60728 throttle body gasket. You should be able to move the throttle body out of the way enough without removing the EGR valve, but if you can't get enough clearance, you'll need fel-pro egr gasket numbers 70208 (egr adaptor to throttle body) and 70397 (egr valve to adaptor). thirdly, never ever Ever EVER [did I make my point? ;)] do a trans fluid exchange on a vehicle with over 80k that has never had one before. There is a 95% probablility that the new fluid will cause catastophic failure or leaks due to it being thinner and "grippier" than the old fluid, causing the clutch plate friction to shear from it's mounting plate.

Thanks much for all the part numbers. Yes, it is the single muffler, dual outlet (figures it's the most expensive one). Must have been lucky with the flush (or it had one before), it was done over 3 years ago - no major problems. Will look into the oil problem as you advised. You guys are great.

A good exhaust shop can fab the parts you need very quickly, and often cheaper than pre-bent or application-specific parts. You don't need the dual outlet muffler, unless you just like the look.

With major exhaust leaks comes a reduction in backpressure, which manifests itself as sloppy throttle response and less idle to mid-range torque. That may just be what you've noticed since it got holed. If so, you are much more familiar with and perceptive of your car's performance than 95% of drivers. That's a good thing!

Oh, I AM very sensitive to my car's behavior. I always find the problems before anyone else. But, I am the one who drives it all the time (for 9 years now), and to me, she's not just a piece of machinery put there to perform for me. We have already decided to use a single outlet exhaust - I'd love to be able to afford put her back the way she was - just really can't afford the prices I've seen for the sports mufflers. I do have 3 kids and a mortgage after all. LOL Now Hubby's major problem is that, not realizing everything is welded together, he damaged the pipe that comes out of the other end of the muffler - he says he thinks he has it figured out, but I always cringe a bit when he says that because I know auto mechanics is not his strong point. For now, I'm driving the Olds......

Usually you can just cut the pipe as close as possible to the muffler, and the replacement will slip over it.

Terri, hehehe your laments about your hubbie sound exactly what my wife says about me when "I think I have it figured out", regarding any home repair problem. Cars are no problem for me, just home repair.

Another thought with your exhaust would be to check the catalytic converter. Sometimes when they plug up, you'll get poor performance as well. Best indication of a cat that's plugging up with age is dieseling when you shut off the car.

Hope you continue to enjoy the Lumina. My '90 has just cracked 315k on the odometer and aside from leaking a little tranny fluid, the beast runs strong.

Just to keep you all updated......The Walker Direct-Fit Muffler was indeed a dual outlet muffler (with the hangers correctly placed) - so I got to keep her sporty growl at a third of the cost. Hooray!!!! Hubby did have to improvise a bit with the pipe that runs from the muffler to the converter because - and this is strange - whoever set up the previous muffler had that pipe actually fitting over the muffler outlet instead of inside it. He put a new air filter on it also. While I know the plugs and wires should be checked again, and it should go on the computer just to see if there's anything else; she has about 98% of her zip back again. I was driving her all day today in town and out - just to she what pushing her could do. I am very happy!!!! Amazing how much a bad muffler affected her. Still trying to see where the oil leak is coming from - need to get some mirrors. But, all in all, she's doing great now - compared to what she was doing a couple of weeks ago. Also, I had one of the rear brakes replaced a few months ago (about $200) - the guy showed me the brakes. One was rusted and seized up - the other looked brand new. Now the other (one that looked new) is making noise. Do I have a bad brake man here? The place I always went for repairs is closed now. Went to an old family known repair shop up the street. He used to fix all our cars - he couldn't believe I still live in the same house as my folks did (I inherited it). I think I should just call him and say ' Hey, the other side is making noise now, when you told and showed me how good it looked - any ideas as to what the problem could be?' Any thoughts out there - or do I just add to my 'repair of rear brakes stack of receipts'. By the way, if I made my HUbby sound bad I apologize - he IS your man for cable/satellite, phone, and electrical wiring - just not so much the car thing LOL

Thing is about that oil leak - can't find where it's from. The drips are from the back of the engine, fairly center - but nothing is leaking there. So it's running from somewhere else. It probably is from the place you all suspect - it just seems bizarre. That's why Hubby says he needs mirrors. Another mechanic said he couldn't find where is was coming from. I lose about a quart every 2.5 months.

Rear brakes were always a problem on those. When one had a problem, the other should have been replaced or at least disassembled and lubed at the same time. He may have been trying to save you money, and it backfired.

Once replaced and properly lubricated, you need to use the e-brake at least a few times a week to keep them in adjustment. The only time they adjust up is when you set the brake. Otherwise, they fail to operate correctly because they aren't making good grip on the rotor, the "slider" side of the caliper does nothing, the slides rust up, and the whole thing turns into rusted junk..

My 91 Euro sedan leaks lots of oil also. I too have no idea where it is comming from... but my driveway is disgusting lol. i do know that it really only drips while it is on. and the entire underbody of my car is extremely covered in oil and dirt. i really need to get it steamed. anyone have any idea where the oil leak can be from?

Like they said...the distributor bore plug o-ring is most likely, shove a mirror back there and bounce a flashlight beam off of it, you'll be able to see all kinds of stuff you can't normally. That plug is roughly under the throttle body in the center of the intake. It's pretty covered up from the frontside, hard to see (or impossible).

Look at the positive side. Your car will never rust underneath....

Might wanna check the oil pressure sensor, you can see it on the front near the filter. It'll leak down to the bottom of the motor and drop off the backside too.

If you have so much oil under the body, it seems it is coming from an area under pressure and pumping out faster when you drive...you don't usually see that in a gasket leak or something like that...

well my oil pressure gauge already goes whacko. i was sure that it is bad. it bounces like crazy, I just dont know if my car is the 1/8th threading or the 3/4th threading or w/e it is, there are 2 types... i just dont know which one. Can anyone help with that?

I have the Vin T 3.1 engine. The last 8 of my vin are "M9251748" and it is a 1991 Lumina Euro sedan 3.1 MFI.

since i need to do an oil change i can do the oil pressure sensor. i read in my chiltons that you have to have the oil filter off and all this stuff, so i decided that i would just do it when i change the oil... and im 200 miles overdue... but i have to work till midnight... Damn bestbuy!!!! with their black friday sales.... ugh.

thanks fo rhte info jeff

I really don't know, rich might, if he gets on here. You could buy both and return the one it isn't, long as they don't have a problem with that...and yeah it probably would give you some extra room to work with the filter off.