1990 LeSabre.....Any advice is apprieciated;)

Hello everyone!.......I know very little about cars and the people I know in everyday life aren't mechanics either.....Sorry for the long post but I wanted to try and cover whats going on in detail

I have a 1990 LeSabre that I bought for $800......It has 131,000 miles and so far I like the ugly thing......

While test driving it the seller said the check engine light was showing up after driving it for a bit because of the O2 sensor.......So I changed that and got left with an infamous code 41.......So I replaced the camshaft sensor and haven't seen the dreaded service light since....:).....

Couple weeks later my back brake lines rusted through around the driver side back passenger door.......My girlfriends dad replaced by splicing and putting compression unions
....From what I've been reading it sounds like that is a bad thing to do or atleast risky......So far no probs with the brakes but winter is coming......I live in MN, where winters can be really harsh and slippery.....Is the compression unions going to be safe???...Everyone I know is saying yes but for some reason I'm feeling unsure......

Last but not least,recently when the automatic tranny shifts it seems to be shifting a little rough.......Thoughtout all gears......I checked the fluid and it is dirty plus there is a small hint of a burnt smell..The fluid was at correct level though....Should I tranny flush or should I drain it???....If I have say Precision Tune flush it will they change the filter or will that be something I should mention???.....Will a flush/drain typically help the shifting???

Within a week I plan on bringing to a tranny shop and have them do a free test drive diagnostic.....Then depending on the advice here and what the mechanic states from the test drive, I will have it flushed or drained.....If it something else below $250 or so, then I will have that preformed

I'm contemplating on just trading it in and getting back a couple hundred dollars....For some odd reason I really like this car and want to try and keep it on the road....lol.....

Thank you in advance for any help/advice given :wink:

Dont flush it. The older trannies don't particularly like it. Just drain the fluid, replace the filter, use some Lucas Trans-slip, and you ought to be OK, unless the burnt smell on the fluid is more than just age.

GM cars of that vintage and miles simply have trannys that wear out and shift hard or make a rattle or vibration or slip out of gear. It really means you need a new or rebuilt tranny, but the cars are not worth it. So, the better plan is to change the fluid and drive it until it dies.

As to the brakes, I would do lots more research into whether it is safe or not. You don't want to find out the hard way.

I agree with Spinney1 on all..

I did improve my trannie with a drain and a filter.

Im worried about your stumble comming back. My CRANKshaft sensor threw codes 41.

Good Luck