What to fix?

I have a '95 Corsica 2.2 liter that runs and drives decently, but needs a serious amount of maintenance-type work in the near future. My knowledge of cars comes from reading forums like this, so as a result I know a lot of terminology & how stuff works, but not how to actually work on stuff, or what anything looks like. The only thing I've ever done is change oil & filter on my cars.

So ya.....:screwy:Radiator is leaking coolant, coolant in reservoir is brown, tranny fluid is black. It starts roughly, idles roughly at times. A belt is pretty torn--whichever is the one on top that's the most visible. So from what I gather I need or could use the following things:

-Radiator
-Coolant flush
-Tranny flush
-Ignition module and associated coil
-Fuel filter
-Some type of belt
-Probably more


So, which of these epic repairs can be done fairly easily without screwing anything up?

To start with I doubt you need an ignition module, unless you have a major stalling problem when engine gets warmed up. If it has a CONSTANT miss or misses most of the time you might have a bad coil(you have two on your car), but you need to see how well your car is firing. Most of the time you will find plugs, wires, air filter, and fuel filter replacement will cure a lot of misses, and you need to check the vacuum lines especially the one going to the MAP sensor. You should also remove the IAC (Idle air control) valve and clean it as it will carbon up and cause a poor idle. If you do all of this and still misses then get a cheap spark tester at Advance and check for strong spark at each plug. On our 91 I could get a nice blue spark over 2" on good cylinders but barely 1/4" on the bad coil. Not hard to replace, your option to replace both plus module if you have it tested and it shows weak (can get this done at most parts stores such as Advance or NAPA. Highly suggest you get a service manual to guide you, a Haynes manual (buy at Advance Auto) is helpful and will show you a lot of what you are asking about, although they do not cover everything. The radiator flush will be best left to a shop as disposal of anti freeze is difficult. No one here will take it without paying them. Might be different in your area. However, if you have a bad radiator both should be done at the same time. This can be a job though, if you are not used to working on cars you might be best to let a radiator repair shop do this stuff for you, not cheap but easier. if you have brown stuff in overflow then someone has most likely used stop leak in it, hopefully you won't have MORE leaks you do not know about. The transmission is another item you might want to have someone else do, if it is black then it needs to be replaced. However, you can change the fluid in the pan and the filter without too much trouble, BUT you will only change about half of the fluid, because the rest is in the torque converter, radiator, etc. and without a fluid exchange you will find it difficult to get more out. There are opinons on doing this on older cars with poor care, as the transmission may act up afterwards for a number of reasons. Sometimes junk loosened up will cause problems, sometimes the clutches are worn and removing the dirty fluid will also remove loose friction material that it is using to keep going. Personally, I would go ahead and have it done or, at least drop the pan yourself and change what fluid you can and replace the filter. Clean the pan and magnet in it also. Belt is not hard, but get a good one, not the cheapest. A 20 dollar belt is better than a 8-10 dollar belt.

Thanks bro, I can tell you know a lot. If only I could transfer your knowledge to my brain :banghead:

Those Haynes shop manuals seem like they'd be a pretty useful reference if you already know what you're doing. Just flipping through them, it looks like they just offer incredibly undetailed outlines, with the occasional hand-drawn picture. I should probably just buy one though and just let luck play its part.

Thanks, have had a 91 since it was new so I have seen a lot over the years with it. Do not know everything though so like yourself I frequent this site for answers. You can get some excellent advice here for sure. The Haynes manual is about the best thing you could get without buying a GM service manual, but it is not complete. You can buy the GM ones though off Ebay pretty cheap, they help a lot too, but can be a pain to use at times for simple repairs. I try to get both for any car or truck I or my family own. Even with that though, there are times it is best to find a good dependable mechanic to use for things from time to time.

Too true. Do you think I could do the fuel filter and the belt without screwing anything up? The guy in the other thread seemed to do it no problem, and he paid $60 for an oil change, sooooooooo...........

Normally the belt is no big deal, although I have seen some that were difficult due to lack of space to work with. My son's old 94 Beretta (3.1 6 cyl) was a real pain, while our 91 and most others are not a problem. If you have room to work with the only thing is making note of the belt routing and that is usually on the car in the engine compartment anyway, unless someone has removed the label. The fuel filter should not be a problem, some come off with a wrench, just be sure you let the car sit for a while for pressure to bleed off and use caution as gas will come out, and some require a special but cheap tool to disconnect from the line. Should not be a problem, unsure which you have. Should be right on the rear axle area near the top. On the belt you may have to use a special tool as well, but usually I get by on a pair of vise grips to hold the tensioner. You should be able to borrow one from Advance Auto, although they will charge you for it until it is returned. They do loan tools but you will need to d/c with the ones in your area. The Haynes book should be able to guide you on these pretty well.