Help me with my 1990 Lumina Euro

[new bostonian]

I have a 1990 Lumina Euro, 4 door, and I believe 3.1L 6 cyl. It has only 60,000 miles...I bought it 3 years ago when it had only 22,000 miles. Obviously, it sat a lot. I've replaced a lot, but it's really been a good car. Most recently, I replaced the intake manifold gasket. That cost a pretty penny.

A couple of quick questions --

There is a strange squeaking/thumping noise that seems to come from the passenger side, toward the middle bottom of the car. As far as I've noticed, it happens only after it rains...so perhaps something is getting wet and causing it to squeak/thump? I'm just wondering if I should have something fixed, or if it is simply part of the charm of the car.

Also, I was reading about some seat belt issues with this car. Maybe I'm crazy, but I just moved to Boston (where people drive 80 mph all the time) and am a little freaked out about safety. Am I driving a death machine?

Any suggestions/information would be great!

[jeffcoslacker]

Not sure about seat belts, I know the retractors would get dirty, and make the inertia lock not work right, is that what you're thinking of?

If that's all, you just check by pulling the belt out to full length, and see that it retracts smoothly and quickly. If not, theres a problem. If so, then just give it a snappy pull and check that the inertia lock stops it right away.

If they don't work right, you can take the cover off the reel at the floor and clean/lube them and they'll work fine again. Sometimes they get hogged up with dust and dog hair or whatever and get sticky.

Your sound, front or rear?

The big issue is gonna be rear brakes with that car. Prepare for that, and have them looked at now. There's a good chance they are back there doing nothing, and you won't know until you really need them.

[new bostonian]

Thanks for the info about seat belts. That helps.

About that noise -- it seems to be coming from rear. I had all the brakes checked a month ago, and there was 80% wear left on the rears, so I don't think that is it. I called my mechanic from back home, and he said that it may be a buildup of brake dust from new pads that make a funny noise when it gets wet. Do you think that might be it? He also said I might have the bushings checked. I don't know what those are. At any rate, I decided to forego the $45 brake inspection, since I had that done only a month ago.

It is still making the noise today...it rained yesterday, but it rained pretty hard, so perhaps it has not dried out in there yet.

Was just doing some reading on another thread about a Camry with a similar issue, and what solved that problem was a sway bar bushing. Could this be my problem? Also, is it dangerous to drive with this problem, or is it simply an aesthetic issue?

[richtazz]

My 90 Grand Prix (sister car to your Lumina, mechanically identical) had the rear sway bar and it rattled like a ticked off diamondback. It's not a dangerous situation, just an irritating noise. I took the whole sway bar off and had no issues. The only thing it does is limit body lean in extreme cornering. The ponderous part is the effect of the rain. All I can think of there is that the rain lubricates the bushing and keeps it from squeaking until it dries out.

[new bostonian]

Thanks --

My noise sounds like someone is jumping on a squeaky bed. I only hear it when I'm going about 20-40 mph, though it may still do it when I'm going faster and I just can't hear it. Also, it seems worst when it rains or when the car gets wet. Seems like after it dries out it goes away.

[richtazz]

The other thing it could be is the transverse leaf spring bushings. At each end of the spring, there are rubber pads between it and the suspension. When the bushings wear out, the car will squeak when going over bumps.