85' Park Avenue...opinion needed

[asaf12]

I just picked this car up from an elderly couple for a few hundred (600 to be exact). Car is 100% mint, its insane, interior is like new, stock all over, 113k miles. People are suggesting that i sell it ASAP, but 1) i need a car 2) judging by the condition of the car it might be worth keeping.

The problem im having is the idle seems to be jumping around, sometimes upon start up the car will shut off...i dont know what this is. Also, the transmission feels a bit rough when shifting sometimes and other times its good, also 1st gear feels a little slow sometimes (i dont know if it needs a rebuid, if it does im selling it off). The engine service light comes on every now and then but only stays on for 1 minute or so. Finally, a beeping sound comes from the dash sometimes, its beep (pause) beep (pause) followed by 4-5 beeps. There might be a few more problems but this is all i know of as of now. I went to GM and they wanted $105 for an "inspection"... is there anyway to hook it up to a computer or what not for cheaper so i could get the error code? You guys know about this car hell of alot better than i do, so any feedback will be Highly appreciated.

Thanks for your time.
Asaf

[asaf12]

Also, the AC goes crazy sometimes (reads weird random numbers) and the car levels itself for no reason sometimes as well. Just providing as much info as i know, thanks again.

[Alibi]

Considering an elderly couple had it, I would think you should do lots of maintenace-type stuff to the car first since they probably didn't drive it enough to bother with much upkeep, and then see about killing off your problems. Odds are, you'll get two birds with one stone.

Plugs, wires, filters, oil, tranny fluid, brake pads, and o2 sensor (if it has one, not sure) ought to be inspected and/or replaced pronto.

[asaf12]

I don't have a good mechanic, perhaps you guys know how much getting this stuff done should run around so i dont get ripped off. Or maybe i can do a lot of it myself? any feedback would help. Thanks, Asaf

[Alibi]

I think all that I listed can be done without a mechanic.

Plugs: ~$2 a pop, depending what you get (AC Delcos Rapidfires are nice)
Wires: Nothing special, just spend more than $20 to get decent quality
Air filter: NO FRAM! A K&N will prolly run around $50, but a regular paper filter is prolly around 10-15
Fuel Filter: 'bout $10
O2 sensor: 20-40, depending on what kind...try to stay away from bosch if you can

You really really should invest in a chilton's manual ($20 at AZ) to help you out with the simple repairs. If the car was babied, I betcha you got yourself a great deal on 'er. Replacing the above with quality parts will probably get your idle running smooth (especially the plugs and wires) and should keep the car from stalling.

Welcome to the world of backyard mechanicking

[asaf12]

So i took it to a mechanic and he said that all the hoses will need to be replaced because they are so old and that this would cost $$$... is this true? I think what I will end up doing is giving it to a high school shop class and have them work on it for me.

[Alibi]

Hoses shouldn't be too bad.... granted that money is still money.

You'll have heater hoses, radiator hoses, vacuum hoses, and misc. other coolant lines. Vacuum hoses are dirt cheap (a couple of feet are less than $3). Radiator hoses aren't too bad either...the heater hoses run around 15 bucks a pop though. There are, however, custom-bendable hoses (made by goodyear, I think) available at AutoZone. I dont' recall how much they were, but I bet that if you got a long length of it, it would be cheaper then buying each individual hose.

Like I said, you're looking at spending money on maintenace type stuff that was ignored by the elderly couple...I'd say anywhere from $200-$1000, depending on how far behind it is (probably more in the $400 range though).

BTW, I WOULD NOT take my car to a HS shop... would you want a bunch of kids screwing around your car anyway? I know I wouldn't...I'm prolly just biased though

Hoses in general aren't hard to change out...while you are at it, you can flush your coolant system too.

[Bassasasin]

Sounds like a computer problem.
Battery cable to relay box loose or with grounding or something harder to find..
If you dont want to make this car a project.. sell it..
Elsewise... it will take some TLC..get a good ol book.
If you live in a big city look for a U Pull it. junk yard for cheap parts.

I like digging for wierd problems.. somewhat. But now I have no hair.


Good luck