1997 aurora lots of problems

[skit0321]

I purchased my aurora last july from a used car dealer who was very shady. the car was in a wrech and he never told me and it had all kinds of problems with it. I had to replace the steering rack at dealer fro about 450, had to replace the alternator which was 200 just for the part, the radiator which was 250 for the part not to mention the labor. All that is fine almost, after replacing the radiator the low engine coolant warning still is always on and clearly the engine coolant is as full as it should be. I am also seeing lots of oil leaking from around the oil pan gasket and was wondering how hard that would be to replace. And the starter might possibly be going. I really would like to keep the car now because if i were to sell it I would suffer a big loss. Anyone with any tips or suggestions please let me know.
Thanks,
Scott

[1995oldsaurora]

hi,,well i can tell you a few things i found out with my aurora...mine's a 95' and it's a great car other then the oil leak.theres a seal on the lower part of the motor which leaks oil..this is very common on the aurora motors.it looks like the dripping is comming from the oil pan but i'll bet it's the seal on the lower half of the motor..either way,there both VERY costly repairs..if you look at these repairs in the general motors shop manuals they recmnd removing the engine to make the repair..i think the enging can be dropped down to replace the oil pan gasket but is still a big job for the do-it yourselfer..i was quoated around $1,800 for the seal and $1,000 to $1,500 for the oil pan gasket...as i said my aurora has been a great car other then the oil leak.if your having all kinds of problems with yours it might be best to sell it and get out of it before you dump real big bucks into it.

[abrigham]

that sucks skit0321...i have a 95 aurora and i feel as if i was ripped off 2....i've had several things done to the car i've had the fuel pump, transmission, radiator, and master cylender all go bad on me..these were all pretty costly fixes 2....only sugguestion i have is about the low collent light flashing...it may be that the sensor burned out inside of there when the car was over heating...just a guess though.

[1995oldsaurora]

Originally Posted by abrigham

that sucks skit0321...i have a 95 aurora and i feel as if i was ripped off 2....i've had several things done to the car i've had the fuel pump, transmission, radiator, and master cylender all go bad on me..these were all pretty costly fixes 2....only sugguestion i have is about the low collent light flashing...it may be that the sensor burned out inside of there when the car was over heating...just a guess though.

the only other thing i can think of is adding some stop leak into the oil..i'm not sure how good the stuff works or if it's bad for the motor..it might slow the leak down though..???

[97 silverbullet]

well I can tell you from the coolant thing, I had the same problem and I couldn't figure it out, so after my radiator went I decided I should change my thermostat, and well that was the best thing to do cause it was so worn out that when I took it off the spring shot off, but I replaced it and then put everything back on and never had it happen again. now since my car is getting more miles on it i have to replace the sensor the on the cat converter, and clean the egr, and its throwing a airflowsensor code which it has done when I check the codes everytime. so I'll do it all my self cause I dont like ppl working on my car I dont trust. And Im trying to get a manual for the tranny so I can change the shift selonoid myself and only spend 100 bucks for parts. but I cant seem to find a book and every time I go on ebay someone out bids me by like freaking 50 cents, pisses me off.

[elke]

i have those 2 books your looking for.You can have them,but you pay the shipping costs.

[StEaLtHyUfO]

And Im trying to get a manual for the tranny so I can change the shift selonoid myself and only spend 100 bucks for parts. but I cant seem to find a book and every time I go on ebay someone out bids me by like freaking 50 cents, pisses me off.[/quote]






Hey Silverbullet, I have the manuals for the 97 also. Any pages you need I will scan them and email them to you. Thanks for your posts also in the past they were helpful...

[BKVic]

I wouldnt feel to bad about paying $450 to replace the steering rack at the dealer as that is less then half what it should have cost. My steering rack went out last summer and dealer cost for a factory steering rack is around $840 plus another $200 for labor to put it in. I check several dealers and tehy were all within $50 for the total job.


BKVic

[papasmith]

I really would like to keep the car now because if i were to sell it I would suffer a big loss. Anyone with any tips or suggestions please let me know.
Thanks,
Scott[/quote]

As someone who had owned an Aurora, my best advice is to slap a "For Sale Cheap" sign on the thing and take your losses. The money you have put in thus far is called in business parlance as "Sunk Costs". Don't let that hold you back from doing what is smart for the future.

The car is beautiful, rides like a dream and it sucks big time that a car with so much appeal should be such a piece of crap. This is a case where beauty is only skin deep. I sold my Aurora which had a dizzying array of problems and took a $3000.00 loss. I only come back to this forum to reinforce my decision to sell. I took a big loss but it was so worth it. I now have a Mercury GM LS which is about the same as a Crown Vic. In no way does it look, run, or ride like the Aurora. But unlike the Aurora, it will more than likely Run and Ride a long time without problems.

[1976 cj7]

Hi I Dont Know If You Know This Or Not But There Was A Safety Recall On That Car Something With The Fuel Rail I Think. They Were Catching On Fire. My Very Good Friend Also Owned A 96 Or 97 And Ity Caught On Fire Right In His Driveway Next To His House. He Got An Insurence Check And A Few Months Later Got A Notice In The Mail About The Recall. He Also Had A Problem With Coolant. Check To See That You Are Not Loosing It Through The Intake Or Head Gasket, As He Was. My Suggestion Would Be To Not Put Too Much Money Into That Car. He Had A Ton Of Problems With It And He Got Slammed Pretty Bad With That Car. Check Out That Safety Recall. Hope This Helps You Out Good Luck.

[papasmith]

Originally Posted by 1976 cj7

Hi I Dont Know If You Know This Or Not But There Was A Safety Recall On That Car Something With The Fuel Rail I Think. They Were Catching On Fire. My Very Good Friend Also Owned A 96 Or 97 And Ity Caught On Fire Right In His Driveway Next To His House. He Got An Insurence Check And A Few Months Later Got A Notice In The Mail About The Recall. He Also Had A Problem With Coolant. Check To See That You Are Not Loosing It Through The Intake Or Head Gasket, As He Was. My Suggestion Would Be To Not Put Too Much Money Into That Car. He Had A Ton Of Problems With It And He Got Slammed Pretty Bad With That Car. Check Out That Safety Recall. Hope This Helps You Out Good Luck.

Hi,

I don't know if you directed your response to me or another one in this thread. You are right about these cars, the safety recall and so on. As far as reliability goes they suck big time. I lost several thousand on mine. As far as I am concerned, Oldsmobile needed to go belly up. This car originally was going to be a Cadilac. The Cadilac division should thank their lucky stars that this lemon did not get included into their stable. I wish it were a better car. I would love to have kept mine. But if you have one, your wallet is seldom going to see the inside of your pocket.

[StEaLtHyUfO]

Originally Posted by papasmith

Hi,

I don't know if you directed your response to me or another one in this thread. You are right about these cars, the safety recall and so on. As far as reliability goes they suck big time. I lost several thousand on mine. As far as I am concerned, Oldsmobile needed to go belly up. This car originally was going to be a Cadilac. The Cadilac division should thank their lucky stars that this lemon did not get included into their stable. I wish it were a better car. I would love to have kept mine. But if you have one, your wallet is seldom going to see the inside of your pocket.

I disagree with you BIG TIME papasmith and others who think the Aurora is a lemon? Maybe you are not maintaining the car right? My Aurora has been reliable, a better ride, comfort inside, and better looking than just about most cars on the road. If you love the car so much mabye purchase a 1999 or later, or maybe earlier and find a decent mechanic you can trust! Also you can purchase a warranty! Thats what I did and have not had any problems in a long time! It has helped me get thru 3 hard, cold, major winters over the last number of years. The warranty is a great investment(since all cars break) and piece of mind. By the way, ever since I purchased the warranty, the car is running just about perfect!

[papasmith]

Originally Posted by StEaLtHyUfO

I disagree with you BIG TIME papasmith and others who think the Aurora is a lemon? Maybe you are not maintaining the car right? My Aurora has been reliable, a better ride, comfort inside, and better looking than just about most cars on the road. If you love the car so much mabye purchase a 1999 or later, or maybe earlier and find a decent mechanic you can trust! Also you can purchase a warranty! Thats what I did and have not had any problems in a long time! It was helped me get thru 3 hard, cold, major winters over the last number of years. The warranty is a great investment(since all cars break) and piece of mind. By the way, ever since I purchased the warranty, the car is running just about perfect!

Like you, I am responding based upon my personal experience but only partially. To a greater extent, I am responding from the perspective of many, many others experiences in this forum and elsewhere. There is no doubt in my mind that the Aurora was a poorly designed piece of junk. Look at the posts in this forum, the number, and content. Then examine the posts in nearly any other forum on any other car. If you look at the ratio of complaints or appeals for help in relation to the number of posts and weigh in the number of these cars that actually sold, you will find that the Aurora should have never left the drawing board. Look, for example, at the Lincoln Town Car, Lincoln Continental, the Ford Crown Vic, or most of the Cadilac lines. Most of these cars sold significantly more than the Aurora yet notice that the number of posts, the ratio appealing for help in regard to a problem and the severity of the problems. You will find that the Aurora has far more and much more expensive problems on average. You have just been EXTREMELY lucky. Or is it, just that the people who owned Aurora's are not maintaining these cars as well as folks in other forums? Or maybe, those who own Auroras are more short sighted and are inclined not to buy warranties like those in other forums? Keep the faith my friend. I wish you luck. If you get through the next year or 15,000 miles without a MAJOR expense, you need to call Guiness. Like I have said before, I dearly wish that the car was more reliable. I would have loved to have been able to have kept the one that I had.

[StEaLtHyUfO]

Well, the good news is that I do not have to worry about the next 15,000 miles because we are covered for the next 36,000 miles more so by the time it reaches a little over 110,000 miles, all the parts will be replaced just bout by myself or a mechanic. I guess I am lucky also I have never broken down or been stranded and made it thru all types of weather and zombies, in New York and elsewhere. If you think the Aurora is a lemon like yours (sorry) and is poorly designed, so be it you are entitled to your opinion and so are others. There is probably a good batch of Aurora's out there and a bad batch. The bad batch had a druken assembly line.

[kiway22]

I wonder if the problem with the Aurora,is the aluminum heads. And engine block.