Major service?

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I decided I'm going to try and milk another 40,000 miles out of my car. As of this morning I have 187,000 km/116,000 miles on my car. It doesn't sound like much but miles up here are quite hard and a vehicle is ready to be scrapped by 150,000 miles. It's a 1999 Malibu with the 3100 SFI V6.

The last "major service" was 106,000 km/66,000 miles. On that service the car got:
- spark plugs and wires
- ignition coil pack (had failed)
- transmission filter and fluid flush
- serpentine belt

At 133,000 km/83,000 miles it got a wheel alignment.

At 140,000 km/87,000 miles the water pump was replaced and coolant was flushed and replaced with Peak Global Long Life.

At 155,000 km/96,000 miles it got front pads and rotors. I don't think the rear shoes have been done since 40,000 miles. I think I still have the original brake fluid in.

I am thinking:

- Plugs and wires. Denso Iridiums? Right now it has Delco OEM plugs. These ones only have 50,000 miles on them, and I am looking to go another 50,000 miles on the car. I would like mileage and easy starting.

- One oxygen sensor kind of makes me wonder looking at it on the code reader, but I need to learn more about their behaviour. My car regularly returns 30 mpg in mixed driving.

- Transmission flush and filter replacement. I am definitely going synthetic for cold weather flow, be it Red Line, Amsoil or Petro-Canada. I was looking at Amsoil ATL, Red Line D6 or Petro-Canada DuraDrive. My 4T45-E was back-speced to Dexron-VI.

- Rear brake shoes and maybe (you tell me, I'm the one asking) drums.

- The struts and springs seem to be gone. Over uneven road, the car severely porpoises at certain "frequencies."

- Wheel alignment.

- I want to replace the power steering fluid with a synthetic to help in cold weather and limit belt squeal/stiff steering.

- Rust converter paint on the front crossmember to "reseal it" as it was really the only part of the underside of the car showing rust.

- Fix a small rock chip on the door and touch up other paint dings to keep them from rusting. If I can keep the body on the car it should last for all eternity at this rate. This should be exciting, but the main spots are a few chips on the hood and bumper, one on the bottom of the driver's door (needs attention, has started to rust), and the front edges of of the rear door jambs towards the bottom have the paint worn off. This may be above my skill level.

As well, I have a few electrical (ABS and heater control) things to fix up. Regrease door hinges, silicone the door seals, tighten up interior fasteners, I want to replace the speakers in it, and the AC still blows cold.

If I get somebody to do a good cleaning of the interior it should be very liveable for a while yet. This is not going to be a cheap bit of work to get done, but it should be less than six months of car payments by a good margin.
 
Flush that brake fluid. :)

I wouldn't worry about the o2 sensor unless it's really lazy ie:slow. Definately get the shocks and struts done as well as those rear shoes. If the drums are in/close to spec I would run them. I wouldn't spend $100 on iridium plugs, probably run some new ACDelcos.

Also a def. yes to the tranny flush a filter. Petro Canada oils are great.
 
Head gaskets and intake manifold gaskets done just before 75,000 miles with the "improved" gaskets.

I can get a set of Denso Iridiums from RockAuto for $56 CDN.
 
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- The OEM Delco plugs are still fine. Unless you are experiencing problems, I would leave them alone.

- I would figure out how to monitor the oxygen sensor's performance. If is indeed failing, then replace it with a direct fit (OE style) sensor. When the one on my Saturn failed at about 115k, I replaced it with a Bosch direct fit sensor.

- A transmission flush and filter replacement would not be a bad idea. Dexron-VI would be the correct fluid.

- The springs may still be ok. Replace all four struts. Also replace the front strut mounts if they are bearing plates. I used KYB GR-2 struts when I did my strut replacement last week. They ride a bit firm/harsh though.

- Clean and adjust the rear brakes. Also flush the brake fluid. If the shoes need replacing, replace them and turn the drums (if possible).
 
quote - A transmission flush and filter replacement would not be a bad idea. Dexron-VI would be the correct fluid.


Can Dex VI be added to a GM that previously ran Dex III without flushing? In other words would the 2 or 3 qts. of leftover Dex III mix with the 7 or 8 qts of new Dex VI? Are they fully compatible?
 
Originally Posted By: pbm
quote - A transmission flush and filter replacement would not be a bad idea. Dexron-VI would be the correct fluid.


Can Dex VI be added to a GM that previously ran Dex III without flushing? In other words would the 2 or 3 qts. of leftover Dex III mix with the 7 or 8 qts of new Dex VI? Are they fully compatible?



Yes DEX 3 and 6 are compatible, you just lose a little of the Dex 6 benefits. Like mixing regular oil with Synthetic.
 
Thanks GMBoy. I'm thinking of using Dex VI (WM ST) instead of Mobil 1 synthetic in my Buick the next time I need to change it.
From what I understand its at least as good and I would save a few bucks.
 
Critic - I notice that about my new KYB's GR-2 in the front also. I also did Sachs in the rear at the same time.

The GR-2's are quite stiff, but I like em. Don't they remind you of when your car was new?

I'm pretty sure it was like that right out of the dealership when brand new...but just got used to the softness over time.
 
MGregoir, you look pretty up to date - this car is not high mileage so you are looking OK. I would think maybe about: Fuel Filter, Knock Sensor, Water Temp Sender (eventually when you have access), Oil Pressure Sender, PCV Valve, Thermostat. You could do a compression test, then a leakdown test but it's probably not necessary at this KM. Inspect all your hoses if they are still OK. You may want to test your oil pressure & fuel pressure, but again, this is probably not necessary. If you had the tools around, I would do it. You may want to remove all the fuses in the cabin and in the engine bay and clean them out with CRC Contact cleaner, as well as all the harness connectors in the car (watch out though, there could be 100 in total :)

If you aren't doing this stuff yourself, ignore my post, as a garage will rip you a new one for these types of things. You could just wait until it breaks...or do it yourself because this stuff is easy and cheap that I listed.
 
I would change out the plugs and wires to AC Delco brand as rec. by the manuf. It is especially important to stick with AC Delco when you change out the O2 sensor. Aftermarket O2 sensor may not be as well suited to the car and drivability will suffer and cause hard to find problems. It is always amazing how new struts and springs will give you that new car feeling you once enjoyed. The rear brakes, even if not worn out, will be glazed and should be replaced. Enjoy your new car!
 
Originally Posted By: 1993_VG30E_GXE
Critic - I notice that about my new KYB's GR-2 in the front also. I also did Sachs in the rear at the same time.

The GR-2's are quite stiff, but I like em. Don't they remind you of when your car was new?

I'm pretty sure it was like that right out of the dealership when brand new...but just got used to the softness over time.


They were ridiculously harsh and stiff when I first installed them, but after 800 miles of driving, they have softened up significantly.
 
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