The hated 95 Olds

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67Dart273

67Dart273

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Pretty much failed me tonight. I got the wheelchair all tested and charged and in the trunk, along with FOUR lawn tractor batteries (in boxes) so I have two sets of chair batteries. Thinking of goin' to the car show.

Anyhow, went downtown to the "Mexican Food Factory" and when I went to start it.......NADA. No panel lights, no dome light, no 'nuddin'. Rolled it away from the driveup (downhill) and tried jumpering the battery with a chair battery. 'nuddin.' Looked around and finally found the starter jammed down there and ACTUALLY got a jumper on the starter terminal, and got it to fire up

So just got in (dark) got the old battery out, which is gettin' on, I'll probably replace it. The problem is a bad POS cable.

With no load on the cable except dome lights, it had a 2 volt drop across the cable LOL

What a POS to work on. The (side) terminals are hid under the rad support, and you have to remove the air filter and a big fender brace to get to it.

Tomorrow, we' be ridin the tricycle up to NAPA, LOL

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You be careful on that contraption. Lotta nuts on the road.
 
famous bob said:
that trike would be kicka$$ w/ some kind of small engine on it !
Click to expand...

This "may happen" "again."

The present trike shown above has an electric boost I made a new left axle and geared the motor to the left wheel

The "old bike" here

4566750741_bce2186a6c_z.jpg


I had built hand cranks on the front. This leaves no good place for the brakes and shifter. This bike, in this photo had a chopped off kids electric scooter hung off the rear, which I could jack up or let down with the lever you see under my knee

Before I "went" electric, I had bought a new 2 stroke scooter, and had rigged that up same way. But the only two times I NEEDED it (I was in better shape then) the damn thing would not start. And it was way too loud.
 
Well success. God I hate workin' on that thing. NAPA was closer in "trike miles" LOL than O'Reallys so I ended up just going there. Trouble was right at the hot terminal and I got that fixed. HOT HOT HOT today. DAMN. Got the new one in, the cable repaired, we is happy.

Then had lunch and jumped back on the TRIKE to troll a couple of thrift stores, LOL

Joked with the thrift store gal:

"I was gonna buy the "Samson and Delila" movie, but I figured out it was NOT the **** version!!!" LOL.
 
What model Olds is it Del? My niece has a 96 Aurora and I always end up fixing it for her and I'm really beginning to hate that thing. IF you can find parts for it they cost a fortune and usually aren't easy to get at with it's 4.0 double overhead cam V8 taking up the whole engine compartment. Hah, come to think of it I've been working on it for nearly a year now and I still don't know where they've got the battery hidden :dontknow:
 
It's a Culass Ciera. Has a 3. something V6 I think.... My standing joke is that Olds picked their most junior engineer and said "OK let's see what you can do."

Some complaints........ (it STILL doesn't have 50K on the clock!!!)

1...Wiper blades "parked" on some hard rubber blocks which destroyed the blades. I had to do surgery on the damn things. Took me over a year to figure out why the blades always streaked in the middle. Also, when pawked in the winter, you must "jack up" the wiper arms on wood blocks or they will freeze to the windshield. There's a natural trough "down there."

2....Of COURSE there's no rain gutters, but the windows are built in such a way, that in the winter, snowing, it is IMPOSSIBLE to pull up to a drive-up window, and roll down the window.......without getting snow / slush in the car on your knees. The window is made so that you cannot roll it part way down and reach your hand out and catch it

3....Of course no2 is now irrelevant because most of the time, the driver side window just refuses to work. So if I "eat out" I have to pull over and step out to the window.

4....When my Mom still owned the thing, she had to replace both rear lock solenoids at something like 2 miles past the warrantee LOL. The dealer would not budge. I told him, l "it's not like there's a crew of grandkids in there every day playing with the locks"

5...Alternator gave up at only about 34K. NAPA of course can't get parts..........200 bucks

6...Brake light switch died at about the same time, and ran the battery down twice before I figured out WTF

7...It drives like a frikkin tank. you cannot say this car "handles." It does go down the road straight, but I've always feared the day I might lose it on ice. I think I'll just close my eyes and hope the antiskid works

8....The heater / AC. OK, Detroit has been building cars for how long, remind me? You can NOT have "some defrost" and "some heat." It's either damn near all defrost, or damn near all heat. Hell the simple cable controls of "back then" allow you to do THAT. I have "cold feet" so for me this IS an issue

Why do I keep it? It IS somewhat dependable, always starts (except for the battery cable recently, LOL) and I keep telling myself "it's low miles"

============================

Frankly, if I EVER get my 98 Ranger back together I think I'll sell this thing
 
So "lemmie" get this straight. Outta ALL that "FLEET" and the trike is the one that comes through in a pinch. LOL

I think you need a FORD in the stable. LMAO
 
fishy68 said:
What model Olds is it Del? My niece has a 96 Aurora and I always end up fixing it for her and I'm really beginning to hate that thing. IF you can find parts for it they cost a fortune and usually aren't easy to get at with it's 4.0 double overhead cam V8 taking up the whole engine compartment. Hah, come to think of it I've been working on it for nearly a year now and I still don't know where they've got the battery hidden :dontknow:
Click to expand...

The battery is under the back seat.
 
RustyRatRod said:
So "lemmie" get this straight. Outta ALL that "FLEET" and the trike is the one that comes through in a pinch. LOL

I think you need a FORD in the stable. LMAO
Click to expand...

I have a (98) FORD Ranger. It's torn down as well. Cam sensor died at 78000

Tell me, Rusty, why is it Ford could build distributors that went a 100 K for about the last 100 years, and suddenly they saw the top off a distributor and turn it into a cam sensor, and now all of a sudden they won't hold up?

Hell I was thinkin I'd have the "white whale" back together 2 weeks ago. Some of that is 100 degree weather, some of it is health troubles, and some of it is ................
 
67Dart273 said:
I have a (98) FORD Ranger. It's torn down as well. Cam sensor died at 78000

Tell me, Rusty, why is it Ford could build distributors that went a 100 K for about the last 100 years, and suddenly they saw the top off a distributor and turn it into a cam sensor, and now all of a sudden they won't hold up?

Hell I was thinkin I'd have the "white whale" back together 2 weeks ago. Some of that is 100 degree weather, some of it is health troubles, and some of it is ................
Click to expand...

I really don't know. I "guess" it was one of Ford's "better ideas"

My 04 Ranger had that cam sensor thing in place of the distributor. Thing is, they fail. A LOT........and when they fail, you get like a high pitched bird chirp.......IF you're lucky. Then, soon after, the shaft will seize and break......often taking the engine out with it.

"I" never understood why in the HECK Ford put the Duraspark on the shelf. It was a fine ignition. I guess it was "progress"
 
EXACTLY what happened to my 98. This is still a pushrod engine, not OHC. I had a failure in one of the 86/87 Rangers where oil pressure lost to lifters, and I thought it might be plugged oil passage. I listened with a hose, and it seemed louder in the oil filler cap. Pulled the VC and oil all over hell. Went online and searched and found out I WAS LUCKY. Some guys ended up with a broken cam gear.
 
67Dart273 said:
It's a Culass Ciera. Has a 3. something V6 I think.... My standing joke is that Olds picked their most junior engineer and said "OK let's see what you can do."

Some complaints........ (it STILL doesn't have 50K on the clock!!!)

1...Wiper blades "parked" on some hard rubber blocks which destroyed the blades. I had to do surgery on the damn things. Took me over a year to figure out why the blades always streaked in the middle. Also, when pawked in the winter, you must "jack up" the wiper arms on wood blocks or they will freeze to the windshield. There's a natural trough "down there."

2....Of COURSE there's no rain gutters, but the windows are built in such a way, that in the winter, snowing, it is IMPOSSIBLE to pull up to a drive-up window, and roll down the window.......without getting snow / slush in the car on your knees. The window is made so that you cannot roll it part way down and reach your hand out and catch it

3....Of course no2 is now irrelevant because most of the time, the driver side window just refuses to work. So if I "eat out" I have to pull over and step out to the window.

4....When my Mom still owned the thing, she had to replace both rear lock solenoids at something like 2 miles past the warrantee LOL. The dealer would not budge. I told him, l "it's not like there's a crew of grandkids in there every day playing with the locks"

5...Alternator gave up at only about 34K. NAPA of course can't get parts..........200 bucks

6...Brake light switch died at about the same time, and ran the battery down twice before I figured out WTF

7...It drives like a frikkin tank. you cannot say this car "handles." It does go down the road straight, but I've always feared the day I might lose it on ice. I think I'll just close my eyes and hope the antiskid works

8....The heater / AC. OK, Detroit has been building cars for how long, remind me? You can NOT have "some defrost" and "some heat." It's either damn near all defrost, or damn near all heat. Hell the simple cable controls of "back then" allow you to do THAT. I have "cold feet" so for me this IS an issue

Why do I keep it? It IS somewhat dependable, always starts (except for the battery cable recently, LOL) and I keep telling myself "it's low miles"

============================

Frankly, if I EVER get my 98 Ranger back together I think I'll sell this thing
Click to expand...

Dang Del! That sounds worse than my nieces. At least hers has somewhat of an excuse cause it has nearly 170,000 on it and other than minor oil and trans leaks runs decent. This thing has every bell and whistle in the book and I'm surprised they all still work, except for the window washer tank has a hole in it. Thursday I had a bunch of fun fabricating some subframe bushings for it since their not available anymore and hers were totally gone.
 
sounds like you need an old dart with a slant as a daily driver :D:D:D

My slant has left me on the side of the road three times I will admit but all except one time I was able to go back in daylight/clear weather and fix it and get it back home from the side of the road.

like the tricycle ......simplicity wins most of the time :burnout:
 
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