New to the Riv

I've had my '98 Riviera for 2 years now... only just had to get into replacing things, which speaks volumes of the car in my opinion. Unfortunately, I'm not exactly a mechanic, so I find it an incredible PITA to work on, and spend a lot of my time digging around online each time I go about anything. Just makes sense for me to join a group dedicated to these cars, rather than just randomly poking around. A lot of the best information I've found came from here anyway. So, thanks for all your unknowing assistance so far guys and gals... haha

Welcome! Definitely the right place to come for help!

welcome Loki.

Thanks for the warm welcome... I'm digging through some old threads to see if I can find some of my problems answered in those, before I start a barrage of questions...

hey bud! yeah its a cool site! just watch out for all the modders.theyll try to talk you into doing all kinds of weird shit to a perfectly fine automobile! youve been warned!

Welcome!

WELCOME to the group

Welcome Loki, I'm a newbie myself, just pokin' around.
What's your location?

Indeed a wealth of information on the Riviera! Welcome!

Drop her pulley size,Robo did it!!

flyineagle96 wrote:

Drop her pulley size,Robo did it!!

LOL what??

robotennis61 wrote:

hey bud! yeah its a cool site! just watch out for all the modders.theyll try to talk you into doing all kinds of weird shit to a perfectly fine automobile! youve been warned!

THIS!

Welcome, and you might/should go "fishing" on ebay for a service manual.

[quote="eieio"]Welcome Loki, I'm a newbie myself, just pokin' around.
What's your location?
Just outside of Pittsburgh

Well, right now my poor Riv looks like a steaming pile... but I'm working on it. The guy I bought it from decided it needed to be 1/2 primer since the clear coat was peeling off, so it is currently 1/2 primer gray (which he did a shitty job of anyway), and 1/2 Bordeaux red... looks like shit. Every time I get set to paint it, I need to replace, or repair something... haha... it either takes up the money I had set aside for it, or more often the time I had set aside for it.

Pretty common for anything '98, certainly for anything rocking 215,000 miles. I bought it as a beater, and very shortly after decided it was a keeper. It's currently stock, but as I figure more of it out, and get more comfortable, I will definitely be modding, I never leave anything alone anyway.

Loki wrote:

Well, right now my poor Riv looks like a steaming pile... but I'm working on it. The guy I bought it from decided it needed to be 1/2 primer since the clear coat was peeling off, so it is currently 1/2 primer gray (which he did a shitty job of anyway), and 1/2 Bordeaux red... looks like shit. Every time I get set to paint it, I need to replace, or repair something... haha... it either takes up the money I had set aside for it, or more often the time I had set aside for it.

Pretty common for anything '98, certainly for anything rocking 215,000 miles. I bought it as a beater, and very shortly after decided it was a keeper. It's currently stock, but as I figure more of it out, and get more comfortable, I will definitely be modding, I never leave anything alone anyway.

steaming pile > cold dry crusty pile

This poor beast was thoroughly neglected. I also have a '99 Tahoe with the engine in about 15 pieces. The plan WAS to run the Riv while getting the Tahoe back on the road, then swap downed vehicles... unfortunately the Riv had other plans. All maintenance, or neglect type issues, but they still add up in the time and money department. Not to mention that this has to be one of the least "backyard mechanic" friendly cars I've ever owned... haha

Driver side door handle (twice now), brakes (normal), outer tie rods, ball joint, fuel pump and fuel filter (I suspect neglect), battery and alternator, water pump (that pissed me off) supercharger and acc belt, now on to shocks, and trying to figure out why my "low coolant" light has a mind of it's own.

The rest is normal or minor if not annoying... door panels are hacked... the guy must have had a system in it that he wanted back out, but had no idea how to get the panels off... this is a point of GREAT annoyance, that I'm unsure what to do about. Trunk latch actuator moves, but something I'm not smart enough to find is either broken, or unhooked in it, latch doesn't move. Needs new shocks and struts... uhh... aside from paint I think that's it for now... I hope.. haha

Just wait until it's time to do spark plugs! With the '95 it was simply not possible to access the rear plugs, but I've been told that with the Series II, if you have the right extensions, angle joints, luck, and say a quick prayer to the baby Jesus, you may be able to get 2 of them.

I did the plugs and wires while I had the motor half out to change the friggin Supercharger belt... haha.. it was no fun even then, as I'm not a small guy.

Loki wrote:

this has to be one of the least "backyard mechanic" friendly cars I've ever owned...

I don't know man. I've never worked on any other cars.. but have you seen a GTP's engine bay? Shit is TINYYYY.

Welcome, Loki. If you're comparing the Riv to a Ford or GM with SBC V8, then yes, it's a little harder to work on, but I would argue it breaks down far less often, too! And compared to most newer and import brand cars, it's like working on a tractor. I can change the oil with one arm without even lifting the car. How many cars past 1990 can you do that with?

If you think our plugs are difficult, try doing something like, say, a 2004 Pontiac G6. Holy crap, I went to change the plugs and gave up after figuring out I needed to remove the entire intake system! Replaced the wires and called it a night after 2 hours of messing. I can do plugs and wires on the Riv in about 30 mins.

The belts are a bear, but you only need to do them about once every 80-90k miles, and there's a trick to make it much easier if you read the thread!

Good luck with the new car. If any job seems too tough just ask and we'll try to help you out.

Update: Alright.. I guess I'm "all in" now. Just picked up a parts car. Pillaging the seats, door panels, and a couple moldings off of it. The kid I bought it from shredded these door panels getting a system in/out of it. Damn things are wrecked. I'm already a fuel pump, water pump, new belts, plugs, hoses, coil packs, battery, brakes, lines, and alternator into it.

As soon as I figure the site out a bit more, I'll be putting up some before, after, and during pics. I turn here a lot for help (whether you guys ever know it or not) and I find the pics to be interesting. It's currently a 2 tone maroon/gray primer shadow of it's former self. I've decided that I do in fact love it, and will be rebuilding the entire thing as necessary. The parts car has 114,000 miles on it, mine has 207,000. I was debating on swapping out, but after seeing how the car was taken care of, I figure it's 6 of one half dozen of the other, I stand a chance of a rebuild on either one. The parts car says '95 on the title, but '94 on the door. That still make it a '95? I have read about some headaches from swapping parts from '94s to nearly anything else, just figured if anyone would know it would be you guys without me having to dig for hours.

The goal is: I want a "pristine" looking black Riviera, with the red and black interior. All red in there now, I figure incorporating the black from the exterior will tie it all in nicely. So I will be pestering you all very shortly.. wish me luck

I'd say, definitely keep the 98, or the one with least amount of rust if that's a factor. And good for you for committing and going all in on it. Welcome to the club, homie.

Thanks. Yeah, I'll be keeping the '98. The rust is pretty comparable, but I already know the issues with this one, and it has the sunroof. One major point of annoyance is that 1/4 glass molding... I figured I could just stuff another one on, but after reading the write-ups on it, it seems it's a huge pain in the ass, which was disappointing.. haha

The sunroof alone is reason enough. I upgraded rivs and got a sunroof and heated seats. Super happy with the move.