1995 riv

hey there,

just picked up my 1995 riv (not the supercharged one though) only has 102k on it. seems to run fine.

Issues I've noticed so far:

can't seem to get the cruise control to work? is this common or maybe I'm doing something wrong?

the windows fog up easy and are hard to defog. it was raining on my first drive though...

also, on my first 35 miler, I noticed a sound like something loose up in the sunroof. it seemed to get better towards the end of the drive. does anyone know what that might be?

I love the classic looks of the car, the sunroof and power features are sweet, and the tinted windows rock.

thechidz wrote:

hey there,

just picked up my 1995 riv (not the supercharged one though) only has 102k on it. seems to run fine.

Issues I've noticed so far:

can't seem to get the cruise control to work? is this common or maybe I'm doing something wrong?

the windows fog up easy and are hard to defog. it was raining on my first drive though...

also, on my first 35 miler, I noticed a sound like something loose up in the sunroof. it seemed to get better towards the end of the drive. does anyone know what that might be?

I love the classic looks of the car, the sunroof and power features are sweet, and the tinted windows rock.

Cruise Control problems are not common. You will need to look a little deeper into that one.

Window fogging problem could be your Air Conditioning system is not working properly.

You mentioned noise from sunroof while it was raining.
Mine makes noise too when it's raining, like the sound of something slapping or a gurgling noise like the water going down the drains but getting stuck. Have never figured that one out. Mine only does it if I have the sunroof rear lifted up or just crack the roof open a couple of inches for fresh air movement.

Make sure the windows are clean. Dirty windows (film and whatnot) will fog really quick when it's raining. If the windows are tinted, make sure to use Invisible Glass or something that does not have ammonia in it to not ruin tint (you probably already know that).

Like Rick said, something with the AC system might not be working (like the evaporator) or AC not engaging at all. When the AC wasn't working in my Regal, the windows would fog up when it rained and putting the defogger on didn't help at all.

one more thing.... anyone know how these babies are in the power department? she runs quiet and fairly strong but shows signs of weakness on hills.

edit: on the ride home I tried the cruise again and it seemed to work for about 30 seconds at 35 mph but then stopped working and I couldnt get it again.

when I stopped at home I sat in the car a few minutes and heard what sounded like some strange loud mechanical noise. not sure if it was my car or not as it happened a few minutes after shutting everything down. I'll check again next time

Was the key still in the run position? It could have been the air shock leveling pump running if it was coming from the rear. Otherwise, not exactly sure as the cooling fan does not engage in the Rivs (as far as I know) once the car is off.

Rickw wrote:

thechidz wrote:

hey there,

just picked up my 1995 riv (not the supercharged one though) only has 102k on it. seems to run fine.

Issues I've noticed so far:

can't seem to get the cruise control to work? is this common or maybe I'm doing something wrong?

the windows fog up easy and are hard to defog. it was raining on my first drive though...

also, on my first 35 miler, I noticed a sound like something loose up in the sunroof. it seemed to get better towards the end of the drive. does anyone know what that might be?

I love the classic looks of the car, the sunroof and power features are sweet, and the tinted windows rock.

Cruise Control problems are not common. You will need to look a little deeper into that one.

Window fogging problem could be your Air Conditioning system is not working properly.

You mentioned noise from sunroof while it was raining.
Mine makes noise too when it's raining, like the sound of something slapping or a gurgling noise like the water going down the drains but getting stuck. Have never figured that one out. Mine only does it if I have the sunroof rear lifted up or just crack the roof open a couple of inches for fresh air movement.

DEMonte1997 wrote:

Make sure the windows are clean. Dirty windows (film and whatnot) will fog really quick when it's raining. If the windows are tinted, make sure to use Invisible Glass or something that does not have ammonia in it to not ruin tint (you probably already know that).

Like Rick said, something with the AC system might not be working (like the evaporator) or AC not engaging at all. When the AC wasn't working in my Regal, the windows would fog up when it rained and putting the defogger on didn't help at all.

thanks guys. Rick that's exactly what my sunroof sounded like and it was raining.

with the window fogging, I will try cleaning the windows but I hope it's not the AC.

DEMonte1997 wrote:

Was the key still in the run position? It could have been the air shock leveling pump running if it was coming from the rear. Otherwise, not exactly sure as the cooling fan does not engage in the Rivs (as far as I know) once the car is off.

air shock? do these have air bag shocks? I'm coming from a range rover and the EAS suspension was a bag of hurt on that thing. sorry for newb questions still learning this machine

The Auto-Leveling rear suspension is a fairly easy system to work on and not that expensive to fix.
Consists of a compressor and Air Shocks in the rear, along with a control box and some relays basically.

When you get a chance to do a search on here there is an explanation of how the system works.

If what you heard for a noise was coming from the rear of the car then that's potentially good news as the compressor was probably cycling on to maintain ride height. You'll have to inspect the air shocks for any leaks, but even if they are bad you can get a replacement pair for about $70.00.
Not the thousands that some of the other luxury cars cost.

When I first bought my car, over 3 years ago, it needed new rear shocks and a level ride compressor.
Got a good used compressor for around $70.00 and bought new shocks and haven't had a problem since.
I also had a window fogging issue that I initially was unaware of and it turned out to be a leaking A/C system that was fixed and charged with freon.
I bought the car in the frigid cold and forgot all about checking if the A/C compressor was working properly, otherwise i would of had the previous owner have it fixed or deduct to have it fixed.
Oh well, live and learn.

Rickw wrote:

The Auto-Leveling rear suspension is a fairly easy system to work on and not that expensive to fix.
Consists of a compressor and Air Shocks in the rear, along with a control box and some relays basically.

When you get a chance to do a search on here there is an explanation of how the system works.

If what you heard for a noise was coming from the rear of the car then that's potentially good news as the compressor was probably cycling on to maintain ride height. You'll have to inspect the air shocks for any leaks, but even if they are bad you can get a replacement pair for about $70.00.
Not the thousands that some of the other luxury cars cost.

thats good to know. huh, I had no idea I'd be getting another vehicle with an air suspension system. I gotta say the ride is really smooth on this car

One other thing i forgot to mention that will cause noise that sounds like it's coming from the Sunroof is the rubber weatherstrip that goes around the windshield.
That rubber does not do anything as far as sealing the windshield it is a reveal molding to fill the gap between the windshield and the body of the car.
I had mine come unglued in a couple of spots across the top of the windshield and when up to highway speeds it started flapping. At first i thought it was the sunroof, but later, after more of it started to loosen up it became obvious what it was.
So have a look at that also, and if it is really loose and separated from the windshield your better off bringing it to a glass place to have it replaced with a new one. The seal itself is only $30.00, but you have to remove all or as much as possible of the old urethane (Black goo) adhesive and apply new in a warm shop and let it cure for a while.
I learned the hard way by trying to do it myself. Very difficult to get the old Urethane Adhesive off. Let the pro's do it for not a lot of money

just a couple thoughts:

- if you bought the Riv from a dealer then go complain about hte AC. AC in these cars is supposed to run almost all the time. In summer it keeps that greenhouse of a passenger compartment cool (rear window is huge). In spring, fall and winter it dehumidifies the cabin air so the windows don't fog up bad. If you are not running the climate control the windows can fog up on an otherwise nromal day if you have the CC off and windows up and a couple passenters are talking. Especially at highway speeds.

- the 3800 engine has plenty of power. If your cruise is not holding speed on interstates, that is a problem. The 95 had a vacuum system with a reservoir (that black box by the cowl in front). You may need to check for vac leaks. Or there could be another problem. The 96 and later had an electronic system.

- The Riv does not really have an air suspension (does nto use air bags as springs), it has a pretty conventional independent rear suspension with air-levelling diaphragms on the (otherwise conventional) shocks.

- the air ride pump is audible but should not be all that loud. They do vary in loudness from car to car. You might want to have a look above and just in front of the rear axle carrier. You'll see the air ride pump. It has a switch connected to a suspension arm to set the level. Point is, see if any of its mountings are loose. And yes, the air ride is not terribly pricey to fix. Usually the problem is the air shocks go after 100K+ miles. The reason people fret about them is the dealers charge a flipping fortune to fix them -- usually it's money for nothing. You can replace the shocks yourself with hand tools, I've done it in about an hour both sides. Be sure to look at the mounting bolts and top mounts. If you need top mounts it's best to get the ACDelco shocks from RockAuto.com, they sell several types and one such has the mounts already installed. If you don't need mounts it might be best to get the Monroe air shocks. You can get the speednuts for attaching the shock bottoms to the control arm from a GM dealer, or get similar size speednuts and new grade bolts from Lowes, HomeDepot, or other hardware store that sells odd hardware.

Albertj

any way I can post some pics here?

Yes, go to the top of the page and click on "Board FAQ" and look through the list of questions till you find the one on posting pic's.
That will explain how to.

thechidz wrote:

edit: on the ride home I tried the cruise again and it seemed to work for about 30 seconds at 35 mph but then stopped working and I couldnt get it again.

I'm pretty certain the cruise does not function at speeds that low. I thought in general you need to be running over 40 or 45 before it is supposed to function? CC isn't intended for use in city driving at low speeds. Did you try at highway speeds?

My cruise opperates from 30 and upwards.... real handy to stop you speeding around here !!

So, Where are the Pic's.??????????

I've been able to maintain a speed of 30 mph on my car also.
I have a very small town I must pass through to get to the highway and they have a 30 mph throughout the whole town.
For such a small town they have the newest and quite a large fleet of Dodge Chargers.
At 30 mph they get a lot of revenue from speeders that don't know any better.
If your doing 33 mph your getting pulled over.
And god forbid you pass through town during school hours - 20 mph - strictly enforced.
I can barely run the car at 20 mph with just touching the throttle. A real PITA.

hey Nigel! that is so true on hwy 17! I am located up in Monticello and bought my Riv in Middletown at The Car Place on 211. looks like the guy gyped me though. Cruise definitely is DOA and the air conditioning isn't working (was 65 degrees today). Also the coolent level was super low, had to put in a half gallon so far. I seriously do not understand how these used car dealers can sleep at night knowingly deceiving people??? buyer beware

how does one get an avatar?

How long has it been since you bought the car.?

I know here in MA, there is a mandatory sliding scale used car warranty. It depends on the year of car and mileage, but even the least they have to offer per State law is 30 days.

I don't know what if any warranty is available in your State.? But it's worth looking into.

thechidz wrote:

how does one get an avatar?

You have broke dick car and your worried about an Avatar.???? Just Kidding.!!!

If you click on the "Board FAQ" at the top of this page, there is that same question with the answer made especially for you. Because your special.

well I picked it up 2 days ago. when I bought it he was pretty adamant about it not having a warranty and explained that since it's over 100k miles there was no warranty. I don't know if that's a NY state thing? Maybe Nigel knows?

yep I'm screwed. NY's lemon law ends at 100k. My car had 102103 at purchase.

thechidz wrote:

yep I'm screwed. NY's lemon law ends at 100k. My car had 102103 at purchase.

It's not so much that you are screwed, it's just that you are going to be working to catch up on someone else's deferred maintanance.

WHy don't you list all the issue on on e note and we'll try tackling them one by one.

For instance, if the AC is not working because the control head died, you can get a replacement used from Ed Morad, or Wilbert's up near Rochester. If it is because of a freon leak, someone else on the board probably knows how to put enough refrigerant in with leak detector that you can find the problem with an ultraviolet light, make the repairs yourself while the system is empty, then take it to an independent garage to check your work and fill the system. If it is the compressor clutch, actually those are replaceable but I confess i don't remember where I way the instructions posted. RockAuto.com sells the clutches though.

At least you're going into summer not into winter. Some troubleshooting and wrenching and it should not be long before you're all roadworthy.

Your list?

Albertj

Rickw wrote:

thechidz wrote:

hey there,

just picked up my 1995 riv (not the supercharged one though) only has 102k on it. seems to run fine.

Issues I've noticed so far:

can't seem to get the cruise control to work? is this common or maybe I'm doing something wrong?

the windows fog up easy and are hard to defog. it was raining on my first drive though...

also, on my first 35 miler, I noticed a sound like something loose up in the sunroof. it seemed to get better towards the end of the drive. does anyone know what that might be?

I love the classic looks of the car, the sunroof and power features are sweet, and the tinted windows rock.

Cruise Control problems are not common. You will need to look a little deeper into that one.

Window fogging problem could be your Air Conditioning system is not working properly.

You mentioned noise from sunroof while it was raining.
Mine makes noise too when it's raining, like the sound of something slapping or a gurgling noise like the water going down the drains but getting stuck. Have never figured that one out. Mine only does it if I have the sunroof rear lifted up or just crack the roof open a couple of inches for fresh air movement.

You should be able to fix the slapping or gurgling noise by cleaning out the sunroof drains. They are in the corners of the opening and connect to tubes that run down the pillars. Some people use coat hangers to clean them out, others use twisted together pipe cleaners (try a smokers store like Choice, some WalMarts have them too). What's up is a drain is partly blocked and the rushing air creates a vacuum at the sunroof opening. That vacuum sucks air in drain tube past accumulated water - and it bubbles. Bubbles burst, making gurgle sound.

Albertj