My 98 Buick Riviera

I really like the color too. I'm glad my body guy was able to match it so it wouldn't be noticed.

Not much of an update, but last week I changed the left wheel hub and this week I will be changing the left control arm due to a bad ball joint.  Figured I would just changed the whole thing.  I did get the car washed and waxed yesterday and I will be detailing the interior after work today.

Edit 9/11/2014: I changed the control arm (ball joint) and now the rattle noise is gone, but I still have a loud clicking noise. Looks like it is probably the tie rod end on the left side. Figured the alignment guy would have caught that, but guess he didn't. So it looks like I had three issues and that was why I was having a hard time diagnosing the issue and this was all on the left side. Bad wheel hub which fixed the vibrating noise issue, replaced the control arm assembly becuase of a bad ball joint that was rattling and loose. Then it appears I have a bad tie rod as well. Going to try to figure that out for sure tonight and get that fixed. Trying to get the car all ready to take a trip with it and I have to leave tomorrow. I did however get the car fully washed waxed and detailed inside and out in between working on it.

I was finally able to get my Riv to a friends house that has a car lift and get it on the rack. Now with the car being level and up in the air I could get under there and properly inspect the car. I already replaced as posted in the above post that I replaced the left wheel hub and control arm assembly due to a bad ball joint. Here is the list of what I found last night. Bad rear trans mount (that's where the noise has been most likely coming from), bad left inner tie rod, bad right outer tie rod and bad right ball joint. I'm going to wait till I take it apart, but I may just replace the right wheel hub as well and get it done with. I'm going to replace both inner and outer tie rods on both sides. The body mounts all look good. So that is a plus. After I get this all fixed then I will look at the lateral links and rear suspension. I have new shocks on there already, but that's all that I have done to the rear suspension. Does anyone know the proper way to check the lateral links? Is it like checking a ball joint?

J. Chris Davis wrote:

Does anyone know the proper way to check the lateral links?  Is it like checking a ball joint?

It's just a shake-down like you would check the front end.

Thanks Scott.

Been a busy month working on the Riv. Got the inner and outer tie rods change and the right control arm assembly. Got the alignment Monday done and paid to have the rear transmission mount changed. I wasn't feeling to ambitious about doing that one myself. It only cost me $110 to have done anyway. Drives great now and straight as an arrow. Not to mention, no more noises!!

Ugh!  The creeking/popping noise is back.   The noise was gone for about a week after replacing all of those parts and now has come back in the last day.  I'm at a loss as to what it is at this point.  Only thing left would be the front sway bar and I've looked that over and have had the tie rods off of it and it seems fine.  Otherwise it is just the craddle mounts I have yet to replace.  I'm probably going to replace the other motor and transmission mounts in the near future, but from what I can tell it's not any of those.

Quote :

Otherwise it is just the craddle mounts I have yet to replace.

This is usually the source of creaking and clunking from front end, once you've fixed all the usual easy stuff. It's so worth it, though. Felt like it took 100k miles off the car.

I do want to change them out. Not looking forward to that cost though, lol. I may try to put up with it till spring then change those out.

So about ten months ago my HVAC control panel shorted or something and ever since then reads in negative degrees and says it is off when it is on and everything else worked fine.  Today the heater was working fine and then I went to start it to let the car warm up before I left work.  Came back out to the car and no air blowing out of any of the vents.  Is this probably the blower control module?  I was looking through the threads and that seemed to be the most common problem.  Just looking for possible conformation so I know where to start.

Edit: Just replaced the module which was the problem.

Yo, Chris D. How you and your Riv doing?

Oh, not to bad. Found out I didn't have bad body mounts when my left sway bar mount ripped a hole in my subframe. I guess that area of the frame on the inside was rusted and weak so I had to have some metal welded in there for a fix. That was about two weeks ago when I got it fixed. Good to go now. Otherwise just working on some other projects. I try to make it back here when I can.

Haven't been doing much to the Riv besides driving it as my DD still. I did put a new set of tires on my winter wheels in November. I did just purchase this however. Figured it was time to upgrade from my 6 year old DVD receiver to something better with more features. Should have it by the end of the week.

http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/PUSA/Car/NEX/AVH-4100NEX

Well I'm going to be selling my 18" Milanni wheels that I used for summer weather on the Riv for 2 seasons. The wheels are in great condition. 3 tires are still decent shape with about half tread life left. One tire went bad and I never replaced it so one wheel has no tire. I haven't used these in 2 seasons now and they are taking up space. I will include the chrome lug nuts I was using on them. I'm asking $550 OBO. This is pick up only. I will not ship.

Wheel specs are Millani Kool Whip 18" 5x115 bolt pattern and the 3 tires are Faklen FK 452 245/45R18.

Not much going on. Decided I'm not selling the wheels after all. Going to get wheel adapters and put them on my 87 IROC. I had a plug wire go bad over the weekend and I was messing around with my laser temp gauge yesterday in the Riv and I was getting 39 degrees at the vent at noon and 30 degrees at the vent at 4:30 when it was hotter out. Glad to know my A/C is working great!

Just had someone come in to my work offering to buy my Riviera. I saw him a year or two ago and he was driving a tan one and today he pulled up in a nice white one. I had to tell him that it was not for sale. He asked what I had done to it and told him what all I've done and about the forums which he was not aware of. I think he was going to go home and look us up. Maybe I'll offer to sell it to him when I'm ready to sell it, but I'm still very happy with the car and no where near ready to part with with it.

J. Chris Davis wrote:

Just had someone come in to my work offering to buy my Riviera.  I saw him a year or two ago and he was driving a tan one and today he pulled up in a nice white one.  I had to tell him that it was not for sale.  He asked what I had done to it and told him what all I've done and about the forums which he was not aware of.  I think he was going to go home and look us up.  Maybe I'll offer to sell it to him when I'm ready to sell it, but I'm still very happy with the car and no where near ready to part with with it.

If you have time on your hands, now is the time to check for and arrest chassis rust, before driving/storing the Riv this fall/winter.

Albertj

I do have some stuff for that. I also try to get it in the bay at work often to wash off the salt and snow. Luckly winter is still a ways off yet.

J. Chris Davis wrote:

I do have some stuff for that.  I also try to get it in the bay at work often to wash off the salt and snow.  Luckly winter is still a ways off yet.

Yep, the reason I posted is that 3 fall seasons ago turned out to be th perfect time to have the underside of my riv repaired (beadblasted, cleaned, bad metal replaced by a welder) then the following summer I used RustBullet to convert the remaining surface rust. Topcoated with 3M rattle-can undercoating. Have not had any issues since.

Albertj

Chris,
Looking at your mods, wondered if there is a way to load an app to your Pioneer and use it paired with your Kiwi as the display/controller?..
Truly would seem "onboard" that way.

Jbird

Possibly by using the Appradio function. It would have to be done through the phone connected to the Pioneer unit.

I am some how missing my center nut to my engine cover.  So I am looking for one if anyone has one.  Also missing the black rubber piece for the back of the engine cover if anyone has that as well. The picture is just for reference of what I am talking about.

20mb image hosting

Been a while since I posted. I'm still around. Haven't done much with the Riv. Still running great and still my daily. Got about 157k on it now. Been keeping busy with other projects. Working on an 87 IROC all winter fixing various things with it.

Several months since my last post. Had to fix my driver seat over the weekend. The top half of the upper seat frame broke right above where it bolts together so got that welded and back together. I am now trying to find the rear seat back release lever knob since I ended up breaking mine getting it off.