New guy with 94-96 Buick questions

Hello to all. I am looking to buy a 94-96 Roadmaster wagon and wondering what to look for compared to buying other used cars.
I know there are different suspensions, buy I know nothing about them, good or bad. Any and all help would be most appreciated.
Thanka Papa

 

ok on the buicks there are 2 suspensions. dynaride and gran touring.
there isnt enough of a difference IMHO to make 1 or the other a deal killer.
the dynaride rides like the suspension is made from marshmallows and the gran touring ...less so. the gran touring also has a steering dampener to soak up potholes and tighten up the steering a little.

when looking to buy, check for rust on the 1/4 panel ..particularly the drivers side at the bottom. that is a known rust area. as are the rockers.

 

Thanks for the reply alawind. Are both of these suspensions air ride?

 

Papa. Good luck and happy hunting for your Buick.

 

No. niether are air ride. Coils all the way around

 

Thanks CatModelT,.
I thought I read about some having trouble with air leaks in the suspension, or do they all have air shocks and that is where the problems are.

 

tow pack cars have air shocks. these are cheaply replaced.
to tell a tow from non tow.....open the hood. if it has a mechanical fan...tow pack. if it has 2 rad mounted electric fans...its a non tow pack.

 

Thanks again. What about the front end, ball joints,control arm bushings. I had a few Cadillacs from the sixtys, and because they were so heavy of a car I had to replace a lot of upper a frame bushings.

 

Papa....stop worrying and buy one! You will never look back!

 

Just trying to get a idea what to look for when looking one over.

 

I would look for a tow pack car, it has one mechanical fan (primary), and one electric fan (secondary) for the cooling system, limited slip differental, and 2.93 rear gears. The 2.56 rear axle gears in the non-tow pack cars are just a cruel joke imo. All Roady wagons got the steering dampers, so no difference there. If you look on the option decal in the rear tail gate jam (about the size of a 3x5 card) look for V92, that is the firm suspension, firm being relative on a Roady wagon though. As Ian said, the rear quarters are a rust issue, but also look at the D pillars just above the tail lights, and the very bottom of the B pillars, these are also rust issues, at least in the North East. Give a look in the bins that are along the sides in the rear cargo area, look for signs of water leaks from the rear side windows. Now go get one, they are great wagons.

Mike

 

i really havent noticed much difference in acceleration. with my wagon and mike and jess i only notice the difference when both cars are loaded down.

 

Just look at tha car as you would all others!

Lots of electrical stuff on the Buick Roadmaster so check all switches and operation.

Windows to see if they go up and down, usually some will not and need a roller repair.

Tailgate opens and closes both ways.

Cooling system came with Dex Cool (death cool) so look in the tank and see if it's dirty, see if heat comes out heater! If not it's got the death cool clog. Motor and heater core will need several flushes with knock sensors removed.

Optispark distributor is expensive and if waterpump leaks it leaks on top of it, seals behind optispark leak. Look up from crankshaft and see if oil is leaking. Not a kill on a good deal but can chew down price for repair. Not hard just time. New optispark, waterpump and spark plug wires installed at shop is a $1000 bill! Half that for parts if you do it! Maintenece on the Opti is change cap and rotor with o ring sheid and vent harness every 100k.

AC does it work? Expensive repair.

Known places for rust is bottom of spare tire metal and behind drivers rear tire.

Pellet in key must match VATS unit, keys are $15 to $30. If cylinder in column is old and worn car won't start and replacement cylinder is $150 installed.

HTH!

 

The 2.93s are barely adequate in a car this big and heavy, the 2.56 cars in O.D. at about 50mph lug the motor a bit. It's not a night and day difference, but there is a difference.


As Mark pointed out the LT1 cooling system tends to clog up the heater core unless the P.O. was good about getting the system flushed often. The Dex-Cool only came in the '96 cars, but they all had this issue if not maintained correctly, and most weren't.

Mike

 

I didn't know that? Although mine was a 1994 it must have been serviced at a GM dealer as I have all the signs of Death Cool damage and clumps and clogging etc... just did a search and was introduced in some 1995 GM vehicles.

Class action law suits were filed as early as 1998 to 2007 some paid but GM got out of the rest when it filed bankruptcy.

Corrosion, intake manifold and head gasket issues have been caused by this junk besides clogged heater cores and radiators. I got sick of reading damage through 2002 vehicles... don't know when or if it was ever stopped being used.

GM has blamed it on everything it could think of including the owner not maintaining a maintenance free cooling system?

http://www.sancarlosradiator.com/dex-cool.htm

Makes me sick! :banghead3: Was told by GM engineer of the time that GM made it's own antifreeze to save 50 cents a gallon... cost to consumers thousands of dollars damage and repairs per car... same story for the Ford Explorer with rear tire blowouts causing accidents and deaths for 25 cents a tire...