PontiacBonnevilleClub.com

Ok, since the forum was down I did a few things. Fixed the hesitation with the Passat. Maf which is inside the air box wasn't connected, not sure why or how as I never touched it. I also tightened a loose trans mount and changed the oil pressure switch. And since it's on daily driver duty I put a stereo in it.

Meanwhile I somehow messed up a tie rod on the Grand Prix so it's currently down. Thanks Michigan and your terrible roads.

I just enjoyed the fact that even in freezing weather, the Dirtbag performed flawlessly. However, I'm not sure what to expect out of the heated mirrors. I know they work with the rear defroster, but when I ran them I didn't notice them working. Perhaps I'll run it again and shoot the glass with my IR temp reader.

Heated mirrors turn on with the rear defrost.

Laundry list of things for Penny includes:
Both front wheel hubs are a little loose.
Both front outer tie rods are a little loose.
EVAP leak code, P0442.
Heater core is leaking into my cabin.

I've done nothing to the car today. But I should. LOL

Well, the weather held out a couple weeks longer than normal, but unfortunately, my efforts to keep global warming going, has not fully affected the Chicago area, and winter is quickly arriving.

As such, this weekend, I switched cars around, putting the Cadillac away for the winter, and bringing the GTO back to the garage to play with over the next three months.

Yeah, winter has grabbed us pretty good at this point too. Freezing rain turned to snow again last night and I have the plow to thank for my morning exercises.

I have the Evap code too, I'm monitoring it. It dings the check gas cap message everytime I drive the car with a low fuel tank. I cleared the code and filled up the tank and am going to watch it again to see when the gas cap message and CEL pop again. I'm suspecting the evap valve.

Well my car eats coolant cause my engine fans do not work in my 2002 Pontiac Bonneville SSEI I bought used ones they didn't work either idk what to do guess buy new ones but what if they don't work either what could it be

The engine isn't going to use coolant because the fans don't work, you have a leak somewhere. The only thing the fans not working are going to do is cause it to overheat.

Scored some Blizzak ws60s for the Passat for $150 and I had them put on. (I was that guy that went to the tire shop before a snowstorm) I went to someplace that hadn't been cleared and what a difference already.

Replaced my heater core. Not a pleasant time.

Cleaned the snow off the Bonne and drove it 5 blocks to the store and back. Tomorrow I'm getting a monthly pass for $19.99 @ Pro Clean for it. Unlimited washes and they dry it off and dress the tires while I wait.
I use it a lot in the winter. Gotta keep the salt off it.
Spent 2 hours cleaning the inside of my big truck tonight tho since I spend 14+ hours a day 7 days a week in it right now pulling a bottle with 9500 gallons of liquid propane to the co-ops that fill their customers' tanks so everyone stays warm in this nasty ass cold I can't stand.

Yeah, I need to get mine in the wash, but I don't have a garage to park it in and the idea of 15F weather ice welding it shut doesn't appeal to me. Perhaps I'll shoot a little silicon spray in the door locks and through a little wax on the door jambs so they don't freeze shut when I do get it cleaned at a good wash. Or I may just get it washed and bring it over to an open bay in my works shop and finish drying it out completely.

I do know that I want better winter tires for it. The Cooper Zeons on it are nice tires, but my traction control was not liking them much today in the skim coat of snow we have on the side roads...and the rear tires are worse than the fronts so it wanted to break free around simple corners. No plans for wrecking it this first winter I have it!

They do a thorough dry @ Pro Clean. First the air dry, then towel dried. If they happen to be shorthanded and have only 1 guy drying it off, I'll grab a towel and do all the door jambs and such myself. When I leave it's dried pretty good. I've never had an issue with anything freezing shut and it doesn't get a whole lot colder anywhere than here.
I'll wash it 2 or 3 times a week if we use it a lot which we don't. Doubt it will see 5000 miless a year.

I got to fix the Saab again (yesterday)!!!

Rear wheel locked up overnight, had about 1 or 2 degrees of free rotation back and forth but would lock up hard after that.

So I pulled everything apart, found a few issues, and kinda fixed it to get by. The e-brake on this car is a drum inside a rotor/caliper setup. One of the springs, the main return spring for the cable, should have been mounted inside the drum, but Saab put it outside of the back of the drum, an un-coated/un-treated spring exposed to the elements? Yeah, that broke.

But wait, there's more! The E-brake cable is mounted in such a way that water can get inside it and freeze. So Saab fitted a dust cover to the exposed end to keep water out. Of course, they used the cheapest rubber they could, and it's long since disintegrated into crumbly bits.

A perfect storm of freezing weather after a salty slush bath on the way home and parking it where we needed to use the parking brake happened - and the cable froze on one side. I managed to pull the tension off the cable and zip-tied the parking brake apply lever in the off position so the brakes don't drag for now. In the meantime, I need to find a new cable (or a good way to clean the one I have), new release springs, and new boots. Should be fun! I might have to 3D print a boot...

huzzah!

Replacing the water pump on my 92. If I only knew what I was getting myself into, lol.

Got to work, Passat died in the parking lot. Was not wanting to accelerate just before that happened. Evidently it had a massive vacuum leak on the air box because this little tube came off. Fixed that and threw on the MAF I got from the junkyard last week. Also the right hand axle is clicking now. Hopefully it lasts till next week when I'm on vacation to fix it along with the Grand Prix.

I start vacation on Thursday, hoping my new Key FOB's are here from Andrew by then ( should be ). Looking forward to using a button to open the trunk instead of the key or the switch in the glove box.

I might, possibly buy tires for it, but I may end up waiting. I don't have to drive the car unless I WANT to, which is really nice. I like being able to own a car and not have to use it every day. Perhaps I'll start wiring it up for the Amp that is going in it soon along with starting to build a subwoofer box.

charged my battery cause I left a bluetooth obd2 scanner plugged into port and didnt drive for 5 days.

Yeah, they'll suck the life out of a battery if they don't have a timer built in. I installed my newly pre-programmed keyless entry module fresh off the mail truck from Andrew....best thing I bought for myself for Christmas so far!

Replaced the no-longer-sticky butyl tape on 1 door liner.
Unclogged a sunroof tube and snipped off the nipple end in the wheel well to stop the interior rain.
That was my punishment for parking under a pine tree in the summer---rain onto my recently refurbished headliner.
GRRR.
Replaced the scratched and dim display radio with a better condition one from Ebay.