Puzzling factory wheels on my new to me 2005 LeSabre w/ 32K original miles.

[JBeechcraft]

Hey.. @JBeechcraft ---- you mentioned that you were going to install a TranGo Kit.
I have been looking to do that myself.
Would it be possible that you take photos of the job and start a thread on it? (On photos, reduce the size on your PC before trying to post)

As a btw.... I have all hoses, belts, brake fluids, and did the coolant with Dexcool, replaced.
Issues I have had/found...
- While the body looks excellent, the underbody is a rust magnet, coated it with Woolwax
- brake lines were also rusty.. Woolwaxed them too.
- the lower front body panels forward of the door were rusty, clean those off and Woolwaxed too.
- has the 1 - 2 shift clunk on light throttle, and also on a quick throttle lift on the hwy.
- Speedo is dead, gas gage works only sometimes, Tach is goofy on or off or Way off. I use the DIC for gas indication and info.
- Front rotors rust too easily, with even a day of not driving it. Replacment soon with pads.

For a car with only 51k now, it does drive good, somewhat comfortable, but thats a lot of nits for a low mile car.

Curious, where are you located?

Hey there. Florida here. I have no aversion to doing the TransGo shift kit and actually enjoy that kind of thing. However, I'm not getting an overwhelming endorsement of that from those that know better and perhaps I see why. This car has 32K original (no rust) miles and perhaps rather than fussing with it relative to an after market shift kit, I may do better to just follow the lead of others and do: Dexron VI, GM magnets, GM filter, GM pan gasket (if you can't/don't want to use your old one which others say is re-usable). I have NO issues with trans yet, so perhaps I should wait until I do. I was going to do the zzp fined aluminum tans pan with magnetic drain plug, but I've not had any friendly experiences with ZZP in the last couple days as they don't seem to answer emails quickly (or at all unless you pester them), and, no coupon codes which is a turn off especially since I was directed to them for 20% off if I signed up for their emails. They got my emails and declined a coupon code. Bad start.

Buick girl had some fantastic recommendations which I'm going to follow, namely to use an external trans cooler in addition to the one in the radiator. I guess I'd prefer to do that than screw around with ZZP at this point. Pretty turned off with them AND, can't use the GM magnets if I use their aluminum pan with magnetic drain plug. I opted for the SKP pan and got the last one on Walmart for $20 today. It too has a drain plug and I'll buy a high quality Votex magnetic drain plug to add to the GM doughnut ones. Buick girl says to upgrade the differential lube pipe to a new approved design P/N 24243134 which took me about an hour to find any reference to it and/or it's P/N. This write up, to me, was outstanding: Pan Drop or Fluid Through Dipstick
and I hope you find it as useful!.

I've seen a strange thing on YouTube about the possibility of resurrecting those gauges with a STRONG Neo magnet. Search for something like "fixing lesabre gauges with magnet." Alternatively, there are 3 or 4 stepper motors behind the instrument cluster that are notorious for just being cheap and bad. People change them out all the time and if you're just a little handy and willing, and the Neo magnets don't work, the new stepper motors have a high rate of success with people who have very little experience but are willing to get in there and do it with a cheapo soldering iron. Stepper motors are available inexpensively on Amazon. The gauges seem to go whacky when the power is out in the car. Mine sat a long time and the gauges are like yours. Magnet on the way from Amazon and if that doesn't work, I have no issue with doing the stepper motors and restoring the instrument cluster to new.

I ordered Akebono brake pads for my car as I've had huge success with them. I always go for the ASP versions of Akebono and Scotty Kilmer seems to love them too. ASP versions are for "fleet, police" etc.. I have them on my Camry and they are buttery smooth and can take a lot of heat and abuse, although I don't drive like that. GREAT feel and VERY hard to fade and no throbbing of the pedal which makes me crazy. I use Advics rotors as my Toyota Camry came with this brand new and I've grown fond of them. All Rock Auto.

Best of luck to you and your ride! My first Buick (aside from an old '72 convertible (maybe an Electra 225?) I drove back in the day when in school).

 

[JBeechcraft]

I have the exact same car and wheels but an '04.....Definately sharp wheels. I inherited this car from my dad with 21K on it.

View attachment 46290

Bingo bingo! They are handsome and are what really caught my eye on this dormant LeSabre sitting in a person's driveway I'd see every day.

 

[JBeechcraft]

Congratulations! You got a great deal! I have a 04 lesabre limited with 52k on the body and transmission. Unfortunately she had to get a new motor due to the previous owners neglecting her.

Nice! Nothing like a "Limited!" Jealous!

 

[silverbullet04]

Nice! Nothing like a "Limited!" Jealous!

The limited is nice If you like leather. I'm not a fan of leather seats, even though mine are basically flawless, I would still rather have cloth seats.

 

[JBeechcraft]

The limited is nice If you like leather. I'm not a fan of leather seats, even though mine are basically flawless, I would still rather have cloth seats.

Odd. My custom has leather seats and those P05 chrome wheels seen in the Park Ave Ultra Special Editions. I guess there are a few things on this care that are just not ordinary. The chrome wheels are also 16" rather than 15" which is a shame cause I already had a gorgeous set of new Michelins in the correct 15" size but had to buy another set of 16" Michelins for these chromies. I agree though, the fabric seats just seem to wear better and are more climate friendly!

Thanks again.

 

[ohioriver]

Hey JBeechcraft... please continue to post up on your adventures in maintenace...
New threads on your magnet for gages and adding a tranny cooler.
I have found vendors that will do the stepper motor change on the gages, but would rather not take it apart myself.
Anyhoo, since we have the same car, very interested in how things go for you.

Cheerz

 

[silverbullet04]

Odd. My custom has leather seats and those P05 chrome wheels seen in the Park Ave Ultra Special Editions. I guess there are a few things on this care that are just not ordinary. The chrome wheels are also 16" rather than 15" which is a shame cause I already had a gorgeous set of new Michelins in the correct 15" size but had to buy another set of 16" Michelins for these chromies. I agree though, the fabric seats just seem to wear better and are more climate friendly!

Thanks again.

I think buick had a bunch of add on features you could get with each trim level. Do you have heated seats?

 

[JBeechcraft]

I think buick had a bunch of add on features you could get with each trim level. Do you have heated seats?

Good question. I don't know and actually wouldn't know how to find out. In Fla. that would probably not be a useful option, but it would be good to know. Thanks for asking!

 

[silverbullet04]

Good question. I don't know and actually wouldn't know how to find out. In Fla. that would probably not be a useful option, but it would be good to know. Thanks for asking!

If you have heated seats, you'll see the button for them. My car has them but the don't work anymore, the light turns on when I press the button, but that's all.

 

[JBeechcraft]

If you have heated seats, you'll see the button for them. My car has them but the don't work anymore, the light turns on when I press the button, but that's all.

Understood. Where is that button located please?

 

[silverbullet04]

Understood. Where is that button located please?

On the door panel on both front doors. It will say heated seat.

 

[ohioriver]

I have the heated seats on mine, but they have never worked.
2 things I do like on the car... the adjustable steering wheel, I kick it in different positions all the time.
And the power adjustable seats, play with that constantly.

 

[silverbullet04]

I have the heated seats on mine, but they have never worked.
2 things I do like on the car... the adjustable steering wheel, I kick it in different positions all the time.
And the power adjustable seats, play with that constantly.

Yea my heated seats don't work either, but the button lights up when I turn them on. Even if they did work I probably wouldn't use them.

 

[BuickGirlFromMars]

Congratulations on your new car. We’d have all been interested if we had driven by it like you had.

Replacing the coolant elbows is a very good idea, but the UIM and LIM gaskets are probably overkill at this point. By 2004, GM started using better gaskets that weren’t so prone to weakening from acidic old DexCool coolant.

Go ahead and use DexCool if you are good about maintenance, and it sounds like you are. The history of the DexCool was GM telling people it was a 100k mile coolant, and it broke down long before that.

P.S. Pictures please!

they said iit was a 150k mile factory fil 10 year coolant, and then cut the interval on non factory fills to 100k and also cut the interval to what green was (75k, 3 years?) if clean?) because lost additive packages was the issue not so much the coolant itself

 

[2000ltd]

Thank you for taking the time and responding! I do appreciate your wisdom and experiences!

I am pretty good at changing coolant in a timely manner and in an old 2000 Cavalier I maintained, it seemed to be just fine. I do have the aluminum elbows and GM "O rings" that I think some say are better quality than the one's Dorman uses (although my elbows are AC Delco which are probably Dorman anyways. I suspect there's only one maker of these aluminum elbows at the end of the day

Tell us more about it. Mileage? Options?

Do you know the part numbers for both the elbows and o-rings you used?