New (to me) 2002 Buick LeSabre

[Triggerology]

Hey everyone. I have a 2002 Buick LeSabre with 55k miles that I just got recently and she's got a P0171 code. I took her to a mechanic to be diagnosed and he found a few things that needed to be done to the car. I've never worked on cars before, so I'm hoping y'all can point me in the right direction while I come up with a game plan.

1. Brake booster is leaking
2. Serpentine belt is starting to wear and has some slight cracks in it
3. Rear air shocks are leaking oil, advised both need to be replaced along with front struts
4. Air compressor for the suspension isn't turning on and one of the air lines is missing/deteriorated
5. There's some play in the front wheel bearings

I'm thinking about tackling the brake booster with SKP SKBB018 and serpentine belt with GATES K060926 Micro-V first - to get rid of the code and the serpentine belt is cheap and (looks) easy. Does replacing the brake booster require bleeding the brake lines afterwards? It looks like I may just be able to move the master cylinder aside without disturbing any of the brake fluid.

As for the shocks and struts, I'm thinking of buying a complete assembly for the struts, so I don't have to worry about compressing the springs. I don't really want to cheap out on suspension parts, so I was thinking of going with GABRIEL G57051 Ultra ReadyMount. I'd like to keep my rear air shocks and figure out what's wrong with the compressor, so I'm thinking of going with GM GENUINE 504147 and GM GENUINE 504146. Do y'all think there are better options out there? If anyone could provide some troubleshooting tips for the air compressor, that would be great! If it turns out it's shot, I'll probably wind up buying DORMAN 949015.

Is there anything I need to know regarding the wheel bearing? Any specific tools to remove them? I did not receive a video on this to confirm this is an actual issue, so I'm willing to hold off on this.

Appreciate any and all info y'all can provide. Thanks in advance! Some pics of the car and parts below!

 

[DrivenDaily]

About a month ago I replaced the front wheel bearings in my 2005 LeSabre with about 213,xxx miles. HUGE difference!

There was a noise that had developed recently and I figured it was a wheel bearing. I chose to do the fronts first and then decide whether to replace the rears afterward. Thankfully the fronts solved the problem, making the car a dream to drive once again.

I bought the MevoTech TTX from Rock Auto and replaced them in July. TTX is their higher-end line. The included bolts were not blue, but they did come with each bearing.

Rock Auto - MevoTech Front Wheel Bearing info

 

[02LTD2.0]

Hey everyone. I have a 2002 Buick LeSabre with 55k miles that I just got recently and she's got a P0171 code. I took her to a mechanic to be diagnosed and he found a few things that needed to be done to the car. I've never worked on cars before, so I'm hoping y'all can point me in the right direction while I come up with a game plan.

1. Brake booster is leaking
2. Serpentine belt is starting to wear and has some slight cracks in it
3. Rear air shocks are leaking oil, advised both need to be replaced along with front struts
4. Air compressor for the suspension isn't turning on and one of the air lines is missing/deteriorated
5. There's some play in the front wheel bearings

I'm thinking about tackling the brake booster with SKP SKBB018 and serpentine belt with GATES K060926 Micro-V first - to get rid of the code and the serpentine belt is cheap and (looks) easy. Does replacing the brake booster require bleeding the brake lines afterwards? It looks like I may just be able to move the master cylinder aside without disturbing any of the brake fluid.

As for the shocks and struts, I'm thinking of buying a complete assembly for the struts, so I don't have to worry about compressing the springs. I don't really want to cheap out on suspension parts, so I was thinking of going with GABRIEL G57051 Ultra ReadyMount. I'd like to keep my rear air shocks and figure out what's wrong with the compressor, so I'm thinking of going with GM GENUINE 504147 and GM GENUINE 504146. Do y'all think there are better options out there? If anyone could provide some troubleshooting tips for the air compressor, that would be great! If it turns out it's shot, I'll probably wind up buying DORMAN 949015.

Is there anything I need to know regarding the wheel bearing? Any specific tools to remove them? I did not receive a video on this to confirm this is an actual issue, so I'm willing to hold off on this.

Appreciate any and all info y'all can provide. Thanks in advance! Some pics of the car and parts below!

You may want to consider changing to coil-over struts for the rear. Many folks here on the forum have done it and seem to like the results.

 

[RD_Atlanta]

Several of us contributed to a LeSabre longevity thread recently, you might be interested in reading it. Link

+ 1 on the coil over rear struts.

 

[DrivenDaily]

My 2005 already had the rear air suspension swapped out to standard shocks. One is leaking a little, but not enough for the shop to recommend it being replaced just yet.

 

[silverbullet04]

My air suspension went bad at around 52,000 miles. I didn't want to be bothered with it so I swapped it for spring/strut combo. Took me under 2 hours to do in my driveway.

The ride is a bit stiffer and the rear sits a bit higher. I'm pleased with it.

 

[02LTD2.0]

Also you should buy a couple of feet of vacuum tubing at a local auto parts store.