1994 Buick LeSabre Custom from North America - Comments

My rack and pinion was replaced on my 1994 buick lesabre this week; the mechanic will not fill the the reservoir with fluid to the top since he said it is not necessary since the gauge read that it is full, however my steering wheel feels rough. Can someone tell me if

it should be filled to the top?

Also everything is breaking down all at once! You can email me at Buythe dozen@aol.com or here.

I have leaks from all the gaskets and now I need a new starter; the computer was replaced about two years ago.

It is also riding very rough. My car only has about 52,000 miles on it.

It's a 14 year old car, with low miles. expect it to have problems from not being used much. (various seals, gaskets, componements drying up, etc.)

I have a 1994 Limited. Bought it in 1998 w/68K miles on it. It has been fairly dependable. I had to replace the security system. That ticked me off. $900.00!! Car makers should be held acountable for those things.

Other than that it has been a good car. I still drive it to work every day. 140 miles a day. I am up to 200K miles on it. The engine is solid... however it is burning oil now. nothing visible... I just need to add a quart every 1000 miles. I change the oil every 3K miles even though I drive highway miles. Can't hurt. The air conditioning went out some time ago. Needs a compressor... I am not paying $700.00 for that at this stage of the game. I can live without A/C a few days of the year in Michigan.

I just ordered a Toyota Corolla LE (loaded). It will take over as my 140 mile commute car. I am not going to sell my Limited. I am saving it for my daughter since she is just about to start driver's ed. No point in selling this car for a few bucks just to turn around and find a car for her that I will end up fixing. I know what is right and wrong with the Lesabre. She will hate it because it is a Old Man's Car... but we will feel secure knowing she is safe in a tank.

Don't fill the power steering reservoir to the top. Fill it only to the mark on the small dipstick in the cap. There will be a line on it marked "full hot" (when the engine is running at hot idle) or "full cold" (when the engine is shut off). Filling the reservoir all the way to the top will over pressurize the system and blow a seal, which will cost you the replacement of the power steering pump. Also, the starter going out is not that unreasonable, especially for a 1994--in other words a 12-year-old car. Don't worry about the gaskets leaking, they all do. You might stem the flow of leaking by tightening the valve cover bolts to take up the shrinkage of the gaskets. They are usually about 35 inch-pounds, but if you don't have a torque wrench, just hold a socket wrench with the ratchet right in the palm of your hand (no leverage on the handle) and tighten by twisting your wrist without straining it. That's enough pressure to tighten those bolts. A 1994 is getting to be an old car, despite the low miles, which means things will have deteriorated, like shocks, struts, belts, hoses, brakes, etc. No car lasts forever, and it's up to you to keep up maintenance and replace these normal-wear parts.

If the car has gaskets leaking, you probably have a head gasket going bad. This will cause white "smoke" to come out of the exhaust and your oil to have water in it.

I just had to get a power steering flush on my 99 Mercury Sable, and after I got it done, I was still having the same problem, so I took it back to the place I had it done. Upon checking my rack and pinion, I was told that when they did the power steering flush, they blew the seal on my rack and pinion and wanted to charge me 600 dollars to replace the seal, even though I feel as though it was their fault that it happened. If there is anyone out there that can give me advice, please do so, whether it be how to get it done cheaper, or if I should pursue the auto mechanic for the repairs.

I have a 1994 La Sabre with 145,000 miles. Major services that were required were:

1. Computer and ignition modules under warranty at about 50,000 miles.

2. Transmission at about 85,000. A part came loose inside, or so they said.

3. Valve cover gaskets twice now, not a difficult job.

4. Intake manifold to head gaskets at 130,000 miles. Mostly caused by a flaw in the original gasket.

5. About 4 alternators.

6. Water pump at 95,000 miles. Difficult as the motor mount has to be removed for access to two screws.

7. A/C compressor twice, but I live in Phoenix and use it 9 months of the year.

8. Evaporator once due to leaves causing a corrosive mess where it could not be seen.

9. One front strut mount at 144,000 miles.

10. The contacts in the ignition key that sense the resistor chip in the key (part of the security system) failed at 130,000 miles. Found out how to locate the special wire going into the steering column and solder in a resistor of the same value to simulate a chip. Had to have the car towed home to figure out why it would not crank, etc. This info is not in the Mitchel guide.

11. EGR valve failed at 135,000. Computer code of pintle valve position failure. Found one on Craigslist.com.

12. One starter.

13. Many batteries, but this is in a hot climate.

14. One master brake cylinder, one rear brake cylinder, many pads, but no new disks.

Basically a good vehicle. I do all my own work except for the transmission. Still does not use oil. I change it every 5,000 miles, and it is down less than a quart. Front axle boots still look new. Passes emissions at less than 25% of limits.