zeus87gn

Get that car on a lift or stands and check your control arm bushings. If they are bad, they can lead you in the wrong direction....literally. It's a safety hazard. Not as bad in the rear, but still a hazard as you have already experienced.

Hello everybody, The SC400 is one he!! of an automobile! But I have an issue that concerns me. I hear an audible ticktickticktick from the d/s of the valve cover every revolution of the engine. You can still hear it when you close the hood and from under the vehicle. It clearly sounds like lifter tick to my ear, but diffucult to track down with a stethoscope. I can hear the injectors ticking quietly in the background (but can't hear them with the hood closed). As time has progressed in the last few weeks, and certainly after the oil change to the correct grade oil , the tick has gotten quieter. I think it's a sticky lifter that is loosening up from the vehicle having sat for some time before I bought it but not certain. Question is: Is it normal for these 4.0l V8's to have engine noise like this? Is this something I shoud dive into the motor to repair/replace? Do you think I have done irreversible damage running it with a sticky lifter ticking? What are the chances of crud on a valve that is slowly burning off and taking up the loose lash? The engine is running just fine and getting fantabulous gas mileage. The slight sputter that you hear from the exhaust (that runs in time with the tick) is virtually nonexistant now. Thanks in advance for any and all suggestions/ideas/coments. Z

1993 SC400. Recently purchased, 3rd owner. 160k miles. Paid $4k. Not too bad of a deal. It needs the front seats and the steering wheel re-upholstered. It has a fresh air compressor, good paint, no rust, a bad taillight and power antenna, fresh window tint. It was owned by this fellow that had been running regular in it for 13 years. I just replaced the original caps, rotors and plug wires. Wires were brittle, caps were corroded beyond recognition, rotors were cracked. It made a LOT of difference in the performance. Just found out the power tilt column has a problem. Overall, it appears bone stock....right down to the fcty SS exhaust with it's 3 feline components, 2 resonators and dual mufflers. We are planning on leaving it that way for now. I have a lot of learing to do to keep this thing in good shape. Manuals are on order. I hope to be able to get a long service life out of this vehicle.

I just went thru this with my newly acquired SC400. The lower covers have a cople of 10mm bolts underneath and bolted into the block horizontally. The d/s cover is relatively short, the p/s goes down across the middle of the block with 2 larger 12mm bolts in it pretty much in the middle of the engine. I had to remove the upper radiator hose and serpentine belt to gain appropriate access to get those covers off. Be careful as the coil pickup wires go thru grommets that are fitted into those covers. They also have gaskets all around. HTH, Z

I will only go to a mechanic if (1) I don't have the knowledge or the tools or (2) I don't have the time. If time is an issue, there are only certain places I will allow to touch my vehicles. I'm just glad I know these places. I have been taken by a few and have not returned to the business. Otherwise, I will do it myself. Most importantly - I will flat our refuse to go to any dealership (pronounced -> STEALERSHIP) unless there is sbsolutely no way the parts or knowledge are no where else to be found. Hearing storeis of people being taken to the cleaners by fix it shops just burns my ***!

Hello everybody, I'm new to the site (1st post) but not new to personal auto repair and upgrades. I've been fixing up vehicles since I was a kid. I had to learn, my first vehicle (beyond the Dart) was a Pinto. My wife and I purchased a 1993 SC400 about 2 weeks ago and have been enjoying it ever since. My wife is enjoying the freshly tinted windows and the power over our Montana. I thought it was a good buy at $4k with 160k miles, and so far after reading some of these threads it seems we haven't done too bad on the deal. Kellys BB agrees with this somewhat. Online resources have proven to be invaluable for our small fleet. I stumbled across this forum looking for service manuals and discovered the thread on...service manuals. We are also member of www.Turbobuick.com and www.Jeepforum.com. We also own an 87 Buick Grand National, an 87 Jeep Wrangler, a 99 Montana (nice for a minivan), and a 99 Grand Am. Just sold an 86 Ranger. We are looking forward to some good service out of our SC. With the help of good folks around here, I shouldn't be a problem. See you in the technical pages!