Hey all. I just joined this forum in hopes of your help. I just recently purchased this nice 1985 Seville with the 4.1 engine in it. It is in pretty cherry except for a few things...

HEATER CORE!!! I know the heater core is done. I am wondering is it going to be safe to drive on? There is chunks in the coolant tank and i just lifted up the passenger's side floor mat and sucked up about a pint with the shop vac...what a dismay...does anyone know how much this is going to cost me to repair...and is there any other alternative than getting this fixed? I know its going to be $500 minimal. Any suggestions will help.

FUNNY TRANNY - I was told this car was not driven much..and it was owned by an elderly man...so I can totally understand where this is coming from. Now it is being drive by a 19 year old so what can you do? haha But anyway the tranny would act so funny like it would always drop into 4th gear everytime i leave my foot off the gas and then i would have to floor it to get it to shift down. But since i have been driving it 200 miles or so a week for the past few weeks it is helping and i think that the car just needed to be ran. He said they serviced and changed the filter about a year, and its only been driven about 1000 miles since then. I am going to service the tranny again and flush and change the filter. Anyone have any suggestions with this one?

Wierd noise - I hear this wierd noise that sounds like a heat shield rattling whenever i drive and stress the gear. by stressing the gear i mean when i go up a hill and sont move my foot on the gas so it stays in the same gear. i have no idea what this is being caused by.

Any help or suggestions to me would be greatly appreciated.
Thank You!

Welcome!
1. You can flush and backflush the heater core with a garden hose. Is it leaking? If so, replace it with an aftermarket one for some $30.
2. Rattling noise... Do you get it when moving from a stop or up hill? If so your exhaust system moves back when you accelerate and touches body parts. The best way to find the source of the noise is to lift the car with ahoist and power brake it carefully (put in D or R with your foot FIRMLY on brake pedal and press gas pedal slightly). Have a helper watching /listenig beneath the car.
3. Whatever you do with tranny do not flush it, just drain , replace filter and refill.
4. I would be really concerned with old antufreez in the system. Get rid of it. Replace with green stuff mixed 50/50 with distilled water. Add to coolant two tubes of "bars leaks golden seal" powder from Wal-Mart for $1.44. It's a must.

Godd luck!

Yeah, realize you own a car with perhaps the worst modern engine from Cadillac/GM. If it made it this far, its good... but regular coolant changes with the supplement is a must.

thanks for the tips guys. but i wanted to ask is it going to be safe to drive the car with the messed up heater core? and yes the rattling was the heat shield.

thanks for the tips guys. but i wanted to ask is it going to be safe to drive the car with the messed up heater core? and yes the rattling was the heat shield.
Yes, it is safe.

thanks for the tips guys. but i wanted to ask is it going to be safe to drive the car with the messed up heater core? and yes the rattling was the heat shield.

Why drive around with a messed up heater core? It is not too bad of a job to replace. It costs around $40 for a new one and takes a couple hours to replace.

Go to the following website for the repair procedure:
http://arrc.epnet.com/autoasp/index.asp?sid=142127267&uid=s9072919.main.autorefctr

Once you find your car, go to repair procedures, then go to Chassis Electrical/Heating and AC/Heater Core.

Hope this helps.......:)