New Member: test drove '94 FWB Sunday, have question

[Buicksx2]

Hello All,

A new member here from Southern Cal. Katshot, if you're reading this we've dialogued previously on the Imp SS Board.

Some quick background: I currently own a '96 Roadmaster Ltd Collector's Ed with the V08/G80 posi rear/V92. The vehicle has been tweaked a little bit with the usual "du jour" mods of CAI, exhaust, t-stat, stiff shocks and a completely rebuilt rearend with 3.42s. I also have an '87 Grand National that runs 11-teens.

On Sunday July 13th I went to Nabers Cadillac/Pontiac/Buick/GMC on Harbor Blvd. in Costa Mesa and test drove a beautiful '94 FW Brougham that had recently been traded in by an elderly couple on a new Deville. The FW was flawless-- black with black 1/2 vinyl roof, premium wheels, tan leather seats and dash over a chocolate-colored carpet. My wife described it as "wow...simply elegant". Mileage was 63,240 when I drove it. The sticker said $12,260, the autotrader.com ad said $11,260, and the car was offered to me for the "special pricing" of $9,900 since it had been on their lot for awhile. My test drive went down Harbor Blvd to the 405 freeway south, then onto the 55S, the looping back around. BTW, the FW did not have the V4P Package, so gears were the standard 2.93s. It also didn't have posi.

The car drove awesome, except for one thing: it was boomy in the passenger cabin. I confirmed the radio was off, and there weren't any cars around me. But, every expansion joint or minor road imperfection I hit would transmit a ton of road noise and "boom" into the back seat, so much so my wife asked what all the noise was (she said: "A Cadillac is supposed to ride quieter, isn't it?"). At one point I pulled over on Fair Drive, got out and inspected all 4 tires to make sure they matched and were inflated properly. The tires were newer Michelin all season WWs and none were low. This "boom" doesn't happen in my RM at all. The road noise really soured the experience, and Andy (the salesman) at Nabers couldn't believe it as he was sure he had a buyer for the car (me). I suggested they try another set of tires to see if that might be the problem and he said he'd run it by his manager.

Questions: was this excessive road noise an abnormality for a FW? Or, is it symptomatic because of the extra length in the rear seat area? Secondly, did any FWs come with the G80 posi rear?

Sorry for the length, and thanks for any replies!
Morgan

[elwesso]

Welcome aboard, Morgan!!! Thanks for signing up (great, another person to dialogue with katshot )

Anyway, I have noticed that the FWs arent as quiet as I would expect...... I think they have more than expected wind noise...... Along with some of the noise you are saying...... I suppose it is the nature of the beast, but im sure you could mod it someway to make it somewhat quieter...... Ours is the same way (95 FW brougham with 36kmiles)...... I have heard of people putting insulation (noise reduction type) in various places that makes a huge difference!!!

Also, it could be some of the rubber suspension parts are starting to fail...... Chances are, the suspension hasnt even been looked at recently!!!

[Elvis]

I saw pictures of that car on the net. It has to be one of the absolute best-looking Fleetwoods available right now, and I've found at least 25 with low mileage advertised with pictures. You'd better buy it!

[Elvis]

Aww HELL YEAH! This is THE one!

[Katshot]

Hey Morgan,
Very pretty car. Nice color combination. I've never seen one with the posi rear but I'd have to look it up to see if it was actually available.
The "booming" you mentioned, were there any windows open during the drive? If so, the booming is very normal. If not, I would suggest that it is NOT normal. Still, unless you can verify that the car has been involved in a major accident that would explain the odd noise, I would say that you should be able to eliminate it fairly easily. There is a common problem with that car that can cause a lot of noise like you describe. The trans mount gets worn out and basically collapses. This allows an almost direct metal to metal connection between the trans tailshaft area and the frame cross-over. I've replaced these failed mounts and the difference in ride quality was nothing short of amazing. Another possibility is, do you know if the rear air shocks were working?
Trust me, as long as the car is straight (no frame damage) it should be able to ride like a cloud.
Good luck.

[Scrapyard]

I'll agree with Kev. If the windows are down (especially the rears) the rear glass catches a lot of air and makes the car sound wierd. I've actualy noticed it put a lot of drag on the car. If you have all 4 down and then roll up the rears the car will pick up a couple MPH instantly. If it sounds like a steady drone it could be an exauhst problem. Lose hanger of a leak in the cat back. When I lived out there I would scrub the pipes over driveways even with stock suspension. The roads are nasty out there.

[Buicksx2]

Guys,

It was too hot to drive with the windows down, so the A/C was on and windows were up. Also, my RM has the same buffeting problem when you roll the rear windows down, so I tend not to do it. It isn't exhaust drone and definitely occurred when I hit bobbles in the road. I even purposefully ran over the Braille dots while on the freeway to see if something would happen, but the super low frequency boom was still there when I pulled back into the middle portion of the lane. I still have the salesman's business card so I'll try to contact him and let him know about a possible tranny mount issue. Also-- I can't confirm that the ELC was working, as the car was almost out of gas when I drove it and I never heard the compressor cycle (my RM has ELC, so I know what it sounds like).

Thanks again for the tips!
Morgan

[BeelzeBob]

Welcome aboard, Buicksx2! Thanks for signing up.. This is a very interesting subject. I've never even been IN a 93-96 Fleetwood so I'm really interested in what this is. Fortunately for me, I wouldn't let it affect my decision - especially in the Fleetwood you're looking at. I always have my stereo on anyway.