92Regal Posted July 29, 2003 Report Share Posted July 29, 2003 About two months ago, I picked up a 92 Regal (3.8L) with roughly 80k on the clock. Just yesterday, my battery light came on when I pulled into my driveway and the car refused to restart. I assumed it was the battery, so I swapped in a new Diehard (the one it had was already five years old, so it needed one anyway) and it started, but the battery light remains on. I don't have a load tester, but I think it's safe to say that I probably need an alternator (I did a search on this site and that seems to be a common problem). My car also has a dead analog odometer (which I understand is a common problem with the base gauges). Anyone know of a good place that rebuilds them, or know where I can pick up a replacement? I don't want to upgrade to the digital cluster, so I was hoping to fix this one. Is there anything else that's a common problem on the Regals? How about the coil packs? How long should I expect them to last - I've heard they don't last too long. I really like the car and I'm fairly mechanically inclined, so I don't mind doing the work, but it would be nice to know what else to expect down the road. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
93Luminanewb Posted July 29, 2003 Report Share Posted July 29, 2003 Yes it's most likely the alternator giving up to ghost. Either that or the serpentine belt isn't turning the alternator fast enough, I highly doubt that though. Also if I were you I'd make sure the belt is in good condition. I have no idea about the other questions though, sorry. Hope this helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redfox340 Posted July 30, 2003 Report Share Posted July 30, 2003 Most likely the alternator cannot handle the electrical load at it's age. Plus, car electrical / charging systems are heroic to go out together. It's been proven that both a dying alternator and dying battery will survive on each other. But you take one out of the equation and the dying component will such the life out of the other. Especially when a new battery is installed and the alternator has to fight to keep the car running and charge the battery. It's been suggested when you replace a battery, do the alternator and vise versa. Keeps you away from being stranded or needing a jumpstart from someone. Bottom Line: Change you alternator; good insurance and it should kill the problem. As for ignition coils, it been rare to hear those go out unless you've tinkered with them. If unsure about spark, check plugs / gap / wires and some basic sensors (details if needed). If and when you coils go out (most likely in the high 175K+ miles) it's very noticeable since two or more cylinder will not fire. - Erik Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Panopticon Posted July 30, 2003 Report Share Posted July 30, 2003 Well I can say with good certinty that the 3800-series I is very...very reliable. I've never had a problem with the coil packs. My alt. did give out but that was only after a dodge durango smoked the front passenger side. lol aside from a new body panel and shock/coil assmb. The alt. was the only other problem UHmm what else. yeah in the year i've owned the car i've put about 90,000km on it and have had no problems! The milage isn't half bad either!. I get about 650-700km per tank if i stay out of the pedal. b.t.w I have 280,000km on my 3800 and i'm just coming up on my belt change interval and plug&wire interval. (thats about 90,000km with plat. plugs) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Panopticon Posted July 30, 2003 Report Share Posted July 30, 2003 ohya! i almost forgot! You have the ABS package right??? These cars (as well as the TGP's) have a REALLY SHITTY master cylinder. Mine is on its way out and they're very expenseive to replace (around $1000CAD for a rebuilt one and about $4000 for a new one from GM) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
92Regal Posted July 30, 2003 Author Report Share Posted July 30, 2003 My Regal is only a modest Custom and ABS was not ordered when it was new, so I guess I won't have to worry about that. I am concerned about the rear calipers though. I have owned three GM's with rear discs in the past (Fiero, T/A & Cutlass) and all three needed to have the rear calipers changed after about 70-80k miles. The fronts hold up well, but the rears seem to crap out early. Interestingly, the imports I've owned (240SX & Prelude), as well as my previous Mustangs, have held up well beyond the 100k mark. Anyone know why the GM rear calipers fail so early? Thanks for the tip - When I do the alternator, I'll replace the belt too (looks to be the original one). The plug wires are the original parts with 80k on them, so I'm sure they are due for a change. I'll also slip a set of Bosch platinums in when I do the wires. I plan on changing the air filter, fuel filters & trans filter/fluid as well. Does the 3.8 have a PCV valve? I haven't really looked, but I didn't see one. Anything else I should check? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Panopticon Posted July 30, 2003 Report Share Posted July 30, 2003 well this particualr model has really small and horrible rear brakes. They were re-designed in 93 or 94 i can't remember wich. It is possible to grab the entire rear assembly from a 93 or 94+ and swap them in. Theres a tutorial floating around here somewere but im too hammered to find it. I own an 86 accord 4dr with 'lude rear disc's and theyre just awsome. no flaws at all. Right now my rear disc's and calipers work great with no problems. They look like the original calipers too. The only worry i would say is that they have weak stopping power compared to the 93 or 94 redesigned models. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Panopticon Posted July 30, 2003 Report Share Posted July 30, 2003 Ohya. just a note. My front discs got warped horribly after about 150,000km. I figure if i swap out the rears for bigger brakes it will change the braking ratio from around 70/30 percent stopping to about 60/40. That coupled with cross drilled rotors will hopefully help avoid that again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
92Regal Posted July 30, 2003 Author Report Share Posted July 30, 2003 Yeah, I'm getting a slight shimmy under hard braking, so I figure the front rotors need to be trued (they were replaced about 3k miles ago). The rears are OK, but I'm almost expecting them to crap out soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Panopticon Posted July 30, 2003 Report Share Posted July 30, 2003 hey man, do you have any modifications yet for your regal? Im looking into exauhst work and i want a UB3 digital cluster. well and of course ultimatly a swap for an L67....~drool~ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbtk2 Posted July 30, 2003 Report Share Posted July 30, 2003 As for ignition coils, it been rare to hear those go out unless you've tinkered with them. If unsure about spark, check plugs / gap / wires and some basic sensors (details if needed). If and when you coils go out (most likely in the high 175K+ miles) it's very noticeable since two or more cylinder will not fire. I don't know about that. The 1992 Series I 3800 was the worst for bad coil packs. It is normal for them to go out often, and GM knew of the problem and corrected it for the 1993 model year. Some owners with '92 Series I 3.8's will have no problems with the coil packs, while others will constantly have problems with them. Why do I know this you may ask. We had a '92 Olds 88, and about every 40,000 miles the coil pack would go bad. So we put one in at ~40K, ~80k, ~120k, ~160k, and again at 193k. The car would just start stalling all the time, and misfiring. As soon as we started seeing the symptoms we would replace the ignition coil (it is 1 coil on the '92s, it was switched to a 3 piece in 93 I believe to correct the problem with them). At 193k we could not figure out what was going on with the car because it just started running horribly one day. We brought it to a shop and they told us that the timing chain and a few other things needed to be replaced. Well, $2000 worth of repairs for a $1500 car is rediculous. So the car sat at out house. We drove it around every once in a while, but it eventually got to the point that it sounded like it had a VERY large cam in it at any speed. We didn't even think about the coil, because the car hadn't hit the 40k mark yet. So we drove it to a shop about 5 miles down the road, and by the time we got there, the car would only do about 35mph and obviously sounded very sick. After about 5 minutes they decided the ignition coil needed to be replaced. They bought the part, and the car was running as good as ever once they installed it. It cost us something like $50 to get the problem fixed, and the other shop said it basically needed $2000 in repairs. It is a situation like this that makes me believe that the problem with a car COULD be ANYTHING, and regular maintenance on anything under your hood is a VERY good idea. If the car starts to miss or stall replace the coil pack. It can't hurt. If it isn't the problem then you have yourself a new ignition coil and you can figure out the problem knowing it isn't that. That is my opinion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
92Regal Posted July 30, 2003 Author Report Share Posted July 30, 2003 "hey man, do you have any modifications yet for your regal?" No nothing yet, unless floor mats count, . I just returned my 01 Cobra recently (24 month lease), so I do miss the power, but I bought the Regal with the intention of using it as a commuter car. I'm actually in the market for a 94 or 95 ZR1, which should satisfy my speed fix. It would be nice to get some more grunt from the 3.8, provided it appears and sounds stock - I prefer the "factory looking" sleeper mode - any suggestions? I know there is a lot available for the longitudinal 3.8 (I almost bought a new GN, back in 87), but I didn't think too much was available for the transverse one. I does suck getting dusted by V6 Hondas... Although I've only owned it for a couple of months, I've come to appreciate the quiet, comfortable way the Regal runs. My only real complaint is the handling. This baby borders on scarey when I have to respond quickly, but I figure that's the sacrifice I pay for a soft, supple ride. I need to replace my tires soon, so maybe a stickier set will make it handle more confidently. I would really like to upgrade my stereo, but since I have the two piece factory system, I'm not really sure what I can do. I have to give Crutchfield a call and see what they suggest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
92Regal Posted July 30, 2003 Author Report Share Posted July 30, 2003 "it is 1 coil on the '92s, it was switched to a 3 piece in 93 I believe to correct the problem with them" I checked my coil pack and found that I have the three piece, rather than the one piece pack - maybe I have a late 92. When I was picking up plug wires today, they asked which coil pack I had. Apparently, there is a difference in the wires. One other thing I found out - The one piece pack is a Magnavox unit, while the three piece is a Delco item. "Yes it's most likely the alternator giving up to ghost" Well, I changed the alternator today, along with the belt and sure enough, the battery light turned off. Do I need to do anything to reset the computer, or does it reset by itself? Everything seems to be working fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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