Just bought a 98 Monte Carlo z34

[Stevie Albert]

Hi guys,

 

I am a poor father of 2.

I just bought a 98 Monte Carlo z34 with 109,000 at a charity auction. One owner So Ca and it seems to have sat for 2 years. I was actually able to talk to the owner prior to buying and he said he did all the maintenance (yet 2 old open recalls were not done-steering and engine fires) so I don't really know. He also said the emergency flasher button broke and the blinkers stopped working.

 

I took the car to chevy for the recalls and an oil change

 

Do I do a transmission flush or a change? (I know old bmw's-they say not too as they start to slip)

Do I do a coolant flush or change

 

Issues:The car gets stuck in park and I have to pull up the console cover and push down that button. The button on the shifter seems to be working fine. I read here about unplugging the solenoid. Will that work in my case?

The blinkers...Any thoughts?

 

Thanks,

 

Steve

[94 olds vert]

Welcome.

 

Transmission I would drop the pan and change the filter do not flush. The radiator I would drain it and refill it do not flush. If you flush these compents on your car debris could become dislodged and before you know it you have transmission problems and your car is overheating.

[rich_e777]

With the radiator you probably ought to take it out and reverse flush it separate from the engine, that should be ok. With the trans after you change the fluid and filter you can try some stuff called Trans-X (made by F&W? or something to that effect) purchased at Autozone. About a 8oz or 10oz bottle for about $6. I used this awhile back when I had a delayed engagement issue going on and it completely revitalized the trans in terms of seals and whatnot.

 

Maybe elaborate more on the shifter issue or get some pics of what you are having to do? Is the shifter getting stuck moving out of Park position or is it the actual transmission that doesn't respond to the input from the shifter? If its the first case then sounds like things need lubrication between your hand and the Neutral safety switch on top of the transmission. If its the latter case then maybe a broken ring around the trans stub that receives the input that turns the stub allowing for shifting.

[Stevie Albert]

Thanks! What coolant is best. Did the old coolant eat the gaskets?

Welcome.

 

Transmission I would drop the pan and change the filter do not flush. The radiator I would drain it and refill it do not flush. If you flush these compents on your car debris could become dislodged and before you know it you have transmission problems and your car is overheating.

[94 olds vert]

I just buy Prestone for my cars. Check to see if your car is Dex cool. I dont think a 98 Monte uses Dex cool.

[carkhz316]

I own the same exact car + a few mods.

 

Firstly, it is for certainly originally equipped with orange Dex-cool which is absolutely fine to use (unless someone has dumped green in there), contrary to what the internet wants to say about it eating gaskets blah blah. The gaskets themselves are the problem, not Dex-cool. Regarding flushing, unless it has never been done or has severely been neglected, you probably won't see much crap come out. Forget R&R'ing the radiator. Just unhook the radiator hoses and heater hoses and flush each component separately.

 

Second, there is a small solenoid that is energized via the brake switch input that pulls on a little rod to allow you to shift out of park. Whether the failure lies in the solenoid or wiring or whatnot is up to further diagnosis. What you can do to cheat (not absolutely recommend as cough cough safety issue) is disconnecting the mechanism from the shifter.

 

Third: I have owned mine since 2006. The only recall notice I have received for it was the engine fire, in which they replace the spark plug wire channel retainer things with some simple wire clips. If its too late for the dealer to perform it, you can do it yourself by REPLACING THE VALVE COVER GASKETS. Haha, seriously though, you just unclip the plastic wire guide from the front valve cover. The steering issue is merely a TSB about replacing the pressure hose. Its not a safety issue, it just makes the power steering groan and vibrate during parking lot maneuvers.

 

Fourth: Trans flush isn't absolutely necessary either as the cooler and lines only hold another quart or so of fluid. A pan drop and filter change with your favorite flavor of trans goop will suffice as preventative maintenance.

 

Lastly, if you need any 3.8 parts, I have a few things left over from my top swap and trans swap.

Edited August 29, 2014 by carkhz316

[ron350]

LOL the first thing you have to do is sift through all the information and decide what you like and don’t like.

 

So far you have been given some good information here not so sure about other places.

 

Like stated above don’t do a transmission flush of any kind just drop the trans pan and replace the filter and fluid.

From personal experience I will not mix transmission fluid so use the closest thing you can find to Dexron 3. Every thing in your transmission was set up for non-synthetic Dexron 3 and the clutch packs and seals are currently saturated with Dexron 3.

If your transmission did not come with synthetic fluid don’t use synthetic fluid.

 

This car sat up for some time so play it safe and don’t make any drastic changes. Down the road if you feel real lucky then go wild and flush away.

[CDN]

The blinker problem is likely that the emergency light button is not completely off. I had mine snap off the 98 Lumina I was driving. I just had to poke at it until the flashers turned on and off. Then my turn signals started working again.