It's always something with my 3.4 Cutlass

[GnatGoSplat]

I replaced the power steering pressure line last night in my 94 Cutty w/3.4 DOHC. Man, it was leaking bad. I also replaced the return line for good measure. I started up the car while it was up on jackstands to bleed the PS system and check for leaks. I only had it running a few minutes. When I shut it off, I discovered a 6" diameter puddle of tranny fluid on the garage floor under the front of the subframe.

 

I looked up and saw tranny fluid dripping off the cooler lines. Ugh. Always something with this car, so far every problem it has had is something I've not experienced with my previous W-bodies. I really think quality took a nosedive between 89 and 94. My 89 is so much better built than this 94. I noticed a lot of factory defects in the 94 and places where they really cut back on cost.

[LukeZ34]

I know.. I've already broke a couple pf panels just from installing stereo stuff... I wasn't harsh on anything in the car, it's just the clips that hold them in were fastened so poorly that when I pulled them off, the clips stayed in the damn hole.. Super glue didn't fix it, so i'm leaning towards melted plastic, lol

[GnatGoSplat]

Oh yeah, I know all about broken clips! It's also virtually impossible to pull the door trim panels without breaking or cracking the places where those annoying barbed clips go. That's a problem with all Cutlass Supremes with the older style interior though.

 

On my 94, I've discovered:

- Rear window switch wouldn't click in the down position because it was crushed.

- Rear window switch was crushed because someone at the factory CRAMMED it in the hole.

- Rear window switch had to be crammed in the hole, because it wasn't cut out properly, so the rear window switch was even sticking out 1/4". I had to carefully cut the hole to the proper shape and size so that the new switch I bought would fit in it, and fit flush.

- I bought a new trim piece that goes along the bottom door opening because the old one had broken off around where the screw goes. I couldn't get this piece on flush, it was sticking up about 1/4" no matter what I did. I examined the original piece only to discover someone had used a big sander or something to grind off the bottom 1/4" of the mounting area to make it fit flush. I ended up having to cut away some of the carpet under that trim piece to make the new one sit flush.

 

I also noticed the clips for the lower door opening trim pieces don't line up in the rear at all, they are off about 1". Someone didn't weld the clip mounts in the proper locations. The clip mounts themselves suck, because the carpet is only flush with the trim pieces at the welded-on clip mounts. Anywhere else there's a small gap. In my '89, it has a full-length aluminum railing to make the carpet flush with the trimpiece throughout the entire length.

 

Also something else annoying is there was a bunch of wire harness connectors bunched up underneath the carpet where the passenger side kick panel is. I had to readjust some big connectors under there so that there wouldn't be a big bump there, but it's apparently been like that forever so the carpet has a permanent bump, it's just hollow now. In my '89, all connectors and harnesses are firmly affixed to specific locations. In the 94, things are just allowed to be stuffed into where they will fit.

 

My last annoying gripe with the 94 is that GM REALLY skimped on wire. Almost all wiring is just as long as it needs to be, which is too short to do anything with. I like wiring things into the fusebox, in fact, sometimes when I add an accessory I use the empty unused fuse slots. In my '89, I can unbolt the fuse block and pull it out from under the dash and work with it. In the 94, the wires are so short I can't hardly move the fuse block at all. Even the rear window switch had a wire so short, I had to pull out the ashtray and stick my hand up there to plug it in, because I couldn't plug it in with the switch out.

[Guest]

ouch. Sounds harsh. Now I really am glad that I did not buy that convertible (even though I still want one ).

 

Taylor

[GnatGoSplat]

A 91-93 convertible MIGHT be built better.

I know 94 was the first year of "the great cheapening".

One thing GM cut costs with in 94 is wire gauge. They went to much smaller gauge wiring. I complained about this once on the mailing list and someone that works at GM replied saying they did studies that showed the smaller gauge wire was just as capable, but was cheaper and reduced weight. Whatever, I'm glad I have the heavier gauge wire in my '89!

[Guest]

seems to me that smaller guage wire runs the risk of getting hotter, melting together, and frying everysingle thing in the car. I would rather err on the side of caution, and use a thinker wire myself. Screw weight reduction. Do you really think that 1-5 (depending) lbs of wire is going to knowck THAT MUCH off of the quarter mile? If the person is true diehard, then not only will they dimantle the complete interior, and trunk, and non essentioal stuff under the engine, but will put lighter wheels on the car, take out the glass, and put in (?plexiglass?), and pretty much make the car nothing more than an engine, tranny, wheel, body, steering wheel, and drivers seat (and maybe a rollcage?)

 

Taylor

 

Give the the wire.

[GnatGoSplat]

I would rather have the thicker gauge wire too.

It's hard to believe how small some of these wires are. I haven't changed the headlight bulbs out on this 94, but my truck (a '99) uses the same small gauge wiring, and it's hard to believe how tiny the gauge of wiring is that goes to the headlights! I know the high-beams are 65W each. My '89 uses thicker gauge wiring for the map lights in the rearview mirror! The 94 has kind of hybrid wiring. Where they used the previous year's wire harness (like for the rearview mirror), the wire gauge is thicker. Where the harness is all new (like the engine), it's much thinner. On my truck, since it was all new for '99, it has the puny wiring throughout. Cutty's and GP's with the newer interior also usually have the puny wiring throughout.

 

Oh well, at least 94 has the newer park brake setup, newer rear caliper setup, and an airbag.

Plus, doesn't the 94 3.4 DOHC w/SFI make 5 more HP than the MPFI versions? Or am I thinking of something else?

[LukeZ34]

Wanna hear my gripes? lol

 

Rear drivers side window doesn't always roll down by pushing the button..

Cheap clips holding plastic panels on..

GM's sorry ass excuse of white seats with black colored cracks showing up from use.. that one pisses me off..

Puny/easy to break wires (I found to broken wires inside the console for the shift indicator light)

Plastic trim pieces around the bottom of each doors are either cracked, or the vinyl cover has ripped

The CHEAP and brittle plastic lens over the lights in the lightbar.. There's many tiny cracks in mine..

 

 

Anyone else have a problem with the doors sagging? I probably oughta get that fixed soon.. their a pain in the ass to close.

[luminator94]

Well, on my 97 Cutty everything is nice and tight. No plastic trim that is lose or cracked, good assembly overall, especially for GM, lol. Maybe they saved the best for last? My Euro was the car that fell apart on the inside, VERY cheap plastic in that car. Only thing that is broken in my Cutty is the center console lid. Its still there but that cheap plastic hinge is broken, I'm not to concerned about it. I'm sure I'll find more annoying things with the Cutty in the future, all in good time!

 

 

Aaron

[GnatGoSplat]

The CHEAP and brittle plastic lens over the lights in the lightbar.. There's many tiny cracks in mine..

 

That crappy lens was broken on mine when I got it!

I ordered a new one, it's only $2.73 or something like that. That means GM probably only paid 3-cents each for them!

[LukeZ34]

I figured they were cheap.. you got a part number for it? I need to replace mine..

[DOHCRagtopguy]

Wow,that 94 sounds pretty crappy quality-wise. My 93 seems to be put together ok, nothing jumps out yet. Just the el cheapo center console hinge being broken (so far).

 

Maybe your 94 was built on a Friday or Monday. They did studies and found that those were the two worst days-Fridays because the workers couldn't wait to get out and Mondays were worst probably due to hangovers from the weekend!

[Guest]

lol. I like that. All 3 of my Cutlass were all well made. There was nothing wrong with my 89 International except that it kept blowing the clutch, all that was wrong with my 95, is I broke the drives panel for the switches, the center armrest, and 2 of the CC knobs, and then the Cutlass that I have now, 88, that the only problems that I have with it are the ones that I create. Now that I think about it, the 1994 Conv that I was going to buy, it's top would not go up when you put it down, the windows did not like to go up, the console was broken, and the HUD was broken.

 

hmm

[godofthunder]

My 96 Cutlass seems rather tight too. NOthing really broken cept from overuse (like the knobs for the heater broke coming home from a Kenny Chesney concert at VA beach).

 

Only gripes now is that when my drivers window goes down, it SOMETIMES makes a bang noise when it hits the botom (like when I press the auto down). That and my rims look like crap, and its a pain to keep them looking nice.

 

Jon

[GnatGoSplat]

I figured they were cheap.. you got a part number for it? I need to replace mine..

 

Here you go:

 

12509634 LENS, DM & RDG LP

 

I have no doubts that my '94 was built on a Monday or Friday.

Oh well. It's nice enough to be a keeper, so I just have to keep fixing everything till there's nothing left to fix.

 

Just my luck, I called my friend over at O'Reilly's and he can't get me a replacement cooler line. I guess I have to go to the dealer for it. Either that or use the Dremel and cut the crimps and pull the hose off the metal tubing and clamp regular hose on it. I don't know how much pressure is in those tranny lines though.

[91CuttyConv]

As for the sagging doors, the driver door on my 91 Convertible did the same thing. Took it to a body shop and they put it back into postion for me for free. However, it can also be the hinge pin. It wears out and the door sags, very common on S-10's, Blazers, Bravada's etc...

 

Jason

[Brian P]

I figured they were cheap.. you got a part number for it? I need to replace mine..

 

Here you go:

 

12509634 LENS, DM & RDG LP

 

I have no doubts that my '94 was built on a Monday or Friday.

Oh well. It's nice enough to be a keeper, so I just have to keep fixing everything till there's nothing left to fix.

 

Just my luck, I called my friend over at O'Reilly's and he can't get me a replacement cooler line. I guess I have to go to the dealer for it. Either that or use the Dremel and cut the crimps and pull the hose off the metal tubing and clamp regular hose on it. I don't know how much pressure is in those tranny lines though.

 

You will be fine, in fact probably better off fixing the tranny lines you have now. I dont know if it's another cost cutting measure, but the crimps for the rubber line-to-metal line SUCK! Both my feed and return tranny cooler lines leaked, one was at the actual crimp. So what I did was cut the crimp from "back to front" using a hack saw blade. Once you get a cut started, it zips right through. The metal crimp is so flimsy that you could just beat the shit out of it and it comes off....funny, but you have a car and I have a car to take care of (my sisters) with the typical w-body problems up the ying yang!! I have the parking brake/rear brake, rear strut blowing into the trunk, balljoints and tie rod ends (not really a w prob), rear leaf bushings, oil pump drive leak, sticking parking brake pedal, warped front rotors, etc etc

[GnatGoSplat]

Hmmm, maybe now would be a good time for me to install a factory auxilliary tranny fluid cooler.

Supposedly there's a kit that comes with all necessary hardware to install.

[msvestka]

Shawn,

 

The trans lines on my 89 Cutlass began to leak at the joint between the steel line and rubber hose just like you described. I as able to purchase the proper diameter transmission fluid hose at my local parts store and fixed then myself. I believe it was 5/16". It seemed much easier and cost effective than buying the entire new line. I used stainless steel fuel injection clamps and everything been great. I replaced both the feed and return side while I was under the car.

 

I would recommend buying trans line and not fuel line hose. The trans fluid will eventually break down the fuel line hose.

 

Good Luck,

Michael

 

 

Just my luck, I called my friend over at O'Reilly's and he can't get me a replacement cooler line. I guess I have to go to the dealer for it. Either that or use the Dremel and cut the crimps and pull the hose off the metal tubing and clamp regular hose on it. I don't know how much pressure is in those tranny lines though.

[GnatGoSplat]

Thanks Michael, that's what I'll do.

[GnatGoSplat]

Ok, the 94 Cutlass is road-worthy again!

I noticed the rubber hoses were only crimped on the metal line going to the transmission, spring clamps were used on the side that leads to the radiator.

I took a look at the crimps and it looked annoying to try to cut them off on the car. So I started to remove the fittings from the tranny, but they were TIGHT. I also noticed they were held onto various places of the tranny via clips that were bolted on, and would also have to be snaked out. Laziness won, and I decided to just try to cut off the crimps without removing the line.

So anyway, I layed upside-down with my Wizard Rotary tool and its Dremel remote flex attachment and a cutting tool. I sliced right through those big crimp ends and pryed them off with a screwdriver. This worked out nice, because it left smooth hose ends with hose-stops. So I got some bulk hose from O'Reilly's (3/8" high-pressure hose designed for hydraulic systems - original was 9.5mm rubber). Cut them to exact size, and reused the spring clips on the end going to the radiator and used fuel injection clamps on the side going to the tranny. I started up the car, and noticed DRIP DRIP DRIP. Well CRAP, after examination of where fluid was dripping out, it looked like I'd nicked one of the hose-stops (the folded up part of the metal tube that's designed to keep the crimp end in place) and they're just a hollow fold, so fluid was dripping out. I had to cut the end off and put the hose on the tube. Then I started the car again, and noticed a slight accumulation of fluid on the other hose. Turned out I nicked the hose-stop on it too, so I had to cut its end off as well.

 

In all, it worked out great, although I could have saved A LOT of time had I not decided to be fancy and cut the crimp end off while leaving the original ends intact.

 

Then while out on the road, the AIR BAG light came on briefly an went off. Hmmmm... wonder what the next adventure will be! Well, fortunately there are no more leaks and the car runs and drives GREAT.

[gpse3200]

Hmmm, maybe now would be a good time for me to install a factory auxilliary tranny fluid cooler.

Supposedly there's a kit that comes with all necessary hardware to install.

 

I got a spare Aux Trans Cooler kit for the 3.4 with the lines. I also have an engine oil cooler too. Anyone intrested I'd like to sell them off.

[GnatGoSplat]

Hmmm, maybe now would be a good time for me to install a factory auxilliary tranny fluid cooler.

Supposedly there's a kit that comes with all necessary hardware to install.

 

I got a spare Aux Trans Cooler kit for the 3.4 with the lines. I also have an engine oil cooler too. Anyone intrested I'd like to sell them off.

 

How much for the aux trans cooler? Is it new or used?

I'd be interested if I can find the mounts for it. 94 setup is completely different than a 91.