Ok....I have a 1970 GS, and Ive posted on here before, but I dont know if anyone knows much about the 95 riv's. I have a friend that just bought one with some problems, and Im more of a vintage muscle guy..... Is this an appropriate topic for this forum?o No:
Tons of 95-99 Riv owners at www.rivperformance.com You can certainly ask here as well though. The 95 model year was known to have a significant number of "bugs" that were worked out over the next couple model years. Still a nice car though.
yeah I did....my 70 GS is about 90% done, but hasnt moved in about 5 years.....I will get back on here and back to it soon... I have a good friend with the riv that asked me to help him, and he's an older guy and cant afford a mechanic, so maybe you guys can help me do a good need. Its the v6 supercharged motor, and my diesel dually is faster, I mean this thing cant get out of its own way. I did all the normal stuff first, airfilter, fresh gas, injector cleaner, checked the plugs/ wires ect....It got a little better, but not much. If you gradually increase speed, its eventually goes. If you floor it, it shudders kind of.....I was thinking maybe a bad fuel pump or throttle position sensor ( I hear they go a lot on this motor )......any thoughts? Oh, the car has 95,000 miles on it....
I imagine there are a few possibilities for what is wrong. Any check engine lights showing? Replaced O2 sensors? Wires can be a problem even if they appear to be in good shape. Crank position sensors are known to fail also. I really recommend signing up on the Riv Performance board and asking for help, lots of 95 owners there to lend some expertise.
Actually, the superchargers are very durable. However, they have a hard rubber coupler in the snout that does wear and start to rattle, but does not affect operation of the SC just because it rattles a bit. With your symptoms, I'd look elsewhere for the problem. The MAF sensor is another possibility of a failed item. It resides in the intake and senses air flow, affecting fueling.
My 98 has a supercharger relay that uses a vacume signal to tell the s/c when to kick in,,,, makes a big difference...if it doesnt work,,,, check this out ....
I do plan to check out that other site as well, but I am kinda partial to this site. I have noticed a real attitude on many other sites, but never here. I always appreciated how friendly and helpful people are here, and already we have some really good ideas going. Im sure we can get it:beer Now that you mention it I have noticed a slightly odd idle sometimes, which would make sense with a MAF....I didnt know this car had one. Is there a way to zero in on the problem before throwing parts at it? Im not really familiar with what symptoms you would get with an O2 sensor.... I know today I was driving and it was a real dog going up hills, it just didnt have the get up and go, but once you get on flat ground, and you dont punch it too hard, it will go gradually. Also I do periodically get a "service engine soon" light, but dont know where the OBD port is....I only have an OBDII scanner anyway, I imagine this is OBD 1
I think the '95 has the oddball OBD 1.5. Gotta be something wrong with it. Even though it is the Series I engine, it should still have plenty of get up and go. I know my Mother's '94 Park Ave Ultra with that same engine is surprisingly quick for a heavy car. At least in comparison to my non SC Park Ave.
If it's the same as my 98 Series II, the MAF sensor is located in the top of the intake assy in between the throttle body and the air box. It's held in with security torx screws. Remove screws and lift out the sensor. Handle carefully. There is a thin wire visible in a somewhat tubular plastic housing. You want to get a can of sensor cleaner spray, should be available at your local parts store, I got mine at NAPA. Spray thoroughly a couple times, don't touch the wire, and let it dry completely before re-installing. Do not use something like carb cleaner, use the right stuff. It should be dry within a half hour, the stuff evaporates quickly. No guarantees this will help, but it's a cheap and simple thing to address first. BTW, the guys on the RivPerf board are a great bunch too, and some are members here as well. Also, try to find someone who can read your engine codes...
Thats interesting, I didnt know the MAF could be cleaned....but its definatly worth a try... My mother in law has a big ass buick century with the same motor as the riv has I think, but its not supercharged, and that is bone stock and it hauls ass....Im not kidding when I say my 8,000 lb quad cab dually has more getup and go that this thing.... What symptoms would a failing O2 sensor give? Is there any way to test it? If the riv is between the OBD1 and OBD2....which tool do I use to diagnose it and where is the port?
Poor gas mileage can be a common symptom, and driveability issues. Don't know about testing them. It measures oxygen levels in the exhaust and adjusts the air/fuel mixture accordingly. I really think you ought to post on the Riv board, there's a lot of 95 guys there, and early models have many differences from the later models, such as my 98. The data port is located below the driver side dash. I don't know what your options are for having the codes read, but I'm sure the 95 owner's on RivPerf can help you.
It would help immensely if you knew whether the engine was going into boost or not. It sounds to me like it isn't. On my 98, a boost gauge is very easy to hook up. There is a hard plastic vacuum line that tees off the snout of the supercharger. The line goes across the rear valve cover. You tee into that line. The way the series 2 SC motors work is there is a boost bypass in the intake. The engine breathes through that bypass for cruising. During periods of high demand, a boost bypass actuator closes that bypass forcing the engine to breathe through the supercharger. The actuator looks sort of like a fuel filter. It is adjustable to bring the boost in sooner or later. I don't know if the Series1 engines are the same, but they might be. The Series1 engines had a smaller Eaton Supercharger, but it turned faster than the larger, slower turning superchargers on the Series2 engines. Here is a picture of the actuator. It is the black canister with the attached vacuum line. See if your Series1 has something like it. http://www.mccgp.com/upgrades/boostbypassvalve/4.JPG http://www.mccgp.com/upgrades/boostbypassvalve/5.JPG
With 95,000 miles and an intermittent check engine light I would suggest dropping the exhaust before the converter and drive it. Sounds like a plugged converter. $0.02
These are all very good suggestions...im not sure where to start. Most of my vehicles dont have cats, as they are either diesels or vintage muscle, so I dont know what that would be like, but I can certainly see how if the cat is clogged, it would act like this. I was thinking the fuel pump myself, but I really dont want to drop the tank to find out, but if I have to I will. I was wondering if I could hook up a fuel presure gauge to diagnose it like that? I am gonna take some pics today and post them, hopefully that will help. I can say that the previous owner was lazy, he only replaced things that were easy to fix. He maintained the front brakes, but the rears were the factory originals and were the most warped I have ever seen. The back end of the car started to sag, so instead of replacing the springs he just installed adjustable air shocks. It wouldnt surprise me if it was a fuel pump and he just didnt want to do the job. The owner was in brooklyn, so in city driving you wouldnt see the problem as much, but as soon as you hit the highway its obvious. The exhaust system appears to be fairly new, but I will take a better look, and see.
The suggestion to look at the cat is a good one. You can diagnose a plugged exhaust with a simple vacuum gauge. Hook it up and bring the engine speed up to about 1500 RPM. The gauge should rise a bit and be steady. If the exhaust is plugged up, the vacuum will fall. I would certainly put a fuel pressure gauge on and see what the pump is putting out. You do not need to drop the tank on the Rivs, to get to the fuel pump, there is an access panel in the trunk. Just take the liner out, you'll see it under the rear deck where the speakers are
