Hi folks, last week people were kicking GM around hard about the alleged
sins of his Dex-Cool that he's put in millions of his cars and trucks
the last few years. (Yes, I'm going to change mine in my 60K mile '96
GMC pickup!)
Just wanted to tell you about one of his successes, the automatic
transmission in our '89 Cad rear-wheel-drive Brougham. Today after 101K
miles of perfect performance, and no evidence of leaks ever, I decided
it was time to check the oil in it. Never been touched, never been
checked, never been changed(yes I know, it should be now). Anyhow, on
checking it the fluid was exactly on the mark, clear with the slight red
dye color, like brand new fluid.
This is the automatic overdrive four speed with the lockup torque
converter. And I must say, one fine transmission for this 4200 pound
behemoth sedan.
The rest of the Cad is very good, but the suspension and steering is
feeling more and more dated by the improvements in newer cars. The
worst feature of the car is the 5.0 Buick V8 in it, although it too
still runs like new, silent, smooth; but as when new it is woefully
underpowered for a car this heavy. We knew this in '91 when we got it,
but you recall that in that era Big Brother was obsessed with fuel
economy and the General was obliged to comply, so there wasn't anything
better available in heavy sedans. So this Cad has spent its life being
habitually driven pedal-to-the-metal in all acceleration situations, and
even that hasn't shortened the life of the engine, which is much to its
credit. The upside of this is that the car can get an honest 25 mpg on
a trip. '89 was the last year for the carburetor.
So let's hear it for GM automatics, this one at least!!
Hip-hip-hooray...
Cheers from Ardun Bill in the Great Dismal Swamp, Chesapeake, VA where
it's a chilly day, but Spring is just around the corner.
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