Repairing 2004 Oldsmobile Alero


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I'm in the process of obtaining my permit and then my license. I will be inheriting my father's 2004 Oldsmobile Alero that I need to get road ready. I will be taking over transportation duties so we can go out shopping and to appointments. The issue I'm primarily concerned with is a lean in the transmission coolant line. The transmission was slipping but that seems to have stopped once I added more transmission fluid. The hoses seem easy enough to replace however I'm unsure if that would require the car to be jacked up or if it can be done from under the hood. I'm going to run into a problem jacking up the car seeing as the pinch welding is rusted out and crushed when I previously attempted to jack the car up. If anyone is familiar with this model car and has any insight on alternative jacking points, whether or not transmission coolant lines can be replaced under the hood I'd appreciate any advice. With the cold winter weather, the security system in the car I have to run the car to keep the battery charged, however I'm leary of doing so with it leaking transmission fluid like it is. I want to get this taken care of asap, I've already located the correct hose for the car. 

Nothing I've found online has indicated alternative jacking points for this car. Everything I found only shows to jack up from under the pinch weld. I'm afraid I'll have to buckle, find a way to get it to a shop and put on a lift.

 

In addition to replacing the hose I've the following to do:

 

- Change oil & oil filter.

- Front right wheel bearing.

- Flush transmission coolant and change filter.

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ramps....use ramps. 

 

Also when jacking the car up use the jack points.  There should be one in the center of the car somewhere around the radiator in the front, then you can put jack stands under the car (I tend to use the A arms as they are designed to take the weight of the car, this becomes an issue when changing struts/springs but you aren't doing that).  The other place you can jack up the car (but will dimple it) would be the frame of the car, the square stock running from the front (behind the engine) to the back of the car...if this is rusted through, your car would break in half and you wouldnt' be able to drive it....the chance of this being damaged enough to do that is slim to none. 

 

Generally the lines are under the car...the transmission is under the car so it would only make sense that the lines are under the car.

 

 

If you have to change the front wheel bearing you will need to jack the car up, you can't use ramps. 

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Thanks. I gave it some thought and decided I might as well take it to a shop initially to get the work done. I still have yet to get my permit and even then I won't be able to get it insured unless I can find a licensed driver.  I have at least a few months or longer to save up. The car is probably going to need more work done than I am capable of, it's cold outside. It's been sitting for nearly two years and last winter it was practically buried by snow. Besides the leaky trans line it runs a bit rough. Engine RPM's rev on start to 1 1/2 or 2 and makes the car shake/jerk on start. There's a hole in the exhaust or muffler. The car has some minor electrical problems. There's slight corrosion forming on the battery terminals. My father was going to have a shop look at it but got deterred. He was told they would have to go through the entire electrical system and could run into thousands of dollars.

 

When I have the trans line replaced I'm going to have the oil changed, filters replaced and trans fluid flushed. I am going to have a diagnostic ran to make sure the trans wasn't damaged from low fluid and slipping, find out what other works needs to be done.

 

 

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Yeah lol. But it has somewhat sentimental value and I'm willing to save the money up to put into it. It was the only gift my father ever received from his parents and he was planning to put it back on the road but he suddenly passed away a few months ago. Me and him made plans to go out and jump start the car the following weekend before he passed away. Now I'm scrambling to get my license, get the car on the road since we live rural and need transportation. My father was the only licensed driver, neither myself, my mother or sister drive. I kept procrastinating with learning how to drive and getting my license, now I wish I had done this much sooner. :(

 

The extent of my knowledge and capabilities is that I could do an oil/filter change, replace lines, flush fluids, change other filters and perhaps the wheel bearings. Providing I have the proper tools. Problem is the dang thing is tricky to jack up due to the body/trim. I don't want to jack up under the wrong spot and damage anything. I already made that mistake when I stuck a scissor jack up under the support rod from the rear drum/rotor and bent it. I don't want it to run into more money than it should. So, until someone can show me what to do I'm going to avoid doing any kind of work on it. I don't feel like trying to do anything in the freezing cold and snow. I need to have it drivable within the next few months or by summer.

Edited by Xtreme2damax
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I don't even know what shape the transmission is in. That is my concern above all else as transmission work is expensive as heck. Transmission was slipping - engine would rev but car would struggle to move without giving it more gas than normal. The car would start out fine from a cold start and once it warmed up the transmission would start slipping. The transmission stopped slipping once I put more fluid in. In total I put in around seven to eleven quarts in. To top off fluid and replace lost fluid whenever I'd run the car. Around a quart is leaking out every two weeks from starting the car and letting it run. There's no dipstick to check fluid level, only a fill cap for ATF fluid.

 

The car had minor electrical problems for years. Eventually I want to get that checked, it presently isn't a priority. The car has been through diagnostics, inspections without issue. Transmission work could run me into thousands, this is more worrisome to me than anything else. Hopefully once the coolant line is replaced and have fluid, filters replaced it'll be fine. The fluid that's leaking out looks kind of cloudy. It's red'ish with some cloudy grey'ish blotches in the fluid. However that may be because I'm collecting the leaking fluid in a jug weighed down with rocks so there's a bit of dirt and other residue in it. 

 

What I'm concerned about as far as repairs go..

 

- Transmission and leaking line

- Rough starting and idle issue.

- Wheel bearing.

- Rear support rod.

- Brakes

- Exhaust

 

I don't know if this is normal or not. Besides engine rpms rev'ing when starting the engine will rev when:

 

- Depressing the brake

- Turning on blower fan

- Power draw from electric windows, lights.

- Power steering.

Edited by Xtreme2damax
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Btw when I put a bit of oil in the car I didn't know what oil the shop used when they did the oil change. It's not going to damage the engine to have a bit of 10W-40 oil mixed with 5W-30? I only found out what oil the shop put in after coming across a receipt for a recent oil change. I would change the oil if I located the filter and was able to jack up the car. Investing in those ramps will be on my list of things to do. Initially I'll be taking it to a shop until I can purchase any tools etc.. I need and when the weather is warmer.

 

Trans fluid is normal color. I cleaned out the half-jug I cut to catch the oil and rocks I used to weigh it down. Doesn't appear that any fluid is burned, contaminated. Maybe a slightly duller red but I attribute that because there's old fluid in with the fresh fluid I added.

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Do you have a relative or friend that has worked on cars that can help you? Not sure of your budget.   Do the easy stuff first: oil change and brakes. Exhaust, I'd find the cheapest muffler place in your town.  Ask them for the cheapest trans place in town if you just need lines replaced. You can get an oil change at Wal Mart for $20 and they use Quaker State oil and filter. For the brakes, if you can find a friend or relative that can show you how... you just need to be shown once. You'll need jack stands too.  Keep that trans fluid up on the stick in the mean time. you do know to check the trans fluid when the engine is hot and must be running. Oh on the trans, if it doesn't slip when the fluid is up to the mark on the stick... I'd not do a flush and filter on the trans. No matter how hard the push you, I'd leave it alone if it shifts fine. I've seen quite a few friends that been talked into fluid/filter change on high mileage cars to only end up opening a can of worms. Oh, just remembered for a trans shop: http://mrtransmission.com/   I've had good honest work from them over the years.  Maybe one is near you.

 

Hope this helps :-)

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25 minutes ago, Xtreme2damax said:

Btw when I put a bit of oil in the car I didn't know what oil the shop used when they did the oil change. It's not going to damage the engine to have a bit of 10W-40 oil mixed with 5W-30? I only found out what oil the shop put in after coming across a receipt for a recent oil change. I would change the oil if I located the filter and was able to jack up the car. Investing in those ramps will be on my list of things to do. Initially I'll be taking it to a shop until I can purchase any tools etc.. I need and when the weather is warmer.

 

Trans fluid is normal color. I cleaned out the half-jug I cut to catch the oil and rocks I used to weigh it down. Doesn't appear that any fluid is burned, contaminated. Maybe a slightly duller red but I attribute that because there's old fluid in with the fresh fluid I added.

Why are you using 10w-40 with that engine? 5w30, maybe 10w30 depending on your winter temps. Your next oil change you should be using the spec oil recommend for your car.

 

When I had my 3.4L v6 Alero, the grade was marked on the oil cap. 

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27 minutes ago, Xtreme2damax said:

Btw when I put a bit of oil in the car I didn't know what oil the shop used when they did the oil change. It's not going to damage the engine to have a bit of 10W-40 oil mixed with 5W-30? I only found out what oil the shop put in after coming across a receipt for a recent oil change. I would change the oil if I located the filter and was able to jack up the car. Investing in those ramps will be on my list of things to do. Initially I'll be taking it to a shop until I can purchase any tools etc.. I need and when the weather is warmer.

 

Trans fluid is normal color. I cleaned out the half-jug I cut to catch the oil and rocks I used to weigh it down. Doesn't appear that any fluid is burned, contaminated. Maybe a slightly duller red but I attribute that because there's old fluid in with the fresh fluid I added.

Try to stay with the spec of the car in the manual or in the engine bay.  They have high mileage versions for high mile cars, just has some additives to keep the seals in good condition...the viscosity is important.  Mixing isn't the end of the world, it will make it thicker but that isn't really good in the winter months as you want to keep it lubricated...you don't want to make it work hard to get the oil churning and lubricating the right areas.  If anything you wanted to go to 10-30 not 10-40....the hot engine viscosity would stay the same the cold viscosity would slightly go up.  

 

Good on the trans fluid.  You may need to add some friction modifier to help with the slipping (if that is what it is doing). 

 

Exhaust is easy if it is from the cat back...if it is cat forward then it is a bitch...but you need ramps or a good floor jack and jack stands.

 

I would get the following if you have the cash and plan on doing work yourself.

http://www.harborfreight.com/3-ton-low-profile-steel-heavy-duty-floor-jack-with-rapid-pump-61282.html

 

get two sets of these if you want all 4 wheels up, it does make things easier like working on exhaust from front to back.

http://www.harborfreight.com/3-ton-steel-jack-stands-61196.html

 

A medium sized air compressor will help things quite a bit

http://www.harborfreight.com/21-gal-25-hp-125-psi-cast-iron-vertical-air-compressor-61454.html

 

Impact is a needed helping hand

http://www.harborfreight.com/12-in-heavy-duty-air-impact-wrench-69576.html

 

metric and sae sockets

http://www.harborfreight.com/10-pc-12-in-drive-metric-impact-deep-wall-socket-set-67915.html

http://www.harborfreight.com/10-pc-12-in-drive-sae-impact-deep-wall-socket-set-61709.html

 

Don't forget your extensions:

http://www.harborfreight.com/4-piece-1-2-drive-impact-extension-set.html

 

 

If you have the hand tools, you can forgo the air ratchet for now.  It isn't as needed as the impact, I can't tell you how many stubborn nuts the impact removed.  Usually harbor freight has the best prices but sometimes you can find better deals at sears when stuff goes on sale.  Try to stay with a large cup or a changeable cup on the floor jack...you get better weight distribution. 

 

 

Also here are some jack points in the front of the car.

 

161296d1343992534-ok-jack-car-up-middle-

 

Here is where to jack the rear of the car:

0900c1528026543c.gif

 

Here is the recommended spots for putting jack stands:

20837005.jpg

 

Once you get the car in the air and on the jack stands and pressure is relieved off of the floor jack, and the car is level...bump each corner to make sure the car is steady.  You don't want to bump the car while you are working on it and have it fall on you because you didn't verify that the car is stable on the stands...your death because you didn't check it is on you, the car is heavy and can crush you if it falls.  I always give it a good bump to make sure it is settled and it isn't going to move.  Also just as a safety precaution, put the jack up where it is just touching the frame, no real weight on the jack...this way if a stand gives out you have a few seconds extra to get out from under the car or maybe the jack will take the weight.  That was taught to me in intro to auto shop back in high school many years ago. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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That was the only oil we had at the time and it needed a bit of oil. It might've been listed on the cap and I overlooked it at the time. I didn't know what grade oil was in it until I found an oil change receipt. It calls for 5W-30 oil, I read in the winter with cold temps I should be using 10W-30. Usually winter temps around here are 30 fahrenheit or lower with some odd days where temps go mid 30's or higher.

 

13 minutes ago, Delmont said:

Do you have a relative or friend that has worked on cars that can help you? Not sure of your budget.   Do the easy stuff first: oil change and brakes. Exhaust, I'd find the cheapest muffler place in your town.  Ask them for the cheapest trans place in town if you just need lines replaced. You can get an oil change at Wal Mart for $20 and they use Quaker State oil and filter. For the brakes, if you can find a friend or relative that can show you how... you just need to be shown once. You'll need jack stands too.  Keep that trans fluid up on the stick in the mean time. you do know to check the trans fluid when the engine is hot and must be running. Oh on the trans, if it doesn't slip when the fluid is up to the mark on the stick... I'd not do a flush and filter on the trans. No matter how hard the push you, I'd leave it alone if it shifts fine. I've seen quite a few friends that been talked into fluid/filter change on high mileage cars to only end up opening a can of worms. Oh, just remembered for a trans shop: http://mrtransmission.com/   I've had good honest work from them over the years.  Maybe one is near you.

 

Hope this helps :-)

 

We have family, my aunt offered to have her husband help with the wheel bearing. However it's complicated with our family outside our tight knit immediate family, there's a lot of talking but nothing ever comes of it. We're pretty much estranged and are distant. My dad's side is as crooked, self-centered as they come. I'm reluctant on franchise shops like Harry's tire, Midas etc.. I know of one local shop that did a rebuild of the front with a new radiator on an old van of my father's after he hit a deer, they charged him around $800 for that. Harry's tire gave an estimate around $200 to replace the hose, claimed they would have to use rubber hoses since they couldn't locate the metal hose. It took me all but five minutes with the make/model and trim etc.. to find the metal hose on Amazon for $40. I'll avoid taking it to Walmart, every time my father tried taking a vehicle there they would find some excuse not to do the work. I have a cousin and uncle that could show me what to do if I could get them to come out sometime. I have two jack stands, trolley jacks. I'm unable to check trans fluid levels from under the hood, there's no dipstick for this type of car. Transmission fluid level has to be checked at the transmission casing underneath. What could happen if they flush the fluid and why do you advise against it?

 

I'm trying to find out what this metal rod that's part of the suspension is. It appears to be a lower rod that comes off the rotor drum/ball up at angle a bit. It has a lip on it and I thought it would be safe to jack up. I felt like an idiot when it bent from the weight of the car when jacking it up. If it's what I think it's only a $40 part and should be as easy as unbolting the rod and bolting on the new one. Lesson learned, will have someone show me what to do before I attempt anything else. I'm still fairly young, I would like to learn to save myself the hassle and money of taking into a shop if I don't need to.  

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If it's a V6, and is low on oil, you may have the infamous LIM issue that plagued those engines. Check your coolant and if it's low or mixed with oil there's your red flag. Also check under your oil cap for any white sludge or goopy material. Another red flag. Costs a pretty penny to fix.

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11 minutes ago, sc302 said:

*snip*

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ah, that confirms those were some of the jacking points I found. Underneath it looked a bit rusty so I wasn't sure to trust the metal wouldn't give way like the pinch welding did. :/

 

Ramps would certainly help elevate the car and right now better than just jacks plus stands. It had a whole new A-frame but it's been sitting close to two years through the winters. Thanks for the info, that will help quite a bit.

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Yea, if it isn't a substantial piece of metal, don't use it.  If it looks flimsy, it probably is.  If it doesn't look like it will hold you up, it wont hold the car up. 

 

It is probably a control arm.  Go to the parts store and ask to look at the control arm and sway bars for the rear.  You can look at them without purchasing, they will open up the box for you.  If worse comes to worse, they will have a nice picture of the parts on their computer and you can point to the one you think it is. 

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1 minute ago, Xtreme2damax said:

Ah, I found those jacking points. Underneath it looks a bit rusty so I'm not sure to trust the metal won't give way like the pinch welding did. :/

 

Ramps would certainly help elevate the car and right now better than just jacks plus stands. It had a whole new A-frame but it's been sitting close to two years through the winters. Thanks for the info, that will help quite a bit.

Unless there are rust holes in it, use it.  Remember, your entire car needs these to be solid for it to stay together. 

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here is a set of good ramps:

http://www.amazon.com/RhinoGear-11909-RhinoRamps-Vehicle-Capacity/dp/B006EGAIII/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1451846475&sr=8-1&keywords=rhino+ramps

 

put the ramps under the tires first, wedge them under the front wheels before driving up them...make sure they are parallel with the outside of the wheel then drive up them...don't place them feet away from the car and expect to drive up it square, good chance you will screw up and the car falls off. 

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18 minutes ago, shockz said:

If it's a V6, and is low on oil, you may have the infamous LIM issue that plagued those engines. Check your coolant and if it's low or mixed with oil there's your red flag. Also check under your oil cap for any white sludge or goopy material. Another red flag. Costs a pretty penny to fix.

 

This is a V4. No goopy, white material under the cap. Oil level wasn't too low, just a hair under full mark on the dipstick. Coolant levels are also fine and engine isn't overheating. Should I use straight anti-freeze or anti-freeze diluted with water? According to the manual it mentions a specific brand and diluting it with water. Should the manual be followed to an exact? I never knew anti-freeze was supposed to be diluted and would've thought that water would rust everything out. My father diluted the anti-freeze with water and I'm not sure if it's the proper ratio. Coolant looks like it has a murky red'ish tint to it prolly cause of using water, the fact it was likely our "wonderful" well water and not treated tap or distilled water.

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Thanks for the wealth of info provided, that will help me out immensely. One last thing on my mind is why does the engine rev like that, what could cause that and is it normal? The engine has been doing that since I first started it up. It has been running rougher since putting in some gas line antifreeze. I noticed some moisture coming from the exhaust in the back and the exhaust sounds louder than it did.

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Fwiw, no such thing as v4.  

 

Bad sensors will cause that.   My money is on a bad mass air flow meter. Remember a car will rev at initial startup and calm down with in 5 minutes.   High cold rev is between 1000 and 1500 rpms.  It may take longer if sub zero temps.   If it runs rough at idle and has really high startup, change the maf out first, then o2 sensors.  You could get a tester or have someone test o2s. 

 

 

With antifreeze, you can buy a 50/50 mix so you don't have to worry about it.  Generally it is mixed with distilled water, not tap water.  

 

 

If you have holes in your exhaust, it will be loud.  Moisture when cold is normal, white cloud (steam) when cold is normal.  

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Oh, I meant it's listed as L4. I was thinking about cylinders, it's a 4-cylinder engine. Yeah that sounds like exactly what it does. Revs to 1500 RPM's on start. Should it be revving with power draw, turning on blower, pumping brakes etc..? On start the car jumps a bit. It runs a bit smoother after initial startup, the RPM's drop a hair under 1,000. I'm thinking it might be running rougher because of the exhaust and there not being enough gas when I added the ethanol based gas line antifreeze. The car had to have the sending unit replaced twice and last time they replaced it the gas gauge quit working.

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if the battery is low, it will put more of a drain on the charging system.  Brake lights also work off of the same charging system.  Check the voltage on the battery, a good one will read 14+ volts.  It is really cold there so it may just be because it is really cold and you don't use it much.

 

It will probably rev more at initial start when you turn on all of your accessories.  Going to have to either put a batter tender on it or let it run for 10 -15 minutes a week to keep the battery in good shape.  As it is, you could have a weak battery. 

 

I am diagnosing a lot of different scenario, very difficult to pin point over the internet..... If the car rpms are jumping around after full warm up, it could be a miss....this would require you to check the plugs. 

5306d1381684717-spark-plug-second-opinio

 

Lets deal with one issue at a time.  What do you want to work on first?  The cold start thing, it is doing what the car is supposed to do...run at a high rpm to bring the car to normal operating temperature.  This is normal for every car. 

 

Electrical issue...get your battery and your charging system looked at.  If you have friends at a part store, have them bring over a tester...they can check how good the battery is by checking voltage and putting a load on the battery with the tester. 

 

 

 

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That fuel line antifreeze stuff (e.g Heet) is unnecessary.  Gas stations switch over to a winter blend, which has something like that added.  You'll notice you get a little bit worse gas mileage in winter partially because of that.

 

What might be beneficial is some fuel injector cleaner.  Seafoam is the popular one.  Put in the entire can when you have a full tank of gas and it will do it's thing.  Not sure if it will have a major effect, but it's an easy and inexpensive thing to try.

 

Also, it probably goes without saying, but if you take the car to a shop to get a bunch of work done, get a quote first.  It doesn't take much to rack up several thousand dollars.  It may be worth considering selling that car for whatever it's worth and investing in a different used car.  An older Toyota Camry won't be that expensive and those things can easily run past 500k miles as long as you change the oil in them regularly.

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3 hours ago, sc302 said:

*snip*

 

I have a bad habit of getting ahead of myself sometimes. The leaky line will be first, that will be fixed by a shop as will the exhaust. When weather permits I'll start off with the oil change, filter and go from there. RPM's are fine after warm up, just runs a bit rough. As far as electrical goes, besides what's mentioned the blower only works on the two highest settings. Right running light doesn't work and keeps blowing bulb. Using the lighter will blow the fuse, accessories work fine in same socket. Rear defrost grid may or may not work. Slight corrosion on battery terminals might suggest there's an electrical issue, short somewhere. It's been like this for years and shops didn't say it was anything urgent to worry about, passed inspection fine. Harry's tire told my dad it could cost thousands as they would have to go through each wire etc.. to diagnose and repair the problem.

 

I'll see what it needs if/when I can get it in a shop when I get a quote for the work. If I'm lucky it may run fine after replacing the transmission line and exhaust, slight tune up, fresh gas and an oil change.

 

2 hours ago, Astra.Xtreme said:

That fuel line antifreeze stuff (e.g Heet) is unnecessary.  Gas stations switch over to a winter blend, which has something like that added.  You'll notice you get a little bit worse gas mileage in winter partially because of that.

 

What might be beneficial is some fuel injector cleaner.  Seafoam is the popular one.  Put in the entire can when you have a full tank of gas and it will do it's thing.  Not sure if it will have a major effect, but it's an easy and inexpensive thing to try.

 

Also, it probably goes without saying, but if you take the car to a shop to get a bunch of work done, get a quote first.  It doesn't take much to rack up several thousand dollars.  It may be worth considering selling that car for whatever it's worth and investing in a different used car.  An older Toyota Camry won't be that expensive and those things can easily run past 500k miles as long as you change the oil in them regularly.

 I never knew that. However the car hasn't had fresh gas in a while, I don't know what blend is in it. I only know it's regular unleaded, my father never filled it with anything else. It's had the same gas for the time it's been sitting. Anything else I siphoned from our lawn tractors, mowers. I have no clue how much is in it, gas gauge broke and I can't drive it anywhere to fill it up. 

Edited by Xtreme2damax
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Running heet is good.  It helps get any water out, the issue is the gas tarnishes if it sits too long.  I would drain, change the fuel filter and add a gallon of gas with some stabil additive in it to help keep it from tarnishing and fouling up your injectors (causing bigger more expensive issues).   Usually running a few tanks with heet works you may want to opt for a fuel system clean when you're really to put the car on the road permanently, it may fix your bouncing rpm issue.  

 

 

 

Lots of different diagnosis for the same problem when more information is given.

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Thanks. Btw once the car is jacked how how complicated is it to replace the transmission coolant lines? How long would that take? I found the leaky line(s) from the radiator, I'm just not sure where they run to. Would the lines run up on the right or left side of the car? Any special tools I would need? If I can briefly borrow a neighbor's garage or we get a freak warmup (lol) I may attempt to replace the line myself and save myself $200 it would cost to have a shop do. 

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