Adopting a Festy

[virtuacarl]

Hey all! My mom recently upgraded to a 07 Spectra5 from her 91 GL Automatic. She bought it in the mid 90's from a really nice old lady when we weren't doing too well. The car has taken care of her pretty well. My very good friend/mechanic and I have tried to maintain it best we could (I recently started my own family and haven't been around as much.) She recently retired and we thought it was time for a new ride for her. I already have a truck that is servicable and paid off, but the way it loves gas has me looking longingly at the Festy. She bought it almost 20 years ago with around 20K miles and it has maybe 80k now. I feel like this could be a daily commuter for me. It just needs some attention.

So, long story short, taking on my mom's 91 GL Automatic. Looking to get dirty underneath, hopefully next weekend. Oil change, tranny fluid and gasket, maybe AC conversion (I live in Vegas) maybe brakes (think they're ok though) Just looking for any tips/wisdom from anyone, particularly people familiar with automatics.

Also, anything to know about changing the sterero system? Thanks in advance!

[David88]

Sound like a great daily car for you and you know the history of the car. That is a plus for knowing the dependability. Your on the right track with doing the fluids. It would be a good time to check your front CV shaft boots for cracks or tears. Also on the A/C, Do you know about the differences between R134a and the R12 that your system was designed for? There is a lot more to converting than just refrigerant.

[1990new]

Regarding the transmission filter change.. there are a couple of bolts toward the front that are a little hard to get to with a socket.
I had to use a crescent wrench on a couple of them. Be prepared with a pan to catch the old fluid remaining in the cover when you take it off.
You may even have to take one of the fluid hoses that go to the radiator off to make it easier.

[virtuacarl]

Do you know about the differences between R134a and the R12 that your system was designed for? There is a lot more to converting than just refrigerant.

I have read up (Haynes manual) This would be one thing I might have done at a shop. Any experience in this?

[virtuacarl]

Regarding the transmission filter change.. there are a couple of bolts toward the front that are a little hard to get to with a socket.
I had to use a crescent wrench on a couple of them. Be prepared with a pan to catch the old fluid remaining in the cover when you take it off.
You may even have to take one of the fluid hoses that go to the radiator off to make it easier.

Thanks for the heads up!