sosuzguy Posted July 19, 2007 Share Posted July 19, 2007 A lady has contacted me wanting to sell her 95. She bought it new and it has been garaged till the last 6 months. She said it makes a strange noise and was told the supercharger is going out. Others have said it's probably the supercharger gasket. 128k miles and taken care of very well. The seats don't even look like they have been sat in and the carpet isn't dirty at all. The paint has just a couple of very small daily driver scratches. She got scared of it with the noise and needed to be punctual to her responsibilities so she just bought a new car. She won't sell it to anyone unless she thinks they will fix it and take good care of it. She was originally thinking $1500 but thought that might be too much since she was quoted around $1200 to replace the supercharger. I think I might can pickup this car as a nice daily driver for around $800 to $1000. Does it seem like it's worth that if all it needs is a new supercharger gasket or worst case a new supercharger?What are some other things to look for or check out on this model?Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest dabecker65@gmail.com Posted July 19, 2007 Share Posted July 19, 2007 Bearings in the nose of the supercharger are probably gone. A company in California called PSE sells remanufactured ones w/ lifetime warranty for about $450 exchange plus UPS. I put one on mine last year. Most people did not check or change SC oil like it was supposed to be. Good luck - they are nice road cars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NTX5467 Posted July 20, 2007 Share Posted July 20, 2007 The first year of the supercharaged Buick 3800 V-6 did not have a place to change or check the supercharger oil . . . but the year after that, and every since, they did have the supercharger oil check/add capabilities.If she went to the dealership, she probably got scared as GM only services new units, complete, which are well into the thousands $$$$$$. As noted, there are other choices. Either to replace the nose piece or a complete reman unit (from NAPA, I think, plus other places) and considerably less money.A lot of dealership people do not know about "Supercharger Oil", but it's in their Standard Parts Catalog and they can also find the part number in the GM Service Information "Owners Manual" sections. Not to forget about in the back of the vehicle's owner's manual or GM Chassis Manual. Usually, as there were more Grand Prix with the SC3800, Pontiac dealers might be more likely to know about those things.Just some thoughts,NTX5467 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD1956 Posted July 21, 2007 Share Posted July 21, 2007 The Riviera group just had a discussion on this issue. It seems the coupler between the none cone of the supercharger and the gears for the supercharger blades is a prime culprit for noise at an idle. there is an aftermarket one available here ZZP The information on this site seems to apply to the 1996 and newer S chargers by Eaton, but the 1995 has an older supercharger by Eaton. Still the site says the coupler will fit all S chargers from 1990 on. Another culprit is the bearing on the nose cone for the shaft. This noise will be distinctly different than the coupler noise. First of all it probably won't go away as engine idle increases, while the coupler noise will. Just look on the Web, There are places selling re-man'd s chargers for $450.00 or so, and nose cones for less than that. Another problem can be the caked on coating of oil fumes which are routed to the s charger by the EGR valve. When I changed my intake manifold gaskets I turned this thing over, and cleaned up the insides with cleaner sprays. I also drained the oil and put in new oil and mine is still quiet at 130K. But I had a stumble in the engine that took me years to find. I went through a lot of parts trying to eliminate that stumble. It acted up for several years before the thing threw a code and that's when I found out the EGR valve was bad. That valve was not cheap, but it was a miracle cure. The car's performance is unbelievable now. JD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sosuzguy Posted July 21, 2007 Author Share Posted July 21, 2007 Thank you John, I was hoping you'd have something to offer. That's great information I can keep in mind once they get a new battery for the car so I can hear it run! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD1956 Posted July 23, 2007 Share Posted July 23, 2007 Good luck. Here's another thing to keep in mind, if the noise is belt related, ie the tensioners, check the mounting bolt that comes with the tensioner. It's probably reverse thread. I could not get mine out because I didn't know about the possible reverse threads. I should have thought something was up because the part comes with a new bolt. Anyway, keep it in mind. Lets see some pics when you get a chance.PS, good move waiting on a battery. The darn thing is 1,000 CCA and quite a bit of money. Just check to be sure they put the corret size in there, or you'll be changing it again really soon.JD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sosuzguy Posted July 23, 2007 Author Share Posted July 23, 2007 Here are the pictures. They aren't real good though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD1956 Posted July 23, 2007 Share Posted July 23, 2007 Not real good you say? Looks pretty nice to me.One thing you may not notice right away on the 95's is the smooth contour of the dash. In 95 the radio was AM/FM and tape, while the cd player is an add on, lower in the console. In 96 that changed to an all in one unit. The trade off is the 95's have a recessed radio and HVAC controls, while the 96 and up have a protruding radio and HVAC It's not a big deal, as both are still pretty, but the 95 is more consistent. Of course, for that you get a few more problems it seems, but the 95 is truly unique. Good luck. Let us know what the noise turns out to be. JDps: I understand that the mast on the antenna is user serviceable... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NTX5467 Posted July 25, 2007 Share Posted July 25, 2007 They might raise the price of the car to cover the battery! Also, make sure there's no "accumulation" near the battery when they get it out . . . or on the cables. Might have to get the "fix kit" for that area of the car (possibly similar to what they use on the late model DeVilles?).Enjoy!NTX5467 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tim63riv Posted July 27, 2007 Share Posted July 27, 2007 Jayson,Are you sure you wanted to spend $800-$1000 for THAT Riviera? Wow, did you get taken to the cleaners! There is still time to ship it up here to Minnesota before you spend all that extra money on a battery AND a SuperCharger! You know me, always willing to help you out of a jam! LOL!!TimP.S. Enjoy your new ride, it looks GREAT! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sosuzguy Posted July 27, 2007 Author Share Posted July 27, 2007 Nah I haven't bought it YET. I still want to hear it run and test drive it first. Battery must have a dead cell it will not even turn over trying to jump it! The owners have to go buy a new battery but it looks like I'll be putting it in for them, neither of them know how to jump start a car!More as it transpires.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NTX5467 Posted July 30, 2007 Share Posted July 30, 2007 You might make sure the new battery is fully charged BEFORE you install it. Considering that it might have been sitting on a shelf for a while . . . Not making sure it has a good charge will result in the alternator spiking it's output and cooking the regulator when that happens. Taking a little extra time can save $$$$$ later. If you find any evidence of "liquid intrusion" on the battery cable(s) wires, they'll need replacing too.Whether or not you ultimately purchase the car, these things will need to be attended to. I hope the battery source gets them the correct battery and not a "cheap immitation" of same--due to sticker shock. Many who are not knowledgeable about those cars do not understand why it takes the battery it does NOR why it costs so much.Enjoy!NTX5467 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sosuzguy Posted July 30, 2007 Author Share Posted July 30, 2007 Thanks, good advise... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
55chevy Posted August 13, 2007 Share Posted August 13, 2007 That's a very nice looking car. I miss my wife's 98 Riviera, such a great cruiser. The Regal GS forum has a sub forum for the supercharged Riviera's, lot of good info there. http://www.regalgs.org/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NTX5467 Posted August 14, 2007 Share Posted August 14, 2007 RegalGS.org is a great website! Lots of information and interaction in there, too! AND links to many Buick 3800 V-6 performance websites and vendors.If you stay in there very long, you will notice that these Buick Enthusiasts are not "retirement age" at all, which many "experts" might not understand, but it's there. Seems to be quite a different demographic than what we normally read about in media reports, by observation.So, Jayson . . . what ever happened with the potential purchase of the Riv??Enjoy!NTX5467 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sosuzguy Posted August 14, 2007 Author Share Posted August 14, 2007 Last week I got an email that the lady was back at home and she and her husband would try to get the battery put in the car. These two people together don't know how to jump a car off. I offered to put it in myself for her but she hasn't taken me up on that. I suspect soon they will get real tired of it sitting there and them messing with it and the deal might get even sweeter! I'll let you all know when it happens. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sosuzguy Posted August 27, 2007 Author Share Posted August 27, 2007 Well all that and now her father's dediced he wants the car. Oh well... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wilbur Mapes Posted April 2 Share Posted April 2 Trying to figure out which engine I have. I've seen 95 Riv's are series II and others series I. The VIN is 1G4GD2211S4710018. There's a ton of parts for the II, can't find any in stock for the I, ie SuperCharger cone/drive unit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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