Supercharged engines in the 95 and 96's.

[Todd Rowell]

Howdy y'all!

Thanks Ed for the info and invite!

I am looking at a 95 and a 96 Riv. They are both supercharged and check out ok on carfax. The 96 has wood interior! The door, dash, and console have light tan wood! Is this from factory? What I am worried about is the mileage on the woody is 146k. The non-woody, 1995, is only 100k. Also checked out on carfax. Looking at the vin's and carfax...I have decided these are both late 1995 Rivs.

Do these cars have any negative reps about the supercharger and/or the engine? They are both the 3.8. I have had a 99 Olds Aurora for the last four years and it was very nice and very fast...however, the price I got paid was also very nice when I sold it. I have always wanted one of these Rivs... mid 90's. Can anyone share info about these mid 90's reps?

I have always been a Riv nut..but not always had a riv. I specialize in the 72 Boattail...I even named my son after that one!

Thanks,

Todd, ROA 4863.

[tim63riv]

Welcome, Todd!

The 3800 Series II SC engine is a very dependable and relatively trouble free. Of course you know that on a used car, all bets are off! Mileage is not a foolproof indication of which vehicle is better, the maintainance history would be a better reference point. I have not been impressed with Car-fax, a good friend of mine bought a 2006 G6 with a carfax history, except they missed the part about the car being in a severe front end collision!

My suggestions would be to drive both cars under similar conditions and see how they drive out. Check all of the fluids for proper level and color, especially the transmissions. Decide on which one best suits your needs and have it inspected by a competent mechanic or Buick Dealer. Just some thoughts!

Tim McCluskey

[Todd Rowell]

Thanks Tim. What makes this hard is that this an e-bay auction. Normal shopping procedures cannot be used. You mentioned the 3800. Is this the 3.8 they say is in these cars? I have a 98 Olds 88 with a 3800 in it...series 2.

I purchased this company car for $600. I don't know why, but this thing gets 36 mpg no matter what! It has 147 k on it and I am afraid of getting rid of it! My wife hit a deer and I thought of getting another...but no one reports such great mileage...so I bought new parts and put it back together..tonight as a matter of fact! Could this be the same engine in these Buicks?

Todd

[tim63riv]

Todd,

Same 3800 Series II engine in your Olds, just minus the Supercharger. Have you joined the ROA yet? Good group of folks and very likely there is a member or members near where the 95 and 96 Riv's are located. Many times a member will ask for someone to look at a vehicle that is offered on ebay and usually someone is more than happy to check it out.

Take Care,

Tim

[Reatta Man]

Did the '95 model have the Series II SC engine? I thought they started using Series II engines in '96, but that may only be the non-supercharged versions.

If the '95 is a Series I, I would go with the '96. More horsepower!

By the way, if you do any of your own diagnostics, '96 was also the first year for OBDII. Much better data stream for finding problems....

Joe

[Guest rlbleeker]

I think '96 was first year for Series II SC. Up to 163K on ours, no problems with the engine at all.

[tim63riv]

Guys,

Good question. I was always of the notion that the 95 3800 Normally Aspirated engine was Series I and the 95 3800 SuperCharged engine was Series II, then both NA and SC were Series II in 96. According to the 95 Riviera/Aurora Service manual, the service procedures and specifications for the NA 3800 (VIN K) and the SC 3800 (VIN 1) are virtually identical, so they must both be Series 1. That might mean that the 96 3800 NA is still Series I and the 96 3800 SC is Series II. I haven't obtained a 96 Service Manual yet, but I am looking!

Thanks,

Tim McCluskey

[rivgs]

Tim, You are close, 95 non supercharged is series II, supercharged is Series I. 96 and up is series II for both.

[JohnD1956]

Hi Todd. I had a 95 and loved it. Mine was the supercharged version. I bought mine with 49K and had about 130K on it when I let it go. I found myself comparing the 95 to the later versions and decided I liked the 95 better for estethic ( sp?) reasons.

I liked the 95 dashboard better. The radio and cd player were separate, and that allowed the radio and HVAC controls to be recessed into the dash just like the guages. I just thought this looked better. I also liked the look of the supercharger on the 95 because it was not covered up with that big shroud on top of the motor.

But in all honesty, I can tell you that car cost me a ton of money. Lots of little things that I suppose woulld ultimately go wrong with the 96 too, but definitely went wrong on my 95. I should have been much more critical on my inspection of the car and estimated the repairs 4x what I did in order to get a really good deal.

While the superchargers appear to last for anywhere from 99 -150K, I think you'll find that the latest diagnosis is the supercharger does not go bad. The coupler in the nose cone does go bad. These are replaceable in both the 95 and the later 96-99 version.

You'll find the harmonic balancer will go bad. Matters not which year. Be prepared. Valve covers will leak with age. The bypass hose nipple was plastic and may break, although if it already did, the replacement was metal.

The water pumps will leak. On the 95 you can get it off without removing the front engine mount. Not sure about the newer ones. The 95's serpentine belt tensioners will eventually go, along with the dual idler pulleys for the system. Not that expensive if you are handy. Just watch for reverse thread bolts holding them on.

The 95 will experience trouble with the EGR valve. Not sure about the 96 and newer.

All of them will experience problems with heat cooking the vacuum lines and custom vacuum tees plus the spark plug wires. Not a big problem, but annoying.

The 95/96 with a sun roof may experience shrinkage in the weather seal. It will have a noisy windleak although mine never leaked water into the car.

Everything else I went through on the 95 has most likely been done already.

I have heard that the Aurora was a great car but I never drove one. I can tell you that everytime I drove my Riviera I smiled from ear to ear, and I miss that car today. The manager of my local NAPA also misses that car today.

The 95 without the supercharger had a 3.06 final drive ratio tranny while mine had a 2.97. I could never get more than 30 MPG on my car and I am not a racer. But it's hard to keep that car under 80 MPH. And the most fun I'd have is pulling out to pass others doing 80 on the highway. That Riv just seemed to have big ones and could easily put you in the seat when passing at that speed. I could spin the tires but it wasn't like I was pounding it off the line all the time.

I remember seeing a 97 at the local dealer one day ( probably around 2004) and they were replacing the tranny. This car had less than 60 K on it and according to the service manager the trans just could not hold up to the engine on constant drag racing. So I'd be careful about that too.

Good luck

[Guest BJM]

Todd,

I would be patient on the purchase of a 1995 to 1999 Riviera. No need to rush on an ebay auction. These cars are used car lots best friend right now, along with the Auroras. In Des Moines, I see them regularly and I would use Craig's List to do my search. That way, there is no super-rush that an ebay auction forces on you.

[Guest rlbleeker]

We got our '96 with 36K on it and now have 163K. Aside from normal maintenance items, I've replaced: a wheel bearing, water pump, radiator, idler pulleys, CD player, window motor. It's starting to show it's age, but no signs of giving up. Got a '99 with 60K as a backup last fall. Low mileage examples are still out there.