Supercharged 95 Riviera: is it a GT?

[ADDvanced]

So this my dad's 95 Riviera, and unfortunately, he doesn't have much more time on this rock... it will soon be my 95 Riviera.   To be totally transparent, I'm not sure how I feel about this car yet, but we do have some history together.

 

He picked this thing up at a dealer auction when it was a couple years old, and when I was 12-17 or so, my dad and I would travel all over the country to go to boat races, so a lot of highway miles and road trips.  Days spent on the road were rarely tiring, and we covered ground quickly and silently, with what I remember to be a nice stereo.

 

The Good:   The car has only 98k miles, and it's been garage kept it's entire life.  He bought this thing used in 1997, and has put about 60k miles on it.   The car is pretty clean, it does have some light scratches but overall the paint is in nice shape, and I'm confident that some wet sanding and polishing would make it pretty nice.  The car accelerates nicely.  It's not fast, but it's not slow.  It's sort of amusing to accelerate the way it does in something so floaty.  The interior is clean, no tears or major flaws.

 

The Bad:  ELECTRICAL GREMLINS LIKE CRAZY

- Traction control light is stuck on

- Cruise control was working, but when I hit accelerate on the stalk while on the freeway, I felt a 'pop' and it hasn't worked since

- The steering wheel controls do not work, ever, but what I believe is connected, the VOLUME ON THE STEREO RANDOMLY GOES ALL THE WAY UP OR ALL THE WAY DOWN and turning the knob on the unit itself does not fix it.  I believe this is a wiring issue in the column, and right now this is one of the main things I want to fix on this thing, because regardless of keeping the car and enjoying it, I cannot possibly sell it like this either.  It has to get fixed and it's super annoying.

- AC quit working, I guess it has been through a condenser already and my dad was saying he couldn't find a NOS version, because GM was sold out since they're apparently turds that don't last long.  Are some brands of condensers updated to hold up longer?

- Front 12v cig lighter isn't working

- The suspension is original.  I hit a bridge on a curve and the car felt really unsettled, and I'm not sure how much of this personality is BUICK and how much is worn suspension.  This car was babied it's whole life; there is no steering slop, and the majority of it's miles were just highway cruising.   I know typically struts only last 60-70k, but given this thing's state of preservation I would assume they'd be good?  I guess I'm not sure how to tell what it's supposed to be like.

- The last time I drove it, I was stuck at an ATM, and the car started lurching.  The revs were just going up and down and up and down while I was in drive, with my foot on the brake.  It hadn't done that before, not sure what that was about.

 

The IDK:

- I'm not sure how much is worth fixing.   I did some research on values on these cars, and honestly I'm kind of shocked how low they are.  The design was pretty dramatic, and I remember them always seeming like a concept car when I was a kid.   They've aged pretty well, it's still a very long proportioned car, and that shoulder where the horizontal surfaces intersect the vertical surfaces is really cool and unique.   That said, you can get crazy low mileage version for cheap!   It looks like ones with 50-70k are barely above $5k.   This makes me wonder how much I should actually fix before I make a decision on this car.

 

Me:  I build things and tell stories.  My career is in industrial design, which is the creation, design, and production of everyday objects that get mass produced.  I've worked at powertool companies, motorcycle companies, marine companies, etc etc etc, and I was professionally trained in design, so when I say the Riviera is a striking design, there is some weight in that.   It looks like nothing else around, and it has a very concept car vibe, which I appreciate.

 

When covid hit, I started putting more time in my youtube channel, and tackled restoring/rebuilding my old 911.   I have 40+ episodes on that thing, all how to tech videos on what I've done so far.  I've also built a few race boats, a lifted AWD van, a school bus that works as a cabin, homesteading on off grid land I purchased in the mountains, snowmobiles, other cars, it hops all over the place.  Just search YT for "addvanced", it'll show up.

 

Back to the Riv:

 

The #1 thing I must fix immediately is the electrical gremlins that affect the stereo and the HVAC.  They're obnoxious and they make driving the car a chore, and not sellable even if I do want to say goodbye to it.  The only thing connecting both systems that I'm aware of is the steering wheel controls, o far, I have pulled the steering wheel airbag to remove the steering wheel controls entirely to eliminate a variable.  Didn't work!  So then I started trying to see if it was the clockspring with the steering wheel control wiring, so I disconnected that where it plugs into the chassis wiring.  STILL DOES IT!

 

 

 

So then I decided to keep pushing ahead, so I tore apart the dash so I could access the back of the factory stereo itself, to hopefully just eliminate the volume doing whatever it wants issue.   Unfortunately, no such luck.  I can unplug one connector, and the sub goes away.  Another, the Am/FM and only the CD player works.   The other, and the radio works but the CD player doesn't communicate.  Really frustrated.  Looking into replacing the stereo with a modern carplay unit so I can put the car back together, because it currently looks like this:

 

 

The car does accelerate nice, and it's very comfortable at high speeds.  It's weird to think about, but this definitely fits in the GT category of cars imho.  Highway bomber for long distances while ignoring the speed limit.  The body styling holds up, it's got a concept car vibe, and the taper of the rear end is wild to see in person.   Very dramatic.

 

 

To be continued....

 

 

 

Edited March 26 by ADDvanced
change order of photos (see edit history)

[JohnD1956]

The '95's were said to have the most problems.  Mine was just like you said.  A comfortable car for the long drives, and silent and much faster than may others realize.  But I went through a lot of problems including rotted brake lines, a rear wheel housing starting to rot, and mechanically I had to do an intake gasket replacement.

One of the first things I had to do was replace the ABS computer to get my antilock brake warning light off.  That was a huge expense since the program was to change the computer and the proportion block it was attached to.  Then there was talk that one could just change the computer part for a lot less money.  It really was sad.

When it ran right, it was fantastic!  But I got to the point I just didn't feel like it was reliable enough for long trips.  But I did put a ton of miles on it over the 6 years or so I had it. 

I was sorry to see mine go, and happy at the same time. I like the 95 the best for design and the looks of the engine and dashboard. But if I had one today I'd unsolder that ABS light and just run it without them. 

 

[NTX5467]

I hope your Dad's last days are enjoyable for all.

 

Mechanically, other than the powertrain, the car is a 2-dr version of the Olds Aurora.  Same platform.  Olds didn't like to admit that, back then.

 

Plug-ins on the back of the radio?  On top of the radio case, there is a wiring notation of which wires go where.  There is a single wire which runs the memory in the radio, which is hot all of the time.  "Clock memory".

 

To me, the issues with the radio sound like dirty switches that stick.  At one time, the Buick stereos ran the steering wheel control volume with an apparent servo motor in the radio, which physically turned the volume knob, up or down.  I think yours might be a bit newer than that.

 

Is there evidence of somebody molesting the wiring before y'all got it?  Bad thing is that GM went Internet-based on their service manuals in the 1990s, but you might check with Helm, Inc. to see if they might have some paper versions with wiring schematics.  Using Google searches for the issues mentioned might help too.

 

On some of the Buicks back then, the "upgrade suspension" amounted to stiffer-sidewal Eagle GT tires and a bit larger sway bars.  The stiffer tires got the valving in the struts activated quicker for a bit firmer feel.  KYBs can be a cost-effective choice and be about 20% stiffer than OEM.  Get the complete strut/spring versions.

 

Wet-sanding is a lot of work!  Use a good, fine compound with an orbital buffer instead.  Do NOT want to cut through the clearcoat!  A clay bar might help, too.  Then some quality wax to finish things off.

 

Value?  Unfortunately many Rivieras, once they got past their initial "used car" stage, don't have the book value it seems they should.  Good if you are buying, otherwise if you desire to sell.  BTAIM  The "good thing" is that depreciation has already happened, so you've got some classy wheels that will retain what value it has if you take care of it and keep it looking nice.

 

Hope this might help,

NTX5467

[Seafoam65]

I'm retired from 47 years in the car repair business so I'll give you my opinion on your problems.

The trac light is probably on due to a bad computer.....I would recommend just deactivating the light

at the instrument cluster and don't worry about fixing it.

On the cruise control , check under the hood to see if the cable that goes from the cruise control transducer

to the throttle arm is broken or disconnected. If that is OK you need a new cruise transducer.

There is a very high probability that all of the problems with the radio is the radio itself. The mid nineties GM

radios were a complete joke....they used to go out once a year when the cars were brand new. GM has very

well made wiring harnesses.....when you have an electrical problem in the dash it is almost always a component, not the wiring. I assume that you meant compressor, not condenser on the A/C. On a 95 GM car, unless the

car is low on freon due to a leak, normally the compressor is bad, which entails flushing the system to remove trash, replacing the orifice valve and installing a new compressor. The compressors on a 90's GM car usually go out at least every 80,000 miles, often much more frequently than that....they are a very bad design.

On the cig lighter you have a blown fuse. Hopefully replacing that fuse might help your other electrical problems as well, but that isn't too likely. Normally when the idle surges up and down you have a huge vacuum leak under the hood somewhere around the intake manifold.  While you are checking for vacuum leaks, remove the

the vacuum line from the fuel pressure regulator on the fuel rail and make sure it  doesn't have a blown

diaphragm....At that age the regulator should be bad by now. This can cause bad gas mileage, a funky idle and

sometimes results in the intake manifold exploding like a bomb went off inside it. If gasoline is coming out of the hose nipple on the regulator when the vacuum line is removed , the regulator diaphragm is busted.  Your car is very clean and is certainly worth fixing. A 90's

GM car makes a fine hobby car but I wouldn't want one at this point as a daily driver.....

It will eat you up with repairs if you stack a lot of miles on it. The reason values are low on

these cars is it is common knowledge that they tend to break a lot. If the car doesn't have

sentimental value and you want an inexpensive daily driver, sell it and buy a 2004-2011 Lincoln Town Car.  They are wonderful cars and the drivetrain and rear end will go 500,000 miles easily

if you use Mobil 1 motor oil and on the transmission, leave it  alone and don't change the fluid and it will go 500,000 miles as well. I have seen these cars go 700,000 on the original engine and trans. Only caveat is you have to torque the spark plugs to 28 foot lbs instead

of 10 foot lbs like the factory did or they will vibrate loose and then blow out, taking the threads with them. Other than that, they will go 100's of thousands of miles .  and will never break. The suspensions are bullet proof other than the factory front ball joints go out at 100k because they don't have grease fittings.

Edited March 26 by Seafoam65 (see edit history)

[65VerdeGS]

Wow - Winston, you sure have a way with words!  Very amusing read!  If that ‘95 Riv was mine I’d be putting a “For Sale” sign on it after reading about the intake manifold bomb!  
 

All great advice, and thanks to folks like you that this forum is such a valuable resource for Riviera owners!

[ADDvanced]

Hey boys, 

so after beating my head against the wall and trying to solve the weird random volume skyrocketing or all the way down and failing, I decided to lobotomize the factory deck and install one that I have in my lifted AWD astro van, that I've been very happy with.   It's a Pioneer DMH-1770NEX, and I've had it in my Astro for over a year, and I love it.  The screen is capacitive touch, which works great, the carplay works awesome, Waze is invaluable for avoiding speeding tickets, and it sounds awesome.  It also has options to play movies if you bypass the parking brake (I only do this in nebraska at night), the option to install a backup camera, bluetooth phone calls, and if you have an android you can do mirroring.  

Anyway, here is the link; brand new they are $300 but for $200 you can get a factory reconditioned unit, which is what this is and it looks brand new:

https://amzn.to/4acvDyn

I'll post pics as I get it installed, today I just wired up the adaptor harness (link: https://amzn.to/3TUGEyr) and wired everything up using these quick easy solder connectors (link: https://amzn.to/49d8tqe).   Nice thing is, idk about other years, but I read that the HVAC buttons will no longer dim with the rest of the dash, but in my 95 anyway, it works fine, so that issue is avoided.

I am now looking into getting the steering wheel controls to work, it looks like there are a few adaptors so I'll be exploring that in my next post.

Update:  Ordered the Axxess ASWC-1 steering wheel adaptor, installed it about 30 minutes ago.   Install was easy, it was 2 ground wires, a power wire, and tapping into the factory harness in one spot.  I just used one of those vampire taps, worked perfect.   Setup was easy, just turned the car on, then held the volume up button.  That's it!

So now the Volume Up/Down works, and the next/previous buttons work, and the temp button does NOT work.  It instead acts as a "mute" button, both temp up and temp down.   What I don't understand is that the factory harness was never cut, so you'd think the temp function would still work.   

On the left, there is the program/band button, and it does nothing.  This thing is programmable, but I'm not sure what function I'd want that button to do, to be honest.

I ordered an antenna adaptor to hook up the antenna, and I am planning on installing 2 rocker switches under the dash, one to disable the power antenna, and the other to trick the deck into thinking the parking brake is on.  More later, cheers!

[NTX5467]

Glad things are progressing!

 

Rather than Town Cars, you can also investigate 2005 Impalas and LeSabres.  Pretty inexpensive to operate and repair.  Just passed 300K on the Impala (with one GM reman transaxle, which could have been avoided with a pressure switch group change).  In my driving, Michelins last about 90K miles or so.  The LeSabre, being related to the DeVille/DTS platform, is smoother and quieter.  Being mine is a Limited and was a Hertz rent-a-car from Hawaii, it has everything except 16" tires/wheels.  The RainSense wipers are neat, once you figure out their programs.  Mine has leather, too.  Prices on these cars are still very reasonable for what is received.  Estate or pre-Estate sales can be placed to find them.

 

A former work associate was a retired Police Chief near Rowlett.  He said that Ford approached them to take their Crown Vics back, completely refurbish/rebuild them (engine, trans, axles, etc) for $10K each.  He said that was a real no-brainer!  And it worked as they said it would.  Which explained why we saw Crown Vics around for years after they were out of production!

 

Enjoy!

NTX5467

[NTX5467]

A "GT"?  

 

My definition of "Grand Touring" is a vehicle that has better brakes, handling, road manners, and power above what a normal vehicle might have.  Those Rivieras had style, comfort, smooooth performance, and good fuel economy.  "GT" of a different orientation?

 

NTX5467

[ADDvanced]

Yeah, GT meaning a vehicle designed for touring; high speed, long distances.  I've had a GT car before, but haven't had one in quite a while.  All my cars are either hot hatches, econoboxes, sports cars, or vans.   Pretty relaxing to cruise around at 80-90mph in silence with nice ride quality and premium materials.   I'm liking this car, I don't know if I'll keep it but for trips over an hour long, this is what I'm grabbing the keys to.

 

[rodneybeauchamp]

On 3/29/2024 at 10:50 PM, ADDvanced said:

Hey boys, 

so after beating my head against the wall and trying to solve the weird random volume skyrocketing or all the way down and failing, I decided to lobotomize the factory deck and install one that I have in my lifted AWD astro van, that I've been very happy with.   It's a Pioneer DMH-1770NEX, and I've had it in my Astro for over a year, and I love it.  The screen is capacitive touch, which works great, the carplay works awesome, Waze is invaluable for avoiding speeding tickets, and it sounds awesome.  It also has options to play movies if you bypass the parking brake (I only do this in nebraska at night), the option to install a backup camera, bluetooth phone calls, and if you have an android you can do mirroring.  

Anyway, here is the link; brand new they are $300 but for $200 you can get a factory reconditioned unit, which is what this is and it looks brand new:

https://amzn.to/4acvDyn

I'll post pics as I get it installed, today I just wired up the adaptor harness (link: https://amzn.to/3TUGEyr) and wired everything up using these quick easy solder connectors (link: https://amzn.to/49d8tqe).   Nice thing is, idk about other years, but I read that the HVAC buttons will no longer dim with the rest of the dash, but in my 95 anyway, it works fine, so that issue is avoided.

I am now looking into getting the steering wheel controls to work, it looks like there are a few adaptors so I'll be exploring that in my next post.

Update:  Ordered the Axxess ASWC-1 steering wheel adaptor, installed it about 30 minutes ago.   Install was easy, it was 2 ground wires, a power wire, and tapping into the factory harness in one spot.  I just used one of those vampire taps, worked perfect.   Setup was easy, just turned the car on, then held the volume up button.  That's it!

So now the Volume Up/Down works, and the next/previous buttons work, and the temp button does NOT work.  It instead acts as a "mute" button, both temp up and temp down.   What I don't understand is that the factory harness was never cut, so you'd think the temp function would still work.   

On the left, there is the program/band button, and it does nothing.  This thing is programmable, but I'm not sure what function I'd want that button to do, to be honest.

I ordered an antenna adaptor to hook up the antenna, and I am planning on installing 2 rocker switches under the dash, one to disable the power antenna, and the other to trick the deck into thinking the parking brake is on.  More later, cheers!

Interesting read. Would like your thoughts and opinions on how difficult it was to remove the standard system from the dash. Looking at the ‘97 shop manual, it is not a five minute job and I am soooo wary about breaking all those impossible to replace clips and fasteners.

 

Would like to keep the standard system however the CD and cassette player are inop however the radio and speakers work well. Am currently using a device that plays music from an older iPhone via an unused FM channel but would love to have the CD player and cassette working.

 

Interested in how you went about it? What to be careful of. What is easily broken. 

 

Rodney from down under

😀😀😀😀😀😀😀😀😀😀😀

[ADDvanced]

It was not bad, I just followed the FSM.   You basically remove both endcaps from the dash by unsnapping them, the pass side has a screw in the glovebox area, then you remove the dash pad, which was a few fasteners.  Then once the dash pad is out, you can remove the whole front dash panel that goes around all the gauges and vents and stuff.   Then you have access to it.   I will be doing a video on it at some point.

[rodneybeauchamp]

On 4/7/2024 at 10:30 PM, ADDvanced said:

It was not bad, I just followed the FSM.   You basically remove both endcaps from the dash by unsnapping them, the pass side has a screw in the glovebox area, then you remove the dash pad, which was a few fasteners.  Then once the dash pad is out, you can remove the whole front dash panel that goes around all the gauges and vents and stuff.   Then you have access to it.   I will be doing a video on it at some point.

The book was great but can’t wait for the film version. Yes be very pleased to see a video.

Rodney 😀😀😀😀😀😀

[Barney Eaton]

If you are new to the supercharged 3800 engines the first thing to check is the supercharger oil. 

There is a hex plug on the snout end of the supercharger,  unscrew and check the oil.   GM sells/sold

some sort of "snake oil" that was to be used in them and try and use that.

 

The supercharged engine was an option and the first year a large percentage of the Riviera were supercharged. 

I have never heard of a "GT" version,   Willis is very knowledgeable and will probably agree that there was a 

towing package that included the upgraded suspension,

Edited April 10 by Barney Eaton (see edit history)

[NTX5467]

Not sure if there was ever a "tow option" on those Rivieras, but a Gran Touring suspension was usually the upgrade suspension on many Buicks back then.  Might have had a bit stiffer springs, but normal struts, with possibly different sway bars, and Goodyear Eagle GT white letter tires.

 

Would have been difficult to put a real trailer hitch on them due to the bumpers.

 

NTX5467

[ADDvanced]

I think there was some miscommunication, there was not Riviera GT, but GT stands for grand touring, and imho the riviera is in the class of GT cars 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_tourer

Even though it's FWD, the attributes of these things are totally GT oriented.  Quiet, comfortable at high speed, decently powerful, luxurious etc.

[EmTee]

1 hour ago, ADDvanced said:

Even though it's FWD, the attributes of these things are totally GT oriented.  Quiet, comfortable at high speed, decently powerful, luxurious etc.

I have the same feeling about my '67. Powerful and comfortable highway cruiser. 

[RivNut]

The first Pontiac GTOs were rear wheel drive.  GTO is for Gran Tourismo Omolagato - translated from Italian for Grand Touring Homolagated ( or however you spell it.). Literally a Grand Touring car of which enough were built to be accredited to sell it as a production model.  

[Seafoam65]

1 hour ago, RivNut said:

The first Pontiac GTOs were rear wheel drive.  GTO is for Gran Tourismo Omolagato - translated from Italian for Grand Touring Homolagated ( or however you spell it.). Literally a Grand Touring car of which enough were built to be accredited to sell it as a production model.  

Every GTO ever made including the 2004-2006 models are rear wheel drive