[Gallydif]

I did it! After a year of looking all over florida on craigslist for the rm that met my criteria, I found it. Last May I posted another thread about a rm that I found but wasn't sure if I should entertain it. Glad I didn't.
I got a '96 roadmaster collectors edition with a white exterior and velour interior. 58k original. 2 owners. Mint condition. White was the color I wanted most. I wanted leather, but couldn't pass up on the offer. I took a 5 1/2 hour bus ride to meet up with the seller. He wanted to find a good home for it, because it was his fathers in laws and didn't want to see it customized with those really big or really small rims they put on them here in florida. That's where I come in because i too was looking for one that is original and not chopped up which is hard to find.
I had to drive the car from orlando to miami, so before I purchased it I took it to jiffy lube for them to inspect it to not have any surprises on the way back . They were terrible. I did that because I noticed what seemed like the engine to be running hotter than normal but the thermostat showed it in the normal range. The coolant was bubbling but was filled past the max range. Jiffy lube says its like that because most likely it was filled past the max. Also, the car would vibrate/jump every so often while on idle, accelerating, and cruising. I believe it's a cylinder misfire because that's the same thing that happened to my town car and it was a cylinder misfire (had to replace the ignition coil). I had the jiffy lube mechanic drive it so he could feel what I was talking about but when he came back he said he didn't feel anything. Either he's a really bad mechanic or didn't want to look into it. On the way home from purchasing it is when the check engine light came on. That's what also eventually happened on the town car with the cylinder misfire. Haven't been able to run the obd scanner on it but I will within the next few days. For now it'll sit as I don't want to drive it with the check engine light. Hopefully that is all it is. Anyways, below are a couple of pics. Actually wasn't able to. It says the files exceed the number of bytes.

 

[worthirt]

Congrats on the find! I will also say, check the EGR system. Mine was the cause of my issues. I would say, give the car a tune-up, flush the coolant, and check your vacuum hoses. That should solve most, if not all of your issues.

 

[Gallydif]

Congrats on the find! I will also say, check the EGR system. Mine was the cause of my issues. I would say, give the car a tune-up, flush the coolant, and check your vacuum hoses. That should solve most, if not all of your issues.

Thanks! I went to autozone today so they could run the obd scanner. Sure enough its 'multiple cylinder misfire' which are the ignition coils and/or spark plugs. Unfortunately their obd scanner doesn't say which cylinder it is. And I will take your advice for the coolant flush and checking the vacuum hoses.

 

[77Impala]

Congrats on your find! Hope you enjoy it. I don't mind customizing a vehicle, but I am not partial to wagon wheels either.

 

[Impala3800]

Damn 5 and a half hours away!? Lol the furthest I've driven to buy a car on Craigslist is like 25 minutes .
Enjoy it!!!!

 

[TSS]

Congrats - nice car. Re: Jiffy Lube Mechanic.....well.....not necessarily the guy I would have inspect my car before a 5.5 hour trip....... But in the end sounds like you made it home okay and are now giving the RM some loving it derserves. Keep up posted and more pics when you are able , please!

 

[RYD SLO]

Sounds like a good car. Can't wait to see pics of it (try resizing them before posting k3


As for taking the trip, I can definitely understand that. Sometimes you have to make a trip to get the right car for you. I traveled about an hour and a half away to get my car, and it was definitely worth it.


I also agree with the Jiffy Lube mech. statement. Definitely wouldn't be my first choice, but I guess in a town where you don't know any mechanics, it's as good as anywhere...

 

[Gallydif]

Thanks guys! ok I figured out how to downsize the files. Attached are 3 pics. Yes, it was 5.5 hours away by bus.. about 3.5-4 hours in car. As of now, it was well worth it. That was the furthest I have been for a car as well. As for Jiffy Lube, I think I might have known more about cars then the mechanic lol (and I don't that much about cars). I was in a town in which I didn't know anyone so any mechanic shop would have been hit or miss. Rm's aren't exactly Honda Accords in their popularity and to find one with low mileage in which they weren't asking a leg and an arm for it was like trying to find a needle in a haystack. Just received the distributer cap and rotor kit in the mail today from amazon. This weekend is when the work starts!

 

[RYD SLO]

VERY nice! :beer: Love that it has the hard top and not the cloth k3:

 

[worthirt]

That is sweet!

 

[fixitman]

Beautiful car!!!!

 

[Gallydif]

Well its been awhile but i finally did the big job to fix the misfire. I returned the cap and rotor kit and went ahead and just bought a whole new opti (delphi). Put in acdelco spark plug wires and ngk tr55ix iridium spark plugs. Whoever designed for the opti to be behind the harmonic plate and water pump is a complete idiot. And also the easiest way to get to the spark plugs is through the wheel well. Com'n really?! Don't even get me started on running the spark plug wires from the opti to the back on the passenger side:bang:. If the water pump ever leaks, itll leak right onto the opti :WTF:. Thanks gm! Ok enough of my rant lol. Flushed out the coolant and took out the coolant reservoir tank and cleaned it. It was nasty. That dexcool had turned into pellets and muddy. I used the felpro timing chain kit for all the gaskets and sealers because it all comes in that kit.
Another problem I was having with the car was to turn the engine over. It would take sometimes 2 or 3 tries to get it to turn on. Would make a terrible scratching/grinding noise. I personally thought it was the flexplate. I took it to my mechanic that i've known for a long time and he said it was the starter. I decided to get 2 other opinions from other mechanics. One said it was the timing chain, the other said it was the flexplate. Decided to go with my gut and trust my mechanic. Im so glad i did that! It was the starter. Didnt come without complications though. I bought the acdelco starter for the 95-96 rm and it didnt fit! The holes for the screws were too close and wouldnt screw in. I found out the 94 rm used a different starter. I went to advanced auto parts and bought the toughone starer for the 95-96 model and also for the 94 model. Sure enough it was the '94 that fit. How weird is that?! My '96 rm uses the starter for the '94 model.
So the 2 biggest problems are fixed Next project is to put some monroe shocks in since the ride is somewhat bouncy.

 

[LA1]

I was just reading about a couple that went to buy a vintage mustang on Craig's list and when they went out to the barn the guy killed them and stole their cash. Glad yours was not like that.

 

[zerialz]

Way to stay alive.. Congrats on the ride. She's a beauty.