This is what I normally buy- not the super fancy stuff but still “leak sealer”. Doesn’t seam to seal my leaks but doesn’t cost much either.
there is one with a dye in it. you might be able to see where the leak is if it is not hidden somewhere.
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Then the compressor shaft seal is probably leaking.
Tester
Owners seem to like that car. So fixing makes a lot of sense from that perspective. But if you only want it to last for another year, then you intend to sell it, it might make sense to defer the suspension work, just turn up the radio, and let the next owner take care of the squeaky suspension. The price you get next year for a 1998 Century will probably be pretty much the same, squeak or no squeak. In any event first get the squeak problem assessed by a mechanic though to rule out safety-related issues.
UPDATE:
Took the car to a good mechanic to get a full lookover of the suspension and some other things. They gave me a long list of potential repairs, I decided to start tackling a number of them myself:
-Front control arms (both sides)
-Front outer tie rods (both sides)
-Front sway bar end linkages (both sides)
-Rear brakes and wheel cylinders (drums brakes, complete replacement, both sides)
-Rear wheel hubs (both sides)
I was wondering if anyone knew the torque specs for these parts?
Looks like rear hubs are ~50ft*lbs
I hate to mention those rags, but a soft cover copy of a Chiltons or Haynes manual will likely have those torque specs in it
I would also suggest that if at all possible you do the front end work in one shot.
The car will need to go on the alignment rack after the work has been done so make that alignment cost a one time figure.
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The 3.8L was in the Regal, not the Century. I had a 1998 Regal with the 3.8 and never had problems. My FIL had an Olds 88 and then a Buick LeSabre, both with that engine and he never had problems either.
I’ve had three of the 3.8 or 3800’s and the only engine problem I had was a timing chain at 350,000. Good engines if that’s what you have. These were prior to the manifold coolant leak problem though.
However, if electrical issues start to develop or fuel pump issues I would not treat it as the most dependable car in your fleet. Engines are only part of the issue. And a 98 is right on the border line.
One of my friend’s younger brother is going around and buying junky old cars for scrap, then putting minor money into them (new alternator or battery, etc.) and then selling at a HUGE profit! If he finds they are not worth fixing, he sends them to the scrap yard and gets most or all of his money back.
He recently bought a 1996 Cavalier with completely rotted rockers for $250. It had been sitting in someone’s yard for a decade and needed a new battery and alternator (reason it was parked). He gave it a car wash and cleaned the interior, then turned around and sold it for $3500. He just fixed what was needed and didn’t mess with the oil or other fluids which I would certainly have done on a car like this.
Don’t even get me started on trucks! There is a reason I have dumped a bunch of money into my old 1997 F250 Light Duty recently instead of junking it. I had planned to not really care and just drive it until something major failed but then the pandemic hit. I couldn’t have sold it for much more than $1200 several years ago but now is a different story. I have been quoted $5k as an easy price for that truck.
So my answer is to fix this and you might get a lot longer out of it. The days of finding a decent used car for $2000-3000 are no longer with us. Those “grandma cars” tend to be pretty solid and reliable a lot of the time.
I would also id you still have dexcool!
Blockquotewe
Definitely going to fix up what I can. Putting about $700 into parts replacing front control arms, sway bar linkages, outer tie rods. Replacing rear drum brakes, wheel hubs, cylinders…
Hopefully will get the suspension and steering feeling smoother for the next couple years I have it.
Any good recommendations for tracking down where the coolant leak is coming from? Lately- it hasn’t been losing too much coolant from the radiator fill spot or the reservoir, but when driving on the highway I usually get a ‘low coolant’ light which goes away when I go back to stop/go city driving.
Driving in the city it will sometimes teeter on overheating if I am stuck in traffic for a long time…wondering if the water pump is not circulating coolant?
The GM 3.1 liter V-6 engines are well known for intake gasket leaks, which cause coolant to go into the crankcase . . .
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I borrowed a cooling system pressure pump kit from the local O’Reilly’s and pressurized the radiator. The next morning, I saw that coolant had been leaking from the edge of an intake gasket - a small leak that I could not discern without the help of the overnight pressure. Took the kit back and bought the needed gaskets and some RTV and fixed it that day.
You actually pay for the loaner tool kit on your credit card, and they issue a credit when you return the tools intact and on time.
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This is a good idea…I have used the tool loaner program with autozone many times. Looks like they have coolant system tools as well. I’ll look into that
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You might also blast off the rusty areas with a pressure washer and then use some type of rust treatment. This will not stop the rust but will slow it down and buy time on the car. I wouldn’t spend the money for what this would cost to do right.
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