My '92, 3.9 has had the original muffler replace under warranty because it
had a loose baffle or something inside that sounded like a tin can
bouncing around inside. That was fairly early on. At about 30K miles it
started backfiring under full throttle at 3000 rpm which turned out to be
the EGR valve, again replaced under warranty. At about 55K it started
intermittantly backfiring/missing/popping/farting which turned out to be
the distributor which was replaced under warranty too. A front axle seal
was replaced under warranty too at about 65K.
The muffler and EGR valve were replaced at the dealer I bought the truck
at, the rest at another dealer. The first two jobs were done with no
problems, the distributor replacement required two trips to get the timing
set properly. In 700 miles there won't be anymore warranty, so....
This past week I had the opportunity to drive my mother's '90 Buick. It
rides like a marshmallow, the 3800 V6 has fairly good power and gets
fairly good mileage, it handles like a filthy pig, and has more odd noises
and sounds than you can shake a stick at. At about 40-45 it makes a
rythmic drumming noise, that I never could figure out. The front brake
discs are BADLY warped, and the only driver has been a 77 year woman.
It's almost scary to drive it sometimes. I never could find a really
comfortable seating position either. The cruise control has no decelerate
position on the Buick which is strange because even the cruise on my
wife's '86 Mazda 323 has a "coast" position which is the same thing.
The Dakota handles at least as well and is at least as comfortable and
quiet as the Buick. The Buick gets better mileage and accelerates better
(but it doesn't weight 4200+ lb either) and has a good radio except for
the wierd controls. The Buick has 27K miles, the Dakota 69+K miles!
Larry Elliott, '92, 3.9, 4x4, 5 sp'd, LE
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