Just got a 1993 Buick Regal
 

Hi everyone,

My uncle passed away a couple of months ago and I picked up his car for $500 (CDN). It's a dark grey 1993 Buick Regal (with a light grey interior), has the 3.1l V6 with only 157xxx km and runs like it just came off the lot. It was my uncle's baby. I think he was the original owner as well. Everything works except the rear passenger window (could be because of child lock?) and for some reason the parking brake light stayed on after disengaging the parking brake. The car sat for a couple of months but it started in one shot. There's some rust here and there, mainly at the bottom of the trunk lid and door edges. Oh and the windshield needs to be replaced. My main car is a 2001 BMW 740i but it's notoriously unreliable so I'm more than happy to have the Regal as a spare car. The Bimmer will be going in the garage for the winter now that I have the Regal.

The Regal came with 2 sets of tires (all-season and winter) so except for the new windshield, all I need to do is start her up and drive. I need to keep the car at my parent's house for now (renting and cannot park it on the street) but I will be washing/"detailing" it tomorrow (Tuesday) evening. Honestly, I'm really excited about this car. My brother, father and I love tinkering with cars. We're not mechanics by any stretch however we're not afraid to attempt DIY projects. Given the price of this car, we're even more excited to tackle things like the rear window, parking brake light etc.

Besides the above issues, one of the first things I want to do is install a cd/mp3 player. We have a Pioneer deck lying around that enjoyed some time in a 1995 Monte Carlo Z34. But my jaw dropped when I saw the tiny radio on this car with the separate tape deck at the bottom of the dash. I'm guessing I need to disconnect the original deck then just pass the speaker wires down underneath the dash. Anyway, any tips on that is definitely appreciated! I'll pick up a Haynes manual and hopefully find an assembly manual if there's one available.

One more thing, for some reason I only see 1 post in the "Regal" part of the forums. What happened to the 200+ other posts? Thanks in advance for any tips! I'll post updates and some pics soon.

e

You'll have to buy the kit that allows extra clearence for the aftermarket radio since the pocket for the tape player is to shallow. You can also but a pocket kit that replaces the stock am/fm radio. you can buy the harness at wal-mart or were ever but you'll have to extend them over a foot long to reach under the dash to connect were the external amp was for the stock set up, along with the antenna. As for the window I still gotta fix mine so ur on ur own. Its most likly the motor( is in mine, checked switches and everything) but you'll need a drill and bits cause it's rivited on. Hope this helps a little!

Hi,

Thanks for the info! I had to buy a kit for my parent's Monte Carlo (along with the connector) so I'm hoping it's similar for the Buick. I'm going to be working on the car all night so we'll see how things go. I will probably remove the door panel and see what's happening with the window. It looks like someone already checked it out because the panel isn't fitted on properly. The door pull is a little stuck. Anyway, can't wait to get the windshield replaced so I can take it for a long drive to shake it out.

e

Quick update:

We (Dad and I) removed the left-rear door panel to troubleshoot the window problem. The door panel was held by screws (one under the door handle, 2 under the door-pull), a bracket behind the plastic shield that covers the door handle, and a bunch of clips all around the panel. We first tested the window switch by prying off the window switch panel and unplugging the connector underneath. Be careful when using a screwdriver as you can scratch the plastic around the switch panel. We unplugged the connector and used a volt meter to see if voltage was reaching the switch. The blue and brown wires are the "hot" wires that go to the electric motor to control the up/down motion. Those all worked correctly. We also measured the voltage at the motor and it was good as well. Unfortunately, removing the regulator means popping out and drilling some rivets so we decided not to go any further for now. It seems like the motor quit although there's still a small chance that the regulator is stuck.

For the A/C, we tested the AC relay located in the engine compartment fuse box and the works fine. The Hayne's book gave some troubleshooting tips for the compressor but it seems like the A/C compressor is turning all the time. There's a good chance the car is just low on refrigerant.

We ended up fixing a few small things like the left-rear door pull (internal plastic clips that hold it were broken), tightened the spare tire to eliminate rattling, fixed headliner (cloth was loose above the rear window), checked all fluids etc. I drove the car for a quick 10-minute ride. Seriously, it goes incredible well...and not just for a 16-year old car. It idles smoother than my Dad's Jaguar X-type. Once we get the windshield replaced I'm going to take it for a long drive to ensure everything is ok.

Oh yeah I think I'm going to replace the thermostat as it took a long time for the engine temp gage to move. The upper radiator hose was warm so I think the tstat is stuck opened. It's a cheap and quick fix so I might as well just do it for preventative maintenance anyway.

Oops sorry for the long post! It's definitely interesting and fun to work on this car. On a side note, I laughed at how sensitive the fuel gage is. Accelerating and braking caused the needle to flop back and forth. Cars have come a long way since the 80's/90's eh?

e

What's wrong with the A/C? The a/c pully will spin all the time while the engine is running, the question is whether or not the clutch is ingadgeing. While the engine is running turn the a/c on, u should be able to hear the clutch engadge an the engine rms will drom alittle for a second then return to normal. if you dont hear it kick on then the clutch could be bad, low or no refrigerant. My advice is if you have to do any work to the a/c you might as well retrofit it to r-134a since it's cheaper to recharge an maintain. As for the thermostat if it is stuck open then it's fine, if it was stuck closed then you would have over heating problem. My opinion is to leave it, but if it'll make you feel better replace it, like you said there cheap. An the upper radiator hose is supposed to be warm or even hot to the touch since it has water temps anywhere from 160-220 degrees maybe even alittle higher since that the normal operating temp of most cars. P.S. I hate the floating gas gadge in mine, it scares me sometimes, i think i'm almost out of gas till it slowly rises back up!!lol!!!

Hi,

Thanks for the posts! Lots of excellent information. The car is going strong and everyone enjoys driving it. There's great visibility all around because of the large windows. We just replaced the wipers, topped up fluids and started to really clean the interior. Winter is around the corner so I'm looking forward to driving a FWD car instead of the RWD Bimmer. The only critical thing left to check is the fuel odor (which I mentioned in another post). I'll check the A/C clutch at lunch if the car is at my parent's place (my Dad and I swap cars all the time but he's been hogging the Buick for over a week now hehe).

e

It really sounds good that you are taking care of your uncle's car.Few people thinks like this.I think you are having some little knowledge about the car parts.Its good to see that from you.

I've had a 93 buick for a while now and we just put an old Pioneer headunit into it and was wondering where the antenna is!! idk what wire goes to it and it's really annoying not being able to listen to the radio. Also we are going to be putting in two new 6x9s and maybe new 4s when/if we get a 12 inch sub.( we already have an amp) If would really help if you could tell me where the wire to the antenna is and what it looks like and also where you found a wiring harness to put it where the tape player is would also help.

Also sorry to hear about your uncle.
Have always and still own a Buick. Very dependable and in my opinion they ride better than a Cadillac. Own other vehicles too , but enjoy driving the Buick most.Watch out, your dad may just take to that car and its ride and you may have to drive the Jag. Then what will you do? lol