Just got a 95 Roadmaster wagon

I just got a 95 Roadmaster wagon. High mileage, 195K but great body. Driving back, I noticed a shudder when
going up hill. Not continuously but happens & the speed drops off. Any guess ? TIA.
Anyway, I'm looking forward to fixing it up.

sj95rmw wrote:

Driving back, I noticed a shudder when
going up hill. Not continuously but happens & the speed drops off.  Any guess ?

Could be a lot of things, but my first thought would be a tuneup.

Welcome aboard!

Tom

Yea, I'm gonna replace the wires & plugs & fluids. The good part of this wagon is the condition of
the body & interior. It's a 1 owner car for the entire 195K miles & appears to have always been
garaged. Also has the posi + 2.96 + tow package.

The bad part is the shudder + the steering is squirrely in high speed sweeping corners. It doesn't
stay tracked, a little too exciting. I figure probably some worn out front suspension parts.

Just spend about 2 hours going through the service records. Very interesting. 2 crashes. One in
the front looks to be fairly major. Hood + radiator + bumper. ABout 2K worth. The 2nd one seems
to be some lower door trim problems. The outside mirrors have been replaced. Several rat problems.
Destroyed the heater blower & fuel tank pump/sender. So those have been replaced. A bit negligent
on oil change in the past 20K miles. The smog test in 8/2013 is really good. Suspicious. Better than
the previous one. No indication of any smog equipment replacement between the 2 tests. A bunch
of belt replacements & various oil leaks. GM quality seems much worse than my Chrysler minivan
quality. My 2006 minivan has required nothing except scheduled stuff.

I responded your post on the Roadmaster forum, so now I know the year, and know now that you have an opti-spark ignition. There is a very good chance that your opti-spark vent system is not working properly. The opti-spark is a sealed distributor/camshaft position sensor. Overall, it's pretty reliable but any moisture in there can cause a misfire so GM vents it with a vacuum line and restrictor on one end and supplies filtered air from the air intake to the other. Pop the small supply hose off the air intake (blue elbow) and check for a slight vacuum. If the cap seal is leaking, the vacuum can actually draw moisture into the opti. If the hoses are off, cracked or mushy, or if the restrictor is plugged, vacuum won't reach the opti.

Of course, this does not rule out wires, cap, plugs, fuel filter, injectors, fuel pump, etc. After 18 years, any or all could require service.

As for your minivan, let us know how it's doing in another 10 years. At least your RMW has steering...

Thanks for the tip. I spent about 5 hours last night reading various threads so I've got a lot to check.
I bought this because I like the unique looks + the LT1/4L60E potent power combo. Hope I have
success working on this. My Chrysler is a simpler car but has been my best car purchase ever. I
expect to keep it another 20 years unless it gets crushed by a Suburban.