first time chevy owner

[fleenz]

hello everyone, and happy new year. my online moniker is fleenz, currently hailing from the great plains of the united states, and i recently traded in my RD1 CR-V for a 1993 caprice classic base model sedan, 305 TBI, THM700R4, 130k and change miles. this is the third vehicle i have owned. i bought it from a used dealer an hour away from my current residence. i was looking for a full size sedan because i am about to move halfway across the country and needed something that would handle the interstate a bit more comfortably in and out of a vehicle, and more space to acommodate for potential passengers; i am also incredibly partial to full-size sedans, for whatever reason likely impractical lol.

i'm not too ingrained on GM products. my only previous experience of having a chevy "long-term" is borrowing my grandma's '94 cavalier for a couple of months before i bought a hardbody pathfinder as my first vehicle.

i've had experience tearing apart minor things and putting them back together, as well as committing to preventative maintenance pinned down on the surface level; whatever i can get done on the driveway of wherever i live with a socket and wrench set. oil changes, intake hose replacements, coolant flushes, batteries, interior dash disassembly, toddler-esque wire repair and the like, but never anything like changing a timing belt.

i'm intending to replace the factory stereo head unit of my example replaced. do these vehicles, without the BOSE audio system, have an amplifier system located somewhere, or does the audio from the speakers come directly from the radio itself?

is there anything else i should take note of in regards to the mechanical reliability of these B-body chevys, specifically quirky or notably problematic? all i know so far is that i didn't end up with a car with a 4L60E, but i'm not even sure of how much different the 700R4 is in comparison.

thank you for your time and consideration

 

[Monttukani]

i'm intending to replace the factory stereo head unit of my example replaced. do these vehicles, without the BOSE audio system, have an amplifier system located somewhere, or does the audio from the speakers come directly from the radio itself?

According to factory service manual, only the Bose version has an amplifier.

is there anything else i should take note of in regards to the mechanical reliability of these B-body chevys, specifically quirky or notably problematic? all i know so far is that i didn't end up with a car with a 4L60E, but i'm not even sure of how much different the 700R4 is in comparison.

The th700(renamed to 4L60) and 4L60E are basically the same thing. The E version added electronic control to the transmission shifting. I have zero experience with those, can't say are they better or worse. But what I can say is that the non-electronic trans is good and reliable.

-Look for rust in the rear floor pans. -On the frame in front of the rear wheels. -And at the bottom of rear fenders.

-If your wipers do something weird, like stops wiping or doesn't stop wiping when turned off, the reason is most likely the wiper delay controller (Plastic box on the wiper motor, or somewhere near, don't remember). Hitting it with something might be a temporary fix. There's two relays soldered on the PCB. I removed them, soldered in some wires and installed two normal automotive relays externally to replace them.

-IMHO the lights on the whale are next to useless. 15 years ago when I owned a -91 caprice, people were swapping in the export version lights which had glass lenses instead of composite and used different bulbs. Can't remember the RPO code for those anymore. They were rare and expensive back then, I don't know what is the situation now, but I accidentally saw an aftermarket pair of those for sale at a reasonable prize quite recently.

-The fuel gauge may not be accurate.

These are the things that come to my mind at the moment.
Welcome to the forum!