Hello Everyone!

Jaylos85Lesabre

New member
Nov 30, 2020
4
1
Hello, My name is George and I just joined this forum with hopes of learning from others as well as sharing my knowledge with any old school B body car owners out there. I presently own a 1985 Buick Lesabre Limited Collectors Edition with 69K. I am the 3rd owner. The car is not mint or the best looking by any means but in my opinion, it is still a survivor. It has some dings and some rust spots here/there but very driveable. I am not trying to restore, or sup her up but rather clean her up a bit and keep her stock for the long run. I have attached some pictures. Thank You.
 

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85bBuick

New member
Dec 2, 2020
2
1
Awesome Buick! I just picked up an 85 LeSabre myself. I need help with it though. The car runs perfectly for about a half an hour then all of a sudden its like the throttle keeps cutting in and out. Making it almost impossible to drive. You have any idea what it could be? Also do you think a headliner board from any 1980 to 1990 b-body will fit in my 85 coupe? it's missing the dang board. will a four door headliner board work in my car? Sorry i just started my account and figured i'd start here.
20201026_180234 (2).jpg
 

Jaylos85Lesabre

New member
Thread starter
Nov 30, 2020
4
1
Nice Coupe. Cannot tell you on the headliners. Your best bet might be consulting with a local upholstery shop to get a few estimates. I have heard $150-$200 to reline it but not sure if it includes a board or not. As far as the cutting in/out. Start with the basic. Make sure Air Filter is clean. I replaced all the original vacuum hoses in mine as several were collapsed, cracked, causing vacuum leaks, etc. I bought a 6' hose set package from Oreilly's size 7/32". From there, consider replacing the fuel filter in front of the carburetor. Be careful not to strip the flare fitting or twist the fuel line. Maybe lube it overnight with BP Blaster & use the correct size flare wrench & a secondary wrench to hole the opposite end. Could also be the accelerator pump inside the carburetor in which case just have it rebuilt. Other than that, could be a mechanical fuel pump issue, spark plugs, wires, timing ,etc. Hope this helps.
 

85bBuick

New member
Dec 2, 2020
2
1
Nice Coupe. Cannot tell you on the headliners. Your best bet might be consulting with a local upholstery shop to get a few estimates. I have heard $150-$200 to reline it but not sure if it includes a board or not. As far as the cutting in/out. Start with the basic. Make sure Air Filter is clean. I replaced all the original vacuum hoses in mine as several were collapsed, cracked, causing vacuum leaks, etc. I bought a 6' hose set package from Oreilly's size 7/32". From there, consider replacing the fuel filter in front of the carburetor. Be careful not to strip the flare fitting or twist the fuel line. Maybe lube it overnight with BP Blaster & use the correct size flare wrench & a secondary wrench to hole the opposite end. Could also be the accelerator pump inside the carburetor in which case just have it rebuilt. Other than that, could be a mechanical fuel pump issue, spark plugs, wires, timing ,etc. Hope this helps.
The guy i bought it from thought it was a little rubber gasket that the TPS sensor sits in. Does that make any sense to you? What kind of gas should i be using with the 5.0 V8?
 

Jaylos85Lesabre

New member
Thread starter
Nov 30, 2020
4
1
I never had to mess with those sensors. If you are getting a service engine light then scan to see the code. I just use regular 87 octane.
 

Monttukani

New member
Aug 23, 2020
18
3
Finland
If the sensor was giving false readings it would trigger the fault light. Code 21 is the TPS.
I just rebuilt my carb and was actually wondering why there is a rubber lining in the cup where TPS sits... I didn't see any real function to it.
 
Nov 13, 2018
9
3
Hi George,
Welcome to the B body forums!

Yup, i agree, keep it original. My 86 chevy look like it's age, however, it looks good for it's age as well, and I've kept everything stock. (see photo below)

In about 15 years, big wagons from the 80's and 90's will be in big demand....., last of their breed.
As a matter of fact, my 92 OCC was the last year that olds made a full size wagon, and last olds with rear wheel drive. They would go out of business 10 years later.


If you have a carb, and it's the original carb..., do yourself a favor, and save some headaches. Get a remanufactured one. It will make a world of difference.
Make sure they have a dwell meter to set the load idle correct, and get you some new rubber vacuum hoses, and replace anything that looks suspect.
This should make a difference in the way it drives. I Have an 86 chevy with a 5.0L and rochester, and ever since I replace the original and vac hoses, it has ran like a dream.
Start up is , one pump of the pedal, and bump the ignition, and it fire up.



My 86 5.0L w/Rochester
 

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Jaylos85Lesabre

New member
Thread starter
Nov 30, 2020
4
1
Hi George,
Welcome to the B body forums!

Yup, i agree, keep it original. My 86 chevy look like it's age, however, it looks good for it's age as well, and I've kept everything stock. (see photo below)

In about 15 years, big wagons from the 80's and 90's will be in big demand....., last of their breed.
As a matter of fact, my 92 OCC was the last year that olds made a full size wagon, and last olds with rear wheel drive. They would go out of business 10 years later.


If you have a carb, and it's the original carb..., do yourself a favor, and save some headaches. Get a remanufactured one. It will make a world of difference.
Make sure they have a dwell meter to set the load idle correct, and get you some new rubber vacuum hoses, and replace anything that looks suspect.
This should make a difference in the way it drives. I Have an 86 chevy with a 5.0L and rochester, and ever since I replace the original and vac hoses, it has ran like a dream.
Start up is , one pump of the pedal, and bump the ignition, and it fire up.



My 86 5.0L w/Rochester
Sorry for late replay. Beautiful 86 Chevy. As far as I know it has the original Rochester Carburetor and seems to start and idle fine especially after I replaced ALL the vacuum hoses of which many were cracked & collapsed. It was idling higher when warmed up but seems to simmered down after vacuum hoses were replaced. I will likely leave the carburetor as is. I am a firm believer, if it is not broken, do not fix it. When it warms up a bit more in Chicago, I will likely pull the spark plugs & wires to visually inspect and maybe check the timing. I have heard that most of the 305's & 307's of the 80's were built with plastic coated timing cam gears that many recommend they should be replaced to all metal otherwise the plastic can break & cause the timing chain to jump and destroy the engine. I have not done it, I am still skeptical. I will see later on this year. Some friends & family tell me to junk it because it is too old. She is not ready for that. I wonder what it is worth as is. Any idea?
 

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Shortfuse

Member
May 15, 2020
82
18
Sorry for late replay. Beautiful 86 Chevy. As far as I know it has the original Rochester Carburetor and seems to start and idle fine especially after I replaced ALL the vacuum hoses of which many were cracked & collapsed. It was idling higher when warmed up but seems to simmered down after vacuum hoses were replaced. I will likely leave the carburetor as is. I am a firm believer, if it is not broken, do not fix it. When it warms up a bit more in Chicago, I will likely pull the spark plugs & wires to visually inspect and maybe check the timing. I have heard that most of the 305's & 307's of the 80's were built with plastic coated timing cam gears that many recommend they should be replaced to all metal otherwise the plastic can break & cause the timing chain to jump and destroy the engine. I have not done it, I am still skeptical. I will see later on this year. Some friends & family tell me to junk it because it is too old. She is not ready for that. I wonder what it is worth as is. Any idea?
No don't junk it! These cars get rarer everyday they are not worth much right now but the values are starting to go up on them as we speak. give it another 10 years and you will be glad you did. The engine will not be destroyed of the gears fail so do not worry about that as it is not an interference engine. However it will not run when it fails and if they are the plastic ones they will have a lot of slop in them and cause the engine to run poorly till they do fail. So yes replace them but it is not an emergency.
 

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