We've had our Bonnie for 10 years but we are new to the club

[FLbenztech]

I am Mark from Tarpon Springs FL. We bought her with 98k miles and our Bonnie now has 185k miles.
It is a FL car with virtually no rust at all. Unless someone drives through salt water our cars don't rust!

I bought our 92 SSEi 10 years ago with a bad crank, and $450 and about 10 hours of (my) labor I had it on the road for my wife. We like performance cars and I always like the SC Bonneville so I found this one with a bad crank and thought why not.

I have been an automotive tech for 33 years now and have never paid anyone to work on it yet. I recently had an overheating issue when entering the parking lot at Busch Garden Tampa due to a radiator fan failure and was afraid I could have blown a head gasket. I replaced the 'dead" fan but I found a externally leaking LIM gasket. I replaced the gasket but found the fans did not come on unless the A/C was running, so I searched this site for answers. I have since replaced the CTS (below the throttle body) and replaced the low speed fan relay and the fans now cycle as designed! Thanks to some searching and reading I was able to correct the issue. I thank the members and moderators.

Some of the things I have repaired or replaced over the years are;
Crank, bearings, seals gaskets.
Radiator
Heater core
A/C compressor, condenser, evaporator, accumulator, etc.
Headliner
various sensors
Fuel tank, pump, filter.
I replaced the SC coupler shortly after I bought it and rebuilt the SC about 50k and 5 years ago.
water pump, alt.
All 4 motor mounts.
belts, Idler pulleys, and tensioners.
rear air struts
Of course brakes, tires etc.
I am sure there is more but I don't want to bore.

If you have bothered to read this far I do have a question. What was the HP and torque rating for a 92 Bonnie SSEi?
Wait, I found the answer!
The 92-93 Vin 1 3800 SC made 205 HP @ 4600 Rpms and 260 Ft Lbs @ 2600 Rpms Rpo L67

[95naSTA]

Welcome.

Nice to see you've done a good job keeping you 92 healthy.

Try to upload some pics of your car if you can. 92-95s are becoming less and less common.

[KM AXer]

Welcome, Mark!

Really glad to see how much you like the car, and that you are willing to put in the effort needed to keep a 23 year old car in good shape.

I'm pretty partial to that version of the Bonneville as well.

What color is the car, and how is it optioned out? The SSEi versions were generally loaded. They were really extraordinary when new.

[FLbenztech]

The car is white with a medium gray leather interior. It has the three spoke silver wheels. It has all the bells and whistles of a SSEi except a sunroof.

In FL I have no use for a sunroof personally. The lack of a SR was one of the things that attracted me to this car. Having cleaned many drains and repaired many SR's at work I have no use for one in this very sunny climate.

I haven't taken many pics of the car so I will have to now. Cosmetically the paint is good but the bumpers need to be repainted.

We have gotten as much as 25 MPG highway before they added the stupid ethanol. We currently get about 17 or 18 around here as the top local speed limit is 45MPH.

I believe the OE catalytic converter is beginning to rattle so I guess it will be my next forum search. I think I read something about magnaflow on here.

[dadofone2011]

Welcome to the club, I've always thought how cool it would be to have a Bonneville ssei in that body style along with mine. Please post pictures of the car when you can.

[nos4blood70]

Welcome to the club.

I'd love to see some pics of your SSEi, as I'm sure we all would. We all love 92-95s around here.

[CMNTMXR57]

I love it when I see a fellow tech, especially for a foreign luxury brand, driving a good ole 'Murican car. Why? Simplicity, reliability, and ease/cheapness of maintenance.

Wanna see what cars you should buy, go look in back of a dealership at what the mechanics drive.

[1oldman]

We have gotten as much as 25 MPG highway before they added the stupid ethanol. We currently get about 17 or 18 around here as the top local speed limit is 45MPH.

The ethanol did the same to y N/A 3800.

The rattle just might be an ever so slightly loose heat shield. You'll have to get under the car to check. On a lift would be best. Grab all the heat shields and bolts. The one I had loose was stripped caused by work on an alignment and muffler work. Drove me nuts. I asked on 3 occasions for the mechanics to check it. They did, but not very well. It will be something you will have to do. They are not interested. - BC

[FLbenztech]

I have replaced nearly 100 cats in 33 years as a tech. I think the core is coming loose. I will check it in a few days. I will post pics of our car a little later also.

I am currently at the hospital waiting for my wife to have gall bladder surgery. They just to her into PAC U which is what they use for pre op and recovery on weekends. This is her 8th surgery in the past 3 years! Your prayers are welcomed!