Faults:

The car has been garage kept, and has low miles for its age.

Has a bit of sun curve damage to the dash, and when I replaced the radio, the rear speakers stopped working; none of which I have tried to do anything about yet.

Alternator is on its way out. When I charge the battery out of the car, it runs great, but if I leave the battery in the car and hooked up, it not only drains all the power in the battery, but ruins the battery; 2 so far before I came to this conclusion.

So I have no doubt it needs new alternator, but there's an interesting side effect from the bad alternator. When the battery is not at full power and the alternator can't produce minimum when it is cold, it seems to affect the transmission. It does not go into first gear without warm up first; could this be a side effect of the bad alternator not producing enough volts and current to put through a solenoid, or anything like that?

Before I put money out to replace the alternator ($500.00 to start with), will I then have to invest in the trans.?

I have been through this type of situation rebuilding other cars, and learned once these types of things start to need replacement, it then becomes a never ending list of repairs.

My basic question is could a bad alternator affect the shifting of the transmission? This is a first for me, and I don't want to proceed if the trans problem is not corrected with replacing the alternator.

The only other problem, but it has been this way since I bought the car; the anti-lock brake light has now started to come on. I knew they were not working since I bought the car, but only by the feel from the driver's seat. I am not worried about this, as the brakes work fine, and from what I have read, this can happen with no real danger to the braking system.

Has anyone ever noticed this when their Z34 needed a new alternator?

Thanks, anybody at all know what they think I should do?

Thanks, Richard - NJ.

General Comments:

The car is in great shape, and has run great for how few miles in such a long period of time, and now it has been sitting for at least 2 years with only an occasional drive, to keep all the car's parts from deteriorating as quickly as if I did not drive it at all.

I believe the car is one of the first of its kind, and Cadillac started the use of this 3.4 engine before putting in a Chevy. It was the forerunner of a new era of American automobile, and think should be saved by someone who has the time and money, which unfortunately is not me.

Faults:

Power steering pump went out.

Battery and alternator problems.

Both door handles broke off.

Back tires get worn out fast.

General Comments:

This car has some power and handles great.

Never lost a race in this car; I did in my 93 BMW.

No cup holders suck.

Door handles are in a terrible position.