Information about the Bonneville
General Info:
- Official Name: 1989 Pontiac Bonneville LE
- Scientific Name: GM H-body
- Nickname: Bonnie, the Sport-Utility Car
- Color: Red/Pink (formerly a lovely shade of Burgundy, back when the clearcoat was intact)
- Miles: 154,500 (as of the time it sold)
Under the Hood:
- Engine: 3.8 Liter (231 c.i.) V6, OHV, 2 Valves/Cyl
- Horsepower: 165 @ 5200 RPM
- Torque: 220 ft-lbs @ 2000 RPM
- Transmission: 4-speed automatic w/overdrive
Dimensions:
- Length: 198.7" (5.05 meters)
- Width: 72.1" (1.83 meters)
- Height: 55" (1.40 meters)
- Wheelbase: 110.8" (2.81 meters)
- Track, front/rear: 60.3"/59.8" (1.53m/1.52m)
- Curb Weight: 3300 lbs (1500 kg)
- Tires: Cooper Lifeliner Classic II 205/70R15
Performance:
- 0-60 mph, sec: ?
- Quarter Mile, sec/mph: ?@? mph
- Braking, 60-0 mph, ft: ? ft
Best Observed:
- Speed: 106 mph (May, '03)
- MPG: 31.5 mpg (July, '05)
- Utility: One queen-sized mattress (note: speeds above 45mph are not wise, as the mattress upsets the aerodynamic balance of the Sport Utility Car) or one Christmas tree (note: car will do 55mph with the tree, but not into the wind; if the tree was baled, faster speeds could be achieved.)
Stuff we've had to do to it thus far:
- November 2006: Another alternator from the junkyard. Cost: $11
- June 2006: New upper and lower radiator hoses to replace the originals, one of which had sprung a small leak. Cost: $30
- December 2004: Tires (Cooper Lifeliner Classic II, 55,000 mile warranty). Cost: $294 (for 4, installed)
- February 2004: Alternator from the junkyard (105 amp, 30 day warranty). Cost: $11
- January 2004: Radiator (lifetime warranty, also new thermostat and coolant) Cost: $229
- September 2003: Front brakes (including new rotors). Cost: $51
- Spring 2003: Fixed the wiper linkage (the wipers had lost travel, a crank was bent). Cost: $0
- Spring 2003: Rear brakes including new drums, and one new cylinder. Cost: ?
Stuff we didn't have to do, but did anyway:
- September 2005: Installed a Gentex auto-dim/compass/Homelink rear-view mirror (gift from a friend). Cost: $0
- Winter 2004/2005: Upgraded to the Delco (Type II) ignition coils and ICM (supposedly a better system than the stock Magnavox unit). Cost: Around $30
- Unknown date: Added a strut tower brace (junkyarded from a '92+ h-body). Cost: $12?
Related Links:
About the Bonneville
(May, 2002 - August, 2007)
8-19-07 - Well, the Bonneville started starting hard a few weeks ago, and when I looked into it, I found low fuel pressure. Yes, the fuel pump was going out. Rather than deal with all of the rust, trouble, and expense to fix a car that will probably rust in half in a couple years, I decided to sell it. It was tough to do, since the car has been in the family since it was brand new, but every good thing must come to an end. By selling it now, I could actually get some decent cash for it. Still, it was a great car. I may have to find another one of these at some point.
12-2-06 - The alternator died again, so I went and got another junkyard unit to replace it with. The new one works fine, and I've got the swap down to about 10 minutes now. Other than that, she's still running good, but slowly rusting away.
My awesome mirror
9-25-05 - The other day I installed a Gentex auto-dimming/compass/Homelink rear view mirror. It's very cool. Every car should have one. It even works with my ancient garage door opener.
The new tires (one of them)
12-17-04 - I finally got 4 new tires on the car. The two newest ones that were on it were around 7 years old, and I could find no record of the other two being purchased. I do know that the other ones were even older though. I decided on Cooper Lifeliner Classic II's, and am so far very happy with them. They even took care of a vibration that I had at about 70 mph.
3-3-04 - Now she's got a "new" junkyard alternator too. The old one never really died, but it was really weak and made a noise that sounded amazingly similar to supercharger whine, through a cold air intake. I kid you not. It was cool for about 5 minutes, until I realized that it had to be the alternator dying on me. Anyway, the "new" unit seems to be doing a fine job. No more noise, and plenty of power. As a side note, I changed the alternator in 23 minutes, including a few minutes to visually compare the units and make sure they were the same.
Annual tree-car photo, 2004
1-15-04 - Bonnie has a new radiator now. The old one had been steaming and dripping on and off for the past 5+ years. While I was at it, I replaced the thermostat and flushed out the old coolant. All seems to be well. The alternator is making a noise that indicates rear bearing failure, and so that will have to be worked on eventually as well. There was also recently an exhaust problem (pipe broke off right in front of the catalytic converter, made it kinda noisy), but that is also all patched up for now. Once again, the Bonneville carried our Christmas tree home this year. Unlike last year, we had it baled this time, which made for a significantly more relaxed trip home.