Oldsmobile Intrigue: Problems & Solutions

mav2578

Does anyone have any ideas???
Last September, I had to replace my 3.5L engine in my '99 Intrigue GLS. The dealer told me the rods were spun and could go at any time. I don't doubt this as the engine was making a horrific noise. So I replaced the engine, at 49K miles and was lucky enough to have GM pay for half of the repairs as I had a record of all of my oil changes and those of the previous owner.

My question is this. Since the engine was replaced, the drivers side vents have blown air that is never as cold as that which is coming out of the passenger side vents. Even with the passenger climate control turned to the middle, the air is still colder on the passenger side. Is it possible that there would be an air hose that was not put in the correct place when the engine was replaced? Any assistance would be welcomed.

postwoods

My parents' Intrigue needed to have its fr hub and brng assembly replaced. Anybody know if this problem is common, if it is in a TSB or is a recall (I doubt the latter, but just checking). It was not cheap.

hound

My rear brakes do not work at all. The ABS Brake lights on the dash come on sometimes after the engine is started. I replaced the proportioning valve and tried gravity bleed and pressure bleed the system and cannot get brake fluid to rear brakes. Is it a possible computer problem or maybe loose connections at one of the wheels?

hound

I had the same problem with my car and a friends car . All we did was shoot a can or two of freon in and viola problem solved. Hope it works for you.

akitadog

Hi all, I have a 99 GL and my brakes have been rattling for a few months. Whenever I hit the slightest bump, my brakes will let out a jiggle. Going over potholed roads sounds horrible. However, when I apply the brakes, the rattling is gone momentarily. I should mention that I didn't hear this sound until after I put on some aftermarket 18 inch wheels. However, I don't think that the size of the wheel should affect the brakes. I guess my brakes are somehow loose, but I don't know what would fix it. The car did recenlty pass inspection, so I don't think that the sound affects brake function. If anyone has any idea how to get rid of this sound, I welcome the advice. Thanks again.

moonshadow

some ideas.
Verify that your lug nuts are torqued to 100 lbft. New wheels may be causing rotor to rattle?

Remove the wheel and try to detemine what is rattling; pads in caliper, caliper on bracket, bracket to steering knuckle. Or linkages tie rods etc, bushings etc.
Gm revised the torque specs on the caliper mounting bracket bolts to 133 lbft. to keep it from slipping and clunking when braking.

Kinda vague, but hard to tell without some inspection. Is it coming from both sides?

If you have your old skins and wheels you can put them back on for a short trip to rule out the new ones.
cheers

ian18

I posted a comment about having to replace one front hub assembly some months ago. What I found is that I could buy the GM part new on eBay for around $100 instead of paying the dealer $400.

As far as I know there is no recall on this part.

akitadog

for the advice. I do still have my old wheels and plan on putting them back on when I find the time this summer, and I want to sell the 18s. I never thought about it possibly being the rotors, though I will check them out, along with the rest, when I change the wheels.

evandro

Have you tried http://gmpartsdirect ? I've found that I typically save 30 to 40% over the dealer price.

ian18

evandro- If you are asking me, I have never bought anything from them yet. I have looked at their website but the minimum shipping charges are excessive for smaller purchases. Purchasing on eBay has always worked well for me, if someone is selling what you want.

ss67

The Oil Warning Light came on (& stayed on) yesterday while driving my 2002 Intrigue. This is not the Oil Life Monitor light, but rather is a different warning light.

Vehicle was bought new, no problems to-date, oil & filter change every 4 months using Mobil 1 synthetic. Has 58.000 km (under 36,000 miles) so warranty is close to expiry. Have since parked the vehicle (owner's manual says if drive it and causes engine damage, warranty may be void).

Has anyone experienced this before and if so what was the cause? Oil level is fine and no apparent oil leaks. Could be oil pressure problem (oil pump)?

Any help is appreciated...

moonshadow

Hi there. There are two(three)lights on the dash for oil.
1.change oil >oil life monitor

2.low oil> there is a sensor in the bottom of the oil pan that checks for low oil. You could have a damaged wire or corroded terminal or a defective switch.
The IPC(instrament panel cluster) illuminates the LOW OIL indicator when the powertrain control module (PCM) detects low engine oil level, and the signal circuit is high. The PCM only monitors the signal circuit of the engine oil level switch for a brief period when the key moves from ON to START. The IPC receives a class 2 message requesting illumination via from the PCM.

3. oil pressure > oil can. This switch is located just under the end of the rear head toward the serp. belt.
The IPC illuminates the LOW OIL PRESSURE indicator in the when the powertrain control module (PCM) detects low engine oil pressure, and the signal circuit is low. The IPC receives a class 2 requesting illumination message from the PCM.

Since it is on all the time I presume it is the oil pressure switch, pump, seals, pressure regulater, wear, plugged filter, faulty filter bypass etc. or could be bad wiring, PCM module or the cluster itself. Hmmm, do you have all your receipts for your oil changes? Do you have access to an oil pressure guage to verify if you got the right pressure. If so then it is electrical.
 
Since your still under warranty till 60k, you have lucked out and get her towed in. Run don't walk. Call your dealer and tell them which light it is and they will probably advise you on what to do.

Let us know what it is and how GM deals with you.

taycron

Well, isn't this ironic. My Low Oil idiot light just came on. My car is not under warranty so I'm just going to have my mechanic change my oil and check for leaks. It's due anyways. I put 4000 on my car since my last oil change and I've heard that the 3.5 burns oil..

ss67

Thanks for the great feedback Moonshadow.

Towed '02 Intrigue to GM dealer and diagnosis was a faulty oil pressure switch - replaced under warranty. Oil warning light no longer on (good!).

While vehicle was in for service, noticed on the service work order that they also replaced the crankshaft sensor (code P0385). Maybe they just automatically do this on Intrigues as they come in for service? Interesting as I did not have any driveability problems which could be caused by faulty crankshaft sensor.

moonshadow

Excellent, always love it to see someone slip in under warranty at the last possible moment. It's nice to hear that it was just the switch and nothing more serious or involved.

The crankshaft code was probably set at some time and they took advantage of the work under waaranty. Very nice of them, probably saved you many $$ down the road. Needs a scan tool to to set the crankshaft position learning procedure.

Did you ever have a hard start? Or have it stall for no reason? That is normally the first indication that the sensor is on the way out.

Glad to hear the feedback.
cheers.

hurley1

I have a 2000 Intrigue and I can't seem to get my fog lamps to come on. I thought that I would check the fuses but they aren't listed in the fuse directory either on the cover or the manual. Anybody got any helpful hints.

buckwalter1

Took custody of my father's 2000 Intrique GL several months ago, using and fixing until he decides to sell it. Lights flickering, DMM on battery terminals read 13.5 vdc with intermitant drops to 11.5 at various throttle settings. Bad diode? Swapped out alternator to fix it @ 45,000 miles. Sticking front pass. door, used plastic head hammer to drive black trim along top of door edge forward into place (like on driver front door), fixed problem, but it is migrating back out, will throw hammer in glove box. Cold weather intermittant overheating, replaced thermostat (very easy job), fixed problem, coolant temp guage steady like on my BMW. Now un-natural noises from the front end, steering, not sure. Once got a spontanious array of instrument panel warning lights to include the "service vehicle soon" light for the first time w/ the usual traction group. Stayed on through twelve engine start cycles, then on #13 came clear (?). Some interior parts falling off. Other than that, a nice ride, good appearance, amble space in cockpit and trunk, a good cruiser w/ efficent and powerful motor. Too bad about the build quality. Anyone got clues on what to look for under the front end? Intermittant noise and occassional bump felt in steering wheel that does not feel like wheel bearing, suspension joints or steering slack. Wonder what next.....

moonshadow

First have you checked the bulbs.
There is a relay and a 10 amp fuse feding the relay contacts in the underhood junction box on the right strut tower.

There is also a fuse in the instrament panel for park lights and fog lights. Probably feeding the coils of the relay

The circuit is like this . You push the fog light button and a signal is sent to the BCM and it then grounds the coil of the fog lamp relay to energize it.

The power feeds through the fuse and the closed contact in the relay to deliver 12 volts to the lamps which have the other side grounded.

If the bulbs and fuses are Ok, you can try and swap the relay with something like the horn relay if they have the same markings. Sometimes the contact is dirty and tapping it will cause it momentary closure.

good luck

moonshadow

Normal, normal, normal,normal,normal,and normal for Gm / oldsmobile. Welcome to the club.

The funny weird noises are probably the intermediate steering column spline clunking. There is a lube procedure that gm will charge you for. Others have had varying success with their own remidies.

According to GM, this is normal maintenance like changing oil and brakes. Yeah right, when was the last time you ever had a car that needed steering column lube as regular maintenance.
cheers

buckwalter1

I suppose the faulty intermediate shaft is not compromising the performance of the car and can be tolerated. Did see someone offered advise on injecting lube via access up under the dash...something I may try to see what happens....
I would like to sort this puppy out b4 dad asks me to sell it, however I would not want to sell this to a friend, or to anyone who knows where I live, for that matter...
Thanks again....

taycron

I have a 2000 Intrigue GX and I can't figure out how to fold the rear seats so I can get more room in the trunk. I looked in the manual but it seems useless..

moonshadow

Taycron first check the sticker under the trunk lid for code AM9 stuck somewhere in the list: which is for:
Seat Right Rear Split Back, Folding. Not sure, but the description sounds like only the right side folds down????

When I got a 2001 I remember that the 2000 GX on the floor did not have the folding seat option but was available in a package of other stuff on the 2001.

If you have the code then there are two ways, on the 2001 anyways.
1. There are pull handles inside the trunk, one for each side, way back near the seat. They are like a black nylon string and they hang down about 4 inches. You have to have arms about 4 feet long to reach them. hehe Unless your inside the truck, they are pretty useless.

2. Open the rear door. about 5-6 inches down from the top of the seat there is a loop to pull on.
This loop is made of the same fabric as the seat and is usually tucked away inside the crease where the seat would fold down from. You may have to dig into the crease to find the loop. When you do, just tug on it about a half inch or so and the lock will release and the seat can be pulled down.

good luck

taycron

Thanks moonshadow, I checked and didn't see the AM9 code. I looked at the back seat more carefully and it seems it doesn't fold down..

buckwalter1

In my efforts to clean up this car I am stumped by the intermittent indicator lamps. A set of four "Have Vehicle Services Soon, PCS, AntiLock and Traction Control" tend to come on together spontaneously at random times and stay on until the ignition key is removed. Sometime they come on again with the next engine start and sometime not. I am wondering if this is rooted in my running the tires at 35 pounds, but I have had them inflated to 35 pounds for several months and have experienced this new symptom over the past few weeks. Anyone know whats going on here, or have clues on how to further isolate the root cause? What are your thoughts, Moonshadow?

buckwalter1

Hey...no "AM9", but got an "AR9". Also found the black nylon pull handles and the loops. Both back seats fold forward.
Far out...
thanks!

evandro

Hey, the handles on my Intrigue fell off, but I don't where they were originally. Can someone describe as best as possible where they are attached?

TIA

moonshadow

Ar9 is listed as "Seat, Front Bucket Deluxe".

I looked at mine and at first could not find the AM9 code. After shakin my head, it was there just before AR9, 3rd and 4th in the first row.

Can't see the forest for the trees. hehe.

Buckwalter. All of those lights are tied together. I had mine do something similar but it was always cold and when the car was angled slightly downhill on ice/snow. After starting, the light show came on. Shutting off and restarting puts things right. Happened a couple times, mentioned to dealer and of coarse no codes. Has not appeared in a couple years.

Why do you have the tire pressure cranked up to 35. It is listed as 31 for my 2001 with 22560R16's and must make for an awful rough ride.

The abs sensors are used to determine tire rotation, pcs monitors rotation with speed. Not sure if the computer would get stupid or not over time. I know that the tire guys i deal with do not want to fiddle with different size tires than spec, because it sometime causes the tranny/computers to get stupid and light up dash lights.

 If you can get the codes read?

dekester

but no fold-down seat. Maybe all rear seats were like this even if they didn't fold?

moonshadow

I'll give it a go but which handles are you referring to?
cheers

evandro

I'm referring to the handles that unlock the folding rear seats. Somehow, they're hanging by the cables on the trunk floor and I don't know where to attach them back at.

moonshadow

Ok. The black nylon straps attach just behind the driver side fold down seat in the middle of the opening, about 3 inches or so apart. They go up in the panel that goes the length of the backseat of which the latches are bolted. The panel is about 4inches high and about 3/8 inch thick.

 The handles are attached to a T type hook at the end of a steel cable that is inside a black sleeve. Like a mini E brake cable the size you would see on a bicycle.

 The cable sleeves are routed to the latches. The driver side goes up over the top and down around to the latch and the passenger side goes up and over to its latch. The cable enter on the left side of the latchs. Left if your sitting facing forward, right if your looking at the latch. The cable sleeve has barbed platstic pins that push into a hole that hold it rigid into the panel in a couple places along the way. At least one just after it slips under the panel.

If you have a black handle with an attached steel cable then I suspect that the hook at the latch end is broken. If you have the black handle with the attached steel cable and the black sleeve with a hook at the other end of the steel cable then the whole thing has become dislodged from the latch.

The strange thing is that the cable holder at the latch is plastic/of coarse and is formed into the steel latch bracket. You may be able to drill out the 3 plastic rivets and replace them with a screw and nut affair. How it is hooked into the sealed latch, I'm not sure.

cheers

evandro

That's strange... Your description of the handles doesn't quite match those on my '00 Intrigue. Both nylon handles are attach to a rectangular plastic frame. Right now, the frame with the handles is hanging by the cables, but I couldn't find their original attaching place.

TIA

moonshadow

Definately weird. MY desc. was based on my 01. made oct '00. Quite diifferent, if I see a 2000 anything by GM I'll have a looksee for your setup.

Sounds like you need someone with a 2000. sorry.

buckwalter1

First: Thx to Moonshadow for the feedback on the instrument lights. I can live with it but will be noodling towards a solution b4 selling the car. Any way I can interrogate the processor w/o going to a dealer?

I went to 35 lb. tire pressure for a couple of reasons: to offset existing low pressure tire wear (accelerated outside edge wear) and improve cornering and mileage. Will deflate to spec for winter driving. It does stiffen the ride, but worth the trade off for now. Got 32 mpg @ 85 - 90 mph going across Texas, NM and AZ in April 04!

My 2000 GL had trunk mounted rear seat release straps as described by Moonshadow (#289). Like Moonshadow's, mine were hanging by the cables, apparently knocked from it's mount by stuffing something in the trunk. I got in there and looked at it. Two clips on the plastic bracket inclined me to install the bracket via the clips on a convenient edge of the frame under the package tray. After installation it worked fine, but does hang down enough to catch on anything large enough to push the clips off thier mount while being shoved into the trunk. There is not enough slack in the linkage for it to go anywhere else, so that must be it. If it drops off again, I will get in there with some tie-wraps and make it fast.

evandro

Well, I stick to 31PSI and I get between 30 and 32MPG when traveling.

But, yeah, I also inflate it to 32PSI to account for eventual leaks until the next inflation. After all, a low tire can overheat and explode (remember Explorer and Firestone?).

But, 35PSI? You're probably getting uneven wear in the middle of the tires...

goldie1

The 60,000 mile warranty on my 2001 Intrigue GLS is about to run out. Wondering what trouble I might expect - things that may be starting to go but I just haven't noticed - and have the dealer shop fix it now. The only thing I can think of is that it seems to start kind of sloppy once in a while.

Here's the service/repair history so far:

I had a new battery put in when it was 18 months (30,000 miles) old - the cables had corroded off!

New steering column part (don't remember what it was called but I can find the paperwork if that's of interest to anyone), front struts - (somthing like that) - covered by warranty at 50,000 but I think I may have done some damage driving high speed on a rough road a few months earlier.

That's all - besides routine oil changes, etc.

It's a great car, looks good, handles well, very roomy, got 30 mpg last summer driving with the A/C on and 70 mph across mountains, desert, etc.

I usually buy a new car when the service visits start to become too frequent, but I'm hoping this one will last me a couple more years like my old Toyota Camry V-6 did. (I like this much better than the Camry, but the Toyota was definitely better quality - held up great up to 115,000 miles.)

buckwalter1

I am not an expert, but do have experience maintaining a 2000 Intrigue. The first thing I suggest is to drive the car at night, looking for variations or "flickering" from the headlights. This may be intermittent and hard to notice at first, but will progress until the alternator is replaced. If you have a Digital Muti Meter (DMM) you will see a 1 to 3 volt variation in the buss voltage while the engine is held at cruise rpms.

The sloppy starts makes me think spark plugs need inspection. If they look good, then plug wires.

One minor problem my car had was a sticking throttle, causing abrupt step off from idle. I traced that to a build up of something in the throttle valve that was causing the throttle plate to stick closed. That is a quick fix with some spray carb cleaner directly on the throttle plate part of the throttle body & a wipe with a clean rag. You have to open it up to get in there.

If you have not done so, seek the opportunity to take the car for a high speed ride to insure all is in balance. That is a good way to test a bunch of stuff from unbalanced wheels and drive line components to broken motor mounts.
Hope this helps...

gordonwd

The left rear window on our 2000 Intrigue (35K miles) stopped working. It isn't simply the switch, since neither the driver's switch or the one on the door works. This seems like a strange failure since that window is almost never operated. Any ideas on a possible cause?

This is the 2nd potentially expensive repair required on this car that IMO should not happen on a 4-yr-old car with low miles. A few months ago, I had a "wheel sensor" failure that turned out to require the replacement of one of the rear hub assemblies, to the tune of a $450 part! Fortunately the dealer went out of his way to cover part of it and we split the cost.

cornellpinoy

Sounds like the window regulator went out. If you don't want to have the dealer repair it, a good auto body shop should be able to replace it for you.

rduel

I have the clunking (or crackling) noise in the steering column area. Have done the intermediate steering lubrication with no change in condition. Dealer says it is rack and pinion. I've had no steering problem, only the intermittent noise usually right after startup. Hate to spend over a grand to fix something others say doesn't get fixed with the replacement. There is some kind of a recall on the rack and pinion but only for vehicles built through Oct. 97. Mine was built in Jan. 98. I told NHTSA that's a bunch of crap on the cut-off date. The cars built later continue to have the same problems. I guess I won't hold my breath waiting for mine to be included. Sure glad the government looks out for us so well! Anyone have any input regarding the r&p?

ian18

rduel -
Sorry to hear about your rack and pinion problems. I have a '98 which I bought in August '98. No steering problems other than the lube which was done some years ago now. I was not aware of a recall but really have no complaints about the steering at the present time.

evandro

FWIW, my '00 steering has about 1/3" of play at the wheel. I've asked a dealer to check the tie rods and steering rack, but the mechanic thought that it was probably a bad U-joint in the steering shaft... :-(

dtownfb

Well I may have a problem with my 2000 Intrigue. Three times in the past two weeks, my 'trigue has stalled while making a turn. I mean everything shuts off. Once I was stopped and today I was coming up hill and made a left turn and the car jut shut off. Luckiliy I had enough momentum to carry me through the turn and pull off the side of the road. I simply put it in Park and re-started the vehicle without a problem. I went straight to my mechanic to get his opinion and we have it narrowed down to 3 things:

1) Ignition could be wearing down.
2) Steering sensor could be bad. When I make a turn it is not sending the right message to the computer.
3) could be me bumping the keys and accidiently turning it off

Number 3 is not far fetched. I do have the seat up more then normal since my son likes to kick the back of my seat. I did notice I was hititng the keys more then usual.

Has anyonen else had this problem? I have not had a problem with starting the vehicle or stalling before this. And I have been getting great gas mileage lately (slightly over 30 mpg on the highway my last two trips). Any help is appreciated.

buckwalter1

I recently fixed the same symptoms on a 1999 Corvette. The passenger window lift was dead in the closed position. The owner reported the car sits for long periods of time and the passenger window lift sees very little use. We could hear a click in the door when activating the switch, but no action to the window. This car has 9000 miles on it, so nothing is worn out. I pulled the inner door panel and some stuff off to expose the window lift motor and then reconnected the battery and tapped the lift motor with a hammer while activating the switch. It woke up and played. Put all back together and it continued to play. Probably some of the same parts/engineering in your car, and with 35,000 miles, still fresh. Try having someone holding the window lift switch on, with ignition on while you slam the door shut. That may jar it back to life. If that does not work, then pull the inner door panel off and do what I did to the vette. If that does not work, pull the other back door apart to swap parts (some will be the same, some will be a mirror image and will not interchange) until the trouble moves, and then replace it. Don't be intimidated by the door panel...careful prying and lifting will noodle your way inside. Worst case, I suspect is you will have to pull the motor out and try to get some WD-40 inside it or take it apart to clean the commutator ring and reassemble.

buckwalter1

If there is more than 80,000 miles on the ignition, a set of plugs and perhaps new plug wires may fix it, and will help anyway. I tend to think fuel starvation, typical of a carbureted engine, but with Fuel Injection there should be lots of pressure. If you have a way to test fuel pressure @ the injector log, that would be a good thing. If it is not spec, change the fuel regulator. When i do that, I go for an aftermarket regulator that is adjustable and then dial it right to specification. The regulators the factory installs have a wide dispersion about the mean and you may have one close to the edge that in conjunction with a few other things (centripetal force, aging ignition, etc...)momentarily stalls the engine. Does the engine failure happen with turns to just the left or to both directions? If anyone else drives the car, does it ever happen to them? Can you repeat the symptom with the same maneuver at the same turn, same speed and the engine fails every time, or is it intermittent in nature? Have you noticed it never happens with a full tank of gas, or w/ the air conditioner off? If you got it fixed, let us know what was done to fix it.

dtownfb

I have 71k on my Intrigue.

It has only happened when making turns. Twice to the left and once to the right from a stop. I have done the same turns about half dozen times and no re-creation. I haven't noticed if it had a full tank or not. And the air conditioner was on.

I've been keeping an eye on the situation but haven't had it happen since the last instance. Next time it happens (hopefully it won't) I'll make note of the exact situation.

nbner

I have a 99 and had a similar problem.
Car would stall out at stop light on when slowing down to making a turn. Trouble was cranking sensor.
Trouble would occur within 20 mins of starting vehicle.

nasc

The turn signals on my 02 Intrigue sometimes do not work at all, sometimes they hesitate for 5-10 seconds before working and sometimes they work just fine. Since the car is currently in the dealership for the front end clunking (intermediate shaft?), I would like to be able to put forth some repair suggestions in case the dealer just throws in the towel too quickly.

Does anyone know of a solution? Thanks.

mick1

I have a 99 intrigue dealer tried lubing the iss and it didn't work. They traced the light clunking sound to the rack. Had the rack replaced for over $1000. I didn't realise the constant "light" noise bothered me until it was gone. If your car is in good shape and you're keeping it a while go for it.

rduel

Thanks for the info. I've read that others had replaced the rack and pinion, but it didn't fix the noise. I love the car except for the annoying front end noise, and concerns of a possible steering freeze-up. If I knew it was a certain fix I would spend the money right a-way. $1300 is a lot to spend on a maybe. Any others out there have mick1's good result?