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Comments
I saw a post where someone applied dielectric grease to the connections at the sensors on the hubs and reconnected them to reseal them on the fronts and that stopped the service stability system message.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
This only happens intermittently. Picture yourself driving along and everything is fine. Then you must make a right turn up ahead so you start to slow down. You apply the brakes (still all is fine) and once you start the turn to the right the grinding sound starts. Normally, when you release the brake during the right turn the sound and vibration will stop. It was just this last time it happened it did not stop when I released the brake. It even continued to hold when I pressed on the gas. My 1st reaction was to jerk the wheel slightly to the left then back again to the right and it released.
Road surface is smooth, dry, consistent (not loose).
Strange part is it doesn't always happen. I would say it's about 2 times out of 50 it will happen when I start a turn to the right while braking.
The sensor that was replaced was a steering sensor. Least that is what I was told by the Buick repair shop.
A person mentioned the wheel bearing so I have written this down on my list of suspects for the mechanic. It's very difficult to change to a different Buick mechanic. We are in the middle of nowhere, USA and this is the only Buick mechanic service around for 100's of miles.
I would like to thank you for your information. I will continue to watch and hope for more replies with more information. The more the better.
The wheel bearings in the hub could be a problem. But defective wheel bearings give a snow tire like buzz that grows louder and becomes easier to feel through the chassis. And they self destruct as they become worse with driving.
The sensor they replaced is on the steering column and tells the computer where the steering wheel is in its travel so that the computer knows if you are steering in a turn and that the car's not reacting and the VSC tries to apply single brakes in a manner to help turn the car based on what the steering input is requesting.
There are other sensors involved in telling the computer what the car is doing. There is a sensor on the rear package shelf that senses what the car is doing with regard to inertia, for example.
This sounds frustrating. The factors are: it happens when turning to the right; it reacts to flexing/moving the chassis parts left and right; it happens only when braking.
The connectors to the wheel speed sensors are flexed along with the wiring when turning. Does it happen turning to the left?
The streering wheel position sensor also is giving inputs during that time and is being moved when you move the wheel left and right.
The wheel bearing is also being changed in position during the turn and is taking forces differently than normal.
The brake pads and caliper and rotor are involved because you're braking along with the ABS/traction control system. A loose/worn wheel bearing could be letting the rotor and hub move relative to the wheel speed sensor. There's an air gap size that's needed there. If it become greater than it should be the sensor would lose its ability to read correct the wheel speed. It could be thinking the wheel ir turning faster than it should and apply that one brake to slow down the wheel--just like if it were slipping on ice.
I'm not an expert on these systems and I've read a lot of people on forums working on problems, but not quite like yours. Sometimes replacement wheel bearings have been a problem. New isn't always right. Stick with name quality brand if a wheel bearing is indicated.
If you work on your own car, I'd jack up the wheel and move the wheel 3 and 9 o'clock and see if you get looseness and do the same at 12 and 6. Don't move the steering links when you're testing and don't count the ball joint movement that may occur when jacked up. Then do the same on the left side. If there's a difference in amount, then I'd start thinking wheel bearing.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
replaced hubs
replace ABS control twice
replace computer once
unable to reproduce systems 3 times even though the car once went home with the mechanic over 100 miles away
if anyone has an answer please email me it or for my phone number to tell me it and I will pay for the answer. I only have 3000 miles left on my warranty and want to fix it once and for all
I too had a vibration on my 99PA. Had the Goodyears removed and replaced with Michelins--------over 35000 miles ago and no problems.
I am purchasing a 03-05 Park Ave Ultra and would like any comments, concerns current owners have with their Ultra's Any assistance would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
Reputable autoshop (0 complaints on BBB last 3 years) doing work. Took it back after alternator was replaced and had owner and mechanic listen to the noise. All agree noise still present but less intense. Mechanic noticed a brace behind supercharger and alternator was missing and said that probably caused the bearings in the alternator and a/c compressor to fail due to excessive torque and I should have the brace replaced.
Any thoughts on my situation?
Thanks in advance
The Supercharger (SC) coupler is your probable cause for the noise. The fine minds in GM engineering decided to run Eaton SC's on many models for a 40 HP boost. The 97-05's had a redeigned front snout with an oil capacity of 8 oz's compared to the old design (90-96) of 4 oz. Right around 75K miles, the forward gears / coupler will start to chirp and chatter under a minor load. This area of the SC runs extremely hot and the sump oil is the only cooling available inside the SC. The inner gear surfaces start to deteriate, the metallic fillings from the gears immerse / float in the oil, and lubrication properties diminish and the chatter and noise increases. The car will not skip or lose power and it will still move on down the road rather quickly! If the SC oil hasn't been changed out once or twice, during normal maintenance, the noise / chatter from the coupler will increase in tone. GM service manuals don't mention changing the SC oil at 40K or any mileage!! I own a 97 Ultra with 130K and R&R'd the SC back at 115K. The supplier for the SC is here in Edmond OK and is by far a premier overhaul shop for Eaton, Paxton and a bunch of other blowers and turbo's for the OEM and hot rod markets. Check out P S E Superchargers. 758 Enterprise Dr Edmond, OK 73013. (405) 844-2773 ... 900 N Santa Fe Ave Edmond, OK 73003-4337. (405) 341-2900 ..I located them thru a Buick owners web forum. The owner gave me a shop tour and I purchased a rebuilt / replacement unit ($500 with core) and changed it out a few months back. I worked for Buick, AMC / Jeep back in the 70'-80's while in college and still do a lot of my own maintenance keeping the fleet running. Best of luck and keep in touch. RB
I replaced my rotors and brake pads (used high quality ones). Over time vibration is increasing - again. Now its so bad that I'm going to be turning my new rotors to smooth our the ride. Do you think its the calipers ruining the rotors by causing them to overheat? Or, is this a typical design-type error for this vehicle? Or, is it something else? Thanks for any suggestions anyone can give me.
Any shop that does repairs would have put in the manifold for you. A GM store probably wouldn't.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
1) Does anyone know where I can get an ashtray from the front dash of a 98 P.A.? I bought one yers ago and it's broken again (the latch has snapped off. color is unimportant as I can rebuild it but cost is important and I'm looking for a used one from a wrecking yard. Thanks.
2) My windows are giving me some trouble. The back left one will not roll down all the time. Once in a while it works, then it stops working for months. Luckily it is always in the up position when it stops functioning.
Also, my passenger side front window rolls dosn fine some times but then it won't roll down all the way when the weather is rainy. It stops about 3/4" fromt he top and will go back up but seems stuck or jammed up somehow.
3) My driver's side door latch broke inside somewhere. It just went "Click" and it seems that the mechanism has failed inside the door since the handle flips up easily but doesn't engage the latch.
Thanks for help with any of these three items.
Thank you,
David
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
The A/C situation is something you'll want to have someone look at (take it to an A/C shop and have them do a system check and possibly a leak test). If it's just a very slow leak that you can deal with by adding refrigerant and a system-safe leak sealer, it's no big deal (my PA has had a slow leak from the compressor for around a hundred thousand miles now).
If the compressor is shot, though, then you are looking at an expensive repair. The PA uses GM's luxury-car compressor that doesn't cycle on and off like cheaper compressors do; instead, it smoothly varies the piston stroke so that you don't hear and feel the compressor cycling on and off. It's a neat system, but fiendishly complicated and expensive; to replace the compressor, you'd probably be looking at a thousand dollars or more. So definitely have that checked out.
IMO, the Park Avenue Ultra is an awesome car, though. Mine now has 170,000 miles on it, gets 30 mpg at 75 mph on the Interstate and ~20mpg around town, and is DARN quick. And I love the supercharger whine when it's on boost. It's also very comfortable and quiet, has a great sound system, heated seats, and lots of other amenities. I'd buy another used one if I were in the market to do so.
If you do buy it, change the supercharger oil (a lot of owners forget to do so) and the cabin air filters, or have someone do it for you; GM sells the special supercharger oil, and you'll need 2 bottles ($10 each). And I run synthetic engine oil in my engine, because I tend to run it hard.
At 56000 miles I'd be surprised if the compressor were bad. Most likely freon leak.
Thanks for posting about the magnet use. I recall someone saying the magnet had to be s certain strength...
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Thanks again!
David
I recharged the A/C today and I got cold air for a few minutes from the passenger side only and only hot air from the driver side. The cold air adjusted in coldness with the passenger slider but again the driver side and the rear vents only blew hot. I then drove it around for a while and no cold air came out any longer. I really would like to purchase this car but not without A/C. Any thoughts on the dual climate control issue and is this a most likely a leak since I managed to get cold air for a few minutes?
Thank you again,
David
The AC giving cold for a time suggests that it has a leak. One common symptom of the 2000+ H Bodies is that low freon leaves the driver side warm and the passengers get air from the cold part of the evaporator.
The unit needs to be put on gauges and a check done.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
I took it to the dealer who said it was a stuck vent door. The would replace the solinoid (or whatever controled the door) for @$250. They already charged me @$75 for the diagnostic (and used it to close the vent door).
I chose to leave it alone. It does come and go very intermittently. And because I usually drive alone it's not a problem for me.
Good luck
BTW, if a '97-'05 Park Ave system is low on refrigerant (but not completely out), the system will often cool only on the passenger side. It has something to do with where the inlet and outlet tubes of the A/C core are located relative to the airstream. I spent quite a while trying to diagnose a faulty air blend door last year, only to find out that my air blend door actuator was perfectly fine and the system was just a little low on refrigerant. Adding more refrigerant restored the system to bilateral functioning. (Note--do NOT do this until you've ruled out a blend door fault, or else you could end up overcharging the system and wrecking the compressor.)
What you may want to do, if you really like the car, is get an estimate from a *quality* A/C shop on how much the system would cost to fix, and then ask the buyer to knock that much off the price. Don't take it to an el cheapo shop, though, as the Park Ave system is more complex than your typical A/C setup.
Thank you for the great advice about my a/c and other questions. The PA is in the shop today. It turns out the condenser was leaking and they are fixing everything for 560.00. The owner is knocking that off the price so tomorrow I will be the proud owner of a 99 PA Ultra.
Thanks again,
David
Thanks for coming back to tell us what you found! Good luck with your new PA.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Wornslick
If it were my money, I'd take the car to an alignment guy who's been in business a long tire and preferably one with a Hunter. He can check for bearing and other part problems. He also can check those Goodyear tires. My bet will the tires #1, and wheel bearing #2, and alignment front and rear #3.
At 103,000 miles you could have a wheel bearing that is loosening and wearing out.
The one tire that's going to be more round under load while rolling and stay round through the life is Michelin. That's probably what came on your PA.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Stay away from Goodyear tires.
The maximum allowable for diagnosis on H-bodies for GM's troubleshooting is something like 18 pounds. My Michelins on the car when new were 12, 11, 9, 7. They did rotate one tire on the rim to reduce the effective roadforce. Those were Symmetry tires. This was in 2003.
My new Harmony tires on the same leSabre now were all under 10 when roadforce balanced at the local good mechnical and tire store at about 10000 miles. I wasn't satisfied with the regular balancing at the local store and went to the nearby store which has the roadforce balancer. I have a sensitive butt for balancing and vibration. I actually was happy with the standard balancing on the Harmonys when new; but when I had them rotated and rebalanced after 7-8000, they weren't nearly as good. Turns out the tech had three of the tires off by .50 ounce based on measurement at the roadforce balance store after 4-5000 miles of driving. Tires don't change that much.
The hint about Michelins comes from GM having trouble with the H and C bodies that were built on the technology of the Riviera and Aurora with the stiff chassis and light moving parts-like A-arms made of alloy. They started replacing tires on troubled cars with Michelins under factory warranty to trouble shoot them. The Cadillac Sevilles and leSabres with 16-inch Celebration wheels shipped with Michelins; some Park Avenues and leSabres had high level Firestones on the 16-inch rims. Standard leSabres used General tires that were very soft and easy rolling.
When the service manager was having the alignment checked on my car at 11,000 miles, he pointed to the other brand of tires they were putting on a Grand Am in the dealership. The roadforce amounts on the balancer were in the 20s on the brand of tire.
The problem is you are trying to balance doughnuts. Does the store who sold you the Goodyears sell Michelins. As them for a trade allowance.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
I was doing some inspecting around the bottom of my doors because the rubber door seal (flashing?) has rusted loose on the driver's side. It appears that the metal screws used to hold the rubber in place have begun to rust out and in turn have rusted the bottoms of the doors. It is not as bad on the passenger side but it is beginning.
Has anyone else experienced this?
Does anyone know where I can get new rubber flashing?
What is a tried and true way to stop rust in its tracks?
The car is nearly mint and I want to keep it that way. Love the PA!
Thank you,
David
You are at the point where you should take off the door panel and take off the water barrier that's caulked to to the door and directs water down to drain holes to go back outside the rubber seal through holes in the bottom of the door. I would expect there's been blocked holes on the bottom of the door that drain the water out.
I'd paint the inside of the bottom of the door with the above mentioned chemical paint and then make sure the drain holes are open and the plastic and caulk feeds the water that gets to the inside of the door (down the window) goes to the holes. The caulk should be new, black sticky stuff on the lower part.
I'd check into the push pin type replacements for the metal screws--Lowes has them in their bolt and screw drawers.
Check this link for a good door picture set.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Thanks again,
David
Have you checked Ebay?
Rockauto.com
gmpartsdirect.com
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
I've replaced both drivers side handles on mine. I got the first at Rockauto. They no longer list them. I got my rear handle from a salvage yard. You can order them from a GM dealer, but they're wicked expensive.
A tip. Mine broke because the doors were frozen shut. If you pull up too hard and try to force the door open you'll break the arm off on the back side that activates the opener rod. Get a stiff wide blade puttyknife and put it in the groove between the body and door and pry with that when the doors are frozen shut.
I know it's a pain at 6 a.m. and it's zero outside, but it's a lot less time consuming than replacing handles everytime it's cold out.
http://www.buy-oem-parts.com It's in NJ. Replacement handles are around $50. Have a good one.
http://www.homelink.com/programming/programming.taf
for programming how to. You need to know the brand of your garage door opener and the other automated things you wish to open. The other buttons can be for interior units that turn on house lights from your car so you don't have to enter a darkened home or to open your automatic gate at the drive up to your estate (I don't have one of those). I just programmed all three for my garage door so I don't have to be careful which one I hit in my LeSabre.
The info should be in your owners manual in the glovebox if it's in there.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Where can I get another gage or perhaps a photo of the back of the gage so I can fabricate another arm and epoxy it to the remaining plastic hub on the back of the gage? Any help or suggestions will be greatly appriciated.
David