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I've heard that some people have had a lot of trouble keeping the tires balanced and their front ends aligned on LeSabres. Anybody else?
The window started working again this morning when we got in the car to go to church, only to dissappoint us later on by not working when we actually needed to roll the damn thing down. "Typical GM" has been uttered many times in the past few days. My mom's '93 SSEi had window problems as well. Both rear windows would go out intermittantly and only work when they wanted to, and the passenger window wouldn't work with the passenger door switch most of the time, but the switch on the driver's door worked every time. The switch was replaced, but didn't make a difference. Only window she never had trouble with was the driver one. Appears the Buick is going to make up for that.
Heading out to West Virginia this morning for the Fair. Going to take the Explorer up there, then leave Tuesday morning for Pigeon Forge TN in the Buick.
So far around town the gas mileage (according to the DIC) has been pretty poor, less than 17mpg. Dad replaced the air filter today, so that may make a small difference.
Speaking of air filters, this car does have the filtered passenger air, and the filter needs to be replaced badly. I'm guessing you can only get those at the dealer? Or can you get them at an auto parts store?
Alignment problems haven't been something I've heard about. Tires and wheels on 16 inch setups have on most variations of that platform. I'm guessing it's stiffer than others and the lower sidewalls on the 60 tires and wider treads are more likely to send rhythmic vibrations through the chassis if the tires are as good as they should be made.
Tire manufacturers haven't kept up in quality of product as far as rolling round.
On your Mastercraft tires, I'd find a tire store or dealer that has a Hunter 9700 and pay them to check the tires and wheels out for you. I'd worry that the tires will never roll round, especially if they did sit a long time and aren't higher quality tires.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
'17 Chevy Volt Premiere
When I bought the holder frame and a new element at the dealer, that price was about $60. The filter had been standard on LeSabre in 02 but now in 03. I decided to pay to put it in.
They told me at the dealer the replacement filter was twenty something out of the total price for the adapter plus element of $60.
As I said, the filter at Pep Boys, a Purolater brand, was in the high teens.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
The filter element looks like an engine air filter for the 3800. But it folds near one end and you insert it into the frame and dthe folded end sort of snaps downward to lock in place and form a seal for the incoming air. About $17???
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
The mpg's around town. I guess if you're in block to block stop and go and you accelerate briskly away from the stop signs, you could be getting as low as 15. I'd guess my 98's at 20 and up, even when my wife drives it on short trips which pretty much 1 or two stops per mile and she tends to accelerate.
You might try disconnecting the fuse for the computer to make it forget the stored learning related to how it perceives your driving patterns of acceleration and speeds. The other way is to just disconnect the battery for many minutes... do the ground side cable of course. How many miles are on the engine? Plugs? Spark plug wires?
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Battery under the left rear seat. They haven't checked that one out as yet.
The problem - - - intermittent noise behind the driver when making left or right turns.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
My service manager troubleshot my 2003 in 2002 December... Rotated one tire on wheel, and rebalanced. Got numbers like yours with one wheel at 12, others lower. Improved greatly. I bought the car BECAUSE it had Michelins. Other tire brands have worse problems.
The low mass of A-arms and other parts the move with the tires has allowed them to react more to slight upward forces due to out-of-round or out-of-balance assemblies. Those parts underneat at aluminum alloys now. Take a look underneath. They are lightweight. Most tire makes have not kept pace with need for better tires; they are doing what they did in trying to have to retool for radial tire building in the 70s.
Also I'm finding the longer my tires have run, less stiffness uneveness there is in the one pair that is 12 and 9 on the scale. I have almost 18000 on them. I assume they break in and flex easier than when new.
My wheels are 16 inch. I don't know if anyone has complained with 15 in wheels. Those had Generals which I found on previous two LeSabres were extra soft and smooth, rolled easily for good gas economy and tended to go out-of-round as they aged due to poor belt construction. I believe a Firestone tire was used on some touring models with 16 in wheels, at least in 2002/early 2003.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
On another note, the window motor was also replaced last week, and now works like a charm.
I'd recommend going to one of the locations I found using the search site above. There are none in Hillsville, but there's Cehvy dealer in Mt. Airy that has one. I suspect your problem may be out of roundness in the tires. I have had problems with tires in the past that weren't a name brand (Dayton) and have always just bought Michelins for decades to replace new car tires when they wore down 70-80% just to get round tires so I could enjoy driving.
I'd recommend a GM dealer if you really want someone who has experience with working out problems. One of the tire stores listed may have a knowledgeable guy who hasn't just read the book.
I was surprised to see Mt. Airy. Isn't that a town from the Andy Griffith shows? Pleasant name.
I'm critical or many standard tires because I had Generals on my 93 Lesabre and all they did was get worse as they wore to 30K. Later my service manager at the Buick dealer said there had been many problems with them just going out of round as the belts aged. I replaced them with Michelin XH4s at 30K and 35K and went happily to 135K when two of those had to b e replaced. I bought Dayton brand (Firestone-bridgestone owned brand). And had problems until my wife made me trade the car.
Sometimes a good set of quality tires can just fix it all. I can't afford to buy cheap -- it's too expensive replacing and fixing the problems, short wear, out-of-round. I buy round ones to begin with.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
I had occasion to pass through there once several years ago. I didn't do any of the "Mayberry" things but I did stop at the famous Snappy Lunch for one of their signature pork chop sandwiches. Anyone who has that opportunity shoud not pass it up. The autographed photos on the wall and the age of the restaurant are as attractive as the food. It is a legitimate step back in time - nothing pretentious about it. It was a wonderful experience. :-)
I have never had a GM spark plug wire go bad. Seems most people who post on specialty forums like OEM GM wires. Needless to say, I replaced them on my other 7 year old GM car the next day.
The attractions in downtown Mt. Airy are just what you mentioned, the Snappy Lunch, Floyd's Barber shop, The Andy Griffith Playhouse, Wally's Service Station which is home to "Squad Car Tours," a new attraction just started this year that showcases 2 restored Mayberry squad cars, both driven by genuine Mayberry "Deputies," and they take you on a tour of the town. Also, there is Andy's old homeplace, which is now a bed and breakfast. I filmed a wedding there of a couple from Florida. To the South of Mt. Airy, about 15-20 minutes down the road, is Pilot Mountain, or as Andy used to call it, "Mount Pilot." Theres a lot to see, and if you're an Andy fan, you won't be sorry!
And in the event you make it that far, come on up 52 to Hillsville, which is home of the Carroll County Courthouse, the infamous location of the 1912 Allen Shootout. The "J. Sidna Allen Home" is on your way to Hillsville, in located right on 52 in Fancy Gap.
Now that I've plugged the area, I will reply to your comment.
Twin Co. Tire is in Galax, which is the closest. May try them, because we've dealt with them before, but never with Collins or Patterson. I'd trust any of them though. They all have good reputations in our area. Thanks again for the link! I really appreciate that!
Thanks
Jim
3 weeks later service engine soon light has appeared this AM.
It is solid and I intend to take it to a loc mechanic or is the dealer the way to go though more expensive?
I though I read it may be 02 sensor related...any ideas or is it too many variables to say what it is w/o a diagnostic check?
Then drive the car. The pollution system does a check when the car is restarted "warm" but not hot. It does a vacuum draw and then measures how fast it decays ( I believe I remember this right from my 98 service manual ). If there is no leak the light goes off.
If the cause is another problem than gas cap, it may require more work to track down. I had a hose come off of the cannister where the fumes are drawn through to catch the gas vapors in the charcoal. The box was hard to see under something else in the engine compartment.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
I remember when filling gas,the gas cap and filler tube looked rusted, maybe? I'll check it out when I clear out of work.
thanks
But later had a check engine light come on. Checked gas cap. Loose. But if you know that the system does not do a check every time it's started, you won't panic if the light doesn't go off.
The ideal is drive about two miles, stop at Speedway gas station for coffee, get back in and restart. The temp gauge is up about 2/3 of the way. Then when I restart in about 1 minute the light went off!
Good luck.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
What wrong with it?
Thank
Charle Jong
I have some pretty good rust around the gas cap filler tube> I was thinking of sanding it down or wire brushing.
Do you think the rust in the tank will cause any problem or maybe just stuff a rag in there before and vacuum when done.
I also noticed a lot of dust/rust coming off the cap and around the rubber gasket can I replace the cap or the gasket?
Is it rust or just scudacrud that has formed there?
Is the rust in the area where the rubber seal of the cap meets the filler neck?
Is the rubber seal on the cap worn flat on the contact side? Or when you push the cap on do you feel slight resistance as the seal meets the filler tube?
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
It is right on the neck lip and there is rust on the filler cap rubber gasket but just contact from the the filler tube.
The cap still has spring to it but when I do depress and release the gasket fine dust(rust?)comes either off it or from the air holes in the cap itself.
Anybody know what this stuff is?
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Other problems you will probably have, if you don't already are malfunctioning power windows, (won't go down, or heaven forbid, won't go up), power antenna won't work, and many many more malfunctioning electronics, not to mention replacing your alternator every 40k miles, since the LeSabre uses the same engine as the Pontiac.
Good Luck!
Thank
and drove both of the to around 110k miles with little problems -as I recall I replaced a couple of alternators -that was about it. I had 100k 6 year warranties on both of them and I doubt that they paid for themselves. Any advice? Thanks!
The cost of GMPP aftermarket looked like $1700 for a long period with high mileage, I think it was 100K/7 years total. I'd take the gamble on frequent oil changes, including transmission, and go without.
I have a 2003 with 24K on it and 2 years old. So I'm not just talking through my hat; I'm making the same decision.
I would recommend changing the trans fluid at 2 years/36 K whichever comes first. It seems the sliding valve that modulates the fluid controlling the lockup percentage on the torque converter clutch is sensitive to aged fluid or fine particles or wear in the bore due to poor design. My 1998 LeSabre was changed at 65K miles and it developed this problem. It developed the problem causing unevenness in the lockup until warm.
I'm changing my 2003 fluid at 24K and 2 years--I do it at home. Drop the pan, catch the fluid, tighten the pan, add fluid. No filter change needed until 60-70K or more, in my opinion.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
You made a good choice of tire.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Any one who has experience with 2000 models, does it worth it?
I purchased the Major Guard for the first time with the lease of a new '04 Avalanche. It covers the lease term and I figured why not, it's built into the monthly payments and it's not my truck anyway, so I don't want any unexpected repair bills. Time will tell if it was worth it.
That should take care of possible trouble points if you're keeping the car a long time. That's what I'm doing with my 03 LeSabre.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,