Oldsmobile Alero

regfootball

last time i look at supercharger kits they were a minimum of around 2 grand uninstalled. Add extra labor and we easily add 2500 or so. Even preinstalled it can't be much less than that then, unless you have other proof.

evandro

Ever wondered that GM doesn't quote compressors in the same places as you?

My brother is account manager for GM Powertrain in a parts supplier. FWIW.

dindak

You can't argue with him on these things.

regfootball

well than proof for you ought to be easy to get a hold of

evandro

Sure, I'll call my brother who's going to call his contacts at Powertrain and Ford to pull the BOMs with cost, send to him via registered mail, Fedex to me so I can make a notarized copy to send to you.

Do you give docket receipts for all the evidence you get from Internet chats? :-D

mahoney3

I just got a 2003 Alero GLS with power sunroof.

The sunroof does not go all the way into hood of the car when open. Do I have a problem?

dindak

I assume you mean roof (not hood).

;-)

I have seen several power roofs lately that do not go all the way in to cut down on wind and noise. This may be the case but you may want to check with GM or the dealer.

mlm4

It's by design that it does not completely retract beyond the opening in the roof of the Alero. It opens about two-thirds of the way, and that's normal on this car and others where the glass panel tilts up and retracts above the roof (as opposed to dropping down and sliding under the roof). I would guess that there is nothing wrong with your sunroof.

jpelder

I have a GX with the 15" BF Goodrich touring tires. Does anyone else notice that the front tires always appear underinflated? I keep checking the pressure, and it is right at the 33-34 PSI recommended by GM.

It appears as this would cause the tires to wear prematurely. I have never noticed this condition on my other front drive vehicles.

dindak

Have not noticed it on our Alero, but I will double check on my way home today.

Have noticed a nice spike up in gas mileage now that the weather is warmer and the winter gas is gone.

pta2ptb

I'm trying to determine how to long to wait for the automatic oil change sensor to activate before I take my '03 GLS in for its first oil change. I'm at a little over 5000 miles, but I do mostly highway driving. The rule of thumb used to be to do a very early oil change (1-2K miles) on a new car, but is that still true?

evandro

I had 2 cars with oil life monitor and for the 1st change I decided to change the oil after breaking them in. I figured that breaking an engine in can create metal particles that need to get out as soon as possible.

And being the car new, how can I tell that the oil monitor does work other than when it's too late? Therefore, I played safe and tested the oil monitor at the 2nd change. ;-)

HTH

dindak

I went in a bit early on my first just to be safe. Since then I only go when the oil light comes on. They are fairly reliable apparently, even the mechanic at my GM dealer said so.

iamgwc

'03 GLS ... First oil change ... sounds familiar. I just changed the oil in my '03 GLS last weekend. The oil life monitor did not come on but at about 5,500mi I decided to do it anyway. The oil was clearly used well (fairly dark) but not unusually so. Next up rotate tires at 7,500mi. Doing this stuff yourself sure does save $$$$.

dindak

My 02 Alero seems to have developed an intermitant creak in the seat when I accelerate hard. Anyone else have this and know how I can quickly fix it? I can't seem to find where it's coming from, sounds like it's from under the seat though.

jpelder

I guess you ordered your Alero with the Speed sensing Creak Alarm. The solution is to drive slow. If Driving fast, you must follow correct procedure, which is with the Radio Blaring...as it should be!

dindak

I have actually had it for a couple of months, but I thought it came from the cold. The weather has warmed up now and it's still there. Seems stupid as it's not very loud but I do want it gone.

:-P

berk1

The "Trac off" light on my 2000 Alero GL (four cylinder engine 32000 miles) has been coming on intermittently. Usually it will stay on until the next day and then return to normal. Of course, when this happens the switch has no affect on the traction light. Last week the light came on on Thursday and I couldn't get the car to a dealer until the following Wednesday. I was within a mile of the dealer when the light went out on its own and the on/off switch was once again working. The dealer found no computer record of any problems but did re-program the PCM. The service writer told me that he remembered a service bulletin from GM mentioning that this up-grade solved numerous problems, one of which was the trac light problem I was experiencing. At this point the light is normal (off) and the switch is working. However, I'm reminded of Windows patches and upgrades and some of their problems. Has anyone else had any experience with this problem and found a cure? Will the re-programming solve the problem??

Charlie Berkey

drivehard1

This is a big problem with 1997- 2002 GM 3400 Engines. WE have a 1999 Silhouette with 54,000 miles and its on its second round of gaskets and leaking again, and my Aleros gaskets are leaking as well, with 65,000 miles, this really is poor engenering to have a major problem like this, and at $846.67 a crack, not cheap either. What can be done to fix them, Why isn't GM issuing a recall, they will lose a lot of customers over this, they throw that 3400 in evry car they make!! They have very good products, but untill i found out more about these Gaskets I am worried!
What to do?

dindak

My parents have a 99 Alero with the 3400 and no issues and my sister in-law has a 97-98 Venture with no issues either. I don't think it's as common as you think though it sucks if you do have the problem.

vcjumper

Co-worker just had her 2001 done under warranty (She has 42,000km), it would have cost her $1100 CAD otherwise.

rat284

It's been quite a while since I checked out the posts around here. The Alero is doing just fine, and hasn't had any problems (aside from that pesky turn signal problem) that have required dealer service thus far. Has anyone heard anything about what's in store for the Alero in 2004? I've been thinking about getting one of the last Oldsmobiles. The future of the coupe comes to mind as one of my concerns. I haven't heard anything about it, but I don't imagine they're selling very many of them relative to the sedan, and they could very well pull the plug in its last year. And if they will be producing a coupe and a sedan in 2004, I'm curious as to how that will break down among the Final 500 models. Any speculation?

dindak

I'm guessing you will see virtually no changes for 04. The final 500 will have some badging and such, but nothing extra. GM will be basically winding down the line as the 2005 Grand Am get's ready to go next summer. Not sure if it's coming out of the same plant or if it's moving to Kansas.

mlm4

Deletions

  Exterior color (72U) Ruby Red
  (UQ2) 6-speaker sound system feature
  Covered vanity mirror on passenger side
  Valet switch in trunk

New Features

  (UQ8) 4-speaker sound system feature
  Exterior color (63U) Sport Red

There will be six exterior colors and one interior color (pewter) for the GX, and nine exterior and two interior colors for the GL and GLS. Five-speed manual still optional on GX only. The 8-speaker sound system is only available with the Sun and Sound Package. No word yet on Final 500 features or dates.

dindak

Not much in the way of changes, more than I thought though. Too bad about the Ruby Red, its what we have and it's a great color. Sport Red sounds promising though! Didn't know I had a valet switch in the trunk.

shanian

Since I too have a 02Ruby Red Alero and a 00Midnight Blue Intrigue.
Thought of a vanity plate for the Intrigue MINTRIG
And how are things on Parish Lane? beta ou beti

dindak

Gray 00 Intrigue GL.

Why do you know what street I live on?

damiancampbell

Hello! Two weeks ago, I bought a 2000 Alero GX Coupe from the local Saturn Dealer. The car appears to be in mint condition, and is "GM Certified". The car only has 19, 000 miles. While driving home from work last night, the "Service Engine Soon" light came on. My tank was nearly out of gas, which I thought may have contributed to the problem. I filled the tank and tightly closed the cap. The light is still on. The manual says that if the light is flashing, the vehicle needs immediate service, but if the light is steady, it is possibly a fuel or fuel cap related problem. Almost 24 hours and a few short trips later, the light is still on. It also says in the manual that if there is dirt/water/etc in the fuel tank, I may have to burn an entire tank of gas before the light goes out. Has anyone else had this problem? I've only had this car a little over a week, and I've read some horrible things, and now I'm really nervous. Now this light is on! For the record, the car is running well; it sounds great, and there are no hesitations, rough starts etc. Has anyone else had this issue with the "Service Engine Soon" light...and if so, what is your advice?

lovetosavegas

Could go off for a lot of reasons. Probably something is wrong with the emission control, or I have read that this model has recurring fuel injector is dirty problem, that is fixed by adding fuel injector cleaner to the gas or using higher octane grade gas. Stop by Auto-zone or Pep Boys to see what the problem is, somebody told me that they will read the fault codes for free. Overall it is probably not a big deal.

badgerfan

If it is GM certified used car, don't they include a warranty? Almost any dealership will include at least a 90 day warranty, certified or not. Since you have had the car only two weeks, take it back to the dealer you bought it from and get it fixed under your warranty. Don't mess around with Autozone and Pep Boys when you should be able to get it fixed under warranty.

ijennings1

We have just purchased a 2002 Alero 3.4. The problem is that the driver's door will not lock regularly with the remotes ( we have 2). It unlocks, but does not lock. I've been to 2 dealers where they have replaced parts and it works for about a day, then stops again. I'm taking it in again as it's still under warranty.Also, once a week, the turn indicators stop working. i fiddle with the fuse, then it is fine. Can anyone help here? Otherwise we are really pleased with her. She is really quick and confortable to drive. We paid $10770 plus sales tax. It might not be as reliable as some [non-permissible content removed], but to get a similar car from Toyota/Nissan/Honda, I would have to pay at least another $5K and they are not THAT better. Incidentally, why does GM not use Olds, DOHC in this model? 215 b.h.p as opposed to 170 ana a more modern engine, probably not so much low end grunt I guess, but is is years since i owned a pushrod engine.

oldsman01

I don't think the 3.5 liter DOHC V6 would fit in the Alero's engine bay. The 3.5 would certainly make the Alero a screamer, but physically it is a huge engine. My Intrigue has this engine and it pretty fills the entire engine bay.

evandro

It's not only big, with the tall heads and wide block, it's also quite expensive. It would actually be cheaper to supercharge the 3.4 V6 in the Alero.

As a matter of fact, hasn't Olds displayed or wasn't it scooped on a supercharged Alero?

dindak

Are there after market 3.4L turbochargers?

The 3.5L is a sweety of a motor, but it would never fit. It's pretty snug in our Intrigue as it is.

gregkillian

Recently had 2 electrical probs occur. 1) The turn signals intermittently don't work. Cycling the hazard switch (which doesn't seem affected) seems to remedy the problem. 2) Fan speeds 1 and 2 on the HVAC system don't work at all.

Just curious if anyone's run into these. The signals will surely be working fine the day I bring it in, so I'd like to point the mechanic in the right direction. The car is still under warranty.

vcjumper

Had a 250hp version of the shortstar one year

oldsman01

I thought that was the OSV Intrigue. The OSV Alero of that year had a super(or maybe turbo) charged version of the old 2.4 liter I4.

vcjumper

Here's the info
OSV Alero Coupe
I think the intrigue had a supercharged shortstar one year and the aurora v8 the other.

A Turbo ecotec would be a nice swan song for the Alero. But then the other final Olds farewells amounted to a paint job, some interior and interior badging, and wheels from other GM vehicles. No money for GM to spend on sentimentality I guess.

dindak

Do you know if there is an after market turbo charger available for the Ecotec? I wouldn't mind looking into it. A hot rod Alero would be cool if I could do it for not too much $$.

The Shortstar much have just been crammed in the OSV. They had a nice customized Alero coupe at the Toronto show, did you see it?

vcjumper

I did see the Alero at the show, looked pretty good.

There is a vortech supercharger available for the ecotec Alero but it is prohibitively expensive.
RSM Racing - Alero Mods

dindak

U$4700 is a bit much.

Is there a K&N available for the Ecotec? Mite be another option to pump up my power.

ijennings1

RE; Gregkillian

Greg,
Thanks for your advice. Unfortunately, I'm not sure what "cycling the hazard switch" and "HVAC" are. Put it down to a thick Englishman still learning the different sayings in your great country.

Would appreciate a posting from you and thanks once again.

Ian

ijennings1

Hi There,

Please see my message 1963 and a reply 1967. I note you have had turn signal problems too. If you could expand I'd be grateful, particulalrly if there are any cures.

Thaks

Ian

burdawg

Sounds like you have two of the common problems:

The multifunction switch in the column becomes balky and the turn signals/high beams start to work intermittently.
The fan speed resistor board fails and one or more fan speeds disappear.

These are all problems that have been discussed in this board along with the Pontiac Grand Am board.

gregkillian

Hi Ian,

By cycling I mean turn on and off. One day when my turn signal stopped working, I turned on the 4-way hazards to see if they worked. They did. I have noticed subsequently that when the turn signals quit, they won't start working again unless I turn the hazards on and off 2 or 3 times. Could just be conincidence?? Who knows. Anyway, I'll let y'all know if I get a diagnosis from the mechanic when I bring it in.

And HVAC is a common abbreviation (in the US anyway) for Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning. It is used to refer to car as well as home heating and cooling systems.

greg

rat284

Well, I don't know of any cures that would help for sure, as I still haven't brought it in to be fixed. I guess I just kind of expect that they won't be able to actually fix it (from what I've heard, anyway) and the problem is intermittent. I guess I should bring it in to have it looked at, but it's at the back of my to-do list. In my case, it can go for quite a while without any problems. Every so often, the turn signals won't come on, at which point I'll press the hazard switch a few times, and eventually things will get back to normal. There is definitely a correlation between the two. In any case, I'll be happy if that's the only problem I have with the car.

mlm4

The intermittent problem with the turn signals has plagued many Aleros (and presumably Grand Ams as well). IIRC, it's the hazard switch that's causing the problem (it's part of the circuit). That's why fiddling with it sometimes fixes it. My ex-girlfriend has/had a '01 Alero and they replaced the hazard switch, problem solved.

regfootball

today...new Aleros for 10999 after all incentives including olds loyalty.....wow

dindak

They are advertised here for C$18500. If you factor in C$2000 Olds credit and add in some bargaining you could get one for about the same here in C$. Of course those ads are always deceiving as almost no one qualifies for all the discounts and credits.

regfootball

somebody though is bound to get the car for that price.....

that's gotta just KILL resale. Excellent deal on the car though.