Oldsmobile Silhouette

dzldon

I'm looking for help as I replaced the temp. sending unit less pig tails but the guage still never registered, is the engine light related to the temperature sending unit or is this just a coinstenence. Also how do I reset the computer I thought that I just had to diconnect the battery for 5 minutes could someone please help. This is the 2001 Olds Silhouettte 3400 V6 I changed the thermostate a month ago temp. seemed to rise but the guage never went up much and now it doesn't move at all and the service engine light is on I think these are related please advise.

biggs2

Hello,

I have a 2001 Olds Silo Prem w/63k miles. The driver's heated seat is not working. The light on the dash comes on and all fuses check out OK. Does anyone no what could be the problem? My haynes manual does not mention the heated seats at all. If it is the heating element, I noted from another post that this is a $45 part and 1.7 hours of labor. Is this a do-it-yourself job? Dealer gets $90/hour here. And you never know what you are going to get going some place else (for nearly the same price or more after f/ups fixed). Passenger heated seat works fine.

Also, I had the lower gasket replaced just out of warranty (that hurt). Then I noticed coolant leaking near the top of the engine in the vicinity of the water pump although I could not find the exact source of the leak. Oil has always checked out OK when changing it - no sign of any coolant in it at all. I went ahead and changed the waterpump (skipped draining the radiator step). Topped off the reservoir and bled the system. No more leaking and the reservoir has maintained a constant level for well over 1k miles now. I am keeping my fingers crossed on the upper intake gasket. The water pump was quite easy to change - a pleasant surprise. It was harder changing the battery!

Any way, we have really enjoyed this van and have had relatively few problems. I am thinking about trading out because it seems like more problems are starting to happen. In addition to the heated seat not working (and the wife loves that feature), I noticed that one of the power rear vent windows is not working. Any thoughts on that one?

Thanks

lauren11

I have lost 3 of the original 4 center caps on my '98 Silhouette. It used to be easy to find replacements on ebay. Not so easy lately. Why do these caps fall off so easily? Anyone else have this problem? Thanks

indrgb

Yes. Three of mine fell off. Amazingly, in each case, someone was there to get it. One of them fell off when my wife was getting in and it started to roll down the driveway. I bought new ones anyway from the dealer. I think they were about $25 each.

If I had to guess, I think the reason is expansion and contraction due to temperature causes the dissimilar materials to separate. With mine, the metal cap separated from the plastic housing.

trolleron

I'll try to make this short-bought van a week ago, had sat up for a month or so before buying. Ran great first couple of days, serve engine light on, but only slight hesitation once or twice while driving. Then went to having some vibration around 40-45 mph, ABS and TCS lights on. Next day went to having some jerking and more vibration at all speeds. Acting a little power bound until you reached about 50 mph. Next day harder jerking, constant vibrating, almost like it was running out of gas-but of course had plenty of gas and sounded like it was cutting out or missing, also rough idle. Next day same, but then out of the blue suddenly decided while I was pressing the brake to act like I floored the gas. Only done that once. Ok, so my husband changed: fuel filter, spark plugs and wires(that was fun)one burnt almost in half, transmission fluid, air filter, front brakes (almost gone on back pads), oil and oil filter, pretty much entire tune up, also checked and tested a few other things! Ok, all that and it almost ran worse than before other than better brakes. So today had it hooked up on diagnostic machine, said first oxygen sensor bad, then read something about throttle and something else. Went and bought the oxygen sensor ($56) and put on. Now the van runs alot smoother while driving but the rough idle is worse and it still vibrates a little at times. ABS and TCS light no longer comes on, serve engine light stays on. We have already put a little over $200 into it, only paid $1800, and still haven't fixed it. All this in 1 week and a day. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. PLEASE HELP before my husband goes nuts! Thanks!
Oh, sometimes if you start off from a dead stop or just after starting it it will die then crank right back. Has about 127,000 miles.

ekarasik

I tried following the instructions on programming a remote for my 98 silo, it seems I'm doing something wrong, but I can't figure out what.
I remove the plug (yes, the bcm prgrm one), get in the car (all doors including liftgate are shut), I turn to ACC, off and back on again (within a sec.), open a door (chime) close it (chime - seems because there's a key in the ingnition), wait 14 secs, nothing. hold lock/unlock for 30 secs, nothing. Somebody help! what am I doing wrong?

trolleron

i am having the misfiring problem around 40 to 60 miles per hour could you tell me what was causing the problem in yours

7magic

Hi,

I was wandering if anybody else has had the fuel lines rot out on a silhouette or venture? I have looked at two other 2000 models and have seen the same thing. I am in the middle of replacing them now. You had better sit down for this one. In order to replace these lines you must firs drop the the engine cradle out complete with engine and trans. Once in there i found that the brake lines are starting to rust out as well, as well as the power steering lines and a coolant pipe that runs around the engine. Now with all this rust you are probably thinking that the car is a rot box. Not true the rest of the under carriage is fine as well as the rest of the lines that are under the car. Oh yeah the 100k spark plugs that have only 84k on them are suppose to have a .060 gap these are .188 thank god for electronic ignition. Anyhow I will post anything else that I find as I finish the job. Feel free to email me "mgcmn@optonline.net. I would be glad to answer any questions. Don't get me wrong, I have been impressed with this vehical since we bought it in 2000. Still runs s tong, 3400 is quite the little powerhouse, put many a tuner to shame.

Mamma Mobile Mechanic

mschreiber

I have a 99 and the back passenger door will not stay shut
It will close but will open right up unless I turn off the
switch and do it by hand there is a recall on that problem
just not for my V.I.N or year also my side mirrors stopped
working Also we have a crunching sound from the front right
when we turn

lrich

We have a 2001 Olds Silhouette and it's a piece of crap! I'll never buy an Old's product again. And in addition to the poor quality of the vehicle, the dealership service is the worst I've ever seen. We've had about 6 recalls on this thing and the dealership took care of them all. We also had the driver side power seat die on us, the heater in the passenger seat broke and had to be replaced (after warranty of course), the radiator had to be replace because of a leak (out of warranty of course), power mirror on driver side had to be replaced because the motor went out. The hatchback handle broke twice and had to be replaced at our expense. "Buttons" keeping the hard plastic backs of the middle row seats kept popping off so the entire plastic back fell off. The VCR started eating tapes and they replaced it with one that now has fluctuating volume and skipping/echoing audio problems and the dealership won't honor the 2 year warranty that came with the new unit! And I don't like that fact that when you change your heat/AC settings from windshield to feet , to feet and face, etc. you have no control over where the air comes from--the car chooses if it's exterior or recycled air (important for those with allergies to be able to control this!). Also, the heater just doesn't seem to put out much heat either. The caps on the lug nuts keep falling off too. I think we have about 1/2 of them now. :mad:

mallison

I have a 1995 Olds. Silhouette. Recently I tried to unlock it using the remote and it would not work. I changed the batteries and still it would not work. I noticed after doing this that when I put it into park the doors do not unlock which leads me to believe there is a problem within the van itself and not the remote. Please advise. :confuse:

altrincham1

We have a 99 silo too. On the sliding door you will see a pad with 7 pins that depress when door closes. Sometimes one of those pins doesnt come out when its supposed to. Plan B, disconnect positive battery terminal for say a minute or so, make sure all locks are unlocked. Try opening door with remote key fob. try closing door with the overhead console. My wife has this piece of advice count to 10 BEFORE each closing/opening. If the passenger switch works try the various combinations to see which one works in your case (the fob, the overhead, or the passenger). Plan C do what we are doing going to someone who has some other ideas. The solution is simple its just remembering what it is, Cars, don't you love 'em!!!

7magic

Hi,

I am not 100% sure but I had an older 3800 engine in a wagon that did the same thing. It would buck and hesitate til about 1\2 to 3\4 throttle. 3\4 throttle or better it ran great, but youd better hang on. Turned out to be the Mass air flow sensor, also check its connector. Hope this helps

Magic

7magic

Chris,
The intake manifold gasket is a real pain to change on this vehical. If you do some searching on the web, There was a class action suit that was being put together for this problem. It is form the use of DEX-COOL antifreeze. Apparently it reacts with the gasket material and breaks it down. It is sold as 5yr. or 100k antifreeze, but it turns to mud before this and starts clogging up your hole cooling system. I had the same problem but the car ran fine, with just a slight loss of coolant. You may want toask your mechanic friend about a STOP LEAK additive. Definitely flush your cooling system and see how bad the leak is. Good luck

Magic

soccermomx3

How do you get to the back three spark plugs? Is there an easy way, or do I have to pay someone to do it?

dhunch

At one time I had come across a discussion of a problem with the Silhouette's back brakes leaking fluid. The last time I had the drum off the back I noticed some fluid. The thing I cannot remember is what the solution was for this.

uber120697

I can't seem to find my owners manual right now, but can anyone tell me where the power steering is located so i can check the level and fill it up if i need to.

99silhouette

You can change the plugs from underneath the van from the back of the motor. There is an opening where the exhaust comes down, you can reach your arm up there to get to the plugs. Its a pain at first but you get the hang of after awhile. Changing the wires is a litte more of a pain but it can be done I have changed plugs and wires on my 99 silhouette.

slowmo2

I just bought a 2002 Venture WB that has all four of the wireless headphones, but is missing the dvd remote. While dvds can be played and stopped without the remote, none of the other features are available. I believe the remote is the small triangular shaped one, and might have been made by Audiovox. Could any of you fine readers look at the remote in your 01-02 GM minivan and find a GM part number? It may be inside the battery cover. I know they can sometimes be found on Ebay, but I have searched it exhaustively and will have to wait for several days to see if one gets listed. I have also tried to Google it with no luck. Any suggestions would be appreciated! Thanks!

dcrome

My 98 Silhouette blows hot and cold air in the front but neither in the back. Changed the fuse and that's not the problem. Is it the rear blower motor and if so, where is it located?

hibbard

i have a 2000 olds Silhouette will this work to.

pony13

I just bought a 2002 Olds Silhouette. Love it so far. When I bought the van I was given I working key, and one that needs programming. Does anyone no the procedure for this?

rambo27

Newbie here, this original message is obviously a few years old. I'm hoping artgpo is still a user. I need to find documentation that GM started providing 5 year warranties. We purchased a car the end of 02 and just took it in for work. Over $2000 which would be warrantied however the dealer is saying we only had a 3 yr. We had recevied a mailing offering no pmts for 90 days, no interest and 5 yr warranty. Can anyone point me in the direction to search or have documentation of the 5yr.

Any help is greatly appreciated!!!

hilon19

Blows only hot air. Freon is full. Replaced clutch relay on a nunch. That was not the problem. WHat do I check for now?

charles19

Hi, My 2001 Olds Silhouette van's temperature will suddenly spike to hot and the cooling temp light will turn on - the cooling fluid remains high and after the car cools there are no visible problems. After I let the car cool the gauge will act erratic and sometimes spikes again which reduces power to about 10% (I believe as it is designed).

I've had the radiator replaced about eight months ago to solve a leak. For the temperature spike problem listed above I had had the thermostat (2 times), both fans, the sensor and manifold gasket repaired last week but it didn't fix it. Please help as my mechanic is at a loss and I'm running out of funds.

Thanks in advance,
Charles

indrgb

Call the Olds 800 number (800-442-6537). Have your vehicle ID number handy. They will tell you what warranty it has. The 5/60 warranty started sometime during model year 2001. If you bought it used, it may or may not still have an extended warranty.

aelmore

First, I have to say we LOVE our 2001 olds silo...we have had some trouble with it, but nothing I don't expect with any minivan...and we've owned 4! Anyway, for some reason our wipers are "at attention"...they do not fold back down when turned off...no matter where they are when we turn them off, they go to the upright position...like in a stick up!! LOL!! We are not mechanically inclined, but were wondering if anyone else has had this trouble nad how did you fix it? I hate to bring it in for something I may be able to do myslef...any suggestions?? PLease email me @ elmore6@aol.com as I will never find my way back here again!! Thanks!

sarj

hi ..a hammer and screw driver will fix your problem..
the stop plate on your main plate has worn out or bent
take off your wiper motor look at the base.there is a little piece of metal which sticks up that is the stop.
your wiper motor is missing it .just hit it back up so hit hits it again and your good to good.cheap fix for the cheap gm part..good luck its easy

sarj

:P hi ..a hammer and screw driver will fix your problem..
the stop plate on your main plate has worn out or bent
take off your wiper motor look at the base.there is a little piece of metal which sticks up that is the stop.
your wiper motor is missing it .just hit it back up so hit hits it again and your good to good.cheap fix for the cheap gm part..good luck its easy

iluvmyhorse

I have a 98 Oldsmobile Silouette. My dad bought this car new and gave it to me last June. I was driving it as usual two Saturdays ago when it started acting funny. It would kind of shake when it came to a stop light. At one stop light it stalled and when I started it again the temperature light stayed on. I pulled into a Midas that I was right next to and the guy said (after looking at it for 2 seconds) that it needs a head gasket and intake gasket. We didn't have them fix it and had another shop look at it and he said the same thing. I had ANOTHER guy take it and look at it and he said it doesn't display all of the usual symptoms for head gasket replacement. It doesn't blow out white smoke, the oil is grungy, it isn't leaking any fluids at all. The radiator and overflow things are full. There are no visible leaks that we can see. The check engine light comes on. Some people are telling us not to drive it because it could blow the engine but others are saying we can drive it. We're not going to though. Someone said it could be something simple but it would take going through alot of parts to find out what the simple thing is. Some are saying it could be the computer is malfuntioning or something having to do with the ignition. Do any of you have ANY idea what it could be? We are at a total loss as to what to think and it's driving us nutty.

Thank you.

gkendall

Hi,new member. Got a problem? Have a 98 Olds Silhouette van,replaced the rear air shocks with monroe ma824 air shocks. Also had to replace the sensor arm.All went great,but I have not heard the compressor run to pump up the shocks.What can the problem be? Read all of the inputs
to the forum,and could not find a problem ,as this.
The sensor arm,was a repacement from the dealer.
I'd appreciate any advice or help. Thanks Gil

boga228

Don't drive it! What it sounds like you have a intake gasket leak meaning coolant is leaking into the cylinder and puffing out white smoke. the oil should look like a milky color meaning head gasket or intake. cylinder compression or leakage test would tell you if the head gasket is blown. also radiator pressure check will also let you know if thier is a leak.

boga228

sounds like a air pocket somewhere in the system. hope fully your mechanic bleed the system with the heater on back to the rear heater core. Did your mechanic pressure test the system to remove air out of the system? hope this helps.

dr3474

hi, i have a 2000 olds silh,and when my wipers are on delay they stay up/middle of the winshield instead of goin back down,is theres anyone that might know how to fix this,we have tried to do the timing on them,but its too confusing!?? if anyone knows how to properly time them...please let me know!thanks:}

alphonso

Quote Sarj:

hi ..a hammer and screw driver will fix your problem..
the stop plate on your main plate has worn out or bent
take off your wiper motor look at the base.there is a little piece of metal which sticks up that is the stop.
your wiper motor is missing it .just hit it back up so hit hits it again and your good to good.cheap fix for the cheap gm part..good luck its easy

dr3474

hi...just wanted to let you know we did what you said and you were right!!and the other problem was the motor wasnt button down right we rotated it..seems to be good!they're staying down on delay ,for now!!thanks 4 that tip...we would of never thought to look under there!:}

dr3474

hi,my 2000 olds sil is making a clanky noise .sounds like the lifters clapping..the change oil light is on,so we changed oil ..i've looked in with the oil cap off and it looks like theres bearly any oil comin up while running..im thinking i'm in need for a oil pump?i also notice the oil before the chaging smelt like gas..its still brown,not creamy!has anyone out there heard of this problem..my hubby changed the front plugs so im sending it in the garage to do those rear ones.#1 is misfiring i was told.than my brother said it maybe a manifold gasket i need.."HELP"...THANKS TO ANYONE THAT CAN GIVE ME A SUGGESTION. :sick:

boga228

Normal for lifters to make nosie during startup, after warm up it's gone. depending on miles use 10-30w oil. smell of gas when change is oil is becuase of no. 1 cylinder not firing properly. if you have a intake gasket leak check coolant level at the radiator to see if it's really low fill up and check again after driving at least 50 miles. To change the rear spark plugs you need to rotate engine by put van in netural remove the to engine front mount bolts and use a racheting strap to pull engine forward.

rpenner

I have a 2002 Silhouette that came with a tow wiring harness in a plastic bag. Where does this plug into? Is it underneath the van? Where can I find info on which color wire is for what purpose?

Thanks

silovan

I bought a used 2001 Silo Premier last year. Last month I had a small leak that required my radiator to be replaced. Shortly afterward, I lost my A/C, and was told I had a leak in the A/C condenser. Is there a connection between the first repai and the subsequent condenser leak?
Also, I'm aware from previous posts of commom condenser leak problems in the Silos and its siblings. Note# 984 mentions a repair of this leak. Can anyone help with a few questions?
1. Can this leak be fixed with something like JB Weld?

2. If I need to get a new condenser, is there any diffeence between using an OEM or Aftermarket condenser?

3. When I checked the internet for silo condensers, I found references to "front" and "rear" condensers, and also references for condensers "without dual air."
Can anyone help me with these questions?
Thanks - and also a big thanks to everyone involved in this forum, it has really helped in the past.

indrgb

I doubt there is a connection between the radiator leak and the condenser leak.

If you are sure the condenser is leaking, it will need to be replaced.

I wouldn't be afraid of an aftermarket condenser, especially if it's less expensive. If you know a good independent garage, ask them.

My 2000 Silo has dual air, but only one condenser in front of the radiator. Vans with dual air have two evaporators however.

straightrazor

Hello All,

My son has a 94 Olds Silhouette that has developed a low rpm engine knock. It is very loud and disipates when the rpms go up. This engine also has a frozen ac compressor and a smaller drive belt has been put on to avoid the frozen ac compressor.

With the engine running we put a wrench on the idler pulley and rotated counter clockwise to relieve the tension on the belt and the knock went away. Thinking that it was the idler pulley, we then replaced the idler pulley and belt with new parts to find that the knock was still there.

I suppose by relieving the tension on the drive belt that the pressure was also off of the alternator, water pump and power steering. We did take the alternator off and had is checked, the bearing and output is fine. The car is also not over heating nor is the water pump pully running wobbly.

At this point we would appreciate any assistance you might offer.

Thanks in advance for your assistance....

Sincerely, Straight Razor....

winters1

My 2000 olds sil has 112K miles, the problem is the rear tail light break lights dont work, the top break light does work, The stop light fuse is good. Why would only one of the three lights work? I have checked the bulbs and they are good. All other lights on the light panel work. Is there something else to check?

redbarron

Our 2001 Olds Silhouette has been running great, but today when I started it, I heard a pop and was greeted by a white fog coming through the vents. I stopped the engine, opened the hood and found that a tremendous cloud of white, cold fog along with neon green liquid was shooting from the air conditioning compressor. I figured something had caused the compressor to blow, but here are my questions:

How is this diagnosed?
Will the compressor (and any other parts) need replacing?
What may have caused this (since things were working just fine up until today)?
What will this likely cost?

Thanks in advance for your help!

Redbarron

boga228

To all who have their van still under warranty, If you suspect that you have a coolant/oil gasket leak, I would recommend that you get it repaired. They have the new intake gasket p/n 89017279. Make sure you refer them to Service Bulletin 03-06-01-010, because of the new torque Spec's

bob550k

Well it wouldn't go up for for a few hours, then it went up.

Relay?

Switch?

Motor?

Anyone else have this problem?

Thanks

boga228

Time To change the motor. It's a weak design.

bob550k

The window didn't quit working, it just wouldn't go up. I had it down a few inches and I tried to close it but it wouldn't close. I opened it a couple of more inches and tried to go up again with no luck. I repeated this process a couple of times. If it was the motor I would think it wouldn't go up or down. Fried brushed or armatures don't work either direction do they?

I haven't rebuilt a power window motor in 20 years! Yuck!

I was hoping for an easy answer like "it's the switch they all do it"

Oh well.

boga228

Easy way to check if it is the switch to use a multimeter on the switch terminals, check for power. Also their is a solid state device relay that also plays a big part in the power windows. If you really want to know if the window motor is bad. Must pull out door panel to access motor, apply 12vdc to one side of their motor and ground on the other motor terminal if this does now work means motor is burnt out.

boga228

I forgot mention about your original post that after a few hours your window work. Thats a good sign that the motor is going bad, I have replaced over 6 motor in the last 8 years on different vehicles, hope that helps.