Oldsmobile Silhouette

nstobars

I have a '99 with 125K. I have loved her, but she has now blown her 2nd head gasket - my dad owns a mechanic shop and fixed the first one for me. This one is only going to get fixed so that she can be traded or sold. My ride leveling suspension bar went last week also. We have just chalked it up to lots of miles. It a shame, because our buick park avenue has 150+K and our one before that 250+K! We were hoping...

01intrigue

If nothing else is wrong, I'd try to keep if I were you. We traded in our 2000 last september with 125K on it, because the subframe had rusted away (here in florida, go figure, same issue we had on previous 1993 Pontiac Tran Sport.) and repairing it was iffy. We had put in about $1500 at 100K in refurbishment and really wanted to keep it another year or two. We ended up getting an Odyssey after GM kept saying howit was getting outta the minivan model line. We got them to give us about $3500 for ours (off of a dealer invoice price for the Ody). We had to walk out twice before getting that much for it. They pulled the "they don't make Olds anymore" line, like that means it's worth less than a comparable Chevy or Pontiac.

rivstg1

HI, I've been reading all of the older posts and wonder why there has been a big drop off in people posting here. I am looking to buy an '02 or '03 Premiere in Dallas, TX area, was wondering if anyone knew of any for sale for a good deal for one anywhere really. Any suggestions for which one might be better (lack of problems for a particular year).

thanks

mrsprewitt

I just bought a '99 Silhouette with a blown head gasket, and I'm working on replacing it. I've at the point now that I'm getting ready to put the new gasket on and put the engine back together, but I need to know a few things-
1) What is the torque specifications for the exhaust manifold studs?
2) What is the torque specifications for the rocker arms - and/or the sequence to put them back in?
3) What is the bolt sequence for the heads?

On a side note, any ideas where I can get a new battery tray for this sucker? The old battery was corroded like crazy so the corrosion dripped on the tray, plus I broke the tray taking it out.
ANd one other thing- Any thoughts on re-rounding the oil dipstick tube? It's a little squished right now..... don't ask.

calponte

fill it with water, cap it and freeze it. Seriously it will work

calponte

Anyone have any clue on what this is and how to fix it. It says CKP HI/Lo resolution. So leads me to believe the crankshaft sensor is on the fritz, but it was just replaced. Is there somewhere else i should be looking?

Thanks

calponte

Sorry the code is p1374 thanks for any help

01intrigue

Google returned this link.

http://fastfieros.com/tech/dtc_p1374_crankshaft_position.htm

It describes what is happening. It may or may not be a big deal.

-greg, two 2001 Intrigues

calponte

Thank you very much. That does help.

I wonder why when i googled it that didnt come up?
Thanks though

eddyturns

Hi I have the 1995 silo also and know of a woman who got rid of one because her mechanic husband couldn't find the leak. I've been thru a battery a year for the last three if I use it every day noproblemo. I disconnected the sliding dr. fuse. I didn't solve it either.
Jearbear

quilling

We have a '98 Silhouette and had the shocks and sensor arm replaced. Now the compressor to the rear shocks doesn't work and we don't have any power to the rear access panel. Anyone know what's wrong and how to fix it?

cgrimm1

Have your CV Boots Checked..if there is a small tear it will sling CV Grease into the tire well and cause a vibration but only at speeds of 40 or higher and a noticiable difference in turns.

mrsprewitt

ok well I just replaced the head gasket on my 99 Silhouette. Went and ordered a $150 mechanic guide to the thing, and it was pretty helpful- except for a few things. We got it all back together and now there's no spark, just rrr rrr rrr rrr rrr.... you get it. All power works, I'm dumbfounded.
I noticed when I put the wiring harness back on that there's no plug that fits on the inlet on the drivers side of the coil pack in the rear. If you could go look at your coil pack and look at the drivers side-there's two plugs, one towards the front and one towards the back. I can't seem to figure out why there's no plug for the one in the back, does yours have one??

Mrs Prewitt :confuse:

ddykeman

Does anyone know where the radiator fan switch is on a 1990 Silhoulette with the 3.1 V6 engine ?

jayray38

When we first got this van the temp gage never read over the 1/4 mark. Now after having the engine dropped and the intake gasket replaced the temp gage is now reaching the 1/2 mark driving through town. We had a mechanic look at it and he said the cooling fans ARE coming on. So here's my question......Is anyone else's temp gage staying at or below the 1/4 mark constantly or does yours reach the 1/2 mark constantly. I could really use some feedback on this please. Thank you.

gedgoudasl

I have a 2002 model and the temperature guage generally stays at 1/4 or just above and occassionally, when hot outside and driving slowly, it will move to the 1/2 mark. When we speed up the guage moves back down toward 1/4.

ronsmith38

Is the thermostat the same as before dropping the engine? You might want to replace it in any case if the reading is a concern.

mrsprewitt

Just wanted to post that I found the problem- that plug is the 7x Crankshaft sensor. The plug is not off the wiring harness-no wonder I couldn't find it. That sensor is just below the spark plugs and the cable was hiding from me. But I found it and now she runs great!

Mrs Prewitt

ddykeman

ddykeman

Guess Not... Thanks Anyway?

bbaden

Any luck with this problem? I am experiencing random misfires but at highway speeds of 60 to 65. Mostly when using cruise and going uphill and a downshift occurs. Any suggestions would be appreciated.Have recently replaced plug wires and have tried seveal bottles of cleaners. Thanks!

labman61

I have an 03 sil and the plastic base on the bottom/side of the seat broke the platic plug that holds it to the seat base. Any chance anyone knows if this plug can be found?

niaz

I have strange thing going on with my 98 Silhouette. About an year ago, one day on during a heavy rain the Wiper suddenly stopped working . Then after about an 1/2 hour it started working and since then it is been working fine. Next I notice, the Horn was not working and is still not working. In Nov 07, The Power seat control gave up. The power door goes on and off intermittent (mostly does not work). The check Engine light come and go as it pleases. been to dealer many times for "Check Engine" lights and power door and spend thousands but the problem comes back to haunt. I checked the fuse for all these modules but they are fine. Can some one please guide me to trouble shoot these problems or should I learn to live with these. :mad:

storms24

I'm the (very proud) father of 4 girls under the age of four... (yeah, yeah... I know what's causing that! ) Anyway, I have a 2001 Olds Silo Premier Edition with 3rd row leather bucket seats. Unfortunately, this isn't real conducive to getting children in and out of car seats. However, if I remove one of the 2nd row seats, then I can get access to the back row - which is half the battle. What I need to know is, can I replace the back buck seats with a bench? The bench seats have three sets of seatbelts so I could put three carseats there and one more in the second row. The Premier Edition didn't have it as an available option, but from looking at pics of the GL & GLS models, it looks like the floor mounting points are the same. Anyone have any experience at this? Or, would someone be willing to take some measurements of their 3rd row seat mounts so I'd have something to compare it to? My thanks in advance for any suggestions or help!

vonziffle

i am having a problem with this stupid van i have short somewhere that will
drain my battery overnight .....took it to a buddy at a shop he had the test light
on the battery positive side which came on cause there is a circuit drawing power
he then proceeded to pull all fuses usually as u pull you would see the light go out
when you find the problem he pull every fuse and the test light never went out

im so pissed off....can anyone suggest anything ......i did check the alternator
by taking off the positive wire and checking for a spark, no spark

thanks for the suggestions if i get any ......

vonziffle

maybe it could be the rev limiter switch but you would have to contact a gm
parts dealer for price and where the switch is........

just a suggestion

rclarkin

Not sure if you have had a response to this, but we have a 2001 Olds Silhouette Premiere also, and we have a 3rd-row bench. You shouldn't have any trouble putting one in.

storms24

That's great news - thanks! I've finally found one that should match our interior and I'm driving out this Friday to pick it up. It'll be a 5 1/2 hr round trip so I was a bit apprehensive about driving out there and not knowing if it will actually fit. Appreciate the info! Robert

beamer9

Did you ever find out what was causing the battery drain? I have been having the same problem and even the dealer could not figure it out. I was hoping you could give me some advise based upon your experience. Thanks.

bob550k

batteries fail internally sometimes.

Try a new one.

The new edmunds format makes it so difficult to find the forums that I doubt I'll ever bother coming back here.

juddf

this is probably too late, but yes the rear wheels need shims to make adjustments for alignment matter of fact it does 2 in 1 adjustments (camber and toe) after that is done then the front needs to be readjusted to match the rear (centerline).

cdc614

99 Silhouette with 74,000 miles. While on the interstate with cruise control on, RPM will drop or stumble some what before accelerating or up shifting to maintain speed. Seems to do this at most speeds.

CapeCod

1998 Olds Silhouette Van
Just had AC serviced... Drained & Recharged
All was fine for about 2 weeks.
The van has 3 center of dash vents...
Left and center now give warmish air...
The furtherest to the right gives cold air???
What could be causing the problem...
Is there a blend door ? Part of AC not cooling?
I hate to say it but I don't trust my mechanic...
So I would like some suggestions before returning...

pignessx1

Disconect the motormounts on the front the engine compartment. The engine will rock forward. YOu can then go from under the van by the firewall side and reach the plugs from under/behind the motor. this is not an easy job, but it sure worth saving $300.

pignessx1

Intake manifold. Have it checked. It probably has a small leak. I had mine replaced at 90,000 miles.,

pignessx1

I had to replace the entire light panel, because of the same problem. These vans have so many stupid problems.

pignessx1

:sick: I have 2001 Old Silhouette. This van I love, but it has SO MANY STUPID problems.
You know the typical, intake manifold (replaced), the automatic sliding door (still never figured out the problems 37 days in the shop), dash lights replaced, both power windows have been replaced (passenger side twice).........
Now at 150,000 miles. it has a random misfire and it idles rough. I had the spark plugs and wires replace 30,000 miles ago. In the past 9 months we have replace all 3 coil packs, EGR valve, 1st O2 sensor, TPS. When we replaced the EGR we realized that the shop that changed the plugs and wires crossed all of the plug wires. So we replaced them, about a month ago, since they had wear marks all over them.
After replacing all of this it still throws the same error codes, still rough idles and sometimes dies. Once it is given gas it does just fine, but at traffic lights, stop signs, or even idling in the drive it will either idle erracticly or die all together.
What can you suggest?

Also, about a year ago the power windows, power locks, security system, interior lights, interior bell, stopped working. Also, the radio no longers stays on after the van is turned off. It did stay on for several minutes or until the door was opened. Have any idea what could be causing this problem?

These vans are an electrical nightmare. GM should really do many recalls on this van.

Thanks for any help you can give.

4given1

I have a 1992 Oldsmobile Silhouette.It overheated yesterday because the hose on the bottom of the radiator blew off.We got that fixed and it ran good and we got half way home and it started to miss.Any suggestions? Thanks.

motorhead57105

My 2000 olds just started doing the same thing, cooling on one side of the front, the rear cools just fine, now i cant get any cooling from the front. I have taken some of the front apart, the blend motor is under the drivers felt dash cover mounted on the drivers side of the air control box. but that is not what is causing the problem in my van. I am going to do some more diagnosing

motorhead57105

I'm just guessing, but i think the problem is a blocked orfice tube in the a/c system. my van is going in the shop thursday, after talking to the mechanic he thinks that is the problem too, i will post friday to let u know if thats it or not

motorhead57105

Got my van back today, all that was wrong was the refrigerant was low, apparently the system has a small leak somewhere. I would assume thats what is wrong with your van

bob550k

#1 setting on the blower quit working. It quit right after I took out the cabin air filters (this couldn't have anything to do with it, could it?), now we don't have the low setting on the front AC.

1999 Old Silo Premiere.

Any suggestions?

bob550k

Yeah, that's what they do when the freon gets low.

I haven't been here in a while or I would have steered you that way.

sifupk

do you know what the new torque specs are?

luisgarcia

I have a 1999 Silohuette GS with 94K miles on it, sometime ago it started to make a noise (high pitch sound) similar to the sound of the power steering running with no oil, I figured it was the P/S so i decided to live with the sound, now the sound is really annoying and is constant, since the noise seems to come from the P/S area and even though the P/S never leaked oil I replaced it hoping to get rid of the noise, SURPRISE!!, the noise is still there and I cant precise where is coming from, more noticeable on the passenger side. By the way the trans is taking changing a little rough, nothing major but you can feel it changing rough -Maybe cold, can't tell-
Anyone with ideas or similar problems, this van may be 9 yrs old but i still love it, I will appreciate any input on this matter.

CapeCod

After the last snow storm my wife's 98 Olds Silhoutte wipers will only work on high speed. Other online searches have told me to replace the wiper motor... which does not seem reasonable as the works are working on high speed. Other suggestions have had to do with a 'broken' solder under the wiper motor? Other suggestions have been to replace the 'intermitten wiper switch/ relay' which from what I can understand is a mini computer board and a common GM issue???
Some say the relay is buried in the dash behind radio and is labor extensive to replace??? Other speak of it being on or under the wiper motor??? Some even suggest the relay switch can be cleaned and dried and will work. Any suggestions here??? As of now I'm waiting until Jan 1 to get the bad news.

felcorr

2000 silhoutte same problem it is the motor had to replace column switch first to find that out bought used motor and took me (backyard mechanic) about 1.5 hrs to replace all functions work but when i shut them off they park vertical instead of horizontal ?

Raini

I have a 99 Silhouette that we bought 3 years ago. Over the past year we have had issues with it not starting. We have power to all the doors, windows, lights, and radio when I put the key in. The dang thing just won't turn over. It makes no noise at all. Just sits there. Sometimes you can wiggle the battery and it will start up, but not this time. I just don't know what the issue is. Our mechanic can't find anything wrong and of course it doesn't do it when we take it in. The battery has a full charge and my husband has checked all the connections and everything is fine. Sometimes the power door will not work and when it does sometimes the radio will blast when you shut the door. All I know is that it is making hubby mad and we can't afford to get another car or afford the constant trips to the mechanic. Please help if you can.

LAW0725

My 95 Silhouette van does the exact same thing. We have let it sit for a day sometimes two days and it starts back up. We have wondered if the weather has anything to do with it, but last night it was below freezing and it did this same thing to us, that it has done with a lot of moisture in the air, but cool. If anyone has any ideas about this I would greatly appreciate it as well. This is the 3rd time it has occurred and my mechanic is scratching his head. One thought it may be ignition switch, others have thought it may be the computer board, I just want to find out what it is and get it fixed. I never have any warning signs before it does this. It will run fine, I go to the store come out and it won't turn over. Lights and wipers work, but the radio is dead and the heater is not working. Please help...

CapeCod

I need some clarification. My wife's OLDS Silh wipers only work on high.
Mechanic said replacing wiper motor with a rebuilt would fix the problem. Then a did a search and saw something called a wiper motor pulse module. But I'm not sure if this handles the intermitten wiper control or not. The pulse module is about $20 bucks while the motor would be $75 or so. On the OLDS are they separate parts? Will I replace the motor then discover ...oops it was the pulse module.