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Steering Shudder or Vibration at Low Speed (Replace Power Steering Cooler Line) #01-02-32-002
Steering Shudder or Vibration at Low Speed
1998-99 Oldsmobile Intrigue
with 3.8L V-6 Engine (VIN K -- RPO L36)
Condition
Some customers may comment on a shudder/vibration condition while steering under low speed or stationary conditions, such as parking lot maneuvers. A low frequency vibration may be felt in the steering wheel and body of the vehicle. In addition, this vibration may be audible in the passenger compartment. This vibration will only occur while the steering wheel is being rotated.
Cause
This shudder may be caused by a mechanical vibration of the steering rack, tie rods and tires which is reinforced by hydraulic pressure in the power steering system.
Correction
Replace the power steering cooler line with a shortened and relocated cooler line.
Part number 26068573 Line, Power Steering Hydraulic Cooler
Important
The power steering cooler line referenced in this bulletin should only be installed to correct vehicles which exhibit the above shudder/vibration condition. The original equipment power steering cooler line, as shown in the GM Parts Catalog, should be used as a replacement for any other concern.
The factory speakers are easy to remove and you can get harness adapters at most car stereo stores. ( got mine a Circuit City) Over all not a hard upgrade and it made a big difference. I am going to change the rear speakers next but I am having the store install them. You have to remove the rear seat and the rear deck and at the $30 cost they are willing to do it for it's not worth the work for me to do it. I will not be changing the head unit but I do think that more amp power would be a good thing but I don't think I'll do that.
My dealer has 5 '02's sitting on his lot.
I have a 2002 Intrigue GX Mist Bronze and currently have just over 7,000 miles on it. A problem that has been on going but I have only had it in once due to time restraints is the dimming light problem that has been an ongoing problem for many subscribers here. BTW, University Olds in Lansing Michigan couldn't find anything wrong and have heard of no known problems with the lights! LOL
My tilt steering wheel got locked down in the down position and wouldn't release. The dealer fixed that problem when I had it in and now the dash lights won't come on automatically when the lights turn on. I have to manually turn them on and off each time its dark. I took it to the same dealer this morning and was told they were too booked for the day and had to reschedule for this coming Friday. When its in I am going to have them check the dimming light problem again (LOL) and also see if they can adjust the top air vent at the top center of my dash. There is a gap there due to a poor quality fit. The SA didn't know if they could do anything about that so I will probably be calling GM on that.
Believe it or not, even after all my problems, I still love my Intrigue. A great handling car with great gas milage. What pushed me over the edge to buy the Intrigue was the 5 year 50,000 mile warranty being offered. I increased that to 100,000 miles. If not for the extended warranty being offered, I probably would have bought the Impala!
I am a new Intrigue owner, (99 GL) Forest/Tan, and just cleaned and reinstalled the cabin airfilter. I had only 1 screw that would just spin, so I pryed up on the edge with a small screwdriver and it popped out. Then I used a hack saw and made the head a 'slot' tip instead of philips and put it back in. The filter was only dusty, so
just used shop air of about 125psi and blew out all of the dust and reinstalled it. I have about 52K and am generally pleased with the car. My last car was a Taurus SHO ('91-5spd), so I am versed with a somewhat problematic fit and finish car. But, the Yamaha V-6 is a screamer, and 10 years old. My Intrigue is a 3.8, but I can relate with you 3.5 owners. I too have noticed the fit gap b/t the center dash register and the dash pad. Oh well, American cars are getting better. By the way I only paid 8k for a very clean 3 year old car. I hope it is as good as the FORD...and we all know about "Quality is Job 1" Thanks, Mark
My '99 was bronzemist also. Great color. Looks good after waxing too.
I didn't have any of the problems you are having.
But got the runaround on the noisy suspension.
I am loving my impala, but miss the shortstar.
Enjoy your car.
I just hope it does well in the market, though for me it's too small...
Oldsman why in the world would you buy anything other than the 2086? I posted the right part here long ago. I sure love my K&N. I think it makes enough difference to be worth it.
I am still amazed at the difference with the Potenza RE 950s. The ride is so smooth and crisp.
K&N - did you also modify your airbox in any way?
winter9, it is a 3.5. 2001 GLS with PCS package.
I also felt there was too much weight transfer.
Another sign of soft springs. The front end would rise up like a boat under acceleration.
Sorry, JMHO.
Yes. I was amazed at how easy it is to cure the ps whine/noise problem. It sounds great now and combined with the new tires, I feel like I'm driving a new machine. If only I could take care of all the rattles inside.
I think my next project will be to add fog lights.
On another note, I read KONI may be making struts specifically for W-bodies soon (the GP store sells custom made ones for big $). Finally something sportier riding than any GM part! Add stiffer springs (no point adding stiffer springs without firmer struts or you will pogo all over the place) and we can really run quick around the corners :-).
Oddly enough our springs are firmer than GP's. Some GP owners get Intrigue ones installed to cure rear sagging they get with rear passengers/cargo.
"In the sedan class, I couldn't believe how well the new Oldsmobile Intrigue performed with the new 3.5L DOHC V-6 ot 215 hp. It was so balanced and neutral in the twisties that I was constantly catching up to traffic. I could hit a 100 mph in the short straights and then cram on the binders to enter turn one's tight 90-degree left. Piece of cake. It maintained its composure at all times. It was much easier to drive and faster than many so called European road sedans. This was the bargain sleeper sedan of the day."
Makes me want to take my Intrigues out to the track!
http://www.tolan-hoechst.com/cars/partslist.htm
Also, a word of caution on STB for front. The power steering line was not the only issue for me. The STB also pressed down on top of my coolant tank, even with washers under brackets.
This concerned me since the brackets must be torqued down quite a bit. This didn't seem to be an issue for jg28, so maybe our tanks are slightly different. I don't recall him having to cut the trim on tank either but if you look at my photos, you can see that the bracket itself can only mount all the way down after some edge/trim of plastic tank is cut out.
jg28: any comments on this?
I had NO IDEA they softened the struts for 2001. No wonder my bro in law's 2001 rides so much nicer than mine. I do like the firm suspension for curves but would rather have my stbs and sways on a softer strutted car. I prefer a smoother ride.
Indeed, having had my 200 GL "typeR" up at RA (Elkhart Wis) this past summer (6 miles/12 turns/lap) and having done exactly as they stated in this article, I too can relate to its tremendous composure, esp. after being so hard on the brakes for an hour! Oh, and BTW, bimmer owners, I PASSED two, count them, two, 3 series. Also a s60 turbo could not get by me, but boy we diced it out.
original exerpt was:
"In the sedan class, I couldn't believe how well the new Oldsmobile Intrigue performed with the new 3.5L DOHC V-6 ot 215 hp. It was so balanced and neutral in the
twisties that I was constantly catching up to traffic. I could hit a 100 mph in the short straights and then cram on the binders to enter turn one's tight 90-degree left. Piece
of cake. It maintained its composure at all times. It was much easier to drive and faster than many so called European road sedans. This was the bargain sleeper sedan of
the day."
Getting their Intrigues fixed!!!
G'day.
Very encouraging news.
Can anyone explain to me the animosity between Impala owners and Intrigue owners? Um, of course I mean explain while keeping your post within the Membership Agreement's requirement for civil and respecful discourse and without protracting the animosity! :-)
I'm sorry if any of you think this is a dumb question, it's just that I have never understood this, yet it seems to exist here and in the Impala discussion. Is it just an Oldsmobile vs. Chevrolet thing, or is it deeper than that - I ask because "deeper than that" is how it seems to come across.
Pat
Host
Sedans Message Board
However, often read snob words about Malibu.
On the other hand, it is better not to mention here Fords and Toyota / Honda. Even while their owners, well, are not members of Taliban :-).
I think it has to do with the apparently unfixable suspension problems that the intrigue experiences. Also some people feel that because the intrigue is an orphan it is fair game.
You always want to feel like you made the right choice and since the intrigue has these problems it validates the impala owners' purchase.
An anology is when jgriff leaves the acura forum and comes over to the intrigue forum to tell the owner's what idiots they are for owning one.
Although most imapala owners are not as rude as he is when it comes to commenting about the car.
When the impala made its debut almost 3 years ago disparaging coments were made about its looks. Which for me, took some getting used too.
I have heard some impalans make disparagindg comments about the intrigue's looks, which I think are terrific.
I think that the animosity is a lot less now due to the fact that many impalas are having similiar suspension problems.