Oldsmobile Intrigue

ab348

I had heard all sorts of horror stories about R134 too, to the point where I was about ready to get one of those alternate refrigerants put in to replace the unobtainable (in Canada) R12. (Actually I found out later it can be obtained here but you have to get someone who services commercial refrigeration units to do it on the sly for you; auto A/C places claim its against the law to refill with R12 up here now).

But I got stuck in my Buick Park Avenue on a hot day in June and decided to get it converted to 134. And I was amazed, the thing blows nicely cold. Perhaps not quite as teeth-achingly cold as a perfectly functioning R12 system, but close. Vent temps were about 42 degrees on a 90 degree day. No complaints so far (and there won't be for another few months now!)

A friend has a restored '71 Cutlass and the freon A/C in that thing is just amazing. It will put icicles on your chin, I swear.

redline65

mirth - The 5/60 warranty is good on all Oldsmobiles purchased through 10/01/02.

wbhall - Not a chance in hell the Intrigue will be rebranded. I'd be willing to bet my 401(k) on it.

vcjumper

It has been around in its current form for long enough, 2002 should be it.

tmark58

axr6,

I have the same problem exactly. Startin is hard, then it stalls 2 minutes after I start moving. 99 GL. I had a starter problem around 35K problems. Wouldn't even crank on occasions.

Question for board. What does the carank sensor do? How easy/difficult is it to replace?

tmark58

The warranty on the Crankshaft Position sensor is covered under the Standard Warranty which is 3/36000.

Here is something I learned reading the warranty. The emissions warranty is greater for the California Emission regulation and is 3/50,000. The California regulation covers other states in addition to California, like NJ and NY. Never knew that.

My mileage is 41K, so I will press this as a warranty claim.

oldsman01

That salesman that told you the Intrigue would go to another division is dreaming. More than likely the only current Olds that has a chance at going to another division is the Bravada. The Intrigue would have been up for a redesign in 2003 or 2004 so they will simply drop the car and not have a replacement. This is pretty much the way Olds will go out. Hopefully, some of the Intrigue will rub off on the next generation Buick Regal and Pontiac Grand Prix.

ab348, what year is that Park Avenue that you converted to R-134a? Dumb question anway, if it was old enough to have originally had R-12 then it must be an older model. Which goes back to my point that part of the cooling problem newer cars have is they use smaller components like the compressor. I can tell you for a fact that the compressor on my 89 Olds T-sedan was larger than the one on the Intrigue, ditto on the alternator. That car went over 100K before it ever needed an alternator replaced. A/C was still blowing cold when I sold the car. I'm all for space saving and efficiency, but sometimes I feel there are compromises made for these. Take trucks and SUVs, most still have very cold A/C. With larger space to work with, manufacturers are able to use larger condensors, compressors, and other components. Anyway, all this talk about cold A/C is making me wish for warm weather again.

oldsman01

Just curious, who in here has the oldest and/or highest mileage Intrigue?

dindak

swagled : Don't like the current 626 at all. What a dud car that is. The new design looks very sleek and from what I have read, will have some decent performance numbers also.

wbhall : The dealer I bought my car from is very good for oil changes, Unfortunately it's 300K kms from here so I can only go if I'm visiting my parents which I'm not doing until Christmas. Local dealer had the nerve to charge me extra for the 3.5L oil filter last time.

isseyvoo : We are considering an 02 Alero for next spring if we decide against a van or SUV. I love the car and with my C$2000 Olds credit and incentives it will be a steal. Current Olds lineup is the best division GM has IMO.

b4z

I think one2one had the highest mileage until his accident.

one2one

Yep, had a '98 with 80,000 miles (as of July 2001) before some punk graciously made a way out of my payments and being lopsided so I could get a 2001 ;-)

one2one

Since the Intrigue/Regal/Grand Prix are on the same platform and since aftermarket places sell one strut tower brace for all three, is it safe to assume that I could get an stb from a Pontiac or Buick dealer? The closest Olds dealer from work is too far to get to during lunch and my local dealer's parts dept is closed on Saturdays.

I actually answered my own question as I typed but since others might ask I figured I post it anyway :-)

one2one

http://www.autonews.com/article.cms?articleId=37029

ab348

So we have money being spent on a hatchback version of a competent but hardly top-class midsize car, instead of being used to make it world-class...

We have another junk Suzuki product masquerading as a Chevy...

We have a new Caddy being introduced with an engine that has already been declared obsolete...

We have a new engine that sounds suspiciously like the one being discontinued in the Intrigue, and another with a pushrod design (when was the last time someone designed a new pushrod engine?)...

And we have what sounds like a midsize version of the atrociously ugly cladding-ridden Avalanche, which will probably be an equally ugly vehicle.

And people say that vaudeville is dead... obviously not, as long as Zarella is around.

vcjumper

Yes the part will be orderable from any GM dealer.. My dealer gets mine the next day. F Bar kit part number 12456148.

tomcat630

"So we have money being spent on a hatchback version of a competent but hardly top-class midsize (Malibu) car, instead of being used to make it world-class..."

This is in regards to the NEXT generation Malibu, NOT the current one!

redline65

1way - Welcome to the board. Please tell us more about your first experience with your Intrigue and why you chose to purchase another.

teo

Everybody knows Mr. "1way" story...

racer_x_9

Used gmpartsdirect.com to get some stuff for my Intrigue. It's a good alternative to the dealer if you are buying something expensive or several small items. I stocked up on cabin air filters, air filters, wiper inserts etc. Cost is about half of what dealer would charge.

The catch?

Shipping is $10 on the first item and 18% on the rest of the order. So if you order a 25 cent screw, you will pay $10.25. You have to order a bunch of stuff to make it worth while. No tax unless you live in NC.

A few examples:

Cabin air filter:
Dealer: $25+tax Gmpartsdirect $12.52 + 18%

Plastic Lug Nut Cover for wheel:
Dealer $6 +tax Gmpartsdirect $2.07 + 18%

Wiper inserts
Dealer: $12.15 + tax Gmpartsdirect $6.26 + 18%

You need to know your part number to order. They will look it up for you if you email them,
No phone support but you can email them. Just another option for people who feel their dealers charge too much for parts.

swagled

ab348:
when was the last time someone designed a new pushrod engine?...

--
Chysler introduced a new pushrod 3.3L V6 to use in their resigned minivans, I think in 1993. I read somewhere this engine has been punched out to 3.8 now. Not sure if it's still using rods, though.

evandro

Chrysler's 3.8 is still an OHV in its minivans last time I rented one.

teo

I think it is a wise approach. Develop a high tech DOHC engine with all the gadgets that appeal to consumers of these engines and develop a newer "Pushrod" for those of us who prefer strong low end torque, neck snapping acceleration and overall engine simplicity over the "Rocket Thrust" acceleration and high revving nature of cammed engines.

Good move. Keep both groups of engine consumers happy and with up-to-date offerings.

fjk57702

With variable valve timing, the DOHC V6's should do both. The turbo 3.2 is said to have 250 HP@5500 and 260 ft-lbs @1750 (motor trend-september 2001). The pushrod is supposed to have the variable displacement option (run on 3 cylinders).

evandro

More than that, it's a matter of cost. Higher priced vehicles will get a variable-timing DOHC while lower priced ones will get the on-demand OHV. I think that mini-vans and compact trucks will get mostly the OHV.

fjk57702

repair costs are much lower for OHV too. The northstars cost near $10000 to replace. That may come down in time.

ketch

perhaps could have been?...
as it turns out Dodge is taking a RT version of the Intrepid and making a cop car avail.

...imagine me getting pulled over in my Intrigue by an Intrigue! perhpas Olds missed another market oppportuinity?

swagled

Police departments are some of the most conservative buyers imaginable when it comes to change, and they won't use FWD cars. Ford couldn't get them to convert to the Taurus, Chevy failed 3 times to convert them to the Lumina, Tahoe (OK-- RWD, but too clumsy and costly to be a pursuit vehicle), and the Malibu.

The "rep" is that FWD just can't take the curb-hopping abuse that RWD does.

oldsman01

The Chrysler OHV 3.3 liter V6 was introduced in 1990 and was FAR SUPERIOR to the 3.0 liter SOHC Mitsubishi V6 engine they had been using. Ever been behind a Chrysler minivan that smokes? Thats because it has the good old Mitsu V6 engine. They bumped displacement to 3.8 liters in 92 or so and I think both the 3.3 and 3.8 are still available in their minivans. Chrysler's newer engines have been OHC(2.7, 3.2, and 3.5) but they are nothing to write home about. GM's low tech 200hp 3800 V6 will outperform the 225 hp 3.2 liter V6 in the Intrepid and the supercharged 3800 will smoke the so called high performance 253 hp 3.5 liter V6 in the 300M and Intrepid R/T. Heck, the Intrigue's 215 hp engine can hang with that one.

oscarz2

Was in McDonalds drive-thru this morning and motor died. Cranked it up and 10 secs later died again. Cranked it a 3rd time and it started after about 5 secs of cranking. I was panicking at this point, cars in front and back of me.

I revved it a little every couple of secs for fear it would die again but it didn't. So, I dropped it off at the dealer.

I have a 99/3.5 with 17K miles and this has never happened before but I do have the occasional rough start and thought maybe this was another symptom of a worsening problem.

After testing, they said crankshaft sensor was faulty and replaced it. Only time will tell if this cured the problem, not to mention the occasional rough start but I'm hopeful.

redline65

oscarz2 - I had the crankshaft sensor replaced on my '99/3.5 about 10K miles ago. Luckily my car never died, I took it in after it was hesitating and the SES light came on. No hesitating since but I still get the rough start on occasion.

dindak

Popped into a local oil change spot and gave my Intrigue a full oil lube and filter and had a new air filter thrown in for good measure. Good deal at C$47 for everything with no coupons. Car was smooth as silk on the highway home! I guess I could have saved $5 and bought an air filter at Canadian Tire, but I always forget about it as I get distracted in the hardware section.

;-)

one2one : Good article! Nice to see GM focusing on cars now. They have the best truck line up in the business, no reason they can do the same with the sedans and coupes!

ketch : I'm glad there aren't any Intrigue cop cars. I don't think it would have sold anyway. Police need more space. Impala seems to be about as small as they will go. The Crown Vics still seem to be the #1 choice though.