Oldsmobile Intrigue

lmacmil

Haven't looked under the Intrigue but my Explorer has 3, 2 upstream (one on each exhaust bank) and 1 downstream of the converter. Bank 1, sensor 2 means it's the 2nd one on that bank. I had an O2 sensor socket and could not budge mine so I took it to a shop.

moonshadow

Sensor #1: In rear bank exhaust manifold, behind center of engine

Sensor #2:In exhaust system, behind catalytic converter

Some thoughts:
It will be easier and less damaging to the threads if the engine is hot. There is a special antisieze compound for the Sensor. New one should have it. Do not drop bang or touch/contaminate the working end of the sensor.

Since it is your post converter sensor, it "may" be that the catalytic is not working hence the PCM thinking the sensor is bad. Something to consider.

The sensor has a heater which allows the sensor to function sooner, if the heater is shot then too much time will pass and the ecm will think it is the sensor.

Check the wires for damage or chafing. Unplug the connector and look for corrosion or oxidation.

If it is the sensor, then the light should go out if the condition no longer exist after a specified time. i think after the third consecutive trip in which the diagnostic has been run and passed at startup.
However, the code will still be stored and you need a scanner to have it deleted.

BTW. What engine? 3.8?

moonshadow

there are 4 codes for sensor 2:

po137 low voltage
po138 high voltage
po140 insufficient activity
po141 heater performance

Pink to black wire (heater)should be 12 volts with ign ignition on. There is a fuse for this.

Same points at sensor pigtail should have 5 or so OHMs. Ignition off. be careful not to kink or damage the wires.

Good luck

vcjumper

thats the pin... As to how to tighten your shifter knob. Not sure. Maybe some duct tape around the inside of the plastic so it fits a bit snugger. Just be careful when you pull the pin out as it is plastic.

If you're under warranty, I would get it looked at when you get your next oil change if it is bothersome.

vcjumper

Info for Canadians looking for them, www.1010tires.com sells them. Is it the Falken Ziex ZE-512 that is highly rated? Only $106 H-Rated, $120 V-Rated CAD.

dekester

I've got to praise Crown Cadillac/Olds in Watchung, NJ....

Bought my '98 Trig new there in Jan '99 and currently have 32800 miles on it. Brought it in for the rear stabilizer "rattle" and ISS lube. Had them replace the original serpentine belt, too.

Got a call on Wednesday that the stabilizers are not the problem, an exhaust pipe clamp/hanger was broken and needed replacement. They were also going to warranty the ISS lube(!).

Surprise to beat all.... Car is 1 1/2+ years OUT of factory warranty, but they're going ahead and footing the bill for the lube. Maybe the ISS had a separate 3-year warranty?

Today, called to check on the status and was told they think a rear strut is making the noise, and they may warranty that, too.

Sure makes it worth the 40 mile drive for service like this! Maybe they're treating me nice because I bought the car there and had ALL warranty/maintenance done on it there until the warranty was up? Maybe they just want to come across as a decent place to go to?

So, if you're in New Jersey, pay them a visit. Almost forgot, they're also picking up the tab for the loaner I've had since Tuesday...

Deke

ian18

My Olds dealer in Chicago was also great in handling any service and warranty issues without hassles. In my case the dealer replaced a battery at 37K miles and all four rotors at 44K miles!

It is sad that GM decided to get rid of Olds. This decision had the direct result that my next car was a Passat (although the Intrigue is still in the family).

focus

recommended by Vcjumper is an excellent site to get price and rating, fast too..

dekester

Picked up the Trig this morning....Bill says they performed the ISS lube as a "good will" warranty since I had had the ISS replaced.

Also went on Mapquest.com and found a shorter route to the dealer - only 25 miles rather than the 40 I used to drive!

Right rear strut will need replacing, so I guess I'll be spending a day in the waiting room. Wish my friend still sold cars there as he would throw me the keys to a demo and tell me to take off, but be back before closing!

Deke

codog2

Thanks for the help in the P141 02 sensor code. I think I'm probably best just taking it somewhere for service.

td

redline65

I need to see if I can get a "good will" ISS lube for my Intrigue. I had my ISS replaced a long time ago, but now the front end is getting really noisy. It might help to call the GM customer service number and open a case file for this issue. I had some success doing this with an A/C problem in our Envoy XL. Opening a case file tends to get the right people involved in fixing the problem.

dindak

redline : Do you think it needs replacing or just a lube?

Waxed up the Intrigue yesterday for the winter. Car looked new, just had to take it for a late afternoon spin even though I had no where to go. It's been more than 3 1/2 years now and I still love the car as much as the first day.

dekester

Check with the service manager of the dealership where you had the ISS replaced; that's what happened with me.

They made enough off me as it was for the belt replacement and tailpipe hanger/isolater. Now I've got the rear strut replacement coming up.

All in all, even given the small problems I'd had with the car, I think it's a decent vehicle. Five and a half years, it's paid off and is barely broken in (32900 miles). I love the 3.8, but hate the hesitation in downshifting when I want to pass....revs get up to about 5000 before the downshift, but does it ever sound sweet!

Maybe a performance muffler is in order next? Suggestions?

Deke

focus

is the #1 rated tire by Consumer Report.

vcjumper

Well my boss let me take out his 03 BMW 745i for a spin today. Damn that thing has a lot of gizmos. Once I got it the seating and wheel adjusted and figured out the toggles for gears and such, was quite a nice ride. For its size, it handles quite amazingly. For having 19" rims and low profile tires, the ride is spectacular.

Its really nice but it costs almost as much as my mortgage :-).

lmacmil

It's easy to build an amazing $75,000 car. The challenge is building an amazing $30,000 car.

white6

For about 6 months now I've had a hot-start problem with my 99 3.5 GL (87,000 miles). After driving somewhere, if I have to re-start after sitting for 10-30 minutes, it will start and immediately stall. Then it will start fine on the second try. After doing some online research, I determined a good chance it was the fuel pressure regulator. Sure enough, when I pulled it's vacuum line, there was gasoline present; sure sign of a regulator diaphram leak. Replacement ($90 part from O'Reilly's Auto Parts) took about 20 minutes and no more hot-start problem!

white6

You should probably find a new GTO to test drive before resigning yourself to the Toyota/Honda crowd. 350 hp, 6-speed, independent rear suspension, true mid-sized two door, $33,000 sticker. Made in Australia by Holden... look pretty nice from what I've seen; major step up from typical GM/Pontiac quality of materials. I think we'll be looking for a used one in about 4 years to replace the Intrigue (when my 330Ci is paid for).

dindak

I read today that the 2 seat Solstice has been approved. Should see it in 2005. Another solid Pontiac on the way!

lmacmil

Ed Welburn designed the 1995 Antares show car which evolved into the Intrigue. Here's a link:

http://www.conceptcarz.com/folder/photo.asp?car_id=6823&picID- =34082&printAllPictures=&whichPage=&pagesize=&aut- oShowID=&vehicleTypeID=0

focus

i didn't know it can look so nice without the spoiler. Concept car always look nicer.

ab348

Thank the good lord that Wayne Cherry has finally been replaced as GM's chief designer. After the disasters he was responsible for maybe now we will see some good designs (like the Intrigue) coming out of GM again.

You're right, concept cars always look better than the production models. Aside from the Antares (which seems to me to have contributed its rear end to the 2nd-gen Aurora) the concept Alero, which I saw in Lansing in '97, was a far more striking design than what eventually went into production.

dindak

Tail end of the concept looks better than production. That said, the overall look is pretty close. I'm not sure I ever saw those pictures before, thanx!

perna

if they would have sold more copies of the car if they'd stuck with "Antares" over "Intrigue". Great car, but man, what a stupid name.

"Hey baby, wanna ride in my Intrigue?"

"My Intrigue is in the shop, someone stole my Bravada, but my Schwing is ALL RIGHT HERE, YEAH!"

The Oldsmobile Schwing: "Because 'Cutlass' is for wusses".

I know I'm not funny, but it's been a LONG day...

nickper

Personally, I think the name Intrigue is one of the best names out of GM/any car manufacturer in a while. In fact, I believe that the Olds names ('99 +) were some of the best non-alpha numeric:

Intrigue
Silhouette
Aurora
Bravada
Alero - this one's maybe sort of quirky

focus

Mine is coming up in november, my existing insurer - Motors Insurance (GM)wants $893 plus tax for 6 months. I am a driver with 6 stars rating, no ticket, no claim, no nothing with over 20 years of driving experience.
Ouch, I am intrigue to find out where Dindak and Vcjumper (GTA Toronto) get their insurance from; how much are you folks paying?
I agree that GM has some of the best and thoughtful names for their cars.

hammen2

Read this article on why the Buick LaCrosse (Regal replacement) won't be named the LaCrosse in Canada:

http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/WeirdNews/2003/10/16/227790.html

focus

Mine is coming up in november, my existing insurer - Motors Insurance (GM)wants $893 plus tax for 6 months. I am a driver with 6 stars rating, no ticket, no claim, no nothing with over 20 years of driving experience.
Ouch, I am intrigue to find out where Dindak and Vcjumper (GTA Toronto) get their insurance from; how much are you folks paying?
I agree that GM has some of the best and thoughtful names for their cars.

dindak

hammen2 : It's been a huge story up here and GM will rename the LaCrosse in Canada just because of that Quebec slang. Actually, I would not be surprised if they just keep the name Regal up here.

focus : We pay about C$1100 / yr for our 2000 GL for in Oakville which is GTA. Our Alero is about $900 for comparison. Try Direct Protect or on of the other "discount places", your quote sounds too high.

nickper : Love the name Intrigue. I would like to see the name come back some day. Also like Aurora and Alero though Bravada and Silhouette never did much for me. GM has some great names, I wish Cadillac didn't go with the letters.

akitadog

Now that I think about it, the names for Olds newest vehicles sound very ethereal, even formless. A little heady. They either attract or repulse you. I personally like the name Intrigue, but the name had nothing to do with why I got one. I wanted a powerful sedan that was not a MaxiCamCord. In fact, it was the most powerful V6 (affordable) sedan in '99 until the Maxima was redesigned in 2000.

As for Cadillac, and their 3-letter monikers, they did it solely to be considered part of the MB/BMW/Audi crowd, what with their CLK's and their 540i's, etc.

dindak

Cadillac probably had no choice if it wanted to play with the Euro boys.

sda

My 2000 GL was manufactured in 9/99, so it is actually 4 years old, but was put into service in 10/00, just three years ago. I am thinking about replacing the coolant, even though its claimed to last 5yrs/150,000mi. Car has 37600 mi. Has anyone had their cooling systems serviced? Does it require special tablets like some other GM cars? I know some years ago my 89 Seville with the 4.5 required tablets when the coolant was changed. I believe the Northstar V8 and Shortstar V6 trace their origins back to the 4.1,4.5,4.9 Cadillac V8. I didn't see anything in the Owners manual. Thanks!

taycron

I just got my 2000 Intrigue's ISS lubed and it works fine now. I also had to get a front tie rod and an alignment. It feels like the Intrigue's front end is a little skittish, it doesn't feel real solid. Is this a common problem with the Intrigue (I've only had it for 2 weeks)? I probably will have the alignment checked out again. Would a brake shim kit help this? My car has 4 mud and snow tires that may not be helping either.

also, the transmission seems to hunt for the right gear. Does anyone have a cure for this other than replacement?

Thanks

dindak

sda : I would not bother changing for a while. The coolant may be iffy for the full 150K, but for 100 is should be just fine IMO.

taycron : ISS lube usually does the trick with these cars. I suspect I will need to do another one in a few years, such is life. As for the alignment, I wasn't having any trouble but the dealer suggested getting one as the tires were wearing unevenly. I had it done for $50 (not at the dealer) but I notice nothing different.

b4z

Shortstar and Northstar origins do not include the 4.1,4.5,4.9.

v8lincolnguy

My problem with the Intrigue name was people always thought it was a Intrepid.

Dindak, I personally don't think that Cadillac needed to go to alpha-numerics to compete with the euro brands. Granted some of their long standing names have some baggage with them, but other than Cimmaron or Catera, I think they could continue using their names.

sda, the only thing the Northstar and Shortstar engines share with the old 4.1, 4.5, and 4.9 is they run on gasoline.

vcjumper

Try a company called "The Personal"

vcjumper

Was down in Pinehurst this weekend and had the chance to drive some used/older luxury cars. Drove a 1995 Lexus LS400 and 1995 Infiniti Q45. Both were still solid as tanks. The Q was much more to my liking as far as driving dynamics. Even though it was much older I would trade ny vehicle for it no problem. The LS400 was a vault but its steering was lighter than a Camry.

v8lincolnguy

The original(90-96) Q45 is(or was) one of the few Japanese cars I really like. It never caught on like the LS400 did, but it was the better performer by far. As for reliability, I think they are pretty good, but the LS does shine there. One thing I have noticed about older Q45s is they smoke upon hard acceleration. In 97, the Q became what I called a Japanese Lincoln(and we're not talking Lincoln LS type either). The 02 models are better, but the styling is a bit odd. And once again, the Q just hasn't caught on like the LS has. Local Infiniti dealer has an ad in the paper for closeouts on 03 Q45s and M45s. The of thr ad reads "45 special going on right now" or something like that.

sda

I thought the basic block of the Northstar came from the 4.1-4.9 aluminum V-8, thou heavily modified, with the top end of the engine being entirely new. Thanks for the correction.

Still, does anyone know if the 3.5 V6 takes special tablets when cooling service is done?

msw13

I just flushed the Dex-Cool this weekend in my '99 GL. It was coming up on the five years, but has only 75k miles on the 3.8. I also changed the t-stat to a 180. I saved the 195 degree orig though. Fairly quick process, about 1 hour total. Owners manual has a 14 step procedure to follow. Most important was the bleeder screw on the t-stat housing. Bought the Prestone at Kragen for 8.99/gal. The lower temp t-stat made a differnce in operating temp. Half way between mid point and first mark. I hope this helps. 3.5 is also in my owners manual, and does not say anything about tablets....

vcjumper

Did you re-fill with dexcool or regular coolant? A few mechanics I've talked to don't like dexcool, have removed them from their vehicles shortly after buying them. I don't remember what their reasoning was.

evandro

I don't take mechanics recommendations at face value. Remember that they used to remove fuel injection systems and catalytic converters when they had just become widely available?

sda

Thanks for the information. I am on the fence on whether to flush the system yet. But I will do it by spring. Yes, I remember when catalytic converters came out. My local mechanic convinced me to cut out the catalyst and remove the restrictor plate from my gas fill pipe so the car would run on leaded regular instead of unleaded. He also adjusted the carb and disconnected most of the smog gear. This was on my '76 Pontiac Sunbird with the 231 V-6/ 2bbl.(nee 3.8 V-6) that produced 105hp! It had the 5 speed transmission. I couldn't tell any difference in power and it got worse gas mileage. I ended up having most of the smog equip reconnected, but never did replace the catalyst. If I only knew what I know now... It was a great college car, thou.

evandro

Specifically about your question, flushing the system can only harm your wallet.

I bought an used Intrigue 6 months ago and, as I do with every used car I get, I flushed most liquids of the car, including the coolant.

It had then 36000 mls. and the coolant came out pink and clear, having cost me $100. I put Dexcool back in, otherwise it would have cost me $75 to put ordinary coolant.

Whichever way you decide to go, the better for the engine. And if you decide to not do anything, if you see that the coolant is clear, that's fine too.

msw13

I used the Prestone brand of Dex-Cool. $9 a gallon is about twice as much as Green ethylene glycol coolant. The original Dex-Cool looked ok, but it was 5 years old......

evandro

$100 for forced flush and replacement with Dexcool.

v8lincolnguy

I don't remember seeing anything about tablets in either the owners manual or the Intrigue service manual. Just use a Dex-cool type coolant and you should be fine.

moonshadow

Has anyone tried regatta 2 's on an intrigue? Or any car for that matter.

I went to the yoko dealer, or at least the guy who had a yoko sign below his company tire sign, but he has to order special any yoko tires. Of coarse , he says i will have to pay transit charges. Total, about 180 a tire. I suggested he take down the yoko sign, Too funny. He's more of an obtainer than a distributor. I guess.

Anyway, i checked out tireracks survey and the regatta 2 is 3rd after avid touring which is 2nd. Very close numbers but the avid scores slightly higher in the less noise category

Any input for these tires. Thanks

ab348

Anyone know if Olds ever offered an accessory trunk mat for the Intrigue? Online GM site is no help. They do offer one for the Alero but interestingly, nothing similar for other GM makes. If one could be had I might want to pick one up.