Oldsmobile Intrigue

rokosz

Hi folks,
rolled back against a rock and snapped the links on both sides.
Hey, looks simple enough to replace. So I got a replacement set.

Well, installation may be simple but the removal is driving me nuts.
:mad:
I got one upper off, the other upper won't budge except with a vise-grip and absolutely no luck loosening it with the allen wrench.

the lowers I can't brace (I presume) steadily enough to get the leverage needed to loosen them and they won't spin in place either.

I've wd40'd them, wire brushed the threads to clean them and tap, tap tap tapped them. All this for about 2 hours now.

Any suggestions on this extremely slow to start diy job?
thank you all.

moonshadow

hi rokosz
What does 626 in your title mean? Curious, in what way did they snap?
Do you mean the stablizer links that connect from the sway bar to the strut bracket?

If so, did you know that you can use a 14mm (i think its 14) open end wrench on the back side of the stud between the bracket and the ball and socket. This wrench can then be braced against something to keep the stud from spinning and give support. An 18 mm socket(i think) can then be used on the nut. No need for the allen key thingy.

Since its sounds like you have tried everything beating it silly. If they do not loosen on the getgo, I usually get these loose by heat.
Using the tip of the blue flame of a propane torch is sufficient. Try to heat a couple or three sides of the nut for a minute or so. Turn off the heat, put away the torch, and try a strong arm etc on the 18mm nut. If no go then try the heat for a couple more minutes.

Common sense warnings
Do not breath the fumes from WD40. uck nasty stuff.
Of coarse with flames, be careful and watch that the flame dosen't overshoot onto rubber or anything flameable like fuel.
Shut off the torch when you are not using it.
cheers

vanman1

Going from an Intrigue to an Accord V6, Grand Prix, LaCrosse CXS, Mazda 6 V6 or an Altima I see. Going to a Camry will be a step down in terms of driving dynamics for you. Great quality for the most part, but I think you will be bored with it. Perhaps it doesn't matter to you though, good luck.

pat9

Thanks for the advice! The headlights went totally out, but worked fine when I turned them on manually. We took the car into the dealer. When they tried to fix it, the wires in the car didn't match the schematics they had, so they called the help desk, and theirs didn't match either. They found the short by luck and were able to fix it.

dan165

Camry is a bore. I borrowed my buddy's one a few months ago. Had to be the most boring car I have ever driven. Fit and finish was nice but surprisingly I found some cheap bits and hard plastics. Good car over all, just couldn't ever buy one as my love for driving would die off.

vcjumper

The suspension on it is much better tuned than the regular Camry. I've driven one and it is decent.

vanman1

ZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

lmacmil

"Going to a Camry will be a step down in terms of driving dynamics for you."

Perhaps but for the vast majority of my driving, I won't notice the difference. I think the SE will be better than other Camrys. When it came right down to it, the availability of stability control was the deciding factor.

evandro

I guess that for $25000 it's hard to justify getting any domestic offering... :confuse:

Good luck on the new wheels.

lmacmil

"I guess that for $25000 it's hard to justify getting any domestic offering... "

Unfortunately, that's the way I see it, even though I've worked in the American auto industry for 30+ years. There just aren't any new domestic cars that appeal to me and there aren't any used models that appeal to me more than the Intrigue (except maybe the Aurora but I didn't want something that big.)

If you'd have told me 10 years ago that in 2005, my family would own 3 Toyotas and a Nissan, I'd have called you nuts.

I've enjoyed the Intrigue but I haven't driven a new car as my daily driver in 30 years (not counting my wife's cars) and this will be my last chance before retirement. I couldn't bring myself to spend the $30K+ for a G35 or a TL so I settled for long term reliability, decent performance, and acceptable (to me) appearance.

white6

When my wife and I were trying to decide whether to get the tranny rebuilt in our Intrigue or just trade it off, we looked at Camry, Accord and Mazda6; Camry got the wife's vote, but we just couldn't get excited enough about anything out there in the $20-$25,000 range to part with our money. So we bit the bullet and got the tranny rebuilt. Hopefully, when the Olds gets replaced in a couple of years, there will be something out there to get excited about. I am curious about the new 06 Sonata; looks intriguing .

vanman1

The only car I am remotely interested in replacing my Intrigue with is an Allure (LaCrosse) CXS with the 3.6L. That said, I would have to test it first, but I generally like the look and the head designer was on the Intrigue also from what I hear.

I also think the upcoming Saturn Aura has promise.

Toyota quality isn't that much better than anyone else to have me fall asleep in my car. The Mazda 6 is too small for me. The Accord is ok, but it's a dime a dozen around here like the Camry. 300 too trendy. Ford Fusion I have yet to see.

evandro

I was disappointed at the rear seat leg-room in the La Crosse. I can waive at the so-so styling, but I don't want to sacrifice the comfort of my kids, even with an engine as sweet as the 3.6. It seems that I'll have to wait for the Aura, but if costs the same $25000 or more as the G6, I'll pass. :P

The 6 is nice, has decent longitudinal room, but is a bit too narrow and noisy. I just can't stomach the Accord's and the 300's styling. The 500 was a $22000 car, its price, not too bad, not too good either. The Fusion is not yet. Therefore, I understand why Imacmil got a 225HP Camry for $25000.

ab348

No Olds owner should ever consider a Saturn. That is the division that should have been axed and Olds should have been the beneficiary of the billions GM poured into the Saturn sinkhole.

focus

The rear room on the allure/la crosse is terrible. The top of line here sells for $38k Cdn., but its rear is like a cavalier, how can they overlook something like that is beyond me, no wonder they keep losing market shares.
Another big joke is the ford 500, beautiful car and platform (volvo), but they put a mediocre transmission and an underpower engine in it. You can push it to the floor but it still won't go very fast, very noisy engine and highway ride.

vanman1

ab348 : In the end it's all GM, who cares. I don't hold grudges against anyone, it's no way to lead life.

evandro : For adults the LaCrosse rear seat is a little tight (Intrigue is definitely better) but for kids I see no issue unless they are actually teens.

focus : If I was buying, I'd get a base Allure CXS. It has all I need for MSRP C$33K and change. I'm sure it could be had for around $30K and add in the incentives and it would come in for less than my Intrigue did 5+ years ago.

evandro

IMO, no near $30000, 200" car should have room issues any where. And, yes, my son has already passed his mother in height and he's just got into his teens... I have to think 5 or 7 years ahead when the kids are growing up.

vanman1

With teens I understand. My daughter is only 4 and my son is 9 mo. Even in 10 years they will not be that big.

On the CXS I was talking C$30K (about $24K US).

evandro

But the base La Crosse has the 3.8, not as refined as the 3.6, IMO. I do have a Bonneville 3.8 and did test drive a La Crosse 3.6: a sweet engine.

focus

A 24K (30k Cdn.) car has room issue? Are those executives sleeping on the job? Where's their sense of responsibility to the shareholder and people? The "new" Allure suppose to be an improvement to recapture more market share, not the OPPOSITE! How many years have they been building cars? Even our 5+ years old Intrigue has lot more room. The 06 Sonata from their billion$ new plant looks very promising. Let's all buy import and ditch GM. Shame on you, GM.

lmacmil

"A 24K (30k Cdn.) car has room issue? Are those executives sleeping on the job?"

They just don't get it. There's no other explanation. I was in the Ford benchmark center recently. They had over 50 competitor vehicles stripped and cut away to reveal just about everything. They even had the latest Acura RL and Avalon.

They know what the competition is doing and what features make Camrys and Accords sell 300K+ vehicles annually and still they turn out a Ford 500 that has a lot going for it but is woefully underpowered compared to the competition. And GM continues to market OHV engines and 4 speed automatics. That's why I'm getting a Camry (Accord was my 2nd choice).

vanman1

evandro : The CXS has a 3.6L VVT DOHC V6. Only the base models have the 3.8. I am talking about only the CXS.

focus : Allure has room but not as much as the Intrigue. It's on the tight side but it's not as bad as some make it out to be. Not good and I hope it's addressed in the future but it would not sway me from buying.

vanman1

LaCrosse = 38 inches
Accord = 37
500 = 41

It's just not that bad folks!

badgerfan

Yes but Accord is about a foot shorter and 500 is maybe only an inch or two longer than LaCrosse. Lacrosse inherited the basic GM platform with a low roof line, forcing lower seats which means both head room and leg room become compromised. LaCrosse from both a price and external dimesion standpoint is pushing up against full size cars such as Avalon, Five Hundred and 300/300C, but from an internal room classification is closer to Camry, Accord, and Malibu.

Dimensionally and in many other respects, except perhaps in the quietness and a more luxurious interior, the Lacrosse has little over my 2000 Taurus SES-which by the way does have a DOHC Duratech engine and only cost me $18K five years ago, and inflation has not really hit the car market much at all in the last five years. This is why a base Lacrosse should MSRP at about $20K and sell for no more than $19K. Top of the line Lacrosse should hit no more than about $25K Msrp and then if you load it up with everything, maybe $28K. It is too close in size and performance to a V-6 Accord or Camry to be priced any higher.

evandro

It's more than numbers. My Bonneville has 38" too, yet I can sit in the rear seat after adjusting the front seat for me (6'6"). I couldn't do that in the La Crosse. The only way I could sit then was if I left the knees far apart.

Whether it was because the car is too low or the seat is too high, I don't care. A real shame that a supposedly upscale car has sub-par accommodations. In my book this is unacceptable.

I do try to give domestic models my patronage, but in the recent past I could waive at some peccadillos because they were a few grand cheaper. Nowadays, the out of the door price is the same as imports'. I just cannot justify spending the same on a car with more flaws than the competition while paying a huge depreciation.

My criteria are the same, it's GM which expects us to pay for its pensions debt. I'm still to see the day when UAW will scream at the golden egg laying chicken going under. :sick:

lmacmil

"...it's GM which expects us to pay for its pensions debt."

GM is at a $2-3000 cost disadvantage to Toyota, Honda, et al due to its current employee medical and retiree pension/medical costs. The UAW leadership has stuck their collective heads in the sand as they've watched their membership dwindle from 700,000 to 400,000 or so over the last 20 years.

I believe UAW workers at the so-called Big 3 pay $0 for their insurance and have $0 deductible and co-pays. There's no way that can continue in perpetuity and have GM & Ford survive. Unfortunately, I predict there will be substantially more job losses and plant closing before the union leadership finally wakes up. By the time that happens, Toyota will be #1 and Honda will be #3 and GM won't be able to give their cars away regardless of rebates. It's very sad.

vcjumper

Will be interesting to see how this does in the midsize market. A few grand less than a 300 with the same engine.

flickeredout

Good Luck,

After 3 alternators and 2 batteries my 2000 intrigue still has flickering headlights. General Motors know it is a problem and I understand they have had to take the cars back under lemon laws in several states. After the 3rd alternator, I was told that General Motors has decided that this is "Normal Operation". That is why I will have nothing to do with this company in the future. The fact is they just don't care about you or the quality of their products. They will always try to bribe you back with coupons though......

evandro

Only it's much uglier than the 300, as though the 300 wasn't ugly enough.

Read my lips: 2 years from now you're going to be reading in the same magazines which praised the 300 for its so-called "revolutionary" styling, will be pointing out the caricature that it is after DCX spins down its marketing budget.

But I digress...

focus

I was recommended to change my brake pads last year when i did my oil change. I got a 2nd written opinion that i have 9/32 left on my pads from Midas; so i purchased some pads and have them replaced today (01, 55km or 33k miles) while doing an oil change and brake fluid flush. After 4 hours it's done and i was just curious to find out how much tread was left, he dig it out from the garbage and i was shock to see that the rear pad actually was 85% intact, front about 50%. Even at test drive, the mechanic admitted he probably won't change them himself but many times were force to change anyway by the owner. How many of you ask to see the parts after it's was replaced? Are we all victims of scare tactics put up by repair shops? Am i missing something?

vcjumper

Sorry to hear that. I sold on going to smaller shops where I can see the pads before they try to sell me on replacing them.

vanman1

badgerfan : "Accord is about a foot shorter and 500 is maybe only an inch or two longer than LaCrosse". So? Point is, the leg room is not as bad as you make it out to be. It's a bit tighter than some other midsize cars but it's not like people can't sit in the back seat.

evandro : I don't see an inch one way or another in the back seat to be enough of a flaw to w/o the LaCrosse and I doubt it would be for most buyers.

focus : Ouch. I never asked to see mine but my brakes were doing the repeating squeak they do when they are worn so I know I needed new brakes. I think there are many dishonest shops out there. My dealer is actually quite honest and after a bad experience at Speedy (and attempted rip off), I am happy to pay a little more for less work.

evandro

One thing is the reported minimum leg room, which may be the same for different cars. Something else is the typical leg room because of maximum front seat leg room. What I mean is that the La Crosse has probably less front seat leg room than my Bonneville, which forced me to pull the seat all the way back, which I can say for sure doesn't happen with my Bonneville.

But I don't say this to predict La Crosse's sales figures, I couldn't care less. I've been saying this all along why I am not going to be buying one.

dtownfb

if after they told you that you had 9/32 left on the pads, why did you have them change them? In PA, you don't have to change until 2/32. I won't ask why you had the brake fluid flushed?

if it makes you feel better, why not write a letter to the district manager complaining about the less than honest approach by their service manager. If nothing else, you'll feel better.

dtownfb

I'm 6'4" tall and have sat in both the Accord and the laCrosse. The Lacrosse numbers are wrong. there is more leg room in the Accord than the Lacrosse. I'm not sure how they measure those numbers.

lmacmil

"I won't ask why you had the brake fluid flushed."

Even though it's not in your owner's manual, flushing the brake system after a few years is a really good idea. Brake fluid absorbs moisture which corrodes the ferrous components and lowers the boiling point of the brake fluid.

focus

Yes, in fact, the dealer sent a service reminder that a brake fluid flush should be done at about my mileage. The inspection was done last november and were told it would last 6 months before damaging rotor. The service was finally done at a Goodyear store, they throw away the rear but kept the front on the table; i know at place like speedy they have people pick up the old rotors and brakes for recycle. I should of known when the owner start talking to the mechanic in their hometown language. At the least the mechanic did lubricate my caliper as i asked for (thanks to another poster here who pointed this out). The mechanic also did a very thorough job with the brake fluid flush ($60 cdn. vs. $140 by the dealer for this service). It just pissed me off when all three different mechanics wants to replace my pads when in fact it was not needed. I did have a brake failure last year when the car still surge forward at a 4 ways stop, that's why i was already pre-conditioned to do something about it.
i also sat in the rear of a honda and it felt lot more comfortable than the allure, the allure has no thigh support.

vanman1

I have no idea how they measure and to be honest, I do think the LaCrosse does have a tighter back seat than some of the main competitors but I didn't think it was that bad. If back seat room is a big concern for some, the Malibu Maxx rear seat can be shifted back and has bay far the biggest back seat of any car I know of.

Personally I like the LaCrosse a lot and since our back seat carries 2 car seats, rear seat is not that big a concern for me. If the Aura comes and it has the 3.6L as promised, my preference could change for my Intrigue replacement.

focus

is the title of an article posted by Canada's national newspaper, the Globe and Mail - http://www.globeinvestor.com/news/rtgamsearch.html
They changed the title on the newspaper version to "Are GM, Ford skidding out of control" - http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/20050412/IBFORD12/TPBusines- - - - - - s/?query=gm
"They are paying their workers and executives more value than they are creating," as quoted in the article is exactly my sentiment.
On a related article, Toyota with their Global 15 strategy has a goal of 15% of the market and will become the #1 car maker in the world -
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20050407.wxwhvaughan07/BNStory/specialM- - egawheels/
The only logical explantion they have those tight rear seat or an underpower engine in Ford is the result of their focus research group which indicated the people who are buying these cars are older people and empty nesters, thus not needing the power or the rear seat space.
If they could only get the Allure/Lacrosse 3.6 engine into the spacious Ford 500, or vice versa; that would be a perfect match made in heaven

pat

We're getting pretty far afield of our subject here, which is the Intrigue. Some of you would probably enjoy getting involved in some of the discussions on our News & Views board where a lot of this recent discussion is more appropriate.

dtownfb

If it is not inthe owner's manual does it need to be changed???? It's the old debate of do I follow my dealership or what is in the manual? Everything i have seen and read tells me to follow the owner's manual since much of what the dealer states is their own recommendation and to line their pockets.

I understand the benefits of changing the brake fluid but not at 30k miles, that's all. It's easy to check yourself. My Old intirgue has 85k on it with the original brake fluid. It was checked at my inspection just over a month ago and all was fine. This could be rare.

lmacmil

"...85k on it with the original brake fluid. It was checked at my inspection just over a month ago and all was fine."

Checked how? Did someone analyze it for moisture content? You can't really tell what kind of condition it's in by looking at it (although I'll bet it's pretty dark and not the light yellow color it was new.)

I suspect the reason the manual doesn't recommend to change it is because many shops will do that as part of a "brake job." It may not be necessary but it can't hurt and provides a safety factor for those that keep their cars forever.

dtownfb

I've never heard of a shop doing it as part of a brake job. yes the shop checked the color of the fluid. As they did with all the fluids int he vehicle. While not bright yellow, they did not seem concerned about it nor did i. I'll get mine changed when I get the sparks plugs replaced. That should be some time this summer.

My point was that it appears the repair shop was trying to get as much money as possible from focus. Saying that focus needed new pads when they are only half worn is almost criminal and definitely unethical. I would not trust anythign this shop recommended.

vanman1

When have people here generally changed their transmission fluid? I have 85K kms on the Intrigue and last time I had it in the guy said my fluid looked fine and was still clear. Some people I have talked to say I should have changed around 50-60K kms, but my last car had 150K kms and I had never changed it.

jpnmass

I have 91K miles and have never changed mine...a 1998. Also had a 1995 Grand Am for 7+ years with 125K miles and never changed that transmission fluid either. Maybe I've been lucky, but I think some of the preventative maintenance is overrated.

akitadog

I had my trans fluid changed at 55K miles. I know it really didn't need it, but I've heard that GM auto trannies can give you problems if you wait too long to change it. If you didn't have problems before the change, you could have a problem tranny afterwards. I now have almost 90K on my 99 GL and it will very soon become a second car (I have a MINI Cooper S on order!), so it will be driven much less from now on and I'm not going to worry about changing these fluids so much. I do need new brake fluid, however. It's getting a little dark.

vanman1

Given that it's pretty clear in my car and it's running smooth, I think I may wait. I plan to keep the car another 2-3 years which is the only reason I am even considering changing the fluid. Hard to know what to do, I tend to agree that some of the preventative maintenance is overrated

dekester

Getting mine changes as we speak. Just turned 44000 miles, but I've had the car since January 1999 (98 GX - base model). Last oil change they showed me the fluid was a little dark, so I figured I might as well take care of it. Also having the original radiator hoses checked. Don't know how long they last these days, but I don't need to find out there was a soft spot when it bursts on a long trip. If they change them, I'll have a new thermostat installed - they type that fails open rather than closed, so there will be no overheating if it goes.

So far, the Yokohama Avid Tourings still look new even after 13000 miles and 1 1/2 years. Still quiet, traction better than the Eagle LS's from the factory, and they look great when treated with my rubber dressing - no ArmorAll or Tire Shine aerosol foam for me any more.

Found a new Buick Lacrosse CX with trac, ABS and the Instrumentation package (driver message center, etc) at the local dealer marked down to $20450. Silver with grey cloth like my Olds. Looks interesting, and since they want to get their hands on my Trig because of the low miles and good condition, I'm tempted to see what the numbers work out to.

Deke

petergoergen

The blower on my 99 Intrigue with the automatic dual controls isn't working when heat is on. It works when A/C is on. Any ideas?

Thanks,
Pete

dekester

Success! Trans shifts almost imperceptively like it did when new. Mechanic says the old fluid was dirty, not burnt, but I would have been due within six months for a change.

Radiator hoses are still holding up, so they didn't need to get changed.

Told me that I have a bent rim on the left rear thanks to New York City potholes and decking plates, so they didn't do a rotation, but did balance all four. Now I need to track down a straight, painted wheel. Saw a set of show chromed ones on eBay in GA, but with an opening bid of $299, I passed.

All in all, I guess I have to say that I'm still happy with the Trig, though the itch for something new keep cropping up and I succumb just enough to go shopping, but never put anything on paper.

Deke