Oldsmobile Intrigue

1415

one2one:::::::I think every belt on cars after a few miles is cracked. The new belts last forever even with cracks on the edges. The serpentine belt has been a real dollar deal and normally the service departments start around 40k miles with their sales pitch. The worst bunch are the Cadillac service guys and the Northstar has a very small water pump belt which they pick on all the time.

What I need is a TSB on struts--to authorize replacement at no charge to eliminate the "jounce bump". Any one had such a deal!!!!

b4z

Lets hope not. That storm took half our roof off on our beachhouse, pulled the awnings off, the insulation under the house disappeared. About 10 grand altogether. Our insurance company will cancel us if it happens again.

Any modifications to the exhaust system, or did it fit right in? Any increase in top end power?

1415

b4z::::::::The system fit fairly well; no mods.; however the rear muffler is somewhat more visible than before, so its a good fit but needs some tuning. The Olds dealer installed it and I think I could have done it better if it was 20 yrs ago. Will get it tweeked. The power at the upper end is probably better, and back pressure is gone. I averaged 29.22 mpg over 198 miles of interstate driving with speeds at 80+ to triple digits for 95% of the distance. It was not abused or over-revd; just pushed and at high speeds you do hear some exhaust noise over the Intrigue rumble. The gas mileage tells us something!!!! Temp was around 25F and no wind, also I do not the climate control on auto mode for who needs a little V-6 running a compressor to blend air..Will tell about my encounter with Olds central today over struts!!!!Dinner time!!

1415

The front end noise is bugging me and I decided to attack Olds late this afternoon about replacing the struts. One of the problems is if the dealer replaces the struts and the factory sees no failure or leakage the dealer is charged back for the repair. Believe me that stops dealers from doing anything except telling us folks; that "it's common on all Intrigues". This covers their backside and gets them off the hook..Maybe-maybe not???

Called Olds Central, they called the Service Mgr. and he told them that all Intrigues have noisy front ends and that ones off the showroom floor are the same. This dealer buys service loaners at the auction; 98s which are noisy but not like mine; besides who cares for it is an Olds problem.

The Olds people called me back and relayed the story which I already knew; I told them to check with their Engineering experts and call me Friday morning.

If Olds refuses to address this problem then I cancel the extended warranty w/o charge and get performance struts installed or sell the car in the present condition..

I told the Olds people this is not a new problem and it has been fixed by engr. revisions; what a crock???? Just install the 01 struts on my 99 and we will live happy forever!!!! I understand why Olds keeps their head buried in the sand for the liability to replace 200,000 front struts is awesome.. This is not a safety item and Olds will fade in 24 months so their attitude is; screw the customer?????

dindak

1415 : No noises on the front end of my 2000 Intrigue. Just a wacked temp gauge!

Funny story. I was driving with a buddy from work today going to lunch and we were driving behind an Acura 3.2TL. The Acura shifted over to the next lane cutting off another driver (who had to slam on brakes to not hit the Acura). My buddy says to me.. "see what that guy in the Accord just did"?? Too funny!!

b4z

I am willing to bet that if you slow down using your brakes, then make a right turn that there will be a popping sound. I have never been in an intrigue that didn't have it.

b4z

Was on the impala board for the first time in about 20 days and i feel like i am having deja' vu. You would think a corporation with the resources that GM has would be all over this problem like fleas on a hound dog. But, nooooooo they are probably having meetings about how this is not a problem and that everything is okay. I guess it is part of our culture. The germans and japanese would have had a fix for these suspension noises 3 months after it first happened.
I feel for those impala guys.

ghostz

Wondering if the temp gauge on my '01 functions like a gauge or an idiot light. It seems to stick at just under halfway and not move at all after warm-up. Can't believe temp stays that constant and doesn't rise some when your're stopped. Reminds me of my Camaro, which always read 208 deg., when engine actual temps were probably hitting 225 in the summer.

JR

lindsey

1415: Thanks for pulling your paperwork. I suppose $130 isn't terrible, but I am fairly easy on my brakes and am not used to having to replace pads and turn rotors at 25K. Plus, if it is happening with the front, can the rear brakes be far behind?

white6: Other than a couple of oil/filter/lube jobs, I have had all scheduled service, including tire rotation, done by local Olds dealer. You would *think* their mechanics would know to use torque wrench to tighten lugnuts.

etharmon

1993, I remember the storm in March all too well. I was a senior in high school and spring break was the very next week. It was kind of a change, one week we were burried under snow and the next, I was enjoying the 80 degree temps in Panama City Beach FL. I think we had at least 12 inches or more of snow here in East TN. And the utility companies were busy for nearly a month putting up new power lines because so many had come down in the snow.

temp gauge, mine typically stays right below the 1/2 mark. Even in city traffic on 95 degree days, it seldomly gets above the 1/2 mark. I've actually noticed that when the A/C is off and I've been in traffic and then park and sit with the engine idling for a few minutes that it creeps slightly above the 1/2 mark then the fans must kick on as it will drop. With the A/C on the fans stay on and it never does go above the 1/2 mark. My father's 95 Aurora will climb almost to the 3/4 mark when idling in traffic in hot weather.

didndak, funny thing I too was behind a TL 3.2 today. I was stuck in traffic so I got to examine it's rear end very well. Certainly not as attractive as the woman driving it, but as for the car I see alot of the last generation Legend in it from the rear. Side views look alot like an Accord, but the rear looks like the last Legend. And it suffers the Japanese billboard syndrome with "A-C-U-R-A" in large letters on the rear of the car. The tailpipes were the same thing you see on a V6 Accord.

1415, how mush does Cadillac charge to do a serpantine belt on a Northstar? My father's 95 Aurora still has the orginal belt and it has alot of cracks. He is a "do it yourselfer" whenever possible, but has determined that he cannot do that as it packed so tightly in the car. I did help him replace the water pump belt last summer as it was literally coming apart. I had the engine running one day and kept hearing a "ting ting" noise under the hood so I popped the hood and stuck my ear down closer to the engine and determined where it was coming from. The belt was like $9 and it took an hour or less to replace. It was not hard at all. To bad the 3.5 doesn't have it's water pump mounted where it is on the V8. I think that is a very good design and the water pump itself should be a fairly easy job should it need replacing some day.

etharmon

Well, with all this talk of flickering lights, I've been watching mine closely lately. I did notice that tonight when starting the car up and putting it in reverse, the headlights dimmed ever so slightly for just a second. I assume this is from the drop in engine speed as the load is put on it. It didn't alarm me and the only other time I've seen them dim is when the ABS or traction control kicks in and it is more noticeable then. For the record, mine is a 98 with the 3800 V6. Co-worker said he hasn't noticed any flickering with his 2000 GLS, but also said he will now watch for it closely.

lee18

"The germans and japanese would have had a fix for these suspension noises 3 months after it first happened." ... I don't know about the Germans, but the Japanese are pretty masterful at ignoring problems.

The Toyota Sienna had several chronic problems that carried over several years after introduction (and may still not be dealt with) such as steering 'pulling', malfunctioning sliding doors, interior rattling, washer fluid leaking, and others. Check the Sienna problems topic to see the frustration owners have had getting Totota to come up with a fix for these problems, or even to acknowledge they exist.

My local newspaper's ombudsman went to bat against Toyota for one owner with the Sienna steering-pulling problem, and many readers wrote in about having the same problem, spread over several model years, and not getting anywhere with the manufacturer.

There is a similar story with chronic problems in the Honda Odyssey. That model has 30 sections in the main Edmunds Odyssey topic and 7 problem sections. A lot of owners found the same problems year after year not being fixed.

The examples of Toyota/Honda/Nissan igonoring problems goes way back. The only reason cars like Camry and Accord are as reliable as they are now is because they eventually ironed out problems over a decade or more.

1415

lindsey:::::::My Olds dealer does not torque wheel lugs so they are creating a great service business of rotor turning/replacement. With past cars the rear rotors were never touched for 90k miles, and fronts were turned twice in that mileage cycle. The Intrigue is weird??

etharmon::::::Never had a Cadillac belt changed; the Northstar water pump belt is not part of the serpentine setup. It is off the opposite end of the motor--backside.. At 39k miles or so they wanted to replace the water pump belt for $65, why?? Its the same game of scaring us old folks--so you know what I said; if its covered under the warranty; do it!!!! The other service hype of Cadillac is when they are changing the engine oil; the oil jockey relays to the service writer that the transmission fluid appears to be burnt, must be changed; $175.00. Rough idle--injectors need to cleaned $150.00.. This starts around 25k miles.

The 3.5 temp gauge stays below 1/2 way..The Caddy gives a digital readout on temp as well as rpms.. Going through Tenn the temp in mountains ranged from 197 downhill to 205 uphill.

Speaking of 1993 we left Delray Fla that Saturday morning and finally reached Detroit the following Wed. I-75 through Georgia was a parking lot of cars and Tenn was a total log-jam.. So we checked into a Altanta Ga downtown hotel and saw the city for Sunday, Monday and Tuesday..

February auto sales at Olds showed just a 5% drop from a year ago; while Buick was off 25% and Cadillac dropped 22%.. Toyota +1%, Honda +9%, and Nissan -6%..

America is becoming to look less like America!!!!

Fixing problems---not holding my breath!!!!

Need the name of a great aftermarket strut!!!!

dindak

bz4 : I have listened for these noises you speak of (yes I turned the stereo off), and nothing. I'm not saying the problem could surface.. I'm just saying my Intrigue doesn't do it now.

Dropped off my car this morning. I hope they can fix this temperature gauge problem. Hopefully they will just replace the thermostat.

etharmon : I noticed the flicker once on a VERY cold night when the car sat outside. Never done it since. The car is always garaged and from what I hear.. the cold is what causes the flickers.

dindak

As a whole Toyota was off 3%, VW down 8.1%, Nissan down 10%, Ford down 15% and GM down 13%.

Honda was up 5%, probably stealing Toyota sales more than anything. A lot of that was MDX sales which are hot.

source : www.autonews.com.

1415

dindak:::::::Checked your source--looks good to me.

My source was the "Detroit Free Press"; business section. Just can't trust a liberal newspaper to print the truth..

racer_x_9

Changing it on the 3.8 is very easy. Just take a 15mm box wrench and put it on the nut on the outside of the spring loaded tensioner. Then you just pull it forward and you can easily take off the belt (helps if you have one person hold the wrench while you take off the belt). There is a map of how the belt is routed under the hood.

On my 3.1 in a 90 cutlass, it was the same type of deal as the 3.8, you would just put a 1/2 inch ratchet in the tensioner.

I don't know about the 3.5.

dindak

Picked up the Intrigue this afternoon. Apparently there was air in the cooling system which was causing the temperature gauge to be erratic. I've never heard of this before, but the thing seems to be ok now so hopefully that's the end of the problem. As an aside, local dealer was very friendly. Recommend Towne Chev/Olds in Oakville ON if you live in the area.

ghostz

I am sure the automakers do a cost analysis when they become aware of a problem. Addressing individual problems with a model when customers complain or bring them in for warranty repair may be far cheaper than redesigning/retooling. This may explain why some known problems continue from year to year. Also, "admitting" that any problem exists with a product has deep legal consequences.
Might explain the blank face you encounter at the service dept. when you complain about your warped rotors, etc.

1415

ghostz::::::You are the right side especially if is not a safety related item; it is not fixed!!!I suspect that the strut problem has been addressed and fixed; but remains something that dealers will not touch due to charge-backs..The factory will not offer any help.. I will know Monday and then; I will invite them to our forum.

b4z

Anybody out there? Anyone.....Anyone?

pat

I'm here.

Are you? :-)

Pat
Host
Sedans and Women's Auto Center Message Boards

one2one

Looks like we're gonna get hit hard tomorrow! The good thing is it'll be nice to have a day off from work. The bad thing (for me at least) is I won't get paid since consultants don't get paid for when they don't work

At least I'll get the chance to play in the snow if I can get out the house.

vcjumper

Check out the link..

Wards Auto Article

I guess my next car purchase is even less likely to be a GM now.

dindak

Not a big surprise about the engine, but I skeptical of the article as Aurora also uses the 3.5L. I would guess production of the 3.5L will continue until the Aurora also dies.

etharmon

I just wonder how "official" the sources are that the 3.5 is going to be out of production. I would agree that 2002 may be the last year for the Intrigue(as it will be for the current Pontiac Grand Prix) but to drop the 3.5 is even dumber than dropping Olds. After all the money and time spent developing this engine, it really does not make sense. If that is the case, then GM is really in worse shape that any of us think and they deserve what they get. For God's sake, you don't just spend "X" millions of dollars on a new engine(a pretty darn good one too) and then drop it 3 years later. What I just don't get is why they would drop an excellent engine like that, but keep the 3800 V6 or the significantly inferior 3100 and 3400 engines. IMO, those two should have been canned log ago. I know the new "electron" series of engines are coming, but those are reported to be smaller displacement and doubtfully would have the torque of the 3.5. And the 3.5 is just in it's initial stages. There is serious potential for future upgrades. Earth to GM!! IS ANYBODY HOME THESE DAYS??

1415

GM is in the process of a mass public relations screw-up. Not only what they are selling is about to be phased out; but it is totally obsolete and worthless.. Intrigues with 3.5 engines are lower than dirt..

Here come more rebates or an earlier shutdown..

How long did the twin-cam 3.4L engine survive; I believe it first came out in the Chev Lumina???

To tell the truth, the GM folks are costing us money messing around with throwing darts for their product planning exercises.

b4z

I think it brings up more questions than it answers. The obvious question is: will GM be around ten years from now? With all of these changes i think that the customer will be the loser. Less choice, less competition.
I have heard that GM will be using a Honda engine soon. Will we all be driving Japanese cars? Will Toyota or Honda rescue Chrysler from the Germans?
The thought that i not only own an orphan car but an orphan engine is more than i can take.
I had pretty much decided that i would get another intrigue and now i am really concerned that it might not be such as smart thing.
What the heck is the electron family of engines?
I think i will go watch the F1 race that comes on at 9pm on Speedvision. I am not a happy camper.

one2one

when the article says. The Wards write up was written by someone who didn't know anything about where the engine is used. For example, they said that the only car the engine is used in is the Intrigue. As a result the 3.5 would be gone after the Intrigue was dropped.

Perhpas they aren't aware of the V-6 Aurora that also uses the 3.5. The V-6 Aurora is expected to be the volume seller btwn the 4.0 V-8 and 3.5 V-6. Therefore, if GM is dropping the 3.5 after the Intrigue, they're also saying that the Aurora is being dropped as well. Think about it: Why keep selling the Aurora w/V-8 when they purposely dropped the price and inserted the 3.5 to lure more women in. Drop the 3.5 and they're right back where they were with the Classic Aurora, an expensive car that has to compete against the likes of the I30 and ES300. I don't think so.

Don't forget too, we were told about a year ago that Olds was going to be around and rumors about it's shutdown were false. We all know how true that was!!! The only other conclusion is what 1415 said... Olds is closing a lot sooner than everyone is being led to believe.

lee18

I did a Google search and found an article from early last summer (this forum wont allow me to post the URL because it is too long) declaring scrapping of the 3.5L engine for the following reason:

"Although the engines are regarded as delivering excellent performance, the 3.5-liter units are expensive to manufacture and service, whereas the new High-Feature V-6s to be unveiled in 2003 or 2004 won't be as costly, the GM sources said."