Oldsmobile Intrigue: Problems & Solutions

zimbad

I have read the posts on this forum and have come to the assumption that I may have a bad temp sensor (If my model even has one). My question is, where is the temperature sensor on the 99 model. My problem is that the compressor will not stay on when I have the ac on. The blower works just fine but the ac button is very sporattic. Sometimes, if I am lucky, it will work but most of the time I am constantly pressing the ac button to try to get the compressor to kick in and stay on. When the compressor does kick in, I get really cold ac so I don't think it is a problem with the actual ac system. I don't know how I would know what the outside temperature sensor is reading since my car is not equiped with any kind of readout that I know of. I also have no way of knowing what the internal temp is unless I stick a thermometer in the vents.

notquiteright

Ok. did the same dang thing again today.. blinked.. but this time it came back on and the digital was frozen and I lost the cruise control. Back in the shop tomorrow.

bayview6

Unpluggging the battery overnight thing was a long-shot for sure although some people have told me that it has helped them with tranny problems. Thanks for posting the part number that fixed your A/C and cruise control.

bayview6

One is suppose to change the cabin filter every year. I tried to do it the second or third year but couldn't get the plastic screws out so I just gave up. A couple of days ago I decided to try again (car now is 6 years old) and finally concluded that I had to cut the little plastic screws to get the bottom windshield cover off. That was the ticket. The cabin filter was absolutely FILTHY. Surprise I was getting any air flow from the outside. Got a new filter for $15 and am happy I know how to do the procedure (finally!)

BTW, those plastic "screws" are actually called "rivets" and are supposed to be cut if they don't screw out easily. Bought a box of 15 for $3 from O'Reilly's Auto Parts.

Once one knows the routine, it only takes 5 minutes to change the cabin filter. :P

monty12

interesting that the new control unit is doing the same thing,like the one I got from the junk yard.anyways my car is at the dealer right now and they say I have a defective control unit too so i will have them fix it and will let you know how it works.good luck

coonhound

2000 Intrigue with 64,000 miles. For the past six months or so the three passenger door locks would intermittently not unlock with the remote or the driver door switch. And became progressively more frequent.

After thinking that it must be the BCM, body control module, and trying to get access into the dash area I discovered that sometimes wiggling the ignition key had an effect.

I squirted powdered graphite into the key slot and like to have never got the key to turn and the car started. I cleaned out some graphite with paper. Later I used a contact and circuit board cleaner to spray into the key slot and remove the key and wipe it clean. Did this several times until the key came out clean.

Now the locks work fine. What a learning experience!

Also since the 6 year old battery was original equipment I had it tested and it only had 124 cold cranking amperes. But battery replacement did not correct the door unlocking problem.

The car has the original brake pads but the rear is making a slight grinding or rubbing like noise. I removed one caliper and the pads are still 50% or so. I keep expecting to hear the front pad wear indicators anytime. Does anyone know of the original brake pads going 80,000 to 100,000 miles before requiring replacement?

monty12

Linda,got my car back from dealer today,was in for 4 days.originally they said the dash control unit was bad (580.00)plus labor,then they called back the next day and said tech misdiag. need more time to find problem.(new unit did the same thing blinks goes dead,freezes and cruise control did not work).bottom line...defective ignition switch (150.00).all is well so far.hope this helps,bye

coonhound

The three passenger doors failed to unlock again.

Corrected problem by removing the BCM, I think this means Bowel control modulator as it is the S____s', and lubricating the pins on one of the plug in's with Mobil 28 synthetic aircraft lubricant.

I'm still driving with the dash partially disassembled with my fingers crossed.

alnoor1

how to change the driver side sun visior or repair as it drops, had to pin it up, and bought $9.99 clip-on visior from walmart

alnoor1

1998 Intrigue, the inside heater fan is making noise and is it easy to change it?

bayview6

I've always used Regular gas in my Intrigue. Was wondering if anyone has ever used Premium gas and if so if any "check engine" lights ever came on. The reason I ask is because of the possibility of increased performance using a higher octane fuel.

akitadog

What engine do you have? the 3.8 or 3.5?

Speaking for the 3.5, I don't think that premium fuel is going to do anything for your car. High-octane fuels are specifically for high-compression engines so as to keep them from knocking. The relatively low compression of the 3.5 (9.3:1) will make anything higher than regular gas a waste of money.

Now, if you've had other work done, such as reprogramming the ECU or swapped in high-performance camshafts, then you might benefit from premium, otherwise, save your money.

bayview6

Thanks for your input. I was thinking that the 3.5 shortstar doesn't knock using regular gas because the engine retards the timing to compensate, and that premuim gas would allow detonation higher in the power curve. Don't know if this theory has merit since i don't know how to test it objectively.

frammer

Hi there, this is my first post. Unfortunately i'm somewhat handicapped when it comes to looking under the hood, so I thought I would check here before bringing my car in to the Dealer.

I have a 3.5L 99 Intrigue, approx. 160K.

The problem I have started a few weeks ago and progressivly got worse.

What's happening is when I attempt to start the car (at any time, if the engine is cold or hot) the car simply does not start majority of the time. Most times only the seatbelt light comes on, but 1 in 5 to10 shots all the lights on the panel appear (but the car still does not start). The radio, lights etc. have power every time though.
If I continue to turn the car over 3/4 way, after sometimes 10-30 attempts, I will hear the fuel pump (I think) decide to 'wake up' and then the car starts absolutely fine.

The other problem I have with the car is it will stall sometimes when i'm on the highway or even going down the street (it happens almost every time i'm on the road now at least once!). Out of nowhere the car completely dies on me.

Has anyone had these problems? I have read quite a few problems that seem similar, just none with the lights and the stalling.

Any advice/recommendations are much appreciated.

frammer

In reading back on some of the messages (#339 and a few after), my SES light does not come on at any time.

akitadog

I wouldn't say the shortstar retards the timing, rather it's programmed specifically for regular gas. Premium gas would not hurt the engine, but the timing would remain the same as if it was regualr, so no performance gains would be seen.

moonshadow

frammer, with all that going on, its appears as if the common point may be a faulty ignition switch or the plug that connects to it is loose. Or perhaps a bad connection from the distribution box to the switch. Also, the bit about no dash lights: oil,abs,ses etc. seems to indicate that the power from the ig. switch is not getting to the pcm,bcm, and dash cluster modules.

The park neutral switch may be acting up on you causing the no start, next time place it in neutral or cycle though gears, back to park and see if it helps with starting.

Does the "security" light come on at any point?

evandro

Would you kindly give more details about the extra rivets? I broke off one of them when trying to replace the cabin air filter and it's been like that ever since...

TIA

evandro

Interestingly enough, the service manual advises 89 gas...

There's one situation in which most engines will benefit from premium gas: when slamming the accelerator on the highway. For a split second, fuel delivery lags air intake, which leaves the charge lean, therefore prone to knocking. The ECU then delays the spark to avoid knocking, albeit limiting power.

But unless one drives like a teenager hopping from lane to lane, flooring and braking, it's not worth the cost.

Then again, when gas was around $1.60, I'd pump premium when I found it for just $0.10 more. Good times...

cornellpinoy

My '00 has the 3.5L. The owners manual does specify 89 octane. The GM Helms Service Manual specifies premium. I've used plenty of tankfuls each of both and can't really feel any difference.

mick1

I have a 99 GLS 3.5 140,000 mi, the air bag light flashes a few times and then the anti lock and trac off light flashes a number of times this sequence repeats for about 5 minutes in the am and doesnt happen again till the next morning. I looked at other cars and they seem to say it is the abs module any thoughts? any one had this problem

mick1

my 99 3.5 manual says 87 octane. 140,000 mi and the car runs great

evandro

That's interesting. My '00 GL specifies 87 octane gas. It seems that GM couldn't make up its mind about it...

akitadog

My '99 3.5 says 87 as well. Interesting...

frammer

The security light will come on if the car stalls out of nowhere while i'm driving.
Other than that it doesn't really come on at any time (unless the car is started and of course the whole panel lights up at first).

Thanks for the advice regarding the ignition switch. I'll look into that myself to see if the connection is loose at all.
It would be really nice if it were something so simple.

thanks moonshadow,

Frammer

bayview6

Thanks, that explains a lot.

bayview6

They're 5/16" nylon rivets by Dorman, part 799-100. Got them at O'Reilllys. if you can't find it in your town, email me and I'll mail you a couple.

intrigue321

hi, i have a 2000 olds intrigue gl and i am having a problem with it and stumbled across this site...my question is that my ses light came on and i have a code reader so i checked it out and it said that it was a "secondary air intake malfunction" and i can not find anything out about it at all so i took it to a shop and the same code came up but nobody can tell me what that means...not the shop parts store or dealer ship they all just want to run a bunch of tests... have any of you heard of this??

moonshadow

Howdy 321.

Go to the top of the messages on this page and under search this discussion enter secondary and/or air pump.

There is a tsb re a water shield to keep water from getting into the air pump, located behind the headlight [non-permissible content removed]. and in front of the driver side front tire. The motor seizes and or shorts out and takes a fuse with it.

cannot remember the details but the search should give you some more insight.

What is the actual code that your reader spit out?

cheers

intrigue321

thanks for the reply.... the code that was displayed was 0410... as far as i can gather is the secondary air intake is some sort of a blower...atleast that is what a mech. buddy of mine told me but he said that he does not know that much about my type of car, but if he is right then i can hear it running...it is kind of a whining sound that i hear when i start it after it sits for a while and every now and then when i am driving...and i have noticed that it has been running alot more often and it seems to have a higher pitch...so it seems like it is going out but none of the parts store around carry anything like that so it has really got me puzzled :confuse:

moonshadow

For a brief overview of the system you can read my post and others on the other intrigue thread here
moonshadow, "Oldsmobile Intrigue" #11441, 21 Jan 2005 4:39 pm

As well you can search that thread for air pump etc.

evandro

Thanks a bunch for the part #. I bought a box of them and already replaced the 2 ones missing. BTW, I had the left over OEM rivet and the new ones seem to be much better.

oldsdanlp

I have an exhaust leak on my 2000 GX Intrigue which is coming from the exhaust manifold up against the firewall, or so my shop tells me. They don't want to do the repair as the book calls for raising the engine out of the car to get to the manifold. They say it's an 11 hour job. Has anyone had any experience with this problem? The car just turned 100k. Also, has anyone had problems with the idle racing when the outside temperature gets high in the summer. It's been a yearly treat each hot season. Thanks, In L.A.

jhd

My rear passenger window is stuck also (98GL). I did trace the circuits, as Moonshadow described, (all conformed as per instructions, thanks Moonshadow for detailed description). Swapping the switches from left to right did not make the window go so I presume it is a motor.

Before I start ripping taking the door apart to get to the motor, I would like to know how does the circuit sense the end of travel. Are there limit switches or the current of stalling motor is monitored and power is cut off?
Another words, I am still looking for other then motor possibilities, since I did make the window go up and down periodically to prevent it from seizing up, yet it did. I also greased the guides several times.

evandro

The motor current is monitored to detect the window at either limit.

HTH

moonshadow

JHD, glad it helped for you. lets see if we can go further.

The motor will stall, lose torque, at end of travel(whether it is the door frame or someones head :P .
Normally if the car is not running, you can see that your headlights/dome light will dim when the switch is activated at end of travel and undim with its release. This will indicate that the motor is drawing current, trying to work and may be stuck. You can use your other windows to see the effect.
Holding the button long enough will probably trip the breaker and you will have to wait for it to reset.

If there is no dimming at the flaky window:

What actual resistance measurement did you get for the motor?

Can you place the voltmeter across the motor wires, key on and with the master lock out not locked.
Motor is between the brown and other blue wire. They are in opposite corners of each other in the plug.

Activate the up down switch at the problem rear door.
What voltage do you get?

Also activate the master switch for that window.
What voltage do you get with that?
For a reference. what is the voltage at the bat? You can get it at the middle blue wire and chassis ground.
cheers.

dtownfb

My 2000 Intrigue GL with 96k miles is burning oil to the tune of about a quart every 1000 miles. Gas mileage seems to be fine as I just got 27 mpg this last tank. I checked the coolant and no oil in the overflow. And no oil under car after being parked overnight.

Waht causes this and what is the fix?

bayview6

My '99 has always used oil, maybe a quart every 2000 miles. I don't know why but am not concerned about it. Oil is cheap and at least you know that the valves are getting lubed. Probably the best thing is to put in a quart of Slick 50 at your next oil change. Helps keep the piston oil control rings from sticking.

Also, are you changing your oil every 3000 miles or 3 months? Forget the BS in the owners' manual about 1 year or 7000 miles. You need to flush all the combustion by-product crapola out of the engine at least 4 times a year.. Remember to drive at least 15+ miles before changing the oil because draining the oil on a cold engine leaves most of the crapola in the motor.

oldsguy2

I have a 2K GX with 85K miles. Having intermittent hard shifts. Haven't lost any gears yet, but experiencing hard shifts on sporadic occasions. Want to fix before it becomes something worse. Saw someone else had same problem but lost 4th gear. Did you get it fixed? What did you do? Did you try the lubegaurd as bayview6 suggested?

Also having odometer flicker especially during acceleration, anyone experience this? Anyone fix this? Thanks!

jscesq

Still haven't fixed my transmission and 4th gear is still gone. I'm still debating the merits of sinking $2,500+ on a new tranny (but with a 50K mi. warranty). I did not do the lubeguard as I'm convince that the transmission needs to be rebuilt--but you may want to give it shot since you still have all gears. Also, there are some threads from a while back discussing a bad valve and/or solenoid--the cost to repair was fairly high (700+?).

If you haven't yet changed the tranny fluid, I would do so ASAP and have the tech check for metal bits/shavings in the pan.

dtownfb

I've read on other boards where GM has had issues with a solenoid going bad in the transmission. It cost $700-$800 to replace.

dtownfb

I try to change the oil every 3 months or so. I drive 90 miles round trip to work. I am due for another change this weekend. I may try Sllick 50. It's worth a shot.

My biggest concern is the oil mixing with the coolant.

bayview6

Hopefully, the two fluids stay in their separate compartments. There are some threads "out there" that discuss why the "Shortstar" engine uses oil. I think that they all do, just a question of how much. What brand and weight of oil are you using?

You might also want to add some "Marvel Mystery Oil" the next time you top off the oil. I usually add the recommend amount a couple of hundred miles before I change the oil.

kfdmed

I have a question for you. At my last oil change they wrote on the inspection form "Ball shaft seal leaking oil $500.00". Can you please explain what this is and if it needs immediate attention. The engine is not using any oil and I dont see any on the garage floor either. Thanks.

dtownfb

I use Valvoline 5w-30for oil change. Adding Havoline 5w-30 when it needs a quart.

mshillair

I have a 98 Intrigue with the 3.8L. Just today I found out that the radiator has a crack in it. Luckily, it is towards the top so not a lot of coolant leaks out. The thing is, I think it has been like that for a while. About a month ago I noticed the radiator was low on coolant, so I topped it off and didn't think anything of it. I drove it and I did not notice anything wrong. I bought a new radiator today and plan on installing it tomorrow. The car has 126k miles on it and runs great. City driving I get about 18-20mpg, highway is about 24-26mpg. I change the oil every 3k. Overall, it has been a great car.

oldsman69

I had to replace my valve covers seal on my 3.5 which my mechanic states was leaking badly on the back side. I was looking thru Olds forums on other sites which members stated this problem. So have your mechanic look at your valve cover seals.

oldsman69

:confuse: I think my transmission is shifting a little funny at times. It seems to hesitate or slightly jerk into gear at part throttle at times. Has anyone had any problems with their transmissions or problems with a sensor I read about on MSN car reviews?

knight38

I have a 2002 Intrigue 3.5 with 38,000 miles.
I do not have the high idle problem you have.
I had taken my car back to the dealer complaining of an exhaust leak but they say that they do not see or smell anything wrong. When they checked with their GM tech representative they say the same thing.

http://www.reliabilitydirect.com/gasanalyzerproducts/EXT-CO50.htm

I bought the above Carbon Monoxide (CO) detector with the thinking that where there is CO there is an exhaust leak. I get CO readings by the firewall by the AIR valve which is the same area you describe. If my problem is the same as yours and requires an 11 hour repair that might explain why the dealer could not find any exhaust leak while my vehicle was under warranty. How did your shop determine that there was an exhaust leak? Do they have any opinions as to how or why it developed?

osterkamp

I have a 2000 Oldsmobile Intrigue and I am having a problem getting the interior lights to shut off. The rear view mirror, door lights, and foot lights won't shut off, even while driving except after the 20 minutes when the battery saver shuts them off. The trunk lights and glove box lights are the only lights that shut off. If anyone has any ideas as to what could be causing this or how to fix it please reply, Thanks!