Oldsmobile Intrigue: Problems & Solutions

dekester

I haven't checked the fluid myself since abour September and it was pink then. Service tech at oil change place says it's a little discolored.

 

If I do anything, it'll probably be the "drop and drain". I knew I heard of problems after some people got the power flush.

 

Deke

dtownfb

dekester: I sat in the new Lacrosse last week. I thought the same thing. It looked a lot like the Intrigue. Maybe our girl is not dead after all.

 

I tested my blikers today on the ride home form work and they were blinking fast with no light showing but the DRL is still lit. Also the light does not work when you hit the hazard button. I won't get a chance until Friday to check out the connections.

evandro

A bit off-topic, but I test drove a 500 and a La Crosse a couple of weeks ago.

 

The 500 had the CT and did I hate that tranny! For the car itself, it lacks any refinement in materials, but the chassis seemed good and the handling was all familiar to Intrigue owners, but smoother. It deserves a decent engine, which it hasn't. It was quite roomy and really quiet.

 

The La Crosse was very refined, not your average Buick. The chassis was excellent and the new 3.6 V6 is the fusion of the qualities found in the 3.8 OHV and in the 3.5 DOHC, a home run. The handling and ride were excellent, very quiet, but the rear seat was cramped. Fit, finish and material quality were below only Cadillac in GM's line up.

dtanzer

OKAY...SO AFTER READING ENOUGH OF THESE FORUMS, AND MOST LIKELY HAVING THE SAME PROBLEMS YOURSELF WHAT SHOULD YOU DO? REPORT ALL OF YOUR STEERING AND ABS/BRAKE PROBLEMS TO THE NHTSA (National Highway Transit Safety Association)-(The government agency that issues manditory recalls) WHEN YOU DO THIS, AFTER THE COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE SAME PROBLEM REACH A CERTIAN NUMBER, THE RECALL IS ISSUED, AND YOUR PROBLEM COULD BE FIXED FOR FREE. SO MANY OF US OLDS INTRIGUE OWNER HAVE SO MANY CONSTANT PROBLEMS WITH OUR STEERING I'VE REPORTED IT AND ITS VERY EASY. GM CALLED ME THE NEXT WEEK TO "INVESTIGATE IT" SO ANYWAYS MY POINT IS; ITS SO EASY TO REPORT PLEASE DO IT FOR YOU, ME, AND ALL INTRIGUE OWNERS! If they get enough complaints = recall and your and our problem is gone for free!! THE NHTSA WEBSITE IS http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/ivoq/ REPORT IT!! THANK YOU again report it to http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/ivoq/

miler

My outside L.R. door mouldings rubber has deteriorated and needs replaced. Does anyone know how hard it is to replace it. I wonder if the inside door panal needs to come off and the window has to come out to replace it? Can anyone help? It's a 1999 GX Thanks

dtownfb

I had time to check out the turn signal. I remembered what your last line of checking to make sure i had the correct bulb. The bulb in the socket was a 3157NALL. The car requires 4157NAK (or LL, which is Sylvania's lingo for long life). in the store they did not have the 4157NALL but the package did say that the 3157 is the same. Not true!

 

I went down to AutoZone and got a replacement bulb, this time they had the 4157. I put that in the socket and i could see the connectors are different even though they both fit in the socket. The bulb which i replaced ssaid 3157NAK. So far it is working properly.

 

Just a word of caution, do not use anything other than 4157NAK for your turn signals bulbs. The 3157 will work temporarily but eventually it will cause problems.

evandro

Do you mean the rubber on the frame at the bottom of the side windows? If so, I've got that problem too.

 

I bought a new set at http://gmpartsdirect.com for about $100, but the replacement procedure looked daunting to me, so I'll probably ask the dealer to do it.

moonshadow

Nice find on the bulb number. Others have found out about the "not quite the same"

Awhile back I posted re this bulb# issue. See link below hope it works, took a bit to find it. You can scroll back and forward from that post9796 in the other intrigue forum, to get the gist of the banter that was going on.

  

moonshadow, "Oldsmobile Intrigue" #9796, 26 Jul 2003 4:02 pm

 

The Sylvania link doesn't link anymore, they giggled there site around. I did some looking there and found something similar here. http://www.sylvaniaautocatalog.com/new_sylvania/ProductBrowse.asp- - - ?Batchid=9&FigNumber=27

 

I also found that sylvania pdf file on my drive. The stuff one keeps. It is a little clearer as it shows actual colour bulb photos as well as colour indicators in the layout that makes it more user friendly to get the big picture.

 

cheers

moonshadow

Miler, or are you referring to the weather stripping that the moveable window slides in?

 

Or perhaps the molding that acts as a squeegee at the base of the movable window

cheers

miler

Yes, the rubber and chrome moulding at the base of the drivers side rear door where it meets the glass. Evandro, can you give me a part# for the L.R. moulding? Thanks

evandro

I bought all four of them and looking at the invoice online it's not clear which one's on the left and which one's on the right. The parts for the rear windows are 10446536 and 10446537.

 

HTH

gmdrone1

The molding you refer to is called the belt seal strip, and in most cases, you need to remove the door trim as well as the glass. Most of the older GM cars had this molding screwed to the outer belt return flange on the outer panel of the door, and necessitates removing the glass to access the screws. Some of the later cars have belt strips that snap into place with retaining clips, and do not require disassembly of the door. You might want to check with the dealer, or look at a part if you can. Those that require the door pad and glass to be removed will have little holes for the screws to retain it on the inboard flange. If they snap in place, there will be some type of retaining clip. I'd guess that they are held on with screws...

My.02 worth.

moonshadow

10446536 Molding, Belt R

10446537 Molding, Belt L

Those outer moldings are very easy to replace, but you need to be careful not to damage your finish. Once you did one side , the other could be in and out in 10-15 minutes. The inner belt seal needs to have at least the top part of the door panel pulled back from the door. The inners just push down on a strip of metal and held there by the upper curve of the door panel .

 

The outers are held in place by a friction fit(rubber wedges in the molding to the metal edge of the door) and one screw. When you get the new ones you will be able to see the setup.

 

The screw for the rear is located just inside the door where it meets the front door at the pillar. The front is also near the same pillar. A black screw with a phillips head (or a plus screwdriver when I'm helped by da wife lol).

The other end is interlocked with the molded curved bit and the back of the door.

Once the screw is out, it is a matter of working it loose. It is easier to get a grip if the window is down.

 You need to lift up at the pillar end and while tilting it away from the window by say 20 degrees. A small flat tool may be needed to get it started, depending on how stiff, cold, stuck it is. Be sure to support the tool with a cloth or thin piece of rubber.

 

Then after you have it up an inch or so, work your way down to the back by lifting up and away from the glass . Then pull it out under the fixed window seal and out of the interlock from the curved piece. It is in there about 1 1/2 inch.

 

Replacement has to be slid under the fixed window bottom rubber seal and then pushed down and replace the screw. If you are having a tough time sliding it in under the small glass, try a smear of vaseline etc. on the metal edge of the door, but not along the whole door as the friction fit will be diminished . After you think it is down, try giving it another push while rocking and it will probably seat in a bit more.

 

The front is similiar but sneeks under the mirror for about six inches. A little more fiddling/ trickier, but patience wins the day.

  

cheers

alcan

Document ID# 537669

1999 Oldsmobile Intrigue

Sealing Strip Replacement - Rear Door Window Belt Outer

 

Removal Procedure

Lower the rear door window.

Remove the outer belt sealing strip screw.

Remove outer belt sealing strip from the rear door pinchweld flange, by pulling the sealing strip upward.

 

Installation Procedure

Install the outer belt sealing strip to the rear door pinchweld flange align the sealing strip with the screw hole. Press the strip into place until fully seated.

Install the outer belt sealing strip screw.

Tighten the outer belt sealing strip screw to 1.5 N·m (13 lb in).

Raise the rear door window.

 

Document ID# 537671

1999 Oldsmobile Intrigue

Sealing Strip Replacement - Rear Door Window Belt Inner

 

Removal Procedure

Lower the rear door window.

Remove the door trim panel. Refer to Trim Panel Replacement - Side Rear Door.

Remove the inner belt sealing strip, by lifting the sealing strip off the pinchweld flange.

  

Installation Procedure

 

Important

Ensure the front end of the inner belt sealing strip is inserted into the gap formed by the weatherstrip and the door inner panel.

Ensure the rear end of the inner belt sealing strip is flush to the rear leg of the weatherstrip but not interfering with the path of the window.

 

Install the inner belt sealing strip to the pinchweld flange. Press the sealing strip into place until fully seated.

Install the door trim panel. Refer to Trim Panel Replacement - Side Rear Door .

Raise the window.

miler

Thanks everyone. You have been a great help. A salesman at a used car dealership told me he's seen alot of these turning brittle and cracking on a lot of used Intruigue's.

akitadog

Hi all,

 

I post rarely, but read posts often.

This morning on the way to work, it started snowing. As I took off from a red light, my wheels (99 GL) began to slip in the snow and the "Low Trac" light came on, as it should. But not only did the power to the front wheels cut off, the engine cut off all together! Has anyone else experienced this?

This was a potentially dangerous situation as I was on a high traffic route. Luckily, the person behind me understood and did not honk the horn.

BTW, I have the 3.5 with just over 86K on it.

jjm

I can't say my experience was too similar, but my engine cut off once too. Traveling 65MPH, hit a bump in the highway and the engine shut off!! I have a 98 with the 3.8L and about 80K miles at the time. Kind of scary. After I pulled over, it started right up again.

airheadbmw

During icy road conditions, I've experienced engine stalls when pulling away after a full stop with my 99 GLS. I've had this issue since the car was new. We don't get ice very often where I live and unfortunately, I've never been able to bring the car to the dealer while it was icy. The dealer has been unable to find a problem or find any tsb's for this issue. I turn the traction control "off" when driving in icy conditions (not desirable, but better than stalling). I recall seeing other posts for this issue somewhere, but have never seen a solution posted. Good luck!

akitadog

With my engine stalling problem, I decided to drive with the traction control off as well when in icy conditions.

 

A new problem on the horizon, I find that my transmission decides to shift hard from time to time. I feel a real clunk when upshifting. Downshifting remains smooth. This happens only occasionally and only after driving a while. Could I need a tranny fluid change? I had one around 50K, could I need another one already? I'm at 86K.

Thanks all, and glad to see the Intrigue board still alive almost three years after the end of production of a not very well known car model.

kubby

I also have experienced the same thing. It doesn't happen all the time but it feels like the transmission is jerking hard between gears. Like letting out the clutch to quick. If you shut the car down for five or ten minutes and restart it goes away. I took it in to the dealer and they said that since the check engine light was not on, and the problem wasn't happening they could not diagnose. He thought it might have been some dirt from the bottom of the gas tank and suggested refueling before "burying the needle."

 

Frustrating because I have not had any problems with my GLS ('99, 3.5, 110,000 mi) until I hit 100,000 miles. Then all of a sudden the shifting problem starts and then it stalls two or three times while slowing into a turn. Also had to replace a couple fuel injectors. I've starting looking for a new vehicle which is too bad because the car is in great shape.

indrgb

Hard shifts are most likely caused by a periodic stuck solenoid in the transmission. My van does it once in a while after driving a lot. Unfortunately this is a fairly common problem on some GM transmissions. I took my Silhouette minivan to a dealer last year about this problem. There were no trouble codes, only the occasional hard upshifts. They suggested a tranny fluid and filter change. It did not help. I had previously done some research on the subject and found out about the stuck solenoid. The service manager said they replace a "few" of them. They quoted me $375 for my van, which is very difficult to work on. Most of that is labor.

 

Bad gas? I don't think I would go back to that dealer. If you do research you will find GM bulletins on this subject (no $$$ help).

jjpowell2

Has anyone had a loud rattle coming from the front of the car that ceases when you just lightly apply some pressure to the brake pedal? The streets in our area make the car sound like it's coming apart, but near the dealer the streets are smooth and we get the "cannot duplicate" response. The fact that applying the brakes makes the noise stop is a big puzzle. Could it be another bad set of calipers or clips in the brake assembly?

 

On the positive side, the new injector seems to have cure the rough cold starts.

ral1960

I have a 99 GL with 3.5L, 92k miles. After six years, I've almost gotten used to feeling every pebble and undulation in the road. Rides much harder than the GLS I test drove (my mistake). Had most all the minor problems: Lived with the steering clunk two years, hasn't returned after lube 20k miles ago (what an improvement). Odd that the brakes would start pulsing almost exactly 10,000 miles after it was new and after each of 3 resurfacings, til I replaced the rotors. Still have original pads (I use the car in front of me to stop). 2 engine sensors replaced with no performance symptoms, just warning light. I only have the headlight dimming problem when driving my sister and her 400 lb husband on long trips, and then for a while afterward. VA dealer ripped me off for a $240 battery which didn't fix the problem. Glad to see the post on the water leak through the blower, my NC dealer ran the A/C for 30 minutes AFTER I told him it leaked after a hard rain. He never found the problem. Also had the sticky throttle, the non-sticky door trim, the intermittent rt rear window (now working), the blower motor squeal (WD40!). I tossed 6 cupped tires with plenty of tread before someone told me to rotate them left and right instead of front to back. It stopped that horrid sound on 2 tires already cupped.

 

Two small problems I've had since new that I haven't seen on this board:

 

1. Cruise control holds speed steady but not the throttle, which constantly changes a little bit--just irritating enough that I can't stand to use it. Am I too sensitive? I didn't want the dealer to mess with it when it was new--in my experience, after the dealer plays with the engine, something else breaks right afterward.

 

2. The rear suspension(?) makes a soft honking sound at takeoff and very low speed bumps, louder in warm weather (I don't think it's the trunk hinge problem). Just makes the normal shock hiss when I jump on the bumper. The dealer replaced something that squeaked loudly back there when it was new, I forget what.

 

After reading this board and some of the main one, I guess I've been luckier than some, but I've never liked the car as much as my old Bonneville SE, although it's better in all respects except ride comfort. For a few years I really hated it, but couldn't find anything much better. Now I might as well drive it into the ground. Does anyone know if GM is likely to extend the 12/05 expiration on the $1000 "Death of Olds" credit?

evandro

WRT the flippant accelerator, I think it's more because of the highly non-linearity of the throttle linkage and steep torque curve. As this engine is a tad lacking in torque at low revs, the accelerator is very sensitive to even the smallest pressure close to the resting position.

 

Bottom line: it's a design characteristic or fault, depending on one's point of view.

ian18

I think that the rattle you are hearing is from the caliper assembly. Applying the brakes slightly will close the calipers and eliminate the free play. There is normally a clip used to minimize this. Perhaps you had a brake job recently and the clips were not replaced.

 

I remember years ago driving my Cherokee through the mountains on a gravel road with the window open. Heard this loud rattle from the front brakes and was very worried. Turned out to be nothing, the combination of the road and having the window open made it seem much worse than usual. I wouldn't worry too much about it.

ral1960

No, it was actual crud in the throttle linkage that I finally paid a mechanic $20 to clean out. I can now leave idle without snapping everyone's neck off. Or were you referring to the cruise control fidgeting?

evandro

No, cruise control fidgeting.

 

Then again, I need to clean the TB on mine...

gordonwd

The left rear window in our 2000 Intrigue does not work. It isn't the switch since it won't work from either place. I'd like to fix it myself, so I'd assume it's probably the regulator -- correct? Or any other ideas of what to look for?

 

It's especially odd that this would fail since we almost NEVER roll down the rear windows. For all I know, it might have been inoperative for a year or more :-). Is there any history of power window problems on this model?

dekester

Yep! My right rear window went out within the warranty period and I rarely had anyone sit in the rear seat. Some people have said they had intermittent outages.

 

A former co-worker had an early prouction 98 GLS and had the same problem - turned out to be a crimped wire that shorted out on sheet metal from time to time.

 

Deke

moonshadow

"It isn't the switch since it won't work from either place."

 

Well. not quite. gordon. the switches are in series basically and if the door switch at the rear is flaky or a bad plug connection then the master will have no affect as well.

Each up/down window switch is actually two separate contacts controlled by a single lever.

 

Before you tear the regulator/motor out :

 

The switch in the rear is removed by lifting up, with a slight jerk, from the rear or the switch plate. The forward part of the switch plate is hooked under the panel. If you like, you can swap it for the other side, quick elimination of the rear switch.

 

UNPLUG the switch. Get yourself a meter or someone who has one, check for DC volts at the purple and dark green wires at the plug coming out of the door panel, ignition Key to Acc.

 

When the master switch for that window is activated up/down, you should get +12volts in one direction and -12volts in the other.

***If you don't, then you have a bad/dirty master switch or a broken wire somewhere along the line to the rear.

 

Next measure from chassis ground to the blue wire in the middle of one row. (There are two blue wires, go figure). You should have 12 volts when the lock out at the master is not engaged , 0 volts when it is.

***If not, then the master lock switch is defective or a broken wire/corroded plug from the switch to the rear switch. This will cause the master to work but not the actual door switch.

 

Next, remove key, and measure for resistance between the brown and other blue wire(they are direct from the motor). They are in opposite corners of each other in the plug. You should get around 1 to 2 ohms.

***If you don't then the motor brushes may be sticking/corroded from lack of use. Sometimes a rap on the motor case will get it going, but the door panel needs to go to get to it.

 

That will eliminate the electrical portion of your problem. If the cable regulator is seized or jammed, then you are down to a mechanical replacement. I have, on occasion, repaired some with lubrication and or dissembling the motor to repair stuck brushes. However, not on a never Gm lately.

 

Remember that anything on a car that does not get used, ... gets stuck.

 

cheers gordon, hope you get something out of this .

c2000intrigue

I posted this in the main intrigue discussion but thought i should post it here too.

Hey there,

i have a 2000 GLS and put the car in the trans shop back in october due to hard shifts up and hard shifts back down once i took my foot off of the gas pedal. Well it has been in the shop every week for 2 months now. At first, check engine lights were coming on because torque convertor was bad and now i am back to the beginning with the hard shifting issues again. it almost feels like someone is rear ending me when it happens. they have rebuilt the transmission now twice and replaced the valve body.
Also when accelerating once the car first starts for the first 10 minutes or so, when i push the gas pedal the engine revs and the rpms go up, but i don't move any faster. It's like i get stuck at the same speed no matter what. The shop replaced the throttle positioning sensor and it hasn't helped.
i really like my intrigue and it's a great car (other than the turn signal lights not working half the time) When the car is working properly, it is such a great, smooth ride. If anyone has any advise or knows what else may be wrong, i would greatly appreciate the info. ( i still like my car better than any of the sedans out there today!)

margo

I have a 98 Intrigue, and my car just started to shift rough. It's just like everyone elses here, sometimes it just upshifts really rough. We haven't taken it in yet because the problem is very phantom, and we're afraid it won't do it for the mechanic. I would happily pay the $375 to get it fixed, but how will the mechanic even find the problem. I travel with kids a lot, and worry about getting stuck in the middle of nowhere. Has anyone had the problem get worse, and make the car die or freeze up. I haven't yet, but I worry about what will happen. Any advice would be great.

akitadog

My 99 GL experiences very occasional hard upshifts. The dealer diagnosed the problem when I took it in for something else, but I did not get the work done for it as it appears very infrequently. They said it was a stuck solenoid in the transmission and that this is a very common problem with GM transmissions. This is most likely the offending part.

ricom560

Trying to identify and find where I can locate this housing as an emergency backup.

dtownfb

If you are looking for the oil filter part number, it's in the manual. If you don't have the manual then you can go to any auto part store and they should have a book with the oil filter numbers.

cornellpinoy

Your Intrigue has the 3.5, right? Are referring to the plastic oil filter cap that holds the paper cartridge?

evandro

Indeed, replacing the rear moldings wasn't too hard and I just had to use my fingers to work them out and back in.

Now, about the front moldings, the mirrors press over them and although it looked like removing the moldings without removing the mirrors could be possible, sliding them back in didn't look possible without damaging the moldings.

In order to remove the mirrors, it's necessary to remove the door trim panels, which requires new fasteners when reattaching them.

In face of this, I'll gladly pay an hour's worth to a dealer to replace the front moldings. ;-)

moonshadow

Evandro. Howdy.

Yes the fronts do look like they may be more difficult to slide back in. However, If I remember correctly(can't be sure) they will slide/rock in under the mirror. I believe the first 4 inches of the inside of the molding is cut away on one side for this purpose.

Either way, if you have finesse, you can remove the mirrors partially on a trig without removing the panel. You have to pull the triangular tweeter cover away. It is connected to the door panel at the bottom and it is snapped in with a metal spring clip near the top.

Once the little cover is angled back from the top, you can use a 10 mm (i think) box wrench to lossen the 3 nuts off to rock/wiggle the mirror out of the way.

Do not over tighten the nuts. Do not let the nuts fall into the panel. Also I believe the mirror electrical plug is behind the panel down several inches.
Either way the panel can be removed rather easily if you have a forked door panel clip remover or a resonable makeshift. The trick is to pry up on both sides at the same time. I've found them to be reuseable if they come straight out from their holes. Also those barbed pins/clips are more breakable if they are cold. The window switch plate snaps up by lifting at the back of it. There is a torx bit behind it and one on the door pull. Plus a srew behind the snapped in plate on the unlock handle.

Not sure how much info you need, so i tried to list all i could remember..

cheers.

evandro

Much appreciated, but I'm a chicken when it comes to those retainers. I always manage to break all but one or two. :-)

moonshadow

Hehe, I understand.

I still think it's possible without removing the panel. Of coarse, everything is easy if you've already done it before.

Although, a cheapy forked door panel tool can be picked up for a few bucks at some discount auto stores and will surely come in handy someday.

It does make it much easier. :-)

Cheers

ricom560

Yes, you are correct. It has one or two O-Rings which seal it to the pan. I change my own oil and my desire is to have a spare which I can use if I overtighten or discover the plastic original cracked. Rockauto.Com claims they will try to obtain if I can furnish a PN. Thank You.

cornellpinoy

The part number is not listed in the Helms factory manual or in the Collision parts manuals I use.

I suggest trying www.gmpartsdirect.com or just calling a local GM dealer's parts dept. Let us know how much you end up getting the part for.

rduel

The Service Engine Light came on recently at around 80K. I was concerned the fix would be the camshaft or crankshaft sensor at a $500 price tag mentioned elsewhere. Turned out the injectors needed a power flush. $160. So far so good.

jjpowell2

Did you have a rough start in the morning? Any symptoms other than the service light? Seems that many GM cars are showing up with bad injectors in the upper midwest. Is the car running smoothly now? Our dealer replaced one injector about a month ago but now we're starting to have very rough starts again. We're in AZ right now so the temps are not a factor.

rduel

It is my son's car. After a week, I found out the Service Engine Light was on. The car seemed to start OK, but it ran terribly, like it was hitting on only four cylinders. Dealer said the #5 cylinder injector was plugged. The error code was PO420. The repair was just yesterday, so I have no long term results to give you. There were no other symptoms other than poor(er) gas mileage. I tried a NHTSA TSB check but didn't find much on this problem.

margo

Thanks for the info. Mine doesn't do it very often either, which is why I don't want to take it in. The dealer didn't happen to tell you how much getting that fixed cost, did he? Again, thanks for the help.

akitadog

Dealer told me about $750 total to replace a solenoid. When it starts to be a real problem, then I'll take it somewhere else to save a couple hundred bucks.

tdrechsler

Same problem with my 99 Intrigue. Where did you get materials and how difficult was it to put on?

buckwalter1

Need some help, here. I lost the owners manual (don't ask...). I changed the oil and now need to reset the service interval indicator. I forgot the process, can anyone share it with me? Also any tips on finding another owners manual would be appreciated too.
Thanks....bill

akitadog

Turn the key to the "On" position, without turning it all the way to start the car. Pump the gas pedal all the way down and let it all the way up three times within about 5 - 6 seconds and the oil light should blink and then go out.