Oldsmobile Intrigue: Problems & Solutions

buckwalter1

Thanks for the help w/ the reset, it worked and now the dash panel is normal.
Thanks...bill

piclpus

I have a 1998 Olds Intrigue that has developed a bad miss in the motor. It was diagnosed as a fuel system probable, Upon removal of the fuel rail, a fine, sand like powder was contained in the fuel still in the rail. It is obviously too big and is plugging the #1 injector. It is metallic as it sticks to a magnet. the rail has been cleaned about 5 times and it returns shortly thereafter. The car has 160,000 on it with no other problems. The fuel rail appears to be aluminum, so those particles wouldn't stick to a magnet. I've been told the gas tank itself is plastic on this model car, but the fuel lines from the tank to the front are metal? Any help would be great as this has stumped three dealers in our area. Pete

moonshadow

Have you changed the fuel filter?

piclpus

The fuel filter was probably never changed up until 158,000. At that point, the car started have a miss and threw a service engine soon light. The dealership told us the transmission was shot. The car has always shifter hard. We sent the car for a full tuneup and filter replacement to see if the miss in the motor was causing a faulty shift pattern. When the guys were flushing the cooling system, they blew a hole in the plenum and flooded number one cylinder. $600 later, the cylinder was firing again, but the miss returned and has gotten worse. The fuel rail has been of the car and dumped out about 5-7 times, with this stuff coming out each time. The wierd thing is that some times the car runs fine long eneough for the service engine soon light to go out. Then it throws the light again.

evandro

I bought the 4 moldings from http://gmpartsdirect.com for about $100 including S&H.

dtownfb

Over the past two months, my low oil light has come one. Each time I added a quart of oil and everything was fine. I have noticed only a couple of small spots of oil where I park and during my last inspection (3 weeks ago) the coolant color was fine.

I'll also mention that my last oil change was at Jiffy Lube and I am not sure if they put in 5.5 quarts of oil or stopped at 5. that oil change was about 6500 miles ago. Since i have not seen evidence of any leaks, I'm guessing the oil may not have been completely full when it left Jiffy lube adn I burned off enough oil to trigger the sensor.

This is the first time this has happen since I owned the car. I thought I read where this engine is known to burn oil from time to time. If it does, no big deal. I keep watching for leaks and keep a quart of oil in the car. Is this engine known to burn oil?

Martypa

I had the same problem at Jiffy Lube. They will only put in 5 quarts unless you actually tell them. I always have to confirm afterward that the amount of oil I specified was put in.

jasonc

I've had the same problem, especially when I have to punch it merging from an onramp. It dosen't happen all the time but occasionally I'll feel a jerk when the gears are shifting. I think I'll take it in and have it checked out since I have a service contract. Did your guy's cars stop doing this after the solenoid was repaced or have you done it yet?

margo

Thanks again. Glad to know i'm not the only one. Have you tried manually shifting when this happens? I haven't, but am wondering if it would help. That sure seems like a pricy fix. I'm bummed, but will probably wait until the problem is more consistent.

margo

I haven't even taken my car in yet. The problem is so phantom that I'm sure it won't do it for the dealer. If it gets worse I guess I'll take it in and get it fixed. I don't have a service contract, so it almost seems tempting to get a used tranny from a junkyard (my father-in-law owns a body shop and can get a good deal) and just start over. Seems like some have said it hasn't fixed their problem, and that's a lot to spend.

jasonc

I will try to take mine in sometime in the next few weeks and have them check it out, maybe that will help you guys out some too.

bzs

I have a 99 GLS 3.5 that I purchased a month ago.
I really like the car. The problem I have is the car is only averaging 19-20 mpg. This is w-90% highway driving. Does anyone have any suggestions or any answers? I know the sticker says 19-20 in town and 27mpg highway.

dtownfb

That is definitely low. I do 90% highway and get about 25 now because of winter driving. Warmer weather I was getting 27-28 and an occasional 30 mpg. I bet if I slowed down to 65 I woud do even better.

How many miles do you have on the vehicle?

bzs

The car has 62,000 on it.

dtownfb

I have 84k on mine. I would consider doing a tune up onthe vehicle since it is 6 years old. Make sure the thermostat and oxygen sensors are operating properly.

a4naxent

I have a 98. Pushing the washer button does not turn on the wipers ( sprays only as long as button is held down ) Have to turn on wipers in order to use the wash function. Does anyone have and an idea where to look? Is this controlled by the body control module and if so were is it located? Thanks.

moonshadow

Not controled by the BCM. At least for later years. I'm assuming they are alll the same.

Do all the other functions work, mist button,Variable speed, hi lo etc?

If so, when pushing on the washer button, two switch contacts are activated. One for the washer pump and the other to motor logic circuits within the motor. This other contact to the motor follows a similar path through the stalk wiring as the mist control and delayed wipers.

Have you tried to wiggle/push a little harder on the switch when it is spraying?

dtownfb

I had my oil changed at a difernt lube express compnay. the first thing the fellow underneath said was "Tell the owner the oil filter seal had small leak" (or something to that effect). He further said it's fine if you have the right tool (which he did) but if not you get a bad seal. I think this explains why I was losing oil. It also tells me never go back to Jiffy Lube.

lmacmil

What rpm is the engine turning at 70 mph? Should be right around 2000. When I got my 2000, the overdrive clutch was burned out (there was a TSB on this problem) and the tranny operated just fine, just never went into OD. RPM was about 2900 which tipped me off that there was a problem. Fortunately, mine was under warranty.

If the tranny is OK, the new plugs may help but certainly won't get you 8-9 mpg increase. Mine regularly returns between 28 & 30 mpg in steady highway cruising.

lmacmil

A turn signal/DRL bulb burned out yesterday. Any "watch out fors" when getting the headlamp module out? Looks pretty straightforward in the manual.

moonshadow

Any "watch out fors" when getting the headlamp module out?

Howdy, yes very simple, lift up the white locking pins but be careful when wiggling and pulling out the assembly so as not to scratch the bumper.

If the pins do not want to go back in then theh assembly may not be completely seated.

Also to avoid repeated burnouts and weird flashing, make sure you have the same # for a replacement. A 3157 is not the same as the 4157NAK( Natural Amber Krypton) that is there.

cheers

dtownfb

I'll echo moonshadows advice. Only get the 4157NAK. Do not get the 3157!!!!!!!

lmacmil

Thanks guys. Previous posts indicated the importance of the correct bulb so I'll make sure to get the right one.

dekester

Don't touch the bulb with your bare fingers! Skin oil leads to early failure. When I had my headlamp unit replaced after my hit-and-run in September, the bodyshop tech touched the turn signal/DRL bulb and it exploded within an hour! Still have the bulb pieces inside the assembly....

Deke

ricom560

The GM part no. for this item is #12553683 CAP/OIL FLT and it comes with two O-rings installed. The GM part no. for the O-ring is #12560846. These can be ordered from gmpartsdirect.com

cornellpinoy

Thanks for passing the info along. Glad you were able to find what you were looking for.

bzs

Thanks everyone for the tips. My RPM's are right on target. I will look at changing the plugs. I guess I find the fuel milage strange because the car runs so good. It never misses a beat. There is never a miss, bad idle, slow start up, nothing. The car was a one owner car w-full paperwork of all work done on it. Again thanks everyone for your help.

ohiocarl

I've got a 99 GL w/220,000 miles on it. (125,000 on the first engine when it blew, bought replacement w/35,000 on it and added 95,000 to that, so this engine has 130,000 miles on it). I have never had the crankshaft sensor problem, until now. I got the SES light, went to AutoZone and had a misfire code, crankshaft position sensor B code, misfire code. Had a friend replace all the sparkplugs, hoping that misfire caused the other error. Nope.
Now to the questions: Does the 'B' in the error code imply that there are two sensors? Also, someone mentioned that the sensor needs a scanner to learn the proper positions, or something like that, but I never saw anyone else mention that. Does that mean I need to go to a dealer rather than having my friend fix this?
Sorry to be so wordy.
Thanks,
Carl

evandro

There's one crankshaft and one camshaft sensor, both used in tandem for injection and ignition purposes. The engine can make do with only one of them in limp mode.

The crankshaft sensor actually has two sensors in the same piece, A and B, but both are needed. Therefore, both are replaced at the same time.

I chose not to replace it myself as it's necessary to remove the starter and mess with it close to one exhaust manifold from underneath the car.

HTH

jjpowell2

Our 2001 GL went into the dealer for the 3rd time because of rough cold starts and a code of 0300 random misfire. On previous visits they replaced an injector and switched spark plugs. They kept it overnight and this morning we were told that the head gasket was bad. We are now driving a courtesy Pontiac Vibe for 5 days while the parts are being shipped from Lansing. We knew something was wrong and luckily we had a good service manager to spot the problem. Still have nearly 10,000 miles to go on full warranty so we'll have a nearly rebuilt car before it expires.

:lemon: - trying to make lemonade out of it and keeping a positive attitude!

ohiocarl

Thanks Evandro. Do you know anything about needing a scanner to reset the sensor once it's installed? I am referencing Moonshadow's post #272 "Needs a scan tool to to set the crankshaft position learning procedure." He was replying to someone who had their crankshaft sensor replaced when they took the car in for something else.
Thanks,
Carl

evandro

One can always ask AutoZone to reset the SES light for free using the scanner...

HTH

tcjeff

I read here that some others have had the rack assembly replaced - the clunking noise in my '99 started showing up at around 60,000 miles and in the last 5,000 miles has gotten somewhat worse. I had the ISS replaced at 30,000 miles so I didn't think that was the problem and later I had the noise diagnosed by two different repair shops as the rack, but I am reluctant to spend the $1300+ I was quoted to replace it right now. Is there an issue with safety or excessive tire wear or anything else I should be aware of with this problem, because I would like to wait for awhile before I have it repaired?
Thanks

dtownfb

$1300 for a rack????? i had my steering rack replced on my Explorer for $600 and tha included the alignment. Of course that was a re-manufactured one but I knew I was only keeping the vehicle for 2 more years. I would have them look at the ISS again and grease that just o be sure before you drop that kind of money on the vehicle. Also ask about a remanufactured rack.

akitadog

Hi all,
The dealer said I have a bad gas cap, it isn't sealing the tank airtight. This is what brought on my SES light. Apparently air can get in the fuel line if I remember correctly. How bad is this for the engine? I'm getting about 21 mpg in 70% highway driving, which seems a tad bit low (I'm expecting about 23 mpg, and recall seeing that in the past). Is this air in the line? Am I still filling up with oxygenated gas? Or some other issue? I have almost 90K miles on my 99 GL 3.5. Thanks!

jjpowell2

Our car also had a cracked head! We are still in the rental car but the dealer said our car should be ready for us on Wednesday. A week in the 4 cyl Pontiac is enough. The only signs that something was wrong with our car was the rough starts in the morning and the level of coolant going down without any leakage showing up on the floor. I'm getting a printout of the service history from the dealer when we pick up our car. It should be about 4 pages by now. Can we now hope that everything will go okay for the last 9,000 miles of warranty?

One side note....our service engine soon light has never come on for any of these problems. It comes on when the key is inserted but I don't know if it knows how to report a serious event!

coop121

Hi Margo and others,

I am experiencing the same hard shifts on my 2000 Intrigue (115,000 miles). It only seems to occur from 1st-2nd gear. Once I get up to 3rd or 4th gear it seems to behave smoothly. It also seems to get worse the longer I drive. Meaning when I first start it up in the morning the Hard shifts aren't as severe as they are 30 minutes later.

I had the tranny fluid flushed and it didn't seem to help the problem. I have seen many postings on this subject and was wondering if anyone took their car in for a fix and what the diagnosis was. $$$ estimate. Any help would be great. thanks.

dtownfb

A new gas cap shouldn't cost too much money, $15-$20. 21 mpg is a little low but not too bad. I average 25 mpg with 90% highway driving. If I ever slowed down to 65 mph, I probably would get about 27-28 mpg.

Before you do anything, keep track of the next 5 tanks of gas and getr an accurate MPG. At 90k miles, you are also pretty close to needing a tune up as well.

akitadog

Hi coop9121,
I was told by the dealer that it was a stuck solenoid. Apparently, it's a common problem with GM's auto transmissions. I was also quoted at around $750 to replace it. It hasn't happened in a couple months for me, so I'm not worrying about it until it acts up regularly.
Good luck.

dtownfb,
I'll go ahead and buy a gas cap, but not until I see what the next two tanks of gas do. Hopefully my SES light will cut out (it has cut out after about two tanks before). And I'm being very aware that I screw the current gas cap on until it clicks. The cap itself says to do this or the SES light may come on.

jjpowell2

Got our car back today after 8 days at the dealer. They said coolant was leaking into the #1 cylinder and that is what was causing the misfire. The code was a random misfire so the first two attempts at repair involved the injectors & spark plugs. The head was cracked and they replaced it & the gasket. So glad it was under warranty because the tab was just short of $2300!! I still haven't gotten a good answer why the "SES" light never came on for this major problem.

To Akitadog & Coop121: About the harsh shifts. We also had to have the solenoid replaced and new transmission after pieces of the gears broke off and we floating through the whole system. Maybe the solenoid could be covered under a "silent warranty". It might be still covered under the 100,000 power train. I'd ask a GM dealer about it. We get a fantastic 29-30 MPG highway and about 28 around town.

mick1

99 GLS at 128,000 $800 for a torque convertor clutch solenoid, car has 138,000 miles and tranny shifts as smooth as butter.

jjpowell2

We've put about 500 miles on our 2001 GL since they replaced the cylinder head and the car purrs. We drove a new LaCrosse but were disappointed in it. It was no quieter than the Intrigue, had to constantly steer at higher speeds, less side leg room for driver, cramped back seat and side windows mounted higher. It was a pleasure to get back in the Intrigue. We'll check out the Lucerne when it's released later in the summer.

cuttyb

Here is a little background on my situation:

My wife's car is a 2000 with 70,000 miles. Recently she has experienced hard starts and the engine has been stalling occasionally. The service engine light came on and we took it to a local mechanic and had it scanned for error codes. We were told the camshaft position sensor and mass air flow sensor were bad, and we had them replaced. About 2 weeks later the same issues occurred. We took the car back to the mechanic and this time we were told the camshaft sensor was bad again, and it was replaced free of charge. It has been a little more than a month, the hard starting has been resolved, but the car continues to stall, and the service engine light goes on from time to time.

We had a friend scan the car with a OBD II interface and got the error code: P0101 mass or volume air flow circuit range / performance problem and unfortunately we cleared the error code. We took the car back to the mechanic but they could not get it to stall and they said there were no error codes, so everything was ok. The car continues to stall and the service engine light goes on and off, but the mechanic cannot duplicate the situation.

Based on information learned on this site, it sounds like it could be a number of things including the crankshaft position sensor, camshaft position sensor, ignition switch, or fuel pressure regulator. I never read any mention of the mass air flow sensor.

Could the stalling problems be related to the mass air flow sensor or is this a completely separate issue?

I have tried jiggling the keys to get the car to stall, but this did not work so I think I have eliminated the ignition switch from the equation.

Any suggestions to help resolve this issue and end my frustration are greatly appreciated!!

mozell

Saturday night during a trip i starting hearing a noise in my steering wheel area on turns, and when i put it in park and turn the wheel i hear the noise and the wheel will turn itself back straight. anyone had this happen before?

rs2

My engine light (DTC P0410) kept coming on and found out the problem was water in my secondary air pump. This was the second one I had to have replaced on my 2002 Intrigue. Turns out there is a TSB on the problem 04-06-04-037 - May 27, 2004. The design is bad and GM invented a plastic shield that needs to be added to keep water out. Even though it was out of warranty I complained and the dealer had the pump replaced for free and added the shield.

This TSB applies to:
00-02 Regal, Impala, Monte Carlo, Intrigue, Grand Prix, with 3.5l or 3.8l engine

cob

Mass airflow sensor can be fixed at dealer there is a TSB out to re program the computer for this issue. My 2000 with 98000 miles was stalling. Dealer tried new computer and it still stalled. Turned out to be ignition switch. That was 10,000 miles ago and no problems since. Stalling seemed to occur right after cold start up. Dealer had to keep it over night but fortunately it stalled on them. $200 to repair both problems, not bad, cheaper than new computer and sensor.

dtownfb

The ignition switch is a common problem on the GM dash mounted switches. I had a similar problem with my 2001 Malibu.

evandro

I'd say more: make sure you get the 4157NAK, not 4157NA. I made this mistake and the new bulb didn't last more than a month.

Today I just bought a new pair of 4157NALL, which at least stated on the package that it replaced 4157NAK.

AFAIK, now, the K means that the bulb is filled with Krypton, an inert gas, which prolongs its life. The LL means long-life, but it didn't say anything about Krypton. We'll see.

rocketman71

My 2002 Intrigue GLS which has been trouble free and a pleasure to drive has developed an oil leak. The car only has 23,000 km (14,600 miles) on it. I took it to the dealer on Friday and they determined, as I thought from my probing, it is leaking from the worst of all places - between the upper and lower crankcases. These engines like the Northstars have a 2 piece block, plus a cast oil pan. Two technicians looked at it and tried to break it to me gently that the engine has to come out and get torn down from the bottom to the point the crank is able to be removed. He said it is usually a 20 hour job, based on his Caddy experience. I indicated, but it is under warranty - he just smiled and said well then have a great day! This technician said it was fairly common on the Northstars but they upgraded the gaskets. However, as they no longer make the LX5 shortstar he doubts they upgraded any pieces.
It's going in on Wednesday - I just hope it gets repaired properly and without creating any other issues. To provide a little more background, in October 2003 when I bought the car, I requested details of any service work that was performed prior to my purchase ( the car was only used by the sales managers wife and hadn't been sold to anyone) and I noted the rear crankshaft seal was replaced at 9,000 km. - now I'm thinking either the side crankcase gaskets were leaking all along, or maybe the leak now in the same general area is possibly from a bad repair of the seal - I better inform them before they haul the engine out. Sorry for rambling - this is kind of therapeutic.
Have any members on this board had any oil leak issues?

cob

My 2000 has 98000 miles and never had an oil leak per se but, it mystereously uses a quart of oil every 2000-2500 miles. No smoke out the tail pipe and no oil spots in the garage it just vanishes. GM dealer says its normal for these new types of engines to use oil. Which translated in plain english we do not have a fix for this problem and probably never will. Interesting how the 4.3 liter V6 in my Astro van with 90,000 doesn't use oil. I believe that engine design has been around for decades. Good luck on your repair hope it works and you don't have any warped parts.