Pontiac Bonneville General Maintenance and Repair

mfahey1

Ken, it's just that so many people have posted the same problem with a wide cross section of models and years with the corresponding mix of tires. I would guess that something in the design of the cars makes them unusually sensitive to tires that are slightly out of tolerance.
Happy New Year everyone and if you are out tonight, please use either common sense or a designated driver. We're safe at our house since the party is here but it's still something to be aware of.

jjocjjoc

My 99 Bonne has started to experience surging/missing/hestitation when I accelarate up to highway speeds. The problem usually starts around 40-50 mph as I accelarate to get up to 60-70 mph (flat highway). Any ideas?
My limited experience with this problem on a prior car (91 tbird) surging going up hills was directly related to the plugs needing replacement. However, I'm wondering if it's a different issue since my car only has 52k miles and the plugs supposively last alot longer.

john325

I have a '99 Bonneville with about 50,000 miles on it, and not too long ago I had a similar problem. It turned out that one of the plugs had a problem & needed to be changed; if I'm not mistaken, I believe my mechanic subsequently changed a plug wire as well. So although you may believe the plugs will last 100k miles, they may need to be changed much sooner. Good luck, I hope this helps.

jjocjjoc

John325 & GMlover1,
thanks for the input regarding the plugs/wires as the likely culprit. I'll have it checked out soon.
Have no problem replacing plugs and or wires 'early' if need be.

tpken

Now that my Aquatreads have replaced the 40K mile Affinities, my ride is smooth and comfy again. I had hoped the tires were the problem and furtunately it turned out to be so.

Ken

chasbville

Help! All of a sudden my 94 is flooding in the rain. Major amounts of water coming into front passenger footwell. I'm thinking a blocked drain plug or something, but the dealer wanted $500 to take up the carpet and seats to "trace" the leak. Anybody have any info on how water is drained off the car, especially the windshield/front door edge area? It has to go somewhere, preferably not INTO the car! Thanksalot.

mfahey1

With both my daughter's 92 Bonneville, the 96 that I had before I got our 2000, and to a lesser extent, now the 2000, the front fender just to the rear of the wheel fills up with leaves and any other debris that washes down. On my daughter's, there was an unbelievable buildup in there that I got rid of with a combination compressed air and a hose. I don't believe that she ever had water in the interior so these two may not be related.
If the drain out of the evaporator coil is plugged, the condensate off of the coil has to go somewhere and that somewhere may well be the interior of the car. You could try running the A/C if the weather is warm enough and see if you observe any water on the ground and where it is coming from.

jjocjjoc

My 99 (which I bought at 24k used) seemed to have excess wind noise at freeway speeds, and during the winter excess front window moisture/fog.
One dealer when I first bought it suggested that maybe the window had been replaced and if not properly installed, can lead to wind moan. They tried putting some extra front sealent around the edges but that didn't help much.
Anyone else have any thoughts?
Thanks.

lil_angel

I hope someone can help me. My 92 bonneville will not start if the tempeture is below freezing. If i wait until later in the afternoon once it warms up outside it will start with no problem and will continue to start all day. Have researched this problem on the net and have found lots of bonneville owners with same problem. They have replaced lots of parts like fuel pump, alternator,battery, computer boards etc and still have problem. It whines like it wants to start but will not. One guy said he could start his by holding gas to floor until it starts and someone else says he has to use a block heater on the car so that it will start. No one can explain this. If anyone can help me I would greatly appreciate it.

fantascp

Hi Brenda- I don't have this problem with my 2000
Bonneville, however- i also have a 91 Buick Skylark- when the temp really gets cold- well below freezing- around -0 to 5 above etc, the car will whine and whine etc- i have to change the Spark Plugs- if a plug is fouled-the car will not start- its worth a shot looking into- cheaper than replacing the fuel pump etc! once i replace the plugs the car is ok.
Good Luck!!!!

Regards

Chuck

jjocjjoc

regarding my post and a couple posts regarding changing plugs or plug wires at 52k to correct surging problem, I talked to my dealer today the he suggesting changing the fuel filter first. I had previously considered that, but to my surprise my owner's manual makes no reference to a fuel filter at all unlike other GM vehicles I've had or have currently (which advise changing about every 30k). Thus, I wasn't even sure I had one!
Just curious, anyone know why manual would exclude any referecne to fuel filter changes? I assume there is one. ?? (I know, dumb question).

rsgus

I just talked to Pontiac Cust. Service regards
reinversment for bad intake manifolds (96 Bonny)
GM say's Sorry, S.O.L. .I wonder if GMAC would
like to repo. How about a class action lawsuit?
How many 3.8"s seized because of this problem?
What can we do? Just grin and bare it.....
May be this could be a safety problem the Feds
could handle. Any idea's????

sixxer

Hi all,

My 2000 Bonnie seems to be much thirstier lately. Any tips on what to do/check to see why the sudden change? I've already checked the air filter and it is clean. What about injector cleaning? Any tips would be appreciated!

Thanks,
Stan

jjocjjoc

You didn't mention how many miles you had on your 2000. Could be the fuel filter needs to be changed. Also, about once a year I put in a bottle of Chevron Techron injector cleaner and that seems to help. I just had to replace a couple bad plug wires on my 1999 which surprising were bad and were leading to occasional surging and no doubt decreased gas mileage.
Good luck

sixxer

The car has around 30K miles on it. Non-supercharged 3.8L. I'll try a bottle of injector cleaner on the next tank of gas maybe. Only got about 19.5 MPG my last tank, and I don't have that heavy of a foot. I'm just used to the 22 to 23MPG I used to get. Perhaps it is the temperature change, as it is getting colder here lately.. Any thoughts?

hutbet

2000 se with 28000 miles. oil leaking from top of engine down back left side. just noticed after oil change. any body got any ideas? engine is performing o k....THANKS

alcan

Valve cover gasket or oil pump drive o-ring. Look below the throttle body for oil pooling.

socleanone

A responds for RSGUS post 607.Where do we start? My 98SLE. was towed in just this morning with this exact same thing.I've looked over all the text on this site and came up with 8 or 9 people with this same problem. The repair shop is working on another bonneville around the same year as mine right now with the same thing. I just turn 45000 last week. I'm the second owner of this car.The first owner told me that he had intake work done when he had it.I'm checking tomorrow if it was this same problem. Starts out loosing water somewhere internally .Never see any pudals.Then i noticed low oil presure.Next check engine light comes on.I make it home ,stop and rev it up a few times when i let off the gas she dies and thats it. Tow time.Estmated price around 500 bucks.Who do go to from here? PISSED

rsgus

You will be lucky if it's only the intake gasket.
Due to VERY POOR design the EGR burns thru the
plastic intake allowing coolent to leak into motor. Evenually ALL 95-98 GM 3.8 engines will
have this problem. The replacement intake is the
same as orginal with no changes to fix problem.
GM should sell these for just the cost of the
plastic. Right now the best bet is to contact
NHSTA (1-88-dash-2-dot) & let them determine
if stalling & seizing engines are a safety problem. P.S. GM knew about this problem in
oct 1997 per service bulletin.

tpken

Does this problem affect engines newer than 1998? I have a 2000 SE with same engine.

Ken

gvoigt

Tom
The wiffs 97 had the same problem, after much head scratching on everyones part a test of the alternator and the plug wires were found to be the problem. The alternator wasn't putting out enough juice causing the computer to under go a brown out so to speak. The plug wires were dried out and cracking and stray voltage was present. Changed them both and now no problems. She travels a lot and any 'little' thing and I hear about it and have to take it to the dealer to get fixed under the extended warranty. Best money I ever spent. Now she's talking about another one.

tomhunter

My 97 Bonneville SE with a SuperCharger has hesitation problem most noticeable when going uphill. I've changed the plugs, fuel filter and cleaned the injectors. Still the problem remains.
I also have a gas gauge problem, where the gauge remains at full until the tank is almost empty then it falls to the E.
Any Ideas?

Tom

socleanone

Sorry to say,but yes you are a victom of this problem.My dealership told me today that they have already had a new model in with this problem.I also found out today that the first owner of my car had the gasket go on him at only 14000 miles.Now again at 45000 miles.AINT THAT SOME $#!+.Now I'm out $500 bucks and a little pissed. Talk to ya L8R.

tpken

at the Regal, LeSabre and other 3.8L vehicle boards and see if anyone else is reporting this issue. It's certainly news to me and I'll be watching for it. No problems in this vein for me so far at 43K miles.

Ken

john325

My mechanic has changed lots of these he told me. Mine, like yours Ken, is an SE, although its a '99. I have 52,000 miles on it so far w/ no problem. Knock on wood.

Funny enough, I had to have the steering wheel cable replaced today, as my horn only worked intermitently. I didn't like the idea of not being able to alert someone if they're changing lanes or backing into me. Call me paranoid.

John B.

fantascp

Hi everyone- I need a little advice- how difficult is it to change the engine accessory belt on a 1998 SSE- 205 HP engine- not SC.
The belt i can purchase from GMparts direct.com for around $17.00- my local mechanic wants around $100.00 to install and pay for a new belt.-He said it might take about 1 hour of labor to install.
Whats the best way to go with this?
Thanks,

Chuck

mfahey1

I did it on my 96 and I don't remember having any difficulty whatsoever. I'm pretty sure it was a very straightforward procedure.

mfahey1

Rather than spending so much money pushing the Grand Prix in the Super Bowl, maybe Pontiac should do more with the Bonneville. In February's Consumer Reports, the Grand Prix GT came in last against the Camry, Altima and Intrepid(?).

evandro

Consumer Reports tests cars as they test appliances. In an early comparison on Road & Track, the GP performed much better than any other mid-size, such as the Passat and the Altima. Its Buick V6 pushed it way ahead than others with variable cam and multi-valve...

Ah, of course, it got few points in the subjective aspects... :^P

tpken

My new carpool buddy has a 98 or so Grand Prix GTP and I rode home in the back seat last night - first time I've had that opportunity. I was shocked at how uncomfortable the car was. Now to be honest, I've never ridden in the back seat of my Bonneville SE for any great distance but my rear seat is far better than the GP's. I had my knees up even with my chin; my keister felt like it was on the floor pan. Every bump and imperfection in the road surface was both loud and jarring. Now granted this car has 90K miles vs 40 on mine but the design itself is awful.

This morning I drove and the Bonneville rode smooth and quietly over those same roads.

I'm wondering how an SSEi or SLE would compare.

Ken

mfahey1

Not sure what year Altima you're referring to but the new one that Consumer Reports tested has a 260 hp V-6 that went 0-60 in 7.1 seconds versus 8.6 seconds for the Grand Prix with the 3.8L.

evandro

That Altima had manual transmission...

xavier64

Are there any warning signs that this may occur(leaks etc...) Told a friend who has a 96 Bonnie SE but not sure what to look out for. Saw this is affecting the 2000+ cars as well.

Time will tell. Thanks for any info on this topic...sxb

montanafan

I think those who have posted most frequently mention loss of coolant (having to add to tank) as the most common first clue. Those with the most problems continue to drive with the coolant loss until it gets much worse, low coolant lights/check engine light/high temp on gage. Those who think they need engines then continue to drive and engine stops. There also was some confussion over an intake gasket leak and an intake manifold that requires replacement. The problem the last poster was refering to possbily effects 1995-1998 3.8L engines intake manifolds. And if the parts were not different, the replacement would not involve both upper and lower manifolds. There was also a post refering to an Oct 97 bulletin but the first bulletin was 2/01.

xavier64

Montanfan, thanks for the info....sxb

tomhunter

Thankyou Gvigt
I finally got the wires changed as you suggested.
This solved the problem completely.

Great Tip!

jjocjjoc

yeah I have 52k on my 99 and was experiencing similar hesitation. 2 wires were found to weak and I replaced all wires and no more hesitation.
YOu'd think they would last longer.

gmlover1

3 years and 52k is a long time.

mfahey1

While 3 years and 52,000 miles might seem like a long time, we're talking about cars that are supposed to go 100,000 miles without a tuneup. I would think the wires would be designed to last as long as the other components that are part of the 100,000 tuneup.

gmlover1

Most probable do. IF one set of wires in 25 fails early that's only 4%.

ceca894

I'm Interested to know how early posts who had this problem, were resolved. Did everybody need intake gasket and manifold? MY 97 bonne. w/73k went into Pontiac dealer with early symptoms. Coolant loss plus some coolant visible on backside of intake manifold. It flunked a pressure test big time. ) Tech I talked to said they get by sometimes w/just replacing gasket. Sometimes lower gasket needs replacing also(only$600!)Has anyone needed lower also?
I think it's criminal to use a plastic manifold and not take any responsibility when they all fail!
Any feedback is welcomed.
Thanks- ED K

dharvey55

I am having a these problem with my car
rough idle, poor acceleration.
I change the plugs and it got somewhat better.
the old plugs very dry and some of them looks as
though they are starting to melt.
there is no problem starting the engine.
I am trying to gain access to the engine codes.
I have a manual on engine codes, it tells me to look for a 12 pin connector. My car has a 16 pin connector. can anyone help me gain access to the engine codes

ceca894

I Have a Chilton manual that says all 95- up cars are OBD II, All have 16 pin connectors. I think you'll have to invest in an scan tool to read the trouble codes. The Chilton manual was only about $10-$15. It has the codes in it plus a ton of everything else to get you in trouble! Good Luck

alcan

Some 94 and 95, all 96 and newer are OBD-II compliant. Ceca's right about the scan tool, though. Is the check engine light on? Were the plug wires changed?

matt1128

The other day as my wife pulled in the drive, the "chime" went off and the check engine light came on. The next day I drove the car for about 15 minutes around town and came back home. Not only did I notice that the oil pressure seemed a little low (no idiot lights or chiming sounds though), but when I parked the car, the "chime" sounded and the check engine light came on.

The very next day I took the car to the Pontiac dealership, the same place where the oil was changed less than 30 days ago. $430 later and the prognosis was that we needed a new engine because of premature "bearing" wear. Evidence of this was in the sump pan (a fair amount of metal shavings, probably not to much, but enough to see that something is wearing prematurely within the engine). Their advice: New or rebuilt engine. Roughly 2 - 4K, depending on source of engine.

So, since the pontiac has 130K on it and we have an unrelated "shudder" that occurs at about 68 mph that we have never been able to get rid of (despite our efforts). We decided that we probably ought to get something "dependable", although the pontiac would have fit that description last week.

BUT, that being said, we have a 17 year old daughter that could use it around town IF anyone has any reasonable advice on what our next course of action should be. Synthetic oil, Slick 50, Marvel Mystery oil, or maybe even just a better dealer/mechanic?

Our thoughts are that we would like to get all we can out of this car, but without the expense of dropping a new or rebuilt engine in the car. Anybody think we have any chance of doing something like that? You see, extending engine life even 1,000 miles would be great, but we can't have her driving around w/chimes going off and the engine light on, or thinking that at any minute the engine might seize up on her.

I am very interested in hearing anyone's opinion on this. We ended up buying another vehicle, so money to fix this one is very tight.

TIA

- Matt

at dealership (within last month).

alcan

Clearances for main and connecting rod bearings in the 3800 engine are .0008" to .0022". A sheet of loose leaf paper is about .0035", so average bearing clearance is about 1/2 the thickness of a sheet of paper. If there are shavings in the pan, clearances can be measured with a yardstick. Sounds like there was an oil delivery problem, possibly caused by a worn oil pump, clogged pick up screen, low oil level, or too low oil viscosity. Unfortunately there's no bearing-in-a-can. Higher viscosity oil might bring the pressure up a bit, but another alternative if you want to keep the car is a lower mileage guaranteed engine from a recycling yard. Most of them will do the installation. Re the shudder at higher speed, was the transaxle torque converter clutch apply valve bore in the valve body ever checked for wear? Common problem with the symptom you described, easy fix.

astrolann1

Has any one experienced a clucking noise in the front of your Bonneville, mine is on the left side, loader if cold outside.

rsgus

When my intake went out (96 Bonnty) my tech replaced gaskets only but 3 days later had to go back in and replace the manifolds. Per service
bulletin BOTH upper & lower manifolds should be
changed. I agree GM should take the blame for
lousy design but they won't until enough stink is
raised & by the right people. I had a 90 Buick La Sabre w/over 265 k miles with NO problems. Thanks
GM for taking one of the best engines you've made
& screwing it up.

ceca894

I didn't Know about TSB to change upper & Lower manifolds. Are you sure it isn't just the upper & lower gaskets? I had mine done on Tues. Upper plastic plenum looked ok. The GM tech showed me the gaskets that were starting to go. Just in case anyone actually believes the 150k coolant life- FORGETABOUTIT!! The tech I talked to said he thinks 30k is time to dump it. Ph level raises w/ age any probably helps the new rubber manifold gaskets detoriate. I had 73k on mine coolant- Never again! Ed

pontiacrick

In response to astrolann1, I purchased a 2002 SLE in January. I have experienced more of a creaking noise that I think is coming from the dashboard area where the passenger door meets up to the dashboard. If the temperature is mid 30's or higher it disappears. When the temperature is in the 20's or lower the noise is prevalent on every bump in the road. In fact, I noticed this on another Bonneville when I was test driving them before my purchase. On the day I test drove my car and made the purchase it was warmer outside so didn't notice any rattle or creaking noise. Also, I noticed on two different bonnevilles during test drives, that the front passenger door "rubbed" on the front fender when closing the door. On one car, it actually bent the front fender. The salesman said the doors sometimes have to be adjusted. I was wondering if this had anything to do with the "clucking/creaking" noise. The car otherwise is really quiet (once the outside temp is 36 degrees or higher!). Has anybody else noticed any thing like this on their 2001/2002 bonnevilles?