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Anyway, I searched the bulletins here and found out there is a TSB about this entitled
"00-01-38-012 DEC 00 Evaporator Case - Water Leaks to The Interior"
Does anybody know what this says, or where I could read it (other than subscribing to ALLDATA). Does anybody know how to correct this problem?
thanks for any input
oldsman : I will be watching VERY closely to see the results of the alternator change. The flicker for me only occurs in very cold weather so I will test it right away as we just went back into the deep freeze last night. I think you get a year warranty on a replacement part correct?
On the web, I plugged in the TSB # into Altavista and found the following:
Carpet Wet On Passenger Side of Vehicle (Clean Evaporator Case Drain, If Plugged); 1999 - 2000 Chevrolet Monte Carlo, 2000 Chevrolet Impala
The TSB is the same for all the w-bodies, I assume.
File In Section: 01 - HVAC
Bulletin No.: 00-01-38-012
Date: December, 2000
TECHNICAL
Subject:
Carpet Wet On Passenger Side of Vehicle
(Clean Evaporator Case Drain, If Plugged)
Models:
1999-2000 Buick Century, Regal
1999-2000 Chevrolet Monte Carlo
2000 Chevrolet Impala
1999-2000 Oldsmobile Intrigue
1999-2000 Pontiac Grand Prix
Condition
Some customers may comment that the carpet on the front passenger side is wet.
Cause
This may be caused by foreign material plugging the evaporator case drain.
Correction
Inspect the evaporator case drain for plugging.
1. Raise the vehicle on a hoist.
2. Remove the rubber elbow from the evaporator case drain tube by pulling the elbow straight off.
3. Insert a 9 mm (11/32 in) drill bit, or any other similar-type instrument, into the evaporator case drain to clean out the material that is blocking the drain. (The distance to the other side of the evaporator case is 130 mm (5 in)).
4. Re-install the evaporator case drain rubber elbow. A small amount of silicone spray on the inside of the rubber tube will allow it to be slipped into place very easily. Be sure that the rubber elbow drain hole is open.
If the evaporator case drain was not plugged, a water leak test will need to be performed using normal water testing procedures.
If no external water leak was found and the vehicle returns for the same type concern, the evaporator case will have to be removed from the vehicle and the foreign material removed from the evaporator case.
Parts Information
No parts are required to perform this procedure. If the rubber elbow is missing from the vehicle, install a new elbow. The addition of this rubber elbow will result in road and wind noise reduction at highway speeds.
Warranty Information
For vehicles repaired under warranty, use the table.
For all of those who were bashing their Goodyear RS-A's, you might find it interesting that the US Capitol Police use those tires on their squad cars--I noticed going to work today. I think that says a lot about their durability and traction.
redline : Both our Intrigue and Alero have the ABS/TC and I would never get a car with out in the future. I realize we have more snow / ice up here, but even on wet roads they are well worth having.
Find an icy slippery empty parking lot, pick up some speed and cut the wheels hard in one direction without touching the brakes. If you get the low track light and your rear end does not swing out, then your PCS kicked in. I like to play in a parking lot at the beginning of each winter season to get a feel for a car and to refresh winter driving techniques in a control condition.
LOL my wife won't let me take her Envoy XL out on the ice! It is RWD, but it also has a locking rear differential and traction control (plus ABS). I really wish she would let me take it out to play, but she won't let it leave the garage! I'm eager to see how it handles the ice. By the way, there is about 3" of ice on my driveway. My neighbor tried to drive up his in his Cherokee and just slid back down.
Has anybody changed thier own brakes on an Intrigue? Is it pretty straight forward, or should I let a mechanic do it? (He quoted me $250 for the front pads and rotors). I've done other cars in the past, but never one with anti-lock brakes
thanks
The temperature finally got above freezing this afternoon, so the roads are pretty clear here now. I could have ice skated on the roads this morning, it was very smooth and slick.
I was told by a mechanic that I would soon need to replace my front brake pads and rotors on my 98 Intrigue (130k miles)
Geez, 130K miles on brakes, 83,000 km on tires, I don't know how you guys do it. I needed new tread at 32K miles and now I need new front brakes at 50K miles.
Speaking of A2's.. How do you find yours noise wise and other factors like wet handling, dry handling compared to oem?
The A2's handle a little better than the Eagle LS's. The main advantage is price, they will save you about $80 for a set. IMO they have better wet traction too. They were very quiet when I first put them on, but I think I have something wrong with my suspension or the front end needs aligning because now they are loud. My service guy says they are "chopped", but I don't know how because I've only put about 15K miles on them, and they are rotated every 7500 miles. I keep 31 psi in them too. Visibly it looks like the tread is wearing a little unevenly, not really on the outside or inside, but each tread has more wear on the rear vs. the front. It might just be my driving style, I tend to push the car hard into corners.
;-)
someone could somehow guarantee me, a top-notch finish, with NO PROBLEMS initially, on-going, and long term. Then YES under those conditions I would give the Intrigue another shot.
But I would NOT pay the asking full MSRP, which full loaded was exceeding the $30k mark, and simply does not have the track record to command the sort of pricing.
Right now in a sedan, the Mazda-6 has my attention, good looks & price very reasonable. I'm also looking forward to seeing what new the Acura '04 TL will look like. But my guess is the price is going to take big jump up [like into the mid 30's] bridging the price gap between the RL, and moving away from the Accord. And Acura will more than likely lose some "value" orinted customers.
But I'm thinking/leaning towards some type of cross-over vehicle, giving me a little more life-style versatility.
Uh, what are you trying to tell everyone??
Honda RULES!
A cross-over sport-wagon kind of thingy, we will just have to see what the future holds.
But not the Honda Pilot/MDX, right? You will be disappointed in me jgriff, I bought an Envoy XL and not a Pilot. ;-)
By the way, my Intrigue is still going strong at 50K miles. It's had a few minor problems, but not as bad as my Aunt's '99 Accord EX V6 that needed a new transmission after two years.
Thanks for your imput cause I am probably going to buy one in a couple weeks. Any comments would be appreciated.
redline : I was very disappointed with the Pilot. The MDX is a real nice truck, but the Pilot is dull looking and the interior / dash was nothing special. People will buy cause it's a Honda, but it really isn't anything special. I can think of 5 other SUVs I would buy before the Pilot. My first choice if I could buy today would be a Trailblazer LTZ.
Pilot:: you're right very dull. Hate the gear shift on the column. Makes it more MiniVan like.
MDX:: Is great, except it is getting down right pricey. That was my 1st choice when they first came out. The pricing was around 33-34 up to 38. Now they start out at 36 and maxs out at 42-44.
I like the setup & pricing of the Mazda Tribute, but dang it got Ford's hands/input all over it. And they had a bunch of problems from the get go. I can't really tell if they have clear up the Q&A issues.
I've driven the new Trailblazer, and while it's got a great engine, the handling and braking never let you forget you were driving a truck. It's also noticeably jittery on the highway. Since I don't go up mountains or haul bags of feed, I'd rather have a more car-like ride and better handling.
And there is no improvement in performance on snow or ice in a truck-platform SUV vs. a car/minivan platform-SUV. That's about traction, not a heavy-duty supension.
I've read the "crossover" Volvo C90 and Volkswagen Toureag are good alternatives to the truck-based SUV's, too.
I came across a 1999 ex-opp white Lumina for 5 thousand Canadian. It has the 3800II, 4t65e transmission, recaro seats, stiff suspension, H rated tires(max speed 130mph) and the odometer says 147k km (92k miles). After taking it for a drive last week I found no apparent flaws such as pulling to one side, engine whine or rough shift points. To my surprise when I check the dipstick for the automatic transmission fluid, it is showing bright pink fluids which indicates the fluid is fairly new.
What do you have to say about this folks? The price is right and the car is in relatively good shape, I know it would be hard pressed to find a late model vehicle in the 5000 dollar (CDN) price range, and this one has the 3800II in it which is a big plus. I have always enjoy the power the 3800II outputs, and its smoothness and reliability. Anyways, I would like to take the car home next week unless somebody comes with a convincing reason for me not to.
This is my first time car shopping, I would appreciate any suggestions and comments. Thanks in advance.
Basil
Pep Boys, and some of the other chains, will do the above, and will also plug the car into a computer and do a complete diagnostic, electrical check and compression check on the engine, take off the wheels and inspect the brakes, exhaust, etc. all for about $89. Well worth it.
Several years ago, I was very interested in a used Mazda RX-7 that looked and drove flawlessly. I had it put up on the rack, and the mechanic pointed out to me where the frame had been bent and repaired - it obvioulsy had been wrecked and the owner flat out lied to me when I had previously asked if it had been in an accident. I never would have known that it I hadn't had it looked at "bottom up".
1 ) Replaced the temperature gauge
2 ) Replaced the alternator to fix the headlight flicker
3 ) Lubed the intermediate shaft
Nothing major at all, just small things really. Other wise it's just been oil changes, tire rotations and gas. I will have the 4 wheel alignment done this weekend (dealer wanted to charge me $99, LOL). Anything else people recommend in terms of maintainence?
Thanks to all in this forum for comments and information. We will probably start to loose some people here as people move on and sell their Intrigues. It's sad because I would have definitely bought another in a few years. Today I'd more likely be looking at a Mazda 6 than another GM. Hopefully GM will bring another good sport sedan to the market in the coming years (are you listening Buick Regal design staff?).
I have never thought about that, but I guess you are right. Since they aren't selling them anymore the only new people here in the forum will be the used buyers.
Sounds like you have had pretty good luck with your Intrigue. Mine has been a little more problematic, having replaced two batteries, a crankshaft sensor, trunk shocks, front strut, and the ISS. I think the General has some quality control issues on some of their parts, but overall I've been pleased. Luckily I have not yet experienced any lights flickering.
One thing I did forget to mention was the rattles that are completely still absent from the car. Driving down bumpy old downtown roads, the only rattles I ever hear is junk in the dash cubby. It's a nice little thing as every car I have had previous to this has developed one rattle or another by this point.
MY dealer told me that this was the first one they have ever installed. Wish it was around when I had the Intrigue.
The 2002 would likely be the best of years to get. You should be able to get one at a steal of a price also (new or used). I was very tempted to buy another one at the end when they were getting rid of them all in the fall.
ozznet : $20K for a GL or a GX? Are they off lease/rentals? Good luck with the purchase.
My reasons are personal, but suffice to say I did not do this because it isn't a sweet car. Anyone who buys one of the leftover 02s will be nothing less than delighted. It was an incredible car for road trips, handled well, and had a great engine to boot. My dad loves the car as much as I did, and even ordered a factory spoiler for it on eBay!
I firmly believe the Intrigue is the best sedan GM has made in the last decade, and they still don't have anything that comes close that isn't overpriced (CTS). Hence, I decided to depart from the GM family. I've owned GMs on and off (mostly on) since I was 17 years old, and it was with mixed feelings I purchased an 03 Nissan Maxima this past Saturday.
I've always tried to buy American when possible, even spending more on American-made items even when a cheaper foreign alternative was available. In today's car market, show me a fire-breathing FWD or AWD domestic car that is reasonably priced, tightly screwed together, and is appealing both inside and out. Chrysler and Ford quality scare me (not that they really have anything even if the QA was there), and GM just has nothing for me right now. The CTS is nice, but underpowered and RWD (which doesn't cut it where I live, even with dedicated snows). It's more than $5k over the Maxima even with my GM discount, and IMO isn't as nice a car.
I'm sure that GM will get its act together in the next 5 years or so, and eventually I will come back as a customer. I do take solace in the fact that Nissan does buy a lot of American parts for their cars (from plants close to me in West Michigan), and employs a lot of American workers in other states. Plus Nissan isn't a "true" Japanese car company any more - 44% owned by Renault, with a Brazilian (I think) president.
I'll still read and participate in the Intrigue board, so let's discuss. Did I do the wrong thing by leaving GM, and is my perception about Chrysler and Ford wrong? Should I have bought a car I wasn't completely satisfied with, just to buy American?
white : Still love the CTS like crazy and I disagree on your assessment of the car. That said, I think it's a bit pricey, I wish it was a few Canadian $ Gs less. I think it will be a better value when the new V6 comes in a few months. Of course the car is selling very well anyway so GM likely doesn't care about my opinion on the price.