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If the resistance changes while the motor is running, the system will set a code that there's a problem reading the key resistance and will stop trying to use that as a security check. The security light will be on all the time. But the car will crank and start normally.
It doesn't sound like your problem.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
I'm getting a GM code P1441..."evaporative emission system flow during non-purge". Car is 1997 Buick Park Avenue with a 3.8. Can you give me any clues as to what is wrong. Thanks for any help, Mike.
Thanks for your help.
-- Occasionally when I start the car and put it in drive it won't move, until I accelerate between 2000-3000 rpm.
-- Also, every once in a while, when I approach a stop light, the engine vibrates and shakes while I'm holding the brakes down, until I put it into neutral. This doesn't happen as often as it used to.
-- When I'm accelerating from a low to high speed the car feels like it chugs...chugging my gas away. This seems to happen under 30 mph.
The transmission has been rebuilt about 10-15k miles ago (when the problems started). I've used a computer: two codes saying "torque converter switch stuck". I've had the car taken in to the mechanic who rebuilt the transmission. After three months of stalling, he said there were filings in the radiator, and so he flushed them out. Obviously that wasn't the problem because the light keeps coming back.
Can anyone tell me what the problem is, whether or not I'd have to take the transmission out, and how much this might cost?
I've put voltmeters on the steering position, yaw and lateral acceleration sensors. All seem to be giving reasonable readings while driving. I was expecting one of them to go to 5V or ground if it went bad. Nothing seems out of the ordinary, although I'm not exactly sure what the relationship is between the two channels of the steering sensor.
I'm wondering if there is an intermittant inside the brake control module that I can't get to. Does anyone have any ideas? Thanks.
You are on the right track, in my opinion, with the change in temperature observation. The tire pressures change with ambient temperature and with the medium (tire) temperature which changed the internal air pressure as well as the behavior of the rubber portion.
Go to this page and read about road force balancing.
http://www.hunter.com/pub/product/balancer/index.htm
It will explain that while a wheel and tire may be balanced off the car, when it's rolling with weight on the tire the crush amount of the tire varies. That causes the wheel to move up and down and you reach a speed where it begins to resonate with the previous bounce force and increases.
You may have a rim which tests as off round and a tire may be imperfect. Sometimes a knowledgeable tech on the Hunter 9700 will move the tire relative to the rim so the forces cancel each other out. The problem here is something many companies have had, not just GM. GM may have been early with the Aurora chassis and its stiffness. When you have very light components, like A-arms, they rreact more to up and down motion from the wheels rolling. The stiffness of the frame (unibody) transmits this.
The solution was to have Michelin tires because they are the best made for uniformity. Many manufacturers are way behind the quality standard needed by today's cars. Then find a dealer of Buicks or Cadillacs because they have worked with this problem. Find one where the people seem interested in finding your problem and fixing it. It may cost more but be less trouble than working with low Joe at the local discount tire store who bought a Hunter 9700 as a profit center. Be aware some tires were replaced on Park Avenues with Michelins as I recall to try to troubleshoot the problems. I bought an 03 LeSabre with Michelins because it was essentially the same car as the STS with Michelins at the time (there are differences in quality, I know).
The alignment is also a factor. My service manager started life as the alignment person, so he knows alignment. He tweaked the alignment on the 2nd visit for some road feel vibration. I told him on long upslopes on smooth fresh asphalt on interstate it would begin to vibrate but at the same speeds with no pull on the wheels nothing happened. The slight pull changes the front wheel positions and alignment.
Found the Rear toein was off. Set fronts at perfect setting--not just within specs. It has to be at the optimum. And the vibration from the Symmetrys was gone. As the tires aged after 15000 they seemed to become more even. I suspect the belts change with age and flexing those miles.
There's a search page on the hunter page that will help you find all the local stores who have Hunter 9700s.
Good luck. I don't know about the quality of Khumhos that you have. I know the Goodyears are not up to snuff at the time in 03 when my service manager was fixing mine. I beleive that's what was on some Park Aves originally.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
I think I'll give the road force balance a try. It just seems kind of expensive to have to pay $60 to get 4 wheels balanced. But if it solves the problem it will be worth it.
I appreciate any suggestions.
Thanks Bev
First of all who is doing your work? It sounds like someone is just being a parts changer. You are going to need someone with electrical knowledge. I happen to be an electrical engineer that worked for GM when I came out of college. Imagine the luck! Anyway, I have a service DVD that contains some 97 PA info but no schematics or windows info. The DVD does have the full 98 PA info. Based on Edmunds info it appears that these cars are basically the same. I'd be willing to try to help but you'll need someone to be my eyes for me. The first place I'll suggest to look is in the wiring harnesses and connectors. Hopefully you'll read this. It sounds like a fun one. If you want to you can publish your email address and I can send some schematics. Set up a temporary hotmail address if you don't want to publish your real email.
PAU3
My mechanic said it needs a new rear engine mount, and today when I shifted into reverse it rolled forward, not engaging until I went back to park, then to reverse, are these/could these things be related?
Also the check engine light is on solid, I have read in earlier posts that this is a non-critical light since it is not flashing. My mechanic told me when I come back to have it smogged he will "talk" to the computer.
One last thing is I need a new driver seat-belt buckle (I currently have to pull it over to the passenger buckle). I intend to go to my local pick-your-part for a replacement, and I know that GM cars share common parts, does anyone know if there is a compatible buckle from say an Olds 98 or Pontiac something?
I thank you in advance for any help or guidance,
RFB
Is it a loose connection or part that's faulty??
Many thanks for suggestions.
In any case, there is only one gigantic connector that plugs into the gauge cluster. I have a '03 Ultra and I had my cluster out the other day getting at my heads up display. It's not hard to get the cluster out, it took me about 10 minutes. It just involves removing 4 trim pieces that either screw or snap into place. No big deal if you've worked on interior trim before. If you're motivated to go further you might try disconnecting the connector and look for loose or dislodged terminals. Sometimes just exercising the connectors will clean them up and allow them to make a good connection. The plug on my car was really attached well so you have to pull quite hard.
If that doesn't work then your next best bet is to get someone that knows electronics to try and get into the gauge cluster itself. There is a risk of messing something else up, because as I stated before, it looks to be complicated inside. But there is always the chance that there is just an open solder connection or something easy to fix. I had that happen on my heating/cooling temperature display. The brainiacs at GM undersized a one cent resistor and it got too hot and opened its solder connection. I put in a bigger resistor and it's worked fine ever since. I saved a hundred bucks by doing this.
If you have someone electrically inclined that wants to take this on I can email you some of the schematics.
There are other possible causes of your problem but I'm not going to go into them now. I'll wait for your reply on this info.
Good luck. PAU03
For the Emergency Brake light..., is it an indicator also for the master brake reservoir and indicates it's low on fluid. Check. If your brakes have been on the car for lots of miles, the wear may have allowed more fluid from the reservoir to go to the calipers (and rear cylinders) lowering the fluid in the master brake reservoir. Do a safety check-you could have a seep also in brake line letting fluid out. Sometimes brake lines rubber type deteriorate and sometimes the steel lines corrode in high sale areas of the country where they use more corrosive salts on the roads.
The e-brake could be the switch on the e-brake pedal.
My first check on the power windows would be that the contacts at the master unit sometimes get flakey. Try a little alcohol or other cleaner into the switch for the failed window. The liquid may break through some corrosion. You can try just moving the switch back and forth several times. Then use a putty knife to lift the block of switches from the door arm rest, insert at front end or back end and lift gently; the thing is held in by a clip that sticks out slightly and catches to hold the block into the door. The wires slide onto connectors in the switch unit and may not make good contact there. Just wiggle them and pull one off if it seems loose and squeeze it with pliers to tighten the contact.
Next is the switch at the passenger door. Then the wires in the bundle from the A-post to the door sometimes break from being flexed hundreds of thousands of times. Remove the rubber tube and look to see if one seems especially kinked or weak in one area meaning the wires inside are broken. Use a resistant meter and needles into the wire to check for breaks.
Is the air cold difference when the heat is up at 82? Can the level or heat be controlled from the passenger door electrical control? When the temp is set at 62, can the temp be varied some from the passenger door? It may be the actuator motor and gears that move the separate door for adjusting air flow to the passenger side. Some have a gear that cracks. You'll have to dissassemble the sound shield under the dash (4 screws?) and sometimes take off the glove box door (7 screws?) to watch the motor and its metal rod move the door while you adjust the temps for whole car and then for passenger side.
If you don't have dual controls, the above doesn't apply.
Is the air conditioning fully charged? The problem you note is discussed in a Bonneville discussion, same car, and I don't recall all the possibilities.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Since my son's car still only works when it wants to, we took the cheap way out. I removed the switch and motor from the bottom latch. There are about 4 screws. With those items remove you will see the hole where the worm gear goes from the removed motor. Using a flathead screwdrive i gently working the square latch up and down unitl I could get the upper latch to seat the trunk lid properly. To my suprise the upper latch solenoid must create a field to raise the lower square latch upperward, So I did the movement of the worm gear again until I had the fit of the trunk lid again and then I ty-wrapped the square latch in place using the motor/switch support as the anchor. It has held fine and it can be repair correctly in the future. Once I understood the concept it only took about 15min. to complete this task. However, this car still cuts out while driving.
I've read about the highway vibrations a few other Park Avenue oweners have posted previously, and I experienced some of those myself before getting some newer, properly balanced tires, which pretty much eliminated 'em. I've had no problem with my car stalling out (save for a couple of occasions when I had almost no gas in it, and was parked on a hill), but I do have a drooping headliner that I want to take care of. Any advice?
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
My checking would be the battery cables at both ends and both cables. If the positive cable has a double layer where two cables are tightened together with one bolt take that apart and look for corrosion.
A check for crankshaft sensor is to locate it so you know where it is behind the balance wheel and when the car stops have water to splash or spray into that are to cool off the crankshaft position sensor. That may make the car start immediately when the sensor is cooled--according to what I've read in another forum. Crankshaft sensor problems are elusive.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
My first thought from reading what others in Pontiac/Buick discussions have had, is to check your cables at the battery for corrosion. Take them off and inspect down into the cable. If you have the double cable at the positive take themapart and check for corrosion. Check the other ends of the cables and tighten those connects. Tighten the connections at the alternator. I'd recommend leaving off the negative cable until you've completed all this tightening.
Alternators do fail. Take it off and go to Autozone. They'll test free. I believe PepBoys do also. My choice would be Autozone because they have remanufactured AC alternators, reman by AC qualified folks not just Joe's Reman Shop--which can be fine also.
Also look at the battery. Wiggle the wires at the connections. Some have had a broken post inside. You may just have a bad battery also. The shops will test those. Autozone, Advanced, here will come to the car and check them and take them inside to test for you.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Just to make you feel bad, the 03 LeSabre I have has a snap in cover under the windshield wiper area and you remove the filter standing upright!
"I have a 99 Park Avenue and bought a cabin air filter the other day. Replacing the filter turned out to be very difficult but I was ultimately successful. I found a Web site that gave a better description of the filter access cover location (See Hastings filters, Cabin Air Filter Identification/Location, Filter AF1066). As tman said the filter is behind a white access cover near the accelerator pedal at the fire wall. Pry this cover off or pull it with the tab using vise grips. It will come off and expose the first of the 3 filters. There will be two tabs, one horizontal sticking straight out and the other vertical against the end of the filter. Rotate the vertical one up until it is horizontal. This one is attached to the second filter and has to be moved out of the way for the first filter to come out. With great difficulty slide the first filter out while bending it in front of the accelerator pedal to get it out. Then take the tab for the second filter and move the second filter down to the removal position. Again rotate the vertical tab for the third filter upward to the horizontal position and remove the second filter. Then move the third filter down and remove it. The above is made all the more difficult by having to lay upside down under the dash while holding a flashlight and trying to work in a 3 inch opening.
"Reinstallation is the reverse, although even more difficult than removal. I almost gave up before finally getting the second and third filters to slide properly into the slots on the bottom of the tab and filter above each one. Finally reinstall the access cover by hooking it at the bottom and then pushing it at the top until it snaps in place."
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
I don't see where you mentioned the year of your PA. I helped design the charging system for the late 80's and early 90's GM cars. The alternator output voltage should be between 13.4 and 16.0 volts depending on the temperature of the voltage regulator, which is inside the alternator. The hotter it is the lower the voltage. From memory I want to say that the voltage was supposed to be 14.7 volts at 77 deg F. Generally the underhood temperatures are way above that so the voltage should be about 14 volts or so. An important thing to know is that the voltage regulator generally senses the voltage at the output stud of the alternator. Some models (Corvette and Allente?) sensed the voltage at the battery because the battery was located quite a distance from the alternator. Anyway, you need to be sure to measure the voltage from the alternator output terminal to the chassis of the alternator. If you are using a voltmeter on the instrument gauge it will probably read lower than it actually is.
When the car is turned off the battery voltage will usually be about 12.6 volts or a little higher, if the engine was just turned off. Since you are measuring it at 13.48 - 13.68 volts it means that the alternator is creating an output voltage. It may have a diode open in the bridge of the alternator and this would allow some output current but not full output current. The higher the RPM the more current that will be available. In other words, as the rpm goes up the voltage should go up, not down.
You mention that the gauge began to drop. What were the voltage readings when this happened?
I have a hard time believing that the car would shut itself down if the voltage got too low. I know for a fact that the ignition system needs to work at a very low voltage because on a cold day the voltage can drop below 8 volts while the starter is being engaged. You have something else going on.
I know that under wide open throttle conditions the air conditioner is shut off and I kind of remember some cars turning off the alternator in an effort to remove as much load from the engine as possible. When this happens the voltage would drop to something less than 12.6 volts, depending on what other loads are still on. It could be that your car thinks it is under wide open throttle conditions. Maybe your throttle sensor is defective? I'm just guessing on this. If the throttle position sensor was wrong it might also apply the incorrect fuel injector pulses which could stall the engine.
I'm fairly confident in my analysis of the charging system. I'm just guessing on the rest. The voltage regulator that I worked on was pretty reliable and I only know of one person that actually had a regulator problem. Much more often the bearings would go out and the alternator would need to be replaced.
Another thing to look for are bad ground connections. This could be at the battery, block or anywhere else. A bad ground connection can make some really goofy things happen and most people don't think to look for these things.
I hope that I've given you some things to look for and think about.
PAU3
All the previous messages from saw5 are mine. There are many. We have been chasing this problem since we purchased the car in July. It's the 94 with 156000 miles on it. I just thought it was funny that when I had it running on Sunday and the fans were working, upper hose opened and temperature was normal, that it began to die again. While I was in the car. The inside voltage gauge began dropping righ after I gave it gas and car died. I was measuring at the battery terminal. 13.40 - 13.68, However as my son gave it gas after re-start the voltage never went higher than 13.68 That's why I send the last posting. All cables are new and battery was check at Auto Zone. I keep thinking this is an electrical problem or a sensor (which one?)
Thanks to all for the help,
and please keep suggesting,
Saw5
I'm no electrician, but just what the heck could have caused this? :sick:
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
I took out the ashtray assembly (4 bolt/screws) propped it up on a box (the connectors are difficult to remove) and looked at the latching mechanism. There is a bump which pushes the connector dowm allowing it to engage the tongue. Mine wasn't broken or worn, just wasn't engaging well. I built up the bump with JB Weld. Now when the latch is pushed in it is forced down for a more secure hold. I don't know if this is permanent fix, but it is about $115 less than buying the part and only took about a hour - mostly getting the 4 screws out and back in. Use a 7mm socket and with 1/4" rachet for the top two and the same with a 5" wobble extension for the bottom two.