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I have a 1994 Lumina Sedan with grinding front-end brakes. Could this just be a sticky brake caliper? Or is it just a worn-to-the-knub disc shoe? I'm putting it in the shop tomorrow AM, but just thought I'd ask.
Thanks!
Another problem is every since I got the car, when I change the gears, the car jerks pretty bad. My brother told me it was nothing, but a friend of mine said I need to have it looked at. Does anyone know what could be wrong with it/.
I assume you have a stick shift. If so check the clutch.
If it is an automatic check the transmission!
the gasket for a lumina isn't very expensive but it is alot of work
you best bet is to get a pressure test to see where the leaks coming from and if it doesn't show anything then your pretty much screw (gaskets)
The previous owner put a kill switch on it just have to remember to use it.
95 lumina LS given to my wife as birth day present by FIL with SES light as bonus ribbon
Ian
On a side note, A warning to all the Northern salt subjected Lumina and similar cars.
Look over your trailing arms . Why you ask? Answer; because they can and will rust in half:, just as mine did on the drivers side. Causes quite a bit of havoc and drivability issues not to mention rips the,speed sensor wires out of the pac connectors . This problem happened to my wife and her dad on the trip from Ceder Rapids,IA to Ardmore,OK. They drove it 400 miles this way . Timok1
This vehicle had wiper problems, door lock problems and has even stalled when putting it into gear. Starts great, is fine in neutral but stalls when put into drive.
I bought it used from a dealer 7 weeks ago.
As for the stalling, it may be a TPS (throtle Position Sensor). This adjusts engine speed when you put a load on it like putting it into drive. Does your idle drop if you're in Park or neutral and you put the A/C on and turn the fan to full? There`s also an issue with some of these cars and the torque convertor locking up randomly in the transmission.
Hope that helps a little.
Ian
As for the A/C, they now informed me it does not work after telling me it worked fine when buying it. So they removed something from the A/C stating that may have caused a problem.
I don't want to take it back to them without an idea of what could be wrong because they have not fixed the problems yet, only bandage solutions.
I bought brand new drums for the rear and put them on. Still had a clicking noise when braking...especially as the car slowed down. There was a slight pulsation when braking. Tried new front rotors. Didn't help. Sometimes they still clicked when I drove. Nothing seemed to help until an old GM mechanic said they ALWAYS turned new drums. I also used Monroe brake shoes. They are a higher end shoe. Not sure if they made a difference. Anyways, I have NOT heard the clicking since. This Lumina car is a taxi and I`ve driven almost 50 000Kms since having the rotors turned. It was really an embarrassment that I'm glad is gone.
Find a better mechanic. Ask around...everyone you know. Ask them about their experiences good and bad. As for the stalling....I'll look around to see what I can find. The torque convertor is IN the transmission....not sure what they cleaned. You can't reach it unless you remove the transmission from the car! Maybe they cleaned the TPS switch.
Ian
Thank You,
Lady*
Ian
Anyone know where I can find a free download 2001 Lumina sedan repair manual, or for today, at least an electrical diagram? I'm trying to repair the blower control circuit which seems to have a number of relays besides the manual knob speed control.
Thanks in advance!
boogermac
Try to buy a subscription to http://www.alldatadiy.com. It`s a very good online service and repair guide. It also has TSBs on various issues with your year car. It`s worth the money!
Ian
Did you contact the dealership and explain that you are still experiencing sounds from your vehicle? Thank you,
Mariah GM Customer Service
unless you know a good, cheap mechanic, the answer to the "battery bleeding
down, and vehicle not starting" is to install a "kill" switch. it is about a $20 item
or so at Advance auto, it looks like a swivel blade between two separate sets of
clamps, approx 3 or 4 inches apart. if you install it yourself, be extremely care-
not to "ground out" the positive side against the vehicle, just disconnect the
negative connection before beginning. be sure to tighten the connection to the
vehicle before connecting to the battery, to avoid putting too much pressure
on the battery, while tightening the connections. the cost of "troubleshooting"
the electrical problem is not worth it, several people have spent hundreds of
dollars, and still didn't find the problem, the "kill switch" will solve the problem,
unless, of course, there is a short in the system, in which case, it should have
blown a fuse. mine did not, and with 315,000 miles on a '98 chevy lumina, it is
not worth spending a lot of money for this problem, although I do expect to
drive this vehicle for another 100,000 miles, at least. good luck to everybody,
and Happy Halloween!!!!!!!!! Boo!!!!!!!
Mine ended up being one of the electric lock switches... it would toggle to the open position and not spring back.. so it was as if someone was holding it down. battery would last about 2-3 days like that...
See that this post is old, but it might help someone else in the future
- Spark Plugs (gaped correctly to .045)
- Plug wires
- Oil and filter
- Air Filter
Prior to this my car idled fine but when I accelerated it would hesitate for a sec then it would accelerate just fine. I figured it being an older car with 200k miles it was probably a vacuum leak or something small. It ran great for 2 days after the tune up, then on the third morning my car would turn over but wouldn't start. Not really sure what the issue could be, seeing that the work I did was minor. I proceeded with changing the fuel filter. After changing the fuel filter, my car started right up and ran great for about 35min. I drove it around, turned it off, and started it continually for about 1 hour after that, and everything seemed fine. Then about 6 hours later, I tried starting it up again and the same issue... Just turning over but not firing up. Generally after about an evening of sitting, I'll attempt to start and it sputters for about 1/2 second then nothing... Just turning over without starting up. Any help or Ideas would be excellent. Also, I've been driving this car around for the last year without ever any start up issues as described before the tune up. Thanks, Ace
If your Check Engine Light is on, there might be a way for you to read the codes yourself.
Let me know and I`ll try to help!
Ian
Do you have a GM security system in that vehicle? Pass key or VATS system? If you turn the key to 'ON', does the security light flash?
Let me know. Even if you unplugged a wire from that purge solenoid valve, the car would still start....it has nothing to do with cranking.
Ian
Did you try to tighten the wires?
First, I check the charging system. I take an voltage meter and check the voltage from the red wire off the alternator and the ground (usually a metal part of the engine) with the engine running. If its below 13 volts, the alternator is bad. If its above 13, then I turn the car off and have the battery tested. You can by a battery tester for around $30 OR take out the battery and take it to a local garage and have them check it. If the battery is good and you`ve cleaned and tightened all the wires, then it IS the starter motor thats bad. It really is that simple....thats the good news. If you`'re broke, just by a used starter.