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Comments
This was an issue with the earlier models(pre-2000) and I would have assumed that GM would have fixed it in the redesign in 2000. However, when you open your door, look down at the bottom of the fender and if your car spends any time at all outside, you may see a collection of stuff just sitting there waiting to get wet after the next rain or car wash. The best way to clean it out is to blow it out with compressed air or lacking that, a hose.
Thank you for any suggestions.
Ed
You're sure it's from the dashboard? I had a similar experience in our Camry years ago - turned out to be a worn speedo cable. Not an expensive repair - hope yours turns out to be that simple.
ice
avoided changing parts and mechanics screwing up with the car...
Still do not know what 58 meant though.
Ed
Good to hear that the problem is rectified. Was it covered by warranty? 36.8k miles is awfully early for bearings to go.
ice
Anyone know:
Do you have to pull the transmission to repair or can you get at this through the pan. Can a weekend mechanic make this repair?
98 Bonneville SLE
Ed
ice
This is a minor one: One of the rubber-ish stops on the hinge mechanism of my trunk which cushion the sproing when the trunk pops open (darn, I wish I knew the exact name for it!) has broken, and the other looks to fail soon. I'm trying to decide if it's worth my time to go for a warranty fix, or replace them myself. But of course, gmpartsdirect can't find the part. Anybody have a clue where I could come up with a part number for this little insignificant doo-dad?
Otherwise, my '02 SSEi is flawless and performs as beautifully as the day I got it.
Thanks!
Wierd one though...
ice
Are you implying that it's more likely a Bonnie will hit something than be hit by something? :-) Well, I have seen a few wrecked 2000+ Bonnies for sale on eBay, and most of them did have front-end damage.
I recall a few years back when I was looking for front end parts for an old Volvo that wreckers were telling me that some 2/3 of write-offs were front end collisions. Either it's cars hitting larger immovable objects or other cars head-on or just that rear-end damage can be less expensive to repair (and therefore less likely to find their way to the auto yard) but front-end parts are way more difficult to find at a wreckers than rear-end ones - in my experience.
ice
After some intense investigation, testing and diagnosis, I believe I might be able to offer a "bolt-on" solution to the high speed wheel vibration issue we all have been facing. It seems that GM apparently got hold of some bad front hubs just out of tolerance. For those who are interested, two things are contributing to the issue: 1. The bolt circle is NOT concentric to the axis of rotation of the hub...some have been found to be very out of tolerance. 2. The hub and flange assembly is not evenly balanced. Same thing as the washer being out of balance during the spin cycle. The reason the vibration is somewhat intermittent and "comes and goes" is because both hubs are whacked, they sometimes will be "in synch" and cancel each other's wobble out, and other times will be out of phase and make it seem more pronounced. What has amazed me is that GM has now concocted no less than three (3) convoluted explanations and "fixes" ranging from varying rubber "stiffness" to "screened tires" and moon-shot type checklists to diagnose and attempt to fix the issue. One of their TSB's says "there is no easy fix". Oh..yes...except pull the damned hubs and replace them with ones that have proper geometry! At about $100 US per hub, that would seem like an easy repair, but apparently not easy enough to Mr. Goodwrench. OK...enough griping. I have borrowed some ideas from my USAF days and am working on a solution that should be as simple as a bolt on counterbalancing ring (kinda like the harmonic balancer at the crank) that will automatically keep the wobbles and shakes (especially when braking) away. Still in final development and testing stages, so stay tuned. If anyone has anything to add or can supply more data, please post a response.
Mark Jones,
Alameda Systems & Design
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
I thought that my situation was unique because I never seen this before. Mazda installed some very low qulity parts on my vehicle, including hubs and axles. If I keep this car, I will have to replace all axles at my expense becuase the original and even the replacement ones are junk.
Thanks for the info. I've suspected the hubs for some time but can't rule them in or out on this. I tried to get the dealer to look at the hubs twice but they blew me off as another ignorant customer. Usually a hub problem will cause the car to shudder badly under heavy braking, which is not the case here, so they say "it ain't the hubs." I figured it would be easy to check the stud runout but they wouldn't do it and I don't have the tools to do it myself.
Please let us know what you find. What year/model are you driving, and have you replaced the tires, etc.?
It's indeed a very weird issue. Maybe it's a chassis thing, maybe a half-shaft thing, or engine mounts... I don't know, but I don't think that off-center hubs fit the bill.
The curious thing is that late last year I rented a low-mileage Bonneville SE with the standard 16" tires and it had the same vibration as my SSEi, so I believe it is not just a tire/wheel problem.
Vibration can be also caused by axles shafts that are slightly bent or out of balance. An axle support bearing with damaged rubber bushing (if it has one) could also cause vibration. Such bearings are used on RWD car and truck driveshafts and have been known to cause vibration when the rubber bushing deteriorates or gets torn.
Tire balance:
This is a problem, and a big one in this country. It is virtually impossible to find a place that will balance your tires correctly: I am on the verge of buying my own balancer because I cannot put up with having my tires balanced wrong over and over again. I have seen two different people use the same machine on the same wheels and come up with completely different results.
First of all, standard US wheel weights are made in 1/4 ounce increments, or 7 gram increments. If one balances tires correctly using a balancer that rounds off to the nearest 1/4 ounce, it will be only marginal on an average passenger car. I had this done on my 98 Nissan Maxima using a Hunter $ 12,000 state of the art balancer. The balance was OK, but not perfect and I could feel very slight shudder around 85 MPH. Metric weights come in 5 gram increments, or about 1/6 ounce. This resolution is much better, so my advice is if you want better wheel balance go to a place that uses 5 gram increment metric balance weights and has their machine calibrated to the nearest 5 gram roundoff mode. I found this to be far better than balancing with 1/4 ounce weights.
I checked out the specifications on many electronic balancers and their capabilities. Some machines made by Beissbarth, for example, have capbility to go to 0.1 ounce and 0.05 ounce resolution! This is 2.8 grams and 1.4 grams!!!! The problem is nobody makes standard weights in those increments. When balancing tires for auto racing they recommend accuracy to at least the nearest 0.1 ounce (2.8 grams) and using flange adapters in the wheel lug holes instead of the centering cone on the balancer. How many places that you have seen use flange adapters to mount the wheels on the balancing machine? And who will bother to make custom weights to fine balance your tires? Most modern balancers are capable of far better resolution than +/- 7 grams or +/-5 grams.
Finally, tires. I never would have believed it if I did not experience this myself. Some tires sold are absolute junk. They take huge weights to balance properly (like 2 oz on each side) and on some belts will break in a short time. Broken or damaged tire belt will cause all kinds of unpleasant vibration, and the longer you drive the worse it gets. I had this happen with Continental Conti Touring tires (these were US made). These tires were junk. I bought two new ones to replace the half worn one with the broken belt, and both new ones turned out to be completely out of round and caused terrible vibration around 70 MPH. I jacked up the front of the car so that the tires were almost touching the floor and these tires were egg shaped when spun. The tire seller refunded my money on these but not the postage - it cost me $ 40 to pay postage for two tires two ways. I replaced all four Continentals with Michelin Pilot tires and peformed the same test. These tires were as round as they could be.
Mounting four Micheline Pilot tires, balanced to 5 gram roundoff using flange adpaters on a good quality balancer, made all the difference in the world on my Mazda 626. Most vibration disapperared. However, about 25 K miles later and rebalancing of tires, I get some slight vibration at 80+ MPH that comes and goes. Probably lousy inner CV joints acting up again.
A defective or damaged front strut could possibly cause vibration as well, because it is the strut that determines and maintaines front wheel alignment, and a worn strut will cause wheel hop, which will translate as vibration as well.
I hope this will help somebody to solve their vibration problem.
Bolt patterns were off center; combined with minimal runout in tire/rim caused problem sometimes that came and went, just like talked about here.
Balancing comment: New tires on 16 inch rims on LeSabre. Dealer has new force balancer. Cleaned up the Michelins right now. I had some balance problem at certain higher speeds. Service manager suggested coming in right away for force balance because of problems with Parks and Cadillacs like you're talking on Bonneville. He said they were replacing tires on those with Michelins because of least trouble compared to other original equipment tires. When I told him mine already came with Michelin Symmetrys he was surprised I had any highway vibration (at 1300 miles). My experience with lots of Michelins (10 sets maybe???) is that new tires always need rebalancing after 500 miles or so; then they act like they will the rest of their life, well-balanced or a problem tire.
Never buy tire store tire when that model/size is used on new cars. I think that best ones go to the manufacturer and the culls go to the stores... Replaced originals on 89 century with same brand and tire that were nonMichelins because of great tread and grip and life. They shook; dealer didn't question me or try to rebalance, he just sold me the Michelins I wanted for the difference. He knew there were problems with those tires I had bought. The Continental story doesn't surprise me -- isn't Continental owned by Michelin now??? like Goodrich, and several otheres. I saw a chart at Tire Discounter store that listed who made all the brands they sold.
My suggestion would be for the dealer to put on tires from a car (new?) that does not shake. Maybe fronts first, then add rears, to see if the tire/rim is the problem. Then try your wheels on the other car, to see if the shake moves with the tires/rims that you currently have.
My service manual for 2003 LeSabre has a long check list for vibrations, including the bolt pattern being offcenter. That wasn't in my last 98 LeSabre manual. It's an indicator of where GM is finding problems.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
The load leveler has gone whacky and pumped the rear shocks up to maximum. Looks pretty silly I must say. My guess would be that the load level sensor must be out to lunch, as the compressor motor sounds as though it is functioning normally. My question is, does anybody know where this sensor may be located? Just wondering if I can troubleshoot it myself as I really don't want to fork out the $$$ right now to have a garage fix it.
Any ideas or tips?
Thanks!
Stan
Under the right rear of the vehicle, near the rear suspension carrier
Automatic Level Control Accessory Inflator Switch
Inside the rear luggage compartment
Automatic Level Control Exhaust Solenoid
Under the rear of vehicle,near the ALC compressor assembly
Automatic Level Control Height Sensor
Under the left rear of the vehicle, near the rear suspension carrier
Rear Fuse Block
Left rear of the passenger compartment, under the rear seat cushion
Rear Integration Module (RIM)
Behind the rear seat cushion (upper,left)
"The suspension position sensor is a potentiometer which detects height changes at the rear of the vehicle and, in turn, relays these changes to the RIM, which controls the functions of the compressor and exhaust solenoid. To prevent energizing the compressor relay or exhaust solenoid during normal ride motions, the RIM provides a calibrated delay before ground is completed to either circuit.
The sensor is mounted to the left rear side of the rear suspension support assembly. The actuation arm is attached to the left rear control arm by a short link."
Make sure the link from the sensor to the control arm isn't disconnected. If ok, a scan tool is required to diagnose the system.
Preston
Interestingly, it now seems to work better than it did before I busted it. I'm thinking of just lubing the jagged edges and hoping for the best, but I've got a part number request into GMPartsDirect to see if the deflector can be replaced separately. Does anyone know if this is possible? It looks like it snaps into a hinge on each side. If not, then it looks like the entire track assembly will have to be replaced, because the hinges are rivet mounted to the track.
Cycle the sunroof glass panel to the rear.
Push down on the right front side of the wind deflector.
While holding the right side down, complete the following steps:
Push the left front side of the wind deflector towards the right side.
Pull up on the left side until the lower tab clears the roof opening.
Swing the wind deflector in an upward arc, rearward, in order to disengage the wind deflector from the hooks on both sides of the sunroof module.
Remove the wind deflector from the vehicle.
Installation Procedure:
Engage the rear of the wind deflector into the side hooks on the sunroof module.
Arc the wind deflector in a forward motion.
Push the right side of the wind deflector down into the roof opening.
Push the left front side of the wind deflector inwards and down so the tab clears the roof opening.
Close the sunroof glass panel.
The deflector broke into two clean pieces (one on each side), so I superglued them back on. I doubt it will hold, but it's worth a try (at least until I order the replacement part). The plastic has a textured surface, so it's no wonder that the panel doesn't glide smoothly over it. Here's the left side, with the broken piece glued back on:
They offered to put new tires on due to the recent release of TSP..check it out..
Man am I glad to be out of that car..
Congrats on your new GTP - I'm sure it will serve you well!
ice
please email me with ideas at mikemore@rocketmail.com
Thanks,
Mike
The a/c is not working. any suggestions.
Went to a junk dealer and got it for $35 and put it in myself. Mine was in the engine dept by the blower. It is an electronic module in the SSEi in 1988 , probally the same in yours.
Good luck
Also, you might be long overdue for a coolant change and system flush along with hoses. If you do the hoses, I think the 95 still had the little bypass hose around the water pump. GM had the "wisdom" for awhile of using a plastic threaded nipple for this hose that had the nasty tendancy to break. If yours is plastic, the replacement is metal and would be worth a few bucks for peace of mind.
When I finally found water sitting on the engine top area underneath, the dealer couldn't get to it for a couple of days. I pulled slightly on the hose checking it when I got home and the thing burst. It could have burst at any time on the road.
So I'd replace it and save the tow bill.
Running at edge of hot: does the water pump look like it's been replaced since new?
How does the antifreeze look? A flush on your own and replacement of antifreeze would let you look at the ends of the radiator tubes for corrosion buildup.
Did your car have an air dam underneath to lift some air up in front of the condensor and radiator? Is it still there? The one on my 93 (LeSabre) was easily rubbed on parking blocks and yours might have been broken away.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
I’m not much of a mechanic. I could try to fix it myself, but not this time. The mechanic quoted $249 for parts and labor for replacing the starter. It’s a new starter with a lifetime warranty that costs $120.
Is this a reasonable quote?
The tires have been problems through the years. The force balance measures the out of roundness due to uneven sidewall crushing while rolling. Less than 17 is acceptable. They replace some with Michelins to get that tolerance. Mine were 9 or lower to begin with. They had not found a wheel hub to be off center on any problem cars. It's all in the wheels and the light weight of the aluminum suspensions on Bonnie, LeSabre, Deville, Seville, ...
It makes them much more sensitive to wheel runout and balance. So if your dealer just balances to nearest 1/4 oz and doesn't care, lots of luck... My service manager was checking it all out this second time around when the balance vibration came back. He used a vibration analyzer on the seat frame after the rebalancing and couldn't get a reading that anything was in harmonic motion in the car.
I couldn't feel anything either on the way home...
PS One additional factor mentioned by radio mechanic was tires slipping on rims. He suggested marking rim and tire with a dot of fingernail polish. I can see hard braking letting
the tire slip if installed with too much lubricant. The lube stays around for a while and can
let the tire slip. A tire slipped changes the runout if it was matched to the rim for minimum
runout. I don't hotrod this car, but emergency braking could cause a tire to slip.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
basically, they crack around 60,000 miles, pouring engine coolant into your engine, as in, where the OIL is.
So I hyrolocked my engine, it won't start, and I had to replace the manifold, and drain coolant out of my engine before it ruined it.
total bill, $1200... tho some people's bill reach into the 4k range if they blow other gaskets, like the head.
I signed a online petition with 5,000 other people with this same problem.
My advice to anyone who has this car, get it check'd out around 50k ...