New guy having some problems

[David]

Hey everyone. This is my first post so let me introduce myself. My name is David from Toronto. This is a cool community you have here. I'm glad I found a place to talk Alero's.

Anyway, I'm having some problems with my car. I was wondering if any of you guys have had the same problems, maybe you can let me know how you fixed them. I did do a search but there were some things I couldn't find.

My car is 2000 GL with the 3.4 litre V6 and 70,000km on the clock. The car is totally stock. Oil is changed every 5000km. Car is fully maintained by my dealer.

Anyway, here's my list.

1. Car makes a squealing noise coming from the front passenger side wheel whenever the car is moving. It seems to get faster and louder the faster the car goes.

- Could this be the wheel bearing problem I read about in my search?

2. Car makes a groaning/whining and whirring (think of rubbing two pieces of polyster together) noise whenever I turn my steering wheel.

- I'm thinking power steering pump, but not sure.

3. Whenever I drive it sounds as though I have a bag of marbles rattling around in my dash above the radio.

- Have no idea what is causing this

4. Whenever I drive on the highway at or above 120km/h the steering wheel vibrates excessively.

- Dealer balanced the wheels at my last oil change but it didn't help. It is obviously something else but I can't figure it out.

5. The "Charging System Indicator Lamp" in the dash comes on every morning when I start the car. It goes away whenever I put the car into drive. A couple of times It has come on while driving, but goes away after a couple of seconds.

- When my dealer looked at the car they said they couldn't find any electrical faults anywhere. They did some test apparently. So I'm kind of scratching my head as to what is tripping off the light.

Thanks in advance for any insight you guys can provide.

David. :smokin:

[freeze12]

The squealing sound You hear probably is worn brake pads as on the inboard pad there is a piece if metal that sticks out & when the pads wear so much the metal piece hits the rotor causing the squeal.
The shaking You have is probably bad front rotors ( a common Alero problem) as GM put on junk for rotors. Also when the car is jacked up rotate the front wheels to be sure that there is not a caliper sticking on You.

[99blackalero]

i had that squealing sound when i drove and it got faster....it was the bearing, changed it and the sound went away

[99blackalero]

Originally posted by David@Dec 8 2003, 09:47 PM

2. Car makes a groaning/whining and whirring (think of rubbing two pieces of polyster together) noise whenever I turn my steering wheel.

- I'm thinking power steering pump, but not sure.


im havinf this problem, it comes and goes...what can be done to fix this and whats causing it

[3.4Alero]

1. Probably the bearing. It should not be the brakes. If it were, you SHOULD only hear it when you hit the brakes, unless you have NO pad left.
2. I have something similar, but it sounds as if it's coming from the steering column itself. If yours sounds like it is coming from the engine bay, then it probably is the power steering pump.
3. A screw may have come loose and dropped inside the dash somewhere. Pull the radio assembly out and see if you can pinpoint it.
4. You probably need an alignment.
5. Bad alternator or loose connection to the charging system?

Hope that helps a little. Keep us posted as you figure things out!

[David]

Thanks to everytone for their responses, I really appreciate it.

I have to take the car to the dealer soon for an oil change so I'll see what thet say. Don't know if I'll metion all these things tom them on this visit. It'll probably cost me an arm and a leg. I'll have to do it bit by bit.

99blackalero,

I wish I knew what the steering sound was. It is really annoying!

3.4Alero,

The "whirring" sound I described in my first post for my steering problem sounds as though it is coming from the steering column itself as well. The whining and groaning sound like they are coming from the engine bay. I should have been more clear in my first post. I'm not sure if they are mutually exclusive things. I just assumed they had some connection.

I'll definately keep everyone posted as I get these things resolved. Thanks again!

[Final-Reality]

I have the whirring sound too, especially when it's cold, I live in a parking garage so when I drive out I turn it lock to lock a lot, and it's just shaft/mechanism/gears in the steering column, nothing's wrong though, I've gotten used to it, and the whirring sound is now oddly cool to me B)

[johny_boy32]

also....welcome to the site.

[PapaBear101]

Add steering wheel fluid to correct #2....

#4 how, are your tires looking?

[alerosport.com]

welcome,

Does your stering wheel vibrate only when you apply the break? or get worse at higher speeds?

[flalero]

Originally posted by freeze12@Dec 8 2003, 09:59 PM
The shaking You have is probably bad front rotors ( a common Alero problem) as GM put on junk for rotors. Also when the car is jacked up rotate the front wheels to be sure that there is not a caliper sticking on You.
Warped rotors will not cause your wheel to vibrate unless you are braking. It is most likely you tie rod end. Mine was bad on the left side. The car would vibrate very badly. I balanced my tires and that didn't work. Finally, when I went in for an alignment after I lowered my car, the serviceman said that they need to replace the left tie rod end. Just reach around behind the front wheels where the strut meets the wheel, just aft of the strut is your tie rod end. If it moves at all, it is bad and I can almost guarantee this is causing the vibration.

[David]

Hey guys. Thanks for all your responses!! Anyway, let me give you an update. I took my car to the dealer today for an oil change and 40 point inspection. I'm also a goof!! More on that later. Here is a rundown of my list with the solution in bold.

1. Car makes a squealing noise coming from the front passenger side wheel whenever the car is moving. It seems to get faster and louder the faster the car goes.

- Could this be the wheel bearing problem I read about in my search?

During the 40 point they told me I had 0% of pad left on my front brakes. I needed new rotors and pads. The squealing sound seems to be gone. It seems as though Freeze12 was right on in his post.

2. Car makes a groaning/whining and whirring (think of rubbing two pieces of polyster together) noise whenever I turn my steering wheel.

- I'm thinking power steering pump, but not sure.

I never reported this. The brakes alone set me back!

3. Whenever I drive it sounds as though I have a bag of marbles rattling around in my dash above the radio.

- Have no idea what is causing this

I never reported this either. Next time.

4. Whenever I drive on the highway at or above 120km/h the steering wheel vibrates excessively.

- Dealer balanced the wheels at my last oil change but it didn't help. It is obviously something else but I can't figure it out.

It vibrated while I was driving and while I braked. I know the braking vibration was from bad rotors as I've had the rotor problem once already. The vibration while driving is the one I'm not sure about. flalero's tie rod hypotheseis sounds very likely. The brake job fixed the braking vibration. I haven't had a chance to go above 120 yet. Maybe the other vibration will mysteriously be fixed as well. I know, wishful thinking.

5. The "Charging System Indicator Lamp" in the dash comes on every morning when I start the car. It goes away whenever I put the car into drive. A couple of times It has come on while driving, but goes away after a couple of seconds.

- When my dealer looked at the car they said they couldn't find any electrical faults anywhere. They did some test apparently. So I'm kind of scratching my head as to what is tripping off the light.

I'm a total idiot. This light used to flash so quickly that I never was able to get a good look at it. It looked like the battery light, but it wasn't. Turns out it's the low coolant indicatior light. For the American ppl on the board, keep in mind, our indicators are pictures and not words like in your cars. So be gentle on me, lol!

This brings me to my next problem. During my 40 point inspection the tech wrote under the "engine or transmission leaks" section that my "intake is leaking". I never saw this until after I left the dealer. WTF is it leaking?? Is it leaking coolant or something? Has anyone heard of this before? How much is it to fix?

That's my summary for now. Thanks again for all your help!

[sound_xtreme]

indicator lights are pictures in all aleros

[sound_xtreme]

dreaded intake manifold leak. costed me 800 USD to fix mine. have fun if that is what it is. it leaks coolant into your oil and sometimes can leak out also. gotta get it fixed soon. coolant in oil is bad for everything.

[Aleromaster]

Originally posted by sound_xtreme@Dec 12 2003, 02:55 AM
indicator lights are pictures in all aleros
Mine are all words.

For your vibrating while driving my lincoln had the same problem and i also thought that my tie rods where going. I also had the same noise with my steering and it turned out that the resivoir was extremly low. Afterfilling it up it turned out that the vibrating was gone. After talking to my mechanic I found out that with rack and pinion steering when you are low on fluid they vibrate, so to make a long explanation short check your power steering fluid.

[brsexton]

Originally posted by sound_xtreme@Dec 11 2003, 09:55 PM
indicator lights are pictures in all aleros
nope, not true here. Mine are all words.. IE "Service Engine Soon" "Washer fluid Low" Ect.

[sound_xtreme]

those are, but coolant, battery arent kids.

[Aleromaster]

Originally posted by sound_xtreme@Dec 12 2003, 04:00 AM
those are, but coolant, battery arent kids.
Then it makes the three of us right but its 11 to 5 with the words winning here

[Johnnyangel]

Hiya, I know this was already answered, but as a service advisor and former alero technician, any time I've ever had a customer with a 'battery light', it's been the coolant light, and subsequently a set of intake gaskets- I can do it in about 2 hours for $48 worth of gaskets, myself- but at the dealer, it can run you up to $600 depending on the labor rate. If you do plan on doing it yourself, it's pretty straightforward, but do yourself a favor if it's your first time and make a large grid on a big piece of paper and label the bolts in each square with where they go so you can put them on in reverse order we you put it all together. Also, do yourself a HUGE favor and change the oil pump o-ring at the same time- it's the round thing on the driver's side underneath the lower intake. You'll need the plastic lower intake gaskets, paper upper intake gaskets, rubber valve cover gaskets, EGR valve gasket, oil pump O-ring, and a tube of grey sealer for where the intake gaskets meet the valve covers and across the block between the heads. (all available at your dealer) Some of the bolts that hold the lower intake on are going to be submerged in coolant when you get to them, so don't get discouraged! MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A 1/4" DRIVE UNIVERSAL JOINT! You will NEED IT!

:thumbsup:

[Final-Reality]

There's a difference between canadian and american aleros

Canadian ones have to use pictures, because we're bi-lingual, american's dont even have an official language AFAIK, so they just use english words, that acutally make sense, instead of some stupid icon to represent "low washer fluid"

[David]

Thanks again to everyone for their responses.

In my 40 point checklist the tech put the intake leak under the "needs attention" category as opposed to the "needs immediate attention" category. Hopefully I can sit on this for a bit. I'll go to the dealer and get an officiail detailed writeup of the problem with an estimate to repair. Once I get the $800 shock I'm gonna call up GM and try and goodwill some of the cost through them. If they say no then I'll go and visit my private mechanic. Which brings me to my question.

My private mechanic is a good guy. He did a lot of work on our older 1988 cutlass ciera when we had it. Is the Alero more/too technologically complex for a private mechanic?? He doesn't have any diagnostic equipment that I know of. He usually goes with his gut, experience, and the sounds he hears. He's pretty good at it though. But I don't wanna be cheap with labour only to get a poor job in return. If this is a dealer only thing, then I'll go there and just get it done.

Thanks guys!

[Final-Reality]

He's replacing some gaskets, not tuning the PCM...

It's up to you though, if he's an experienced and competent mechanic and he can save you a bundle on labour costs go with him, if you don't think he's able to replace some intake gaskets, bring it to the dealership?

[Johnnyangel]

Your private mechanic should be ok, just make sure you get him the proper gaskets FROM THE DEALER. This is VERY important, as I've never come across an aftermarket intake gasket set that had all the right little keepers to hold it on the cylinder head side, and one set from AutoZone didn't have all the coolant passages it should have had. As I said, you'll need the plastic and rubber molded lower intake gaskets, paper upper intake gasket (just replace it, you can never keep the old one from ripping), rubber valve cover gaskets, grey sealer, and an oil pump o-ring (REPLACE IT while he's in there- it takes 30 seconds, but if it fails later you have to take it all apart again!) You'll probably need an EGR valve gasket too.
Also, if you bought your car at that dealership and are just out of warranty, they will sometimes 'goodwill' the repair to you- I do it all the time. As ong as you've been a good little customer and bought some of the stuff they've tried to sell you- maintenance, tires, etc.- they'll probably at least split it with you. Try this BEFORE you call GM, as it will help your relationship with the dealer immensely if it works. If it doesn't, feel free to call GM and :wah: about it. :thumbsup: