car problem...any info appreciated

[gardenweasel]

2000 olds alero gls 3.4 l. 6 cylinder....


starts sometimes....sometimes not...someone can drive down the street to the store....grab some groceries,come back out and no start....

go back in the grocery,calls me,i come over and it starts with no problem....

occasionally,the power just cuts off when driving...only happened a few times.....

know it isn`t the fuel pump.....thinking something electrical?......

any ideas?....it`s becoming a real problem.....like to get some opinions before i decide to dump the damned thing....

btw,only 48 k miles...

thanks...

 

[VaNurse]

Sounds like a lemon Buick Skyhawk I had back in the 80's. It spent something like a month out of the first 11 months in the service department at the dealership. One of the times, we picked it up, stopped for dinner, got home and it wouldn't start up again. They claimed it was some sort of an electronic module that kept shorting out.

Interestingly, the first time it happened once it was out of warranty, and we raised Holy Hell, they fixed it properly and it never happened again. I guess they realized the Gravy Train had left the station when GM wasn't paying anymore.

 

[gardenweasel]

thanks for the respnse,va....

i`m thinking it might be a "passlock"(security system) issue......or this...

i read this on a forum(there are whole forums devoted to this lemon)....

post 275...that seems pretty simple...i`ll give it a whack...if not,i`m getting something else...

http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/direct/view/.f0d3efe/266

i`m throwing no more money into this black hole...

 

[Dead Money]

11 year old defunct GM product...

11 year old defunct GM product...

Dump it Wease, nothing but future heartaches...

Buy a nice used dealer certified
Acura TL circa 2004-2008 and sleep well....:0074

 

[Full court press]

I know how it is, the car has been paid for long ago and it's nice to have cheap transportation that pays you back down the road. It may not be a lost cause.

I would look hard at the ignition itself if you are sure that the fuel system is OK. if not . take it down to Auto Zone they can scan the codes for free and it may just be a quick and inexpensive fix.

It's worth a shot.

 

[gardenweasel]

thank you,my brothers....just had the fuel pump replaced....and that`s it....

that`s a great idea,full court...that may be my next option...thanks...

i like the acuras,d.m....i had been looking,but didn`t want to blow 30-odd g`s on a new car...afraid to jump into another used car(the alero was used)...it`s a pathetic excuse for an automobile...

we got the alero for my brother when he was beginning to become sicker(he could no longer handle his manual trans. truck).....and unfortunately,in the haze of what was happening,i didn`t do my homework.....:banghead:

 

[Morris]

GW the thing is basically 11 years old and worth about $300 on a trade. I would cut my losses at this point. No sense getting nickel and dimed here.

 

[Chadman]

I'd just keep it around as a backup and by a bright shiny new red convertible mustang and cruise chicks. What the hell, I'd imagine a weasel driving a shiny new convertible around town would be the shiznit!

Good luck with your issues - always a tough decision at the point you're at. As for the used vehicle thing - I looked around for a long time and found a nice Pontiac Grand Am with 20K miles on it for a good price - have driven the crap out of it, up to 120K now and never had an issue. It's a crapshoot, but sometimes you can get lucky.

Guessing it's a good time to purchase a vehicle, new, especially, after the clunkers program and the economy still dragging, but I don't know, personally.

 

[gardenweasel]

GW the thing is basically 11 years old and worth about $300 on a trade. I would cut my losses at this point. No sense getting nickel and dimed here.

the car IS 10 years old...good point,morris...


i have a 2002 jeep grand cherokee i bought new and it has 18,000 miles on it...:mj07:

 

[gardenweasel]

I'd just keep it around as a backup and by a bright shiny new red convertible mustang and cruise chicks. What the hell, I'd imagine a weasel driving a shiny new convertible around town would be the shiznit!

Good luck with your issues - always a tough decision at the point you're at. As for the used vehicle thing - I looked around for a long time and found a nice Pontiac Grand Am with 20K miles on it for a good price - have driven the crap out of it, up to 120K now and never had an issue. It's a crapshoot, but sometimes you can get lucky.

Guessing it's a good time to purchase a vehicle, new, especially, after the clunkers program and the economy still dragging, but I don't know, personally.

don`t want to spring for a new car either,bud......maybe spend some time looking for something used...and practical...

thanks again for the help,guys...much appreciated...

/weasel bowing and walking backwards out of the room...

 

[yyz]

Dump it Wease, nothing but future heartaches...

Buy a nice used dealer certified
Acura TL circa 2004-2008 and sleep well....:0074

I've always loved that term. Exactly what the fuck is that? (Besides an extra $3-5,000 in the dealer's pocket?

:toast: :sadwave:

 

[gardenweasel]

I've always loved that term. Exactly what the fuck is that? (Besides an extra $3-5,000 in the dealer's pocket?

:toast: :sadwave:

i checked the warranty on the acura dealer certified autos and it was 12 months/12,000 miles....didn`t exactly blow me away...

 

[SixFive]

I know nothing about cars except problems I have had.

My car was doing the same thing exactly. The problem was that a screw was loose on the column where it connected with the shift handle. There's some sort of safety mechanism where 2 parts have to connect. IF not, the car will not allow you to start it. I guess it's like the car is not fully all the way up into the D position. Thankfully, I have a trailer park mechanic who figured out the problem relatively fast and saved me all that bs diagnostic work.

 

[yyz]

i checked the warranty on the acura dealer certified autos and it was 12 months/12,000 miles....didn`t exactly blow me away...

ANY car you buy off of a dealer's lot ought to carry that!

Ask that asshole, "Oh, these are your certified cars? The other 70% must be your pieces of shit, huh?"

 

[gardenweasel]

I know nothing about cars except problems I have had.

My car was doing the same thing exactly. The problem was that a screw was loose on the column where it connected with the shift handle. There's some sort of safety mechanism where 2 parts have to connect. IF not, the car will not allow you to start it. I guess it's like the car is not fully all the way up into the D position. Thankfully, I have a trailer park mechanic who figured out the problem relatively fast and saved me all that bs diagnostic work.

that article i posted had a guy mention that he cleaned his key off with 3-in-1 oil....his key(or the ignition) became grimy and the anti-theft security system wasn`t recognizing it and was freezing the fuel injectors from supplying gas....

my car would crank,but not turn over....

tried the 3-in-1 trick tonight and it turned over 4 times this evening....

i doubt that`s the problem,but,:mj09: a guy can hope...

 

[Dead Money]

I've always loved that term. Exactly what the fuck is that? (Besides an extra $3-5,000 in the dealer's pocket?

:toast: :sadwave:

"Acura requires its vehicles receive a 150-point inspection before they can be certified.

All vehicles are under six years old and have less than 80,000 miles.
Every buyer receives a 12 month/12,000 mile limited warranty and a 7-year/100,000 mile limited powertrain warranty.
It?s possible to get a pretty good deal on a five-year old TL, for example, and get strong warranty coverage.
Acura?s CPO vehicles having up to 80,000 miles on them are testament to the brand?s reliability"


If you know how to deal, a CPO vehicle can be had for peanuts over the price of an "as is" trade in, an extra $500.00 to $1000.00 is a very small price to pay for the xtra coverage.. If you want to spend an extra 3-5 K ANY dealer in the U.S. will be happy to oblige....:shrug:

 

[gardenweasel]

"Acura requires its vehicles receive a 150-point inspection before they can be certified.

All vehicles are under six years old and have less than 80,000 miles.
Every buyer receives a 12 month/12,000 mile limited warranty and a 7-year/100,000 mile limited powertrain warranty.
It?s possible to get a pretty good deal on a five-year old TL, for example, and get strong warranty coverage.
Acura?s CPO vehicles having up to 80,000 miles on them are testament to the brand?s reliability"


If you know how to deal, a CPO vehicle can be had for peanuts over the price of an "as is" trade in, an extra $500.00 to $1000.00 is a very small price to pay for the xtra coverage.. If you want to spend an extra 3-5 K ANY dealer in the U.S. will be happy to oblige....:shrug:

you drive an acura,d.m.?.....always liked the brand...

 

[yyz]

"Acura requires its vehicles receive a 150-point inspection before they can be certified.

All vehicles are under six years old and have less than 80,000 miles.
Every buyer receives a 12 month/12,000 mile limited warranty and a 7-year/100,000 mile limited powertrain warranty.
It?s possible to get a pretty good deal on a five-year old TL, for example, and get strong warranty coverage.
Acura?s CPO vehicles having up to 80,000 miles on them are testament to the brand?s reliability"


If you know how to deal, a CPO vehicle can be had for peanuts over the price of an "as is" trade in, an extra $500.00 to $1000.00 is a very small price to pay for the xtra coverage.. If you want to spend an extra 3-5 K ANY dealer in the U.S. will be happy to oblige....:shrug:

Obviously, the $5000 is extreme.

Still, if you want a car off of a lot, take it to your own guy and have him look at it. He's going to do the exact same thing as "their" guy, and it will cost you less than a hundy. Will you get a warrenty? No, but if it a decent car, you won't need it, will you?

 

[LDB]

2000 olds alero gls 3.4 l. 6 cylinder....


starts sometimes....sometimes not...someone can drive down the street to the store....grab some groceries,come back out and no start....

go back in the grocery,calls me,i come over and it starts with no problem....

occasionally,the power just cuts off when driving...only happened a few times.....

know it isn`t the fuel pump.....thinking something electrical?......

any ideas?....it`s becoming a real problem.....like to get some opinions before i decide to dump the damned thing....

btw,only 48 k miles...

thanks...

it could very well be an ignition or possibly alternator going out...

 

[GENO]

GW if the passlock sensor on the ignition cylinder has not failed yet you are due, we stock 4-6 at a time and sell dozens a year. GM dumped Olds six years ago and the model specific stuff is being discontinued very fast. A lot of the parts interchange with the Malibu same year, but Olds trim is going, going, or gone.

Economy minded folks LOVE a Honda Accord, if you have to have style get an Acura, parts will be higher I imagine, premium line cars usually are ! (Caddy & Vet in GM line) :0074