2000 Oldsmobile Intrigue GS from North America - Comments

My 2001 Intrigue is a marvelous car, purchased with 23,000 miles on it. However, it is also loaded with problems that have been mentioned - blower, blinkers, lights, power steering pump, trans-axle, power windows, on and on - but I may be able to fix a few of these problems thanks to the forum.

I just replaced the alternator and now the battery light is coming on. It did not come on before I replaced it!

By the way, replace the alternator by removing your battery, take the motor torque mount loose from the body of the car and fold it back on top of the engine, then pull out the fan. This sounds like a lot, but it is not too bad. Then the alternator is easy to reach. Take off the serpentine belt. Make sure you have a diagram before you take it off. Unplug the wire harness from the alternator and the battery cable from the terminal on the alt. You have to take the thermostat housing off and then remove the belt wheel from the left front of the alternator. This is a bolt that holds the wheel to the alternator and the alternator to the engine. Finally, remove the two bolts on the top right side of the alternator. They hold the alt to the engine.

Give yourself at least a half-day unless you are really good at this stuff because little things can add up, and have some help ready for replacing the torque mount and the belt, for instance.

I have two Intrigues - a 2000 GLS and a 2001 GL. I really like both cars, but they are not without their quirks.

The 2000 I bought 4 years old from the dealer, and I was smart enough to get an extended drive train warranty. The engine started having a cold engine knock, which went away once warmed up. It sounded a lot like piston slap in my older olds V8 cars. I sent it to the dealer with a written letter stating my suspicion. The engine was at exactly 100,000 km (about 65,000 miles).

The first GM dealer where I bought the car passed me off, but did note the noise on a work order. The second GM dealer, which was an Olds dealer pulled the cylinder head and noted 1 cylinder worn beyond limits. No over sized pistons are available for the 3.5, so I got a whole new engine as a service unit under warranty! The bill was over $8000.00 with a $100.00 deductible on the warranty. Note to self - always buy the extended warranty!. The new engine now has 40,000 km on it and runs like a dream.

I do oil changes every 4,000 km, which is less than the recommended interval, but it seems to make a huge difference on these engines.

My 2001 had the intermittent signal lights - the flasher/signal light switch module was replaced and that fixed the problem. I noticed the running lights run hot, and have a tendency to melt the bulb sockets if the terminals get a bit corroded. I clean the sockets with a bit of emery cloth or steel wool, and the bulbs work OK after that, but keep an eye on them and replace the bulbs if they show any signs of a melted base.

Out of balance wheels will take out tie rods in no time, so I balance and rotate the tires twice a year also. The tie rods will give a front end thump and jump that most mechanics can't diagnose. Also, the cars are very fussy about balanced wheels and tire pressures. I also replaced the front hub on the passenger side. This side hits more rough road than the drivers side. The front vibration was fixed with the new wheel hub.

My sunroof mechanism broke and the dealer wanted $ 2500.00 to replace the whole unit - major rip off. Another dealer found a roof in the auto wreckers and replaced the entire unit and gave me a spare glass for $ 900.00. Moral of the story here is find a good repair shop you can trust. Do frequent maintenance, oil changes, balances, alignments, and fix any electrical issue immediately before it turns into a major one. Always give the service center a letter stating what is wrong so you can have a record of problems, as verbal notes just don't have the same impact at motivating a dealer to find and repair a problem. This will help in the event you need to take future action about items not fixed properly.

I now have the flickering light problem in my 2000 as the weather gets cold. I am going out today to get a new battery and Bosch alternator. I'll post another notice to let everyone know how I made out.

Bought a used 98 Intrigue with a bit over 80,000 miles on it in January of this year. Overall, it's a pretty good car, but I've had a few issues with it...

1) The service engine soon light simply is a feature that comes standard. I've had the Oxygen sensors replaced, and that still hasn't fixed it. I've learned to ignore it, for the most part. I think I need a new gas cap, but that's not a big deal.

2) Big oil leak that my mechanic managed to make into a slight oil leak.

3) The odd, clicky steering that others have mentioned. After reading other posts, at least I know why.

4) Passenger side door hard to open. Also, seatbelt requires a special touch and a bit of manpower to get to latch.

5) And, currently, a heating/AC issue. It started this summer...I'd turn on the AC, and it would make weird wheezing/honking sounds when I turned it on. Put in some coolant, and it went away for about 3-4 months. But it's came back with a vengance, to the point now where there is no heat or AC in the car, just a honking/wheezing noise when I turn it on. I'll be taking it in to fix.

Outside of that, it's an OK car. 2 repairs in one year isn't too bad for a 10 year old car, and it did well on a long road trip I took recently.

I have been the rightful owner of a 2000 Intrigue since 2003. I made the purchase with 46k on the engine. It now reads 127k. In the 4 years I have had this car, it has been great to me other than the common alterations it seemingly appears to occur with these cars. I had to replace both inner and outer tie rods, both front hubs, and a right rear coil just after 50k. Also, a fuel pressure regulator was needed. To answer many questions about why the car may die around corners or sit there and crank over a few hundred times w/o starting, check the fuel pressure regulator as this may be the problem. My left front CV boot has been bad ever since I bought the car, but have yet to replace it. it seems that high humidity areas get to the electricality of these cars. I too, like many, have had to replace blinkers, lights, hazards, and blinker switches. Also, recently in august I had to replace the blower motor resistor. and, since replacing the resistor, I now have to replace the blower motor itself. it is best to replace both items together so that the new resistor does not pull too many amps through the old motor that is about to be replaced. it seems that if one thing goes wrong with these cars, others must be replaced also. I have had no problem with oil usage, other than the low oil light being on, which is a short in the wiring. there is a sensor plugged into the oil pan that if left plugged in while changing oil, will always read low oil. best to unplug it, then drain, fill up oil pan, then plug back in. if you can handle the light always being on, no need to do this, I haven't for four years. I have also had alignment problems, but those were due to the bad tie rods and hub bearings. I was going to have a dealer put in my new blower motor until he said it would cost $200 for the motor and another $150-$200 for labor. I will now go buy it from a friend who owns a part store for $65 and we will put it in together. Other than putting over $2000 into my car, I have really enjoyed owning this. Great gas mileage and smooth ride. Take care of it and it will somehow squeak by helping you.

I bought a 2000 Oldsmobile Intrigue in May of 2000. So basically it was brand new, my very first vehicle. While most first car owners have high expectations, I realized mine was realistic. Within the first six months of purchase I started to experience problems with the vehicle. It was around the time that I discovered that GM was going to discontinue the car. Luckily my warranty was 100,000km or 6 years. On average I drive 20,000 km a year or less. Some of the issues I have experienced is having to replace the back suspension, replace interior around the door panels, replace the gear shift, constantly fixing the tire-rods, average once a year and burning oil issues. The tire-rods and burning oil issue was escalated to various members of my dealership, however they felt this was normal. After my warranty expired, I continually have issues with my tire-rod. Today, I got a sign for ABS issues too. I have no idea how much I will spend, but I think I'm actually going to say bye to my car this year and cut my losses, as I can't afford all these repairs! It is nice to know that I was not the only one. The other thing I continually experience is the flickering lights issues and have replaced that at least once a month. I appreciate this opportunity to share my experience and I am glad I am not the only one as my co-workers think I'm nuts for having bought the vehicle.

2000 Intrigue owner with 167K miles - I have owned my Intrigue since 2001 and didn't have any major issues... until recent years.

The major problem I have is the SECURITY light. I have read all entries and only about 2 or 3 have mentioned this problem. If the light comes on while driving, I can expect the car not to start the next time. I literally have to keep turning the key for about 10 minutes for the security system to reset itself (my neice and I have timed it to a "T". Lately, it has taken more than ten minutes. Try 4 days!!!

I had the cylinder lock fixed a year ago for $500 at the dealership since my mechanic couldn't fix the problem. Now it is doing the same thing over again. OF course when I went to the GM dealer they said it was another part within the cylinder and that would be another $500. How about that! Is there anyone out there that has had this problem and HAVE a solution? I can't be out of a car for 4 days waiting on the security system to reset itself. It's cold in CHICAGO! I have a running joke at work "My car won't let me steal it today. It has shut down again!" Please email me at agplus1@sbcglobal.net if you have any suggestions with "INTRIGUE" as the subject. Thanks.

As for the headlights, after reading the responses, I guess I did have those problems too! I guess it is time to trade in!

I have a 2000 Intrigue and have had many of these issues over the last 3 months.

I now have 163,000 miles on it and started with the security light coming on, then the check engine light, a few weeks later the guages would go to zero and back again while I was driving!! First I replaced the air intake because that is the code it gave at Auto Zone. That was $145 for the part, engine light was reset, but came back 2 days later. Took it to a mechanic they kept it for 2 days and did diagnostics on it, they could not recreate the problem with the guages, but found 9 codes, but nothing wrong with the car. Charged me $171.00 for labor and diagnostics, but fixed nothing. Guages, warning lights, security light still on... take to another mechanic this time a friend of a friend, he cleaned the computer connections, reset the codes because the car starts and runs fine. Left the shop after about 12 miles the same stuff happened. Took it back a week later, changed the ignition $165.00 (for the part), he drove it and no lights. I picked it up and as soon as 12 miles the security light was on again. Next we changed the computer (He found one for $75.00) he drove it around for 14 miles, no lights.

I picked it up and sure enough security light came on again.

I must say that changing the ignition did stop the guages from going crazy.

Anyone have a clue how to get rid of that security light. My mechanic is like family now... he hates my car!!

Hi everyone,

I must first say that like a few other posts, I'm glad to know I'm not the only one experiencing some of the most bizarre things with my Intrigue. I bought my '99 GL used in August '07. The first day I drove it home, the passenger side floor became saturated with water. I took it back to the dealer who said the A/C drain hose was clogged and therefore was draining back inside the car. They supposedly fixed it, but then when I drove it home I got the same flooding. I decided to take it to my trusted mechanic who said that the hose was still plugged and that they might would need to pull the dashboard out (a $1200 job) to properly clear the line. Luckily, he had a mechanic in the shop who was able to squeeze his hand up in behind the dash and clear it and they only charged me a fraction of the cost. The funny thing is that when the drainage would build, it would first build up in the blower box and then when I made a left turn, it would dump the water out. Anyway, shortly afterward, I noticed that the A/C heating system would occasionally get stuck. No matter what buttons I would press, it wouldn't respond. The cruise control would turn on as indicated by the light on the dash, but the speed wouldn't set at all. It would sometimes stall after starting and would emit black smoke sometimes and smell of gas. I had a few days left on the limited warranty so I took it to a Buick/Pontiac dealer and had them work on it and some other things. Some work/parts were covered, some weren't. To summarize:

The faulty climate control system and the cruise control problems were linked to the ignition switch. They replaced it and no more problems.

The power window switches in both front doors were replaced. They worked intermittently as if they were out of align.

The throttle body sensor was replaced. This fixed the stalling, although over the last month or so, that problem has returned. I think this recurrence may be something different. The check engine light had come on so I took it to my trusted mechanic who checked the diagnostic codes. It indicated one of two ignition coil packs (?) going bad or had a "faulty" moment and to replace them would be $700 a piece. Needless to say, I'll deal with the stalling.

I currently have the "flickering lights and front turn signal that keeps blowing bulbs problems" mentioned by many of you. I also think the passenger side rear wheel bearing may be going bad as it's a tad noisy at times. I guess it's time for another trip to the trusted mechanic:).

Funny thing is that through all of this, I still like the car. It rides very well and really is ideal for a 2nd car, which mine is.

1998 Intrigue, current mileage 166,000. All wheel bearings replaced, driver's side twice. Trans rebuilt, idler pulley assembly replaced. Had the dimming lights and blower motor fan loosing power, had the battery and alternator checked with nothing found wrong. I suspect that the alternator is bad. Now it won't start and no interior lights. I think its ready for the scrap heap.

We have a 2000 Oldsmobile Intrigue and seem to be having the same problem many others have had with over heating. It's in the shop again and is baffling the mechanics. Replaced thermostat and housing unit, that did not help. Than the mechanic told us the radiator needed to be replaced, so we did. Now, after a couple days everything is fine until we go over 65 miles per hour than the overheating begins. Now the mechanic was baffled again and checked electrical work and now has called technical support and they suggest a blown head gasket to be checked by a test strip in the hot radiator fluid to check for carbon monoxide. Does anyone have any solution to this problem that everyone seems to have?

I have a 1998 Intrigue with an intermittent problem where the car starts and runs fine for weeks at a time, and then I go out to start the car and there’s no power. When it happens there is apparently just enough juice in the system to allow me to open the door locks with the remote, but when the key is inserted in the ignition-- nothing. No radio, no lights, no buzzers, no remote door locks, nothing. Not even the click of the ignition to indicate that there is even a battery in the car. This happened once and I had to have the car towed to the mechanic in the evening, being unable to even get it started by jump starting it as I was able to do the previous time. Of course, the next morning when the mechanic went out to check it out, it started right up. He found nothing wrong with the battery or alternator, and detected no shorts. Then it happened again about a month later. This time the tow truck driver did get it started with a jump start and told me just from looking at the battery that the battery needed to be replaced. Another month went by with a new battery and it happened again. Sometimes this happened when going out to the car after it sat all night, but then, like the last time, it ran fine until I parked in the driveway around noon and it wouldn’t start two hours later. I’m getting ready to sell the car and if it’s too expensive to fix, I would like to give prospective buyers an honest assessment of the the problem and the solution. One poster stated, “Alternator problem is the built-in voltage regulator. Buy an after-market Bosch unit and it should go away.” Is that the entire alternator or just the voltage regulator that should be replaced? If this is the problem, wouldn't it have been detected by the mechanic who checked the alternator? And is that the fix for this problem? Thanks.

Have a 2000 Intrigue, and when we turn the left blinker on the car dies sometimes, and sometimes the right blinker makes the car hesitate. Any suggestions?

98 Intrigue that just stopped after going 50 feet. The ignition switch is locked in the off position and will not turn. Mechanic just told me a new switch is $380.00 installed. HEEEEELLLLPPPPPPPP!!!

2000 Olds Intrigue, if your engine begins racing at high rpms, a mechanic will tell you to replace the throttle body for a few hundred dollars. The problem is really a two dollar gasket on the throttle body. Also took advice from other postings and went with synthetic oil, seems to have cleared up the disappearing oil. Will know for sure after a longer drive.

My 99 intrigue is in the shop now. Cruise control quit. New switch didn't fix it. I had the flashing lights problem all last winter. In warm weather it doesn't happen, and the lights stay on when in manual mode.

Rear defrost and cruise control quit working, and toggling rear defrost when headlights were on automatic turned them on and off.

Alternator was replaced 5 years ago. Olds dealer fixed a stalling and lights off and dimming problem by repairing 4 corroded grounding straps under the hood.

New mechanic is looking into the new problem, which I suspect began when I had a power steering hose leak that corrupted the grounds. Sometimes the climate control, heat and A/C quit entirely. Very bad in winter!

Other problems with 150K miles include new window operating switch, driver's side, service engine light going on at the same spot on my commute every day, and going off at lower altitude, and occasional rough shifting.

The motor burns oil, about a quart every 1500 miles, but no white smoke noticeable in back.

Motor runs great, and the car is tight and quiet. Any ideas on how to run down grounding issues?