Comments: 1-15, 16-17
Replaced rear calipers, rotors, pads, and parking brake cables. It got hit by the traditional GM rear caliper lock-up syndrome. This was a common problem from '87-'92 because people were not told that they had to pump the parking brakes in order to reset them if the car was equipped with 4-wheel ABS discs.
I wanted to see if the AWD would hold a fairly sharp corner at 50. It did, but I broke the bracket that connects the rear control arm to the rear strut in the process. I ended up having to buy the "dealer-only" strut for $330. Ouch!
I now need to replace the radiator. (another common GM problem due to the fact they used plastic!)
Other than that, it's been oil changes at every 2,000 miles. With the exception of the radiator, nothing has been the car's fault yet.
Ever since I discovered and bought my first '86 STE, I have developed an obsession with them. They led the American revolution of sport-luxury cars, and they were built to last. Periodic problems are common (water pump, alternator, injectors, etc.), but are you looking at the mileage on some of these vehicles? Most cars would have been in the junkyard long ago instead of causing minor repairs! I bought mine with 164,000 and it finally lost a rod at 215,000! (And that's with my brutal driving style).
It took me 3 years to find my current '89 because so few were built! It was the last year of the STE package. I looked long and hard the entire time I had the '86 to find one.
Why so obsessed? How many cars have 12-way power seats with air adjustable lumbar or a steering wheel covered in radio controls? How about full gauges on a digital dash with a digital driver information center? How many cars even today offer self-leveling air struts in the rear to lift the car when there's too much weight in the back or use the same compressor as a tire inflator built into the trunk? How many good-looking passenger cars (in other words, excluding Subaru, Volvo, etc.) come with full-time all wheel drive and a differential lock mode for really bad conditions?
It would cost a fortune to buy a car like this today. In fact, it was over $25,000 in '89! The features and advancements in this car are truly something to marvel at and rival even the most expensive modern luxury cars.
The only down fall is that no one knows it exists. Parts are getting scarce and every year it's growing closer to becoming extinct. Pontiac has discontinued everything for it,and I'm getting sick of being treated like an idiot when I ask for a part for a 4 wheel drive 6000. "Front wheel", they say. "You mean front wheel drive.".
Inspite of all this, I LOVE THIS CAR!!!
With any luck, I'll find a few more and I will make them last as long as I can.
If you can find any STE in good, well-maintained condition (this is the key), I strongly suggest buying it. You won't regret it!!!
Could you elaborate about the pumping of the brakes for the ABS to reset?
Cars that are equipped with 4-wheel ABS must have the parking brake used frequently in order to reset the rear calipers. Unlike previous 4-wheel disc brakes w/o ABS, the mechanic cannot reset the rear calipers with a special tool. By pumping the brakes a few times a week, you will cause a chain reaction which automatically pushes the calipers back were they should be. The problem, like I said, is that when this system was new and revolutionary, no one was told to do this. So, the calipers eventually stopped working and needed replacement.
The problem with you and me finding this out now is that it's to late to save the calipers. As I hope you know, if the parking brakes have not been used for a number of years, you don't want to try them. It's very possible that the brakes will go down, but will not come back off when you pull the release lever. It is for this very same brake system that GM had to settle a class action lawsuit worth $19.5 million with the W-body cars (Lumina, Grand Prix, etc). In fact, I am in the process of trying to get my brakes reimbursed by Pontiac. If not, I may get a few other '88-'93 4-wheel ABS disc brake owners together and file my own class-action lawsuit for all GM cars with these brakes! Anyway, that is why I had to have everything replaced on the rear brakes. I went through hell trying to find someone who made the brake cables (as with many of the parts) for an AWD 6000. Still, I feel the car is well worth it.
Just wanted to say that the Pontiac 6000 is not the best car ever built. It was built cheap, the motors are garbage. On mine the lifters all had a quarter inch wear on them after 150,000 miles.
I think that the engine will be the last thing going on our 6000. It's got 360 000 km and still purrs like a kitten. Nothing major has gone wrong (knock on steel) even though the frequency of oil changes has been questionable for the last couple of years at least (no clue on previous owner).
For the person who thinks that the Pontiac 6000 is not a good car: First of all, are you seriously complaining about a problem like that with 150K on your odometer? Secondly, I said the AWD STE, not just any 6000, is the greatest car ever built. And finally, take a look at the millage on most of the 6000's in these reviews. We're talking serious usage. My original '86 STE had 215K miles when I finally killed a rod. In fact, I'll never know how long it could have really gone because I didn't realize that a small leak had developed eventually draining the oil bone dry and causing the car to die pre-maturely. I have an article from a car magazine pinning my AWD STE against a 7 other AWDs including BMW, Audia, Subura, ect. Guess who got second in shortest braking distance in snow? How about who got first in lateral acceleration in snow? With the exception of full throttle acceleration 0-60 in snow, my 6000 crushed the competition. I just bought another one making it 4 STEs that I have owned. The STE is the original import killer built to kill for a long time. It's called regular maintenance. You should try it some time!
ABS for 86 and 87 STE owners! Remember to pump the brakes 25 times before you check the brake fluid level. Overfilling is common for that reason.
Change all fluids, brake (4 years), radiator (2 years), engine (3,000 miles), transmission (2 years). Keep your eyes on the rear calipers. Spray graphite in the can on moving parts and bolts and threads. Do not spray pads and rotors! Shop for quality. GM still had a lot of necessities. Take a parts-man to lunch. You might even learn how to buy at dealer net price.
Sergei@stones.com.
I have just come across this site because I was searching for information about the Pontiac 6000 SE AWD series of cars which were produced in the late 1980s. I have one of these which I purchased used in 1994 and have enjoyed owning it over the intervening years. I reside in central British Columbia, Canada and have used the car extensively over the years for winter driving. Best snow car I have owned or driven.
I car has been relatively problem free, but lately I have been having problems with the ABS brakes and I will now describe the problem and with any luck some other owner can help me arrive at a diagnosis and solution to the problem.
The problem is: under normal braking conditions the brakes work just fine, no pull and good braking function. In a panic stop situation, which means that you stomp hard and fast on the brake pedal, there is a hard feeling to the pedal and poor braking performance, and slight pulling to the right. This can be overcome with a pumping of the brakes or just wait a second and the symptom goes away, but in the intervening time you feel as though you have no brakes and are using up valuable time and distance in trying to avoid having an accident. It is not a nice feeling.
No luck getting this fixed at the local dealership who at first denied that this model of car even existed. The problem is that I am in small town BC Canada? Any help would be greatly appreciated if any of you other owners have experience with the ABS brakes.
For the person with the questions on the ABS or anyone that needs help with anything on AWD or other 6000's, contact me at ste6000awd@msn.com (yes, I'm that obsessed with these cars). I started the original comment. I just bought my second AWD STE from eBay with only 66K miles on the clock! I'll do my best to help. I've had quite a bit of experience with these cars, so rather than leaving posts here that I may never see, you can reach me at my e-mail address anytime. You can also join "the6000club" on the Yahoo!clubs. By the way, the SE AWD was only made in 1990. Otherwise, there were 128 '88 STE's built with an AWD option, and than all 1,200 STE's built in '89 were standard AWD. All together, there were less than 3,000 AWD Pontiac 6000's built, so get used to the idea of mechanics and parts people thinking your crazy when you tell them you have a 4-wheel drive 6000, just as I said in my original comment. Hope to hear from you.
I bought a 1989 Pontiac 6000 STE AWD two years ago. I’ve had rare problems with it the latest was a bear to figure out…I had a bad injector which took out two others (they are wired like old Christmas lights).
Anyway the car works great, but I need a new EGR hose because mine is toast, it has a hole. Does anyone know how to locate parts easily for this thing? Most of the time when I go to parts store they don’t think that I’m stupid, but they do give me a weird look when I asked for rear shocks for the back and they didn’t even have a listing….I found out why, its because they are rear struts!!! I felt stupid.
All in the entire car works great, but I need to fix the lumbar support.
The car has 153,000 miles on it and I’m driving across the country in 3 days. I expect no problems because the car works great.
About the AWD it works great, I was caught in a snow storm through Nebraska last winter that was dumping snow on an already fresh 4 inch’s! I was on I80 and only slowed down to 65MPH…no problems at all! The car handles great.
Pontiac 6000’s are awesome.
If anyone needs any help, has questions, or just wants to shoot the breeze about the AWD Pontiac 6000, feel free to drop me an e-mail anytime. I'm doing everything I can to keep these cars on the road!
Ste6000awd@msn.com.
Hi there.
I recently purchased a 6000 LE 88 and have since changed the battery and starter due to the fact it would not start after I stopped for gas one day.
The only thing I'm curious about is that the service engine soon light comes on after I drive about 10-15 minutes, especially in the city. It comes on for about 5 to 15 seconds and usually goes off if I respond to it by speeding up. Actually I noticed the light rarely comes on at all if I drive consistently around 60 mph. I always know it will come on if the highway is busy and I have to drive around 45-50 mph. Is this the oxygen sensor? Does a bad oxygen sensor not show up as much at higher speeds? Or possibly an egr valve?
I don't notice any loss in gas mileage. Sometimes it jumps when I first pull out of the driveway after starting, as if I hit the gas pedal, but I don't. Other than that it seems to run well.
Thank you for any help
Jason.
I'm glad there's more people out there that have a car like ours and like it. Ours is a 1990 6000SE AWD and right now I'm having trouble finding the rear air struts. My Pontiac dealer tried finding me some, but could only offer me what Pontiac still has available, which is one side. Any ideas or information would be appreciated, especially if it's available in Canada. We live in northern Alberta and so far this car has been terrific. - Larry
Email: philipwithjoy@yahoo.ca.
I own a pontiac 6000 le and the engine light comes on and goes off after a while and it also does the jerky thing.
After taking to the best mechanic I have ever known, Who
would have ever thought it would be a slightly clogged converter & muffler. After changing the two aroomazoom zoom we were on the road again. NO more problems 3 yrs.
I had a 1988 ste awd and would like another. I would settle for a 1989 model. I like the looks of the 88 but realize that are nearly the same. Mine had a moon roof which I bet I will not find. If anyone knows someone sitting on a near mint or better one let me know. I will pay for it. arcjava@hotmail.com.
If anyone is looking for new rear struts for the 6000STE AWD, I can help. Check out full information at <http://www.6000ste.com>.
Tim Anderson
'89 6000STE, >200,000 miles
'92 Grand Prix, 236,000 miles.
Aloha, OR
Member of The 6000 Club
<http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/the6000club/>