I have a 1992 Bonneville SSE with 186,000 miles and it
runs great and with tender care still looks good. We just purchased a 1993 Bonneville SSEI (supercharged) I love the
car, but the supercharger is making a lot of noise. We've changed the oil and put in a thicker oil which toned the noise down, but it's still there. Has anyone ever had to repair the supercharger bearings? I want to keep the car, but am afraid the noise will continue to get worse. I always put in high octane gasoline. I love these cars!
Just bought a 97 Bonneville 40th Anniversary SSEI Supercharged with 69,000. I took it out on the test drive and was floored. From a dead start to the end of the on-ramp I was at 100 and climbing in what seemed like seconds. The heads-up digital display is a neat feature too. So is it time to change the oil in the supercharger now?
I purchased a used 1997 Bonneville SSEi 2 years ago. I have had no problems at all and the only thing that was not new was the battery... which was just because the owner saw a good deal on a new battery. And about the supercharger noise on the '96... your suppose to use octane 97 fuel and supercharger oil every certain amount of miles.
I have owned my 98 SSEi for 3 and a half years now. One of the best cars I have ever owned. Recently took it in for an alignment and to have new tires put on. The service guy told me my front strut was out. I was unable to replace the CCR struts. So they put on passive struts instead. What a difference in ride quality.
I bought a 1992 bonneville ssei in 2001 w/84,000k and it had a lot of noise in the superchargers bearings. the dealer wanted $2300 to replace the supercharger. I went online to canadiansuperchargers. com and picked one up for $490 and a very good mechanic friend put it in for me and it runs quiet and good. that thing will run loud until it drops if you want to put up with all the racket, but having it replaced is the way to go.
I am the proud owner of a few American and import cars. My daily driver is a 1989 BMW 750 IL, with the long wheel base and the smooth powered v12. 498hp with a few upgrades.
My sister in-law owns a 1998 Pontiac Bonneville Se. I test drove the car for them before they bought it, and the car drove nice, and the ride was great. And being a mechanic for the last 10 years I went threw everything on the car. All checked out fine.
A week ago they informed me of the car running poorly, stalling, no power. They also got a letter informing them of a recall on the fuel regulator valve in this car. They scheduled this work to be done with the local dealership for repair. But before this could be done the car went from being poor running to worse. The upper (plastic) intake manifold blew up, yes blew up into like 20 pieces. I am positive that is is due to the air fuel mixture, but the mechanics there at the Pontiac dealership deny the fact that theres any way this could cause this problem. So the repair is all on them, then General Motors will fix just the valve. The car is a awesome car, so the fix is well worth having this nice riding car back on the road for another 80,000 miles. Just wish all car manufactures stood behind their products better.
(side note) Pontiac has a great motor in these cars, the 3800 v6 is a simple smooth running motor, and over 200 hp Ta boot.
I've added the supercharger oil to the top of the threads and it's toned down the "whine". Thought about the smaller pulley idea and was told that with over 50,000 to forget it, too much stress on the engine. Anyone disagree? I love this car, and I'm a truck guy. On the other hand the transmision quit down shifting and wants to stall when coming to a stop. Babied the thing to auto zone, dummy light came on, they said torque converter indicated a "stuck on condition". Only 88,000 now, kind of disappointed. Still waiting to hear from Cottman transmission.
I own 96 Bonneville SE had no problems until one day it overheated with no warning. I checked and replaced the fluids, but it would not crank up, all lights and everything comes on when I turn the key, it even makes a startup sound but it what crank up. What could be the problem?
This car is luxurious junk! From a/c, to paint, to rust, to suspension, to transmission, to a key less entry system that worked for a month, to major engine problems, this car has it all! Oh yea, the dealer support is dreadful! Two months for a/c parts to come in! I will never buy a Pontiac... scratch that, I will never buy a GMC EVER! They build nice looking junk.
I just purchased a 97 Bonneville SSEI. My 94 SE had 290,000 and still did'nt use oil and always woke up in the morning. I had the trans rebuilt @ 182,000. Other than alternator replacements every year no problems. I owned this vehicle for over 7 years. When purchased it had 166,000 miles. You have to have an ear for chosing used vehicles.
I just purchased a 97 Bonneville se, 3800 v6.. and I'm getting all kinds of anti freeze in the cylinders.. was jsut curious if anyone had any suggestions,, another thing.. does anyone know the correct protocol for switching it to an SSE I got the super charger, heads, intake, and all for a little of nothing and I want to install it, but I don't know if I need new pistons... thicker gaskets... etc,.. so if anyone can help it would be appreciated.
My dad bought a 1997 Pontiac Bonnevill 40th anniversary ssei and we love it. It has approximately 130,000 miles and runs aw some. That car will really fly. We've had it up to 125 mph and it wasn't even in overdrive yet. Luckily we've had no problems with the super charger that I've herd people talk about. I love it so much I'm trying to find one for me when I turn 16.
Common Problems.
The naturally aspirated 3800 Series II engine (L36) is known for having problems with the upper composite intake degrading from EGR tube heat and leaking coolant into the engine, along with lower intake manifold gasket problems. Please click here to read more about this.
The lower intake manifold gaskets tend to fail prematurely because of the GM Dex-Cool antifreeze used in these vehicles, and require replacement around 100,000 miles, depending on the climate in which the car is driven.
I bought a '97 Bonneville SSE in California, 91,000 miles on it for $2,100 including all the taxes and registration.
The paint is thin, but looks good. The security system has some quirks. It runs perfectly. The transmission has a little bit of slippage. Could the slippage possibly be cured by a band adjustment? This car is a keeper.
We own a 1997 Bonneville SSei 40TH Anniversary Edition. Purchased it 2 years ago. It is a wolf in sheep's clothing. I have had it over 100 mph, without the wife, and never had it floored. And, it looks as good as it runs, still.