Car won't start, crazy electrical stuff. Help please!

Ok, I started the car this morning ('99 Intrigue) and noticed I had no odomitor(sp) or radio displays, also noticed the led's in the hvac controls were dead as well.

I figured I'd popped a fuse. As I went to the garage for a test light I noticed the headlights were on (Beautiful sunny day) as I returned from the garage the car died and wouldn't re-start.

All the fuses checked out fine. I did notice that when I disable the auto headlights (1 click on the e-brake) the displays and led's come back on. When I turn the headlights back on manually via the switch on the column the displays and led's go out again. Car still won't start. Also, I don't hear the fuel pump hum that little bit before I start it like normal.

I'm semi-mechanicaly inclined and can't afford to take it to a dealer. I checked the neg. battery cable and then went on a loose ground hunt. No luck so far. Any Ideas??

Anthony

So we have a working fuel pump fuse, but not a working fuel pump is that correct? Have you checked for fuel pressure? There will be some residual pressure built up in the lines, but if you push in on the Schrader valve (looks like a bigger tire valve on the fuel rail) gas should come shooting out and not stop when the fuel pump is working.

Is this a no crank situation or a cranks but wont start situation? I didnt gather that from your post.

Did you check/ clean the positive battery cable?

I checked and cleaned both postive and negative battery terminals. Turns over like a champ, but it won't fire. I will checke the fuel pressure this afternoon after work.

Thanks
Anthony

Ok. I've got no fuel pressure either.

The fuel pump fuse is fine. Is there a controller somewhere that signals the fuel pump relay to kick on that ALSO ties into the auto head light? Like for the dimming of all the displays and led's.

Today the displays came on, but when I held my hand over the sensor until the lights came on all the displays went out again.

Since all this started going on at the same time I'm leaning toward them all being connected somehow.

Anthony

I believe the ignition switch can cause all of those problems when it goes fruity, but Im not entirely sure, Ive never experienced them firsthand, and havent done much research on the issue, because what I thought to be my ignition switch turned out to be battery cables.

The reality is that modern cars are so complex that many times it best to let the dealer work on them. I know I do. It's fun to try and figure out how today's cars work but the mechanics at the dealers know these cars better than any one else.

The reality is that modern cars are so complex that many times it best to let the dealer work on them. I know I do. It's fun to try and figure out how today's cars work but the mechanics at the dealers know these cars better than any one else.

-true, but the GM mechanics charge $88 an hour where I live and an Intrigue is at most worth $5k (2002 model). Most Intrigues are in the $2k-3k value range.

=If you can't fix it yourself, it may not be worth fixing.

=People are coming to this forum with their $2-3K Intrigues (with problems) they just bought and are expecting us to diagnose/fix them.

-true, but the GM mechanics charge $88 an hour where I live and an Intrigue is at most worth $5k (2002 model). Most Intrigues are in the $2k-3k value range.

=If you can't fix it yourself, it may not be worth fixing.

=People are coming to this forum with their $2-3K Intrigues (with problems) they just bought and are expecting us to diagnose/fix them.

I agree that people come here for help in dx'ing their Intrigues which, while not currently worth much, is a fine modern car. To those who have capability to fix their Intriques my hat is off to them.

However, my view is that preventive maintenance guidance is probably just as important to holding the owner cost down as is specific repair advice, i.e., lack of maintenance is probably responsible for a lot of the inquires here.

The current market value of the Intrigue is not a totally revelant guide to determining if one should pay a good amount of money to get the Intrigue repaired. The main factor is how many miles one can expect to get out of the Intrigue once the repair is made v. the cost of the repair.

I have a 2000 Intrigue GL with 138k miles on it. I appreciate all the help i have gotten from all of you with regard to fixing some of the issues I have had with my car. Because of the information I've gotten from this board, I now am comfortable changing my own oil, changing the coolant, changing the PCV valve, lubing the ISS, diagnosing code P0101, etc. this information alone has saved me hundreds of dollars at the dealer.

Because the Intrigue is out of production (mistake by GM) and desire for these vehicles is about the same as a 1975 Gremlin, if you do run inot a high cost repair, you really need to make the hard decision on whether it is worth it to repair or dump it. I'm beyond that point now. My car is probably worth $1000 as a trade if the dealer wants to sell a car; maybe $1500 private sale.

I have a 2000 Intrigue GL with 138k miles on it. I appreciate all the help i have gotten from all of you with regard to fixing some of the issues I have had with my car. Because of the information I've gotten from this board, I now am comfortable changing my own oil, changing the coolant, changing the PCV valve, lubing the ISS, diagnosing code P0101, etc. this information alone has saved me hundreds of dollars at the dealer.

Because the Intrigue is out of production (mistake by GM) and desire for these vehicles is about the same as a 1975 Gremlin, if you do run inot a high cost repair, you really need to make the hard decision on whether it is worth it to repair or dump it. I'm beyond that point now. My car is probably worth $1000 as a trade if the dealer wants to sell a car; maybe $1500 private sale.

I believe you are undervaluing your Intrigue and I feel it is worth ~$3000-$4000

But you have a point. If you buy a 5-9yr old car that has not been maintained, expect to put some money into it to get it to run right. You maybe looking at $500-1000 (battery, alternator, tires, ignition switch, CKP, CPS) And that is $500 not including a GM serviceman at $60-100 an hour.

I am unsure if this forum is in the proper format to even handle these type of problematic cars. You almost need a forum dedicated just to the Intrigue with diagrams, video etc. This forum can correct maybe 1 or 2 problems at a time, but when you have multiples and people using crappy parts (e.g., spark plugs) or improper maintenance (e.g., DexCool not swapped) this forum isn't really gonna work. + the newer people usually don't have an ODB2 reader etc = they are coming with many problems and little to diagnose their problems with little technical ability + tools.

I am looking forward to $500-$1500 Intrigues because I believe they are great cars to drive if maintained properly. Few cars are better. GM has newer engines that are similiar to the 3.5L LX5.

I would even be interested in buying Intrigues and helping other people out for parts. Trading or whatever.

I believe you are undervaluing your Intrigue and I feel it is worth ~$3000-$4000

But you have a point. If you buy a 5-9yr old car that has not been maintained, expect to put some money into it to get it to run right. You maybe looking at $500-1000 (battery, alternator, tires, ignition switch, CKP, CPS) And that is $500 not including a GM serviceman at $60-100 an hour.

I am unsure if this forum is in the proper format to even handle these type of problematic cars. You almost need a forum dedicated just to the Intrigue with diagrams, video etc. This forum can correct maybe 1 or 2 problems at a time, but when you have multiples and people using crappy parts (e.g., spark plugs) or improper maintenance (e.g., DexCool not swapped) this forum isn't really gonna work. + the newer people usually don't have an ODB2 reader etc = they are coming with many problems and little to diagnose their problems with little technical ability + tools.

I am looking forward to $500-$1500 Intrigues because I believe they are great cars to drive if maintained properly. Few cars are better. GM has newer engines that are similiar to the 3.5L LX5.

I would even be interested in buying Intrigues and helping other people out for parts. Trading or whatever.

I live in a small city in Oklahoma and am seeing more Intrigues driving around than ever before. This forum is valuable both for those folks who are doing to work on the car themselves as well as those who want to have some idea what is wrong before taking it to the dealer.

I agree with panzerdragoon here. The issues stated in some forums require on site diagnosis and cannot be performed from a desk, general info and trying to point someone in the right direction in most cases is about all we can do. A scanner, knowledge of electronics and wiring diagrams are a prerequisite and we are still unable to determine the extent of the skill levels of most the posters. These discussions can go on for an unreasonable length of time as guess work and vague suggestions take over.

=People are coming to this forum with their $2-3K Intrigues (with problems) they just bought and are expecting us to diagnose/fix them.

Well, true, my Intrigue may only be a $2 to 3k car, obviously with problems. However it's value to ME is far greater. I've had this car for about 5 years and except for the occasional gremlin it's been flawless. I've changed the oil religiously every 3k miles, replaced the belt and a hose when I noticed them looking rough BEFORE the caused any problems. My family and I have taken many trips in it and it is a comfortable, beautiful and until now a very reliable car.

I am not here expecting someone to fix/diagnose my car, I was simply hoping to get a little guidence from someone who may have had a similar problem, or at least determine if it might be something I can fix myself or if it is best served taking it to a qualified mechanic.

Anthony

Understood, in the future if more posters made it clear what their focus was, we could be more precise with our advise.

I think you guys are under valuing your Intrigues a little too much. According to Kelly Blue Book my '02 Intrigue GL is worth $9400 retail, $8065 private party, and $6800 trade-in.

To back this up a little further, I looked at www.cars.com and most of the 2002 Intrigues within 100 miles of the Chicago area are selling between $8900 and $10,000. If they've been maintained well and are still cosmetically sharp they may be worth more than you think.

You could be right about the value of my Intrigue being more than I think. I did not mention that my neighbor backed into the driver side. While I did have a body shop bang out the dents and prime the door, the accident is still apparent. That's one reason why I put those numbers on mine. My plan is to run it until it dies.

2002 Intrigues going for 50% of MSRP in Chicago???

Ok, I started the car this morning ('99 Intrigue) and noticed I had no odomitor(sp) or radio displays, also noticed the led's in the hvac controls were dead as well.

I figured I'd popped a fuse. As I went to the garage for a test light I noticed the headlights were on (Beautiful sunny day) as I returned from the garage the car died and wouldn't re-start.

All the fuses checked out fine. I did notice that when I disable the auto headlights (1 click on the e-brake) the displays and led's come back on. When I turn the headlights back on manually via the switch on the column the displays and led's go out again. Car still won't start. Also, I don't hear the fuel pump hum that little bit before I start it like normal.

I'm semi-mechanicaly inclined and can't afford to take it to a dealer. I checked the neg. battery cable and then went on a loose ground hunt. No luck so far. Any Ideas??

Anthony

to me this sounds like a bad battery: Has the original battery ever been changed out? What is the battery voltage? Maybe try hooking it up to a charger and see if that helps --sometimes these newer batteries will not accept any charge at all when they die. The battery will die extremely fast (within days you will notice the car not turning over well to a complete death of the battery).

-sometimes a charger will not help diagnose a bad battery = for me it was no help at all.

should be 12.6V on that battery.
http://www.autobatteries.com/basics/images/vltg1Chart.gif

My plan is to run it until it dies. -that's what we like to hear.


Ebay Intrigue Completed Auctions ($2000-4000) typical. Intrigues around me are at $4k-6k at the used car lot. If you can buy Intrigues for $2k-3k and sell them for $5k-$7K-$9K =that is a good business. You should think about just buying, selling, service-ing Intrigues in your area. Flood your area with Intrigues and be an Intrigue Service and Parts dealer.
http://search-completed.ebay.com:80/oldsmobile-intrigue_W0QQcoactionZcompareQQcoentrypageZsearchQ QcopagenumZ1QQfisZ2QQfromZR32QQfsooZ2QQfsopZ3QQget resultZQQguestZ1QQlsotZQQmppfqyZoldsmobileQ20intri gueQQsacatZQ2d1QQsaprchiZQQsaprcloZQQsbrsrtZd

I think you guys are under valuing your Intrigues a little too much. According to Kelly Blue Book my '02 Intrigue GL is worth $9400 retail, $8065 private party, and $6800 trade-in.

To back this up a little further, I looked at www.cars.com and most of the 2002 Intrigues within 100 miles of the Chicago area are selling between $8900 and $10,000. If they've been maintained well and are still cosmetically sharp they may be worth more than you think.

this is from Craig's List:
chicago | city of chicago | north chicagoland | west chicagoland | south chicagoland | northwest indiana | northwest suburbs
search for: in: only search titles
price: by dealer by owner all has image
<< Prev Found: 4 Displaying: 1 - 4
Apr- 3 1998 OLDSMOBILE INTRIGUE LOADED 1 OWNER LEATHER SUNROOF - $5500 (LOMBARD) pic

Apr- 3 Oldsmobile 2002 Intrigue GL - $7000 (West Chicago)

Apr- 1 2000 Oldsmobile Intrigue GX Sedan 4D - $3995 (Oak Forest) img

Mar-31 1999 Oldsmobile Intrigue GX Sedan 4D 99,000 Miles Great Car - $5200 (Byron, IL) pic

-some of these were dealers also.

California
**2000 Oldsmobile intrigue Very clean in and out $2200 obo clean titl - $2200 (vallejo / benicia) pic

Apr- 3 1998 Oldsmobile Intrigue Sedan 4 DOOR - $1950 (concord / pleasant hill / martinez) pic


Apr- 1 Oldsmobile Intrigue 2000 - $999 (sunset / parkside) pic

Mar-31 2000 OLDSMOBILE INTRIGUE - $4800 (dublin / pleasanton / livermore) pic

Mar-31 1999 Oldsmobile Intrigue GLS - great condition - $4750 (san jose north) pic

Apr- 3 2001 Olds Intrigue GX 4 Dr. Sedan 3.5 L V6 215HP - $1000s Under KBB - $4000 (Sherman Oaks, CA) pic

Mar-28 1999 Oldsmobile Intrigue GLS Looks And Runs Great - $3850 (Arcadia) pic

Mar-28 2001 Olds Intrigue GX 4 Dr. Sedan 3.5 L V6 215HP - $1000s Under KBB - $4150 (Sherman Oaks, CA) pic (same car as April 3)

I have a 2000 Intrigue GL with 138k miles on it. I appreciate all the help i have gotten from all of you with regard to fixing some of the issues I have had with my car. Because of the information I've gotten from this board, I now am comfortable changing my own oil, changing the coolant, changing the PCV valve, lubing the ISS, diagnosing code P0101, etc. this information alone has saved me hundreds of dollars at the dealer.

Because the Intrigue is out of production (mistake by GM) and desire for these vehicles is about the same as a 1975 Gremlin, if you do run inot a high cost repair, you really need to make the hard decision on whether it is worth it to repair or dump it. I'm beyond that point now. My car is probably worth $1000 as a trade if the dealer wants to sell a car; maybe $1500 private sale.

I agree with most every thing except, have you priced a 75 Gremlin lately? Decent examples are bringing 3-5k, depending on options, nice ones are 8k+, and pristine examples are bringing 10k+ (I also own several models of one of the other orphan makes, AMC). I paid $8500 for my '02 with 56k on it, love it, and feel that current average prices may be in a slump. Maybe if enough people figure out how nice these Intrigues are, the values will rebound.

I agree with most every thing except, have you priced a 75 Gremlin lately? Decent examples are bringing 3-5k, depending on options, nice ones are 8k+, and pristine examples are bringing 10k+ (I also own several models of one of the other orphan makes, AMC). I paid $8500 for my '02 with 56k on it, love it, and feel that current average prices may be in a slump. Maybe if enough people figure out how nice these Intrigues are, the values will rebound.

Apr- 3 1975 AMC Gremlin $500 - $500 (hayward / castro valley) pic
-there was 1 in all of Craigslist

http://b.im.craigslist.org/6g/Gj/QoFxB2U4Xk60Q3Lg3p24sWmTA5Rl.jpghttp://c.im.craigslist.org/WC/VW/dxIb1mtLTMfYMfOQtxVzy85chnUY.jpg

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=160101448969&fromMakeTrack=true

71 Gremlin, V-8, 4spd 55K miles, 13 bids, current bid $8500 (reserve not met)

Granted, E-bait is know for some wild bidding, but there have been several recent sales of NICE Gremlins above $5k

RUIntrigue'd,

I think you paid a realistic and fair price for your '02 Intrigue. It's in between the private party and retail price according to KBB. That's about what I'd settle for if I was selling my '02 GL.

I'd go with KBB and/or NADA, for price guidelines and kind of confirm that with what's being sold on cars.com.

Thanks Kmohr3, yes I feel I paid a very fair price. It has the Eibach lowering kit, 2 sets of tires and wheels (original wheels with winter radials and Katami 17" with High perf Michelins), 56k miles, and other than a couple of door dings, the car looks like it came off the showroom floor (even under the hood). But I guess we've digressed from the original intent of the post.....My apologies.

No apologies necessary. I guess you can command more for the Intrigues if you are willing to hold onto the car for a while. I just don't feel like having a "For Sale" sign on my car, advertising in the newspaper, Craig's list, Auto Trader etc. for a long period of time. Also the number of miles on the car makes a huge difference in prices. Mine at 138k miles is not desirable for a dealership.

I bought my 2000 Intrigue in 2004 (61k miles) for $5500. I bought it from a good friend and he had it on the market for 4 months at $8000. Had only two people call in the first 2 weeks, nothing after that.

the ignition switch is about $90 at autozone. the dealer had me change the PCM, plugs, fuel pump b4 someone on here told me to try the switch. mine is a 2000 gls and my guages and fuel pump would cut out, but radio didnt. thing about that is, my radio stays on when key is off and out untill i open my door. if yours normally shuts off when key is turned off, id go with the switch. i spent about $500 with dealer cost and parts before i tried this. and if it didnt work, i was going to trade it in. it seems alot harder to change than it is. if you do a search you will find a thread a few years old that explains it. again tho, if your radio normally stays on when key is off, i wouldnt think that the switch is the problem.