Just bought a 2000 Sonoma!!

hello- I've been into old bmw's (and still am), but now I own a 2000 SLS 4x4 sonoma! Now i'm looking forward to winter.

It's got 66k miles on it and it's clean. I bought from a co worker, it was his dad's. He took good care of it and I have a stack of bills from a local shop. He kept up on maintenance and if anything was needed, he had it done.
It's got fresh brakes, tires, ball joints, and more!

He let me drive it while I got plates and dmv stuff. However before I could give him my check...the driver window stopped working? wtf? It just worked on the way to work? The passenger works fine as does the power lock/mirror. I'm getting a couple clicks form the driver side switch which leads me to believe the motor is bad.

So I'm wondering if this is a bad omen or sign? I can change out the regulator/motor.... I've done it before.
What else should I look for? Any other known problems on these sonomas?

TIA!! I'll post a pic tomorrow.

Sounds like it could be either the window motor or the switch. Pull the trim panel and check for voltage and ground at the motor while you operate the switch in "up" and "down" positions with the ignition ON. If that checks out OK, check the wires where they pass from the door into the body. The wires like to break inside the insulation from opening and closing the door all the time, tough to find so look close.

As for things to watch for... Just the "normal" stuff like plugs, wires, distributor cap, rotor, fuel pump, water pump, intake manifold gaskets, oil cooler lines, heater core, lower ball joints, idler arm, but hey, you belong to the forum now... and we can help!

ok I took the door panel off and tested for power at the motor. I get power all the way to the connector. I hooked a battery with test leads and tried both ways on the motor itself, and still get nothing. Is this a way to even test the motor? (2 prongs coming off it... pos to one, gr to the other?)
So I will order a new motor.

Other than that, I noticed the truck has a one inch difference in front wheel fender gap. The driver side is an inch lower. Is there any way to adjust this?

The window motor has two terminals. When battery voltage is applied to one terminal and ground to the other, the motor operates in one direction. Reverse the leads at the motor and it should operate in the oposite direction. Sounds like you have a faulty motor.

As for leaning to one side... GM T body, (4WD Blazer, pick-up, Bravada, and Jimmy) all have torsion bar front suspension. It is adjusted by increasing or decreasing the amount of twist being applied to the bar itself, (relatively easy operation requiring no parts to be replaced). There is a specification that it must fall within for each side. The measuring/adjusting is done on an alignment rack in conjunction with an alignment. The procedure is most acurately accomplished when the vehicle is perfectly level, front to back and side to side. (A good alignment shop will have their rack leveled with a transit on a regular basis.) Front chassis ride height directly affects alignment and must be measured/adjusted BEFORE doing the alignment. Make sure you ask if the technician checks and adjusts "front chassis ride height". If not, find another alignment shop.

thanks old master!

As soon as i get the window fixed, I'll have it aligned at the local dealer.
I just got clips there for the plastic 'foot/skid/kick plates.' (plastic trim that goes between the carpet/rubber seal)
They go through the tin, then they have a pad that holds another clip for the top plastic skid trim. I found the old clips rusty and broken. This also looks like an obvious entry point for rust.
All new owners who care about their clean ride should check these.

If memory serves, the window motor is held in with aluminum rivets....drill them out using a 1/4" drill bit, then use 1/4" x 20 x 1/2" bolts, nuts and washers to reattach.

well, I managed to fuknuckle this door right up.

I tested the motor with no results. So I bought a motor from napa today.
I got home and started on the rivets.
I have a punch and a sledge and the pins will not budge. These doors are so fragile, with thin metal. So I started drilling and before I know it, I have all four just pulled through the tin. I figure oh well, I can flatten the tin and now pull out this regulator.
I secure the glass up with tape.
Now, how and the heck do I get the regulator out?
I've been on this for over an hour. All i'm doing is bending this up.:banghead:

Even worse, I thought well let's hook up the power again to the motor. :frown:
It now works. So I did this all for nothing. I guess maybe the regulator had jammed up and the motor wouldn't kick. Something just bound up the window enough to stop it.

sigh...now I have no daylight, and a window taped up.

how do I get the regulator out? do the ends pop out of the slider rail? I can't get them to slide far enough to come out. This sonoma set-up looks different than the step by step link posted somewhere.
He says" after the rivets are removed, the regulator SHOULD slide out"...hahah wth...yeah right.

but then I'm just a shadetree...

Woops! Guess I should have mentioned, when you drill out the rivets, put the drill on an angle, don't drill straight into it. All you need to do is remove the head of the rivet, then push it through. By drilling on an angle, it binds the rivet so it won't spin with the drill.

Intermittent problems are the worst... best to figure it out before you put it all back together.

As far as removing the regulator, the glass needs to be about half way up (or down, what ever way you want to look at it) then slide the rollers out of the track, and fanagle it out. Much easier with two people, but still a pain in the arse! I usually use a few choice four letter words and then it comes out.

well with some breakfast and a couple extra hands, we got the regulator out.
I riveted on the new motor and everything works as normal.

For any onlookers this wasn't a fun job. You'll need a buddy. Also, I scratched my window vertically...about 3 lines on the out side...:headshake ...so be careful and watch the glass felt cleaner.

now on to the ride height adjustment and alignment...

... sink blows out, run to Lowes, leaving there...check engine comes on.:uhoh:


...guess i'll get a scan tomorrow. Or these can be scanned right?

josh

Advance and Autozone will scan for free. Write down the DTC's in the order they are retrieved and post them here.... don't buy any parts until we diagnose it.

...had to get some gas today, check engine light went away, probably tightened the gas cap this time...:screwy:

Cross your fingers... on a type B fault: if the fault is not detected for 3 consecutive drive cycles, the ECM will turn the SES light off, (the DTC will remain in memory). If the DTC does reoccur for 40 consecutive drive cycles, the ECM will remove the DTC from memory.

Update...

Check engine light has not returned.
I had the truck aligned and ride height adjusted. I was told only the toe could be adjusted because the upper arm bolts were shot. He ordered two kits of bolts that are suppose to be replacement and allow for the camber/castor adjustment. Sound right? I need to buy the kits plus labor ($120) and he'll finish/realign everything for free.

Truck is running great so far. I got it a much needed oil change and the air filter was embarrassing to say the least. I just hit 67k miles, and wondering what to do next. My fuel economy is pretty bad, anything to look for? Should the plugs be due for a change?

I'm looking for window vents and a set of husky weather mats. I also could use a rust free 3rd door, it's the worst spot for rust.
here's my winter ride...before the ride height work...:iceslolan Been great in the snow other than mpg.
http://img69.imageshack.us/img69/9798/1125091630a.jpg

He's jerkin' your chain on the cam bolts, don't fall for it. Camber and caster are fully adjustable right from the factory. The cam bolts he's talking about are necessary on the full size pick ups, Tahoe, Suburban, etc, but NOT on your vehicle. To adjust ride height, camber, caster & toe, should be around $70, don't let him hose ya.

Plugs & wires should be good to 100,000 miles. Might want to check fuel pressure and leakdown though. Is the SES, (Service Engine Soon) light on?

so, he's saying the cam bolts are original and rusted/shot/never been moved.
The camber and castor are off on the passenger front wheel.
How would he adjust this if the bolts are seized up? Are you saying they are fixed measurments, set by the factory? or how are they adjusted?
thanks for the knowledge old master...:icon16:

Ok, I figured he was trying to sell you the cam bolts just to jack up the bill, but if they're rusted, that's a different story. Here's a picture of the cam bolts:http://www.coolparts.com/thumbnail.php?img=/images/manufacturers/moog/K8460_TOP.jpg

The upper control arm is shaped like the letter "V". The ball joint is mounted at the "point" and there is a cam bolt on each "leg". Each "leg" is sandwiched between two "ears" on the frame, and the cam bolts secure them in the proper place. Rotating the front cam in one direction adds camber and caster. Rotating it the opposite direction sutracts camber and caster. Rotating the rear cam in one direction adds camber and subrtacts caster. The other direction subtracts camber and adds caster. When camber and caster are adjusted, the cam bolts are tightened to lock them in position. Moving the cams to the proper position can be tricky during the alignment, especially when replacing the cam bolts because you're starting from "scratch".

GM T series, (4WD) come from the factory with all four cams installed and they are fully adjustable without buying any additional parts if camber and/or caster need adjustment. The GM full size do not come with the cams. If they need camber and/or caster adjusted, the cam bolt kit is necessary.

thanks great write up too!

So, while the sun was out today, I started messing with the rust at the bottom of the third door. Bad idea. Once it started flaking, a hole opened up as I suspected. However the 2 inch pile of crud left on the ground was a surprise.:screwy: Now the whole bottom of the third door is shot, which sucks because the rest of the truck, panel wise, is clean. It almost looks like something is collecting inside the door itself. Once a hole opened, I kept tapping the door and debris kept falling out. I'm wondering if the whole door has to be replaced, or if they make a lower skirt that would weld up/seam under the molding.
So in doing this, I pissed her off and she decided to throw the 'service engine soon' light again.....
figures since I just posted a couple days ago how good she's been to me...

why did I mess with the rust on that door?:banghead: