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Sedans Pontiac Bonneville Pontiac Bonneville General Maintenance and Repair
2228 messages, Last post on Nov 29, 2009 at 4:40 PM
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Replying to: sonnyb3 (Jan 28, 2003 9:05 am) I think when I was trying to figure it out, the answer came from this board. |
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I have a 1997 Bonneville with 115,300 miles and I have to put Dex cool in my radiator every week. There's no leak that I can see but the radiator's very low after a week. Also, my turnsignals don't work and I put a fuse, but the hazards work. I have to get my car inspected and I was wondering if I can repair this myself? (I'm out of work and low on money) Can anyone help me? I'd appreciate it. Thanks, Frank
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Replying to: phillyfrank (Jan 12, 2009 9:18 am) I believe it's up under the left side of the dash to the left of the steering column. It might be on the fuse block that's off to the left. The turn signal is different than the 4-way flasher. I can hear mine clicking on the 98 and can't tell where it is up under there. |
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Replying to: phillyfrank (Jan 12, 2009 9:18 am) If you read through the numerous post on the subject of intake manifold problems with this car, you'll soon learn that this most likely is your problem with the disappearing antifreeze. Antifreeze is leaking through the intake manifold gasket into a cylinder and blown out the tailpipe. Make sure your engine oil show no signs of antifreeze/water in it, if it does, don't run car again untill fixed or you'll damage the engine extensively. As for the turn signal, did you replace the flasher. There may be a separate flasher for turn signals vs hazards. Could be the switch in the column also. |
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Replying to: phillyfrank (Jan 12, 2009 9:18 am) Before panicking about the antifreeze let's ask some questions. Have you owned the car since new? If so has the upper intake manifold been replaced? How many miles ago? If you bought the car used, how many miles on it and how many years. Take off the beauty cover on the motor by twisting the oil cap extension. Look at the intake manifold and look for three circles about the size of 50cent pieces. There will be a year on one of them when the upper manifold was made. If it's 1996 or 97, then you have the original intake. If it's later, the intake has been replaced once. If there are no circles, you have a replacement manifold that's not GM/Delco or whoever made them for GM. Next, how does the DexCool look in the reservoir tank? Is it goopy and dark? Have you changed it every two years? It's supposed to last 5 years but reality is it should be changed every two years just like any other antifreeze--it's cheap. Next take a close look around the upper intake where it mates to the metal lower intake with a good flashlight. Look for a brown trail if it has DexCool in it. You might have a leak where it meets the throttle body or at the bottom in that area. Sometimes the seals around the two openings that let coolant go to the throttle body to warm it start seeping. The second route of failure is the EGR passage that goes up through the UIM. You see the outside tube that goes the lower intake. The gases then turn and go up through a metal tube above the lower intake manifold. The metal tube is the same size as the passage into the plastic upper. The heat deteriorates the plastic in the area of the two coolant passages for the throttle body and the coolant starts seeping out slowly. The plastic turns into little cube-like granules due to the heat. Replacement manifolds _may_ have had a smaller tube that keeps the plastic cooler. If replaced early under warranty the Lower may have been replaced and had a smaller tube in it. Replacement uppers came with smaller tubes to insert into the old lower metal. The replacement takes a full day for a medium mechanic. There are instruction pages. The replacement uppers are $125 approx. and couple of choices exist. But first you must check the water pump for seep inside the pulley. Use a mirror. If you see powder that's red around that area you may have a drip that's being slung around and drying. Check the two 90 degree black plastic connectors that come out of the lower and go to the metal idle bracket if I recall correctly and the other is also in the heat hose circuit. Check hoses and radiator for seeps. If you still think you have a intake problem, check your plugs. White deposits indicate you're burning coolant in a couple of cylinders. Do you have an occasional miss upon starting or when the motor is running very hot (and the coolant is under full pressure)? If the coolant has been ignored through the years, the lower gaskets may need to be done below the metal lower manifold to the heads and the block. That's an additional expense and time. If the water pump has never been replaced, I'd really check there.
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Replying to: imidazol97 (Jan 12, 2009 6:21 pm) My radiator and reserve have thick brown goop, which I had flushed 3 years ago, but it's returned to the radiator (rather thick). I had a new water pump put in 2 years ago but I'll check it as you suggested. As for my turn signals, they gradually stopped working. They'd work slowly or sluggishly. Now they don't work and I no longer hear any clicking. My hazrd lights do work and seem to be the same bulb. Thank You for your time and helping find one of the problems.
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Replying to: phillyfrank (Jan 13, 2009 9:38 am) What was the date on one of the circles for the upper intake? If it was original to the car, it may have had a partial fix applied. I believe during 1999 is when GM changed the size of the metal EGR pipe. DexCool develops a gooop if regular antifreeze (old style) is added to it. If the original wasn't changed and there was air in the radiator instead of it being full, the DexCool breaks down and can become corrosive as well as gooey. You need to have the system flushed to remove the goop. But if you might be having intake work done, you should wait now. What you're really looking for is a seep somewhere other than the intake manifold to explain the coolant loss. That's better than replacing the upper and the lower gasket. For the turn signals, if both left and right kept going at the same speed, I'd vote for the flasher itself having died out. Since you say it slowly got slower that makes it more likely for my first check.
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Replying to: imidazol97 (Jan 13, 2009 10:44 am)
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Replying to: phillyfrank (Jan 16, 2009 11:37 am)  this one is from 1999, notice the arrow pointing to one of the four years.
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Air bag chims when driving. Have a 03 bonnie se sedan only owner it has been dealer serviced. The air bag light comes on when driving and chims. It has not been in an accident, but might have taken a speed bump to fast. Any one have similar problems. The waranty expired. 
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