Intrigue Transmissions are problems!

It seems as though from reading through your posts that Intrigue Transmissions are problematic!

I have a 1998 Oldsmobile Intrigue that I purchased in 1999 with 25,000 miles on it. I noticed that the transmission shifted hard (while it was still under warranty) so I took it in for service on three separate occasions. All three times the techs told me that there was nothing wrong, that the computer remembers driving habits and that it was fine.

WELL, now the car has 150,000 miles on it and my service engine soon light came on. I took it in for service and they charged me $60.00 and told me that the gas cap was loose. They reset the light. A week later the service engine soon light came on again, so I took it in for service again. They told me they'd credit me the $60.00 for the first diagnostic test.

The two transmission codes they gave me I do not understand. One was P0719 which I found was Brake Switch Circuit Low Input and the other was P1811 which is listed as Maximum Adapt and Long Shift. Does anyone know what that means? The dealership said it's "really bad...", charged me for the service call again (didn't give me the credit) told me it would be $5,000.00 to fix the car, and asked me to consider trading it in instead of fixing it.

It seems like there are an awful lot of transmissions going bad on these cars. It also seems like they're going to charge me an awful lot to fix this, everyone else says it cost them around $2,000.

What happens when the transmission "dies"? Does the car stop...fall apart...explode? I know it sounds bad, but for five grand I'd like to make sure this transmission goes before I replace it.

Sorry, DarcieDawn. I don't have all the answers (like what those codes and jargon mean), but I can tell you what it is like for the transmission to go.

About three months before mine went, it whined and hesitated before it switched into gear. When I got back home and took it in to have the tranny flushed, the tech said I had a "lot of metal" in the filter and I should get rid of the car. I couldn't in good faith get rid of the car knowing it had major problems, and I didn't believe him all that much, so I weathered the storm. I though he was being a bit dramatic. About three months later, the car whined and hesitated before getting in gear again. It all happened very quickly if I remember right. The day after the whining and hesitating, I could tell something major was wrong because I lost power to the wheels for a couple of seconds at a time and then it would jerk forward. The next day while trying to drive it to the transmission place, It couldn't make it up a hill and actually rolled backwards (an odd feeling to be sure). I had to stop and wait a couple of minutes for whatever was left in my transmission to settle down and start again. That at least got me home where I could call a tow truck. From the time I noticed the whining to the time I called the tow truck, I would say I drove it a total of about 8 miles.

So, how is the drivability of the car? Does it whine and hesitate when shifting to the next gear? Did it do anything unusual when the warning lights went on, or did they turn on randomly? And $5 grand is too much! For the service of mine (granted it wasn't a replacement) it was $2400. I think they said the new ones ran about $2800. To replace it, you're looking at $3500 tops.

If you want my two cents about car dealerships, if there is a hint of a problem, they will replace every component causing the problem, which may or may not cure the problem completely (case and point: my CPS). If it really affects the driveability of the car, take it to a specialty transmission shop (like AAMCO or some neighborhood one with a good warranty) and get a second opinion. Leave Mr. Goodwrench to do oil changes on granny's caddy.

Well, well. I'm glad to know that I'm not the only one experiencing problems with their trannies.

I own a 1998 Olds Intrigue myself and was kept being told to change the tranny fluid at around 50,000 miles. Well, we did that, and ever since, there have been nothing but problems.

One day, while on the interstate coming home from a funeral of all things, the rpm's decided that they were just going to stick around 3 and totally hose the tranny in the process. The transmission decided not to shift into the next gear. By the time we got home, the smell coming from the car wasn't a good sign. Needless to say, we took it in and paid over $3,500 for a new transmission. The car has been paid in full for the past couple of years and we were hoping to be able to keep it and get another vehicle in a couple of years, well, I'm thinking that we will actually trade it in next year sometime.

Sad.

Also same problems with my 2001. I don't want to know how much it would have cost to replace - mine went south with about 42,000 on it with the same hesitation problems. But since I bought the car new, it was a warranty repair. The guys at the dealer couldn't repeat the problems I had and the computer was giving no trouble codes. But, now I have a new/rebuilt tranny with a 50,000 mile warranty on it.
Chernobyl

In December of last year I bought a used, 2001 Intruigue..I have really enjoyed this car. About six months after buying the car It started to shift really hard in warm weather. I took it into the dealership and they of course could not find anything wrong with it except for a needed computer update. (80 dollars) I continued to drive it and within a days the hard shifting was gone... but with in two days, it was back and of all places while I was driving from Wyoming to Washington.. I again took it to a dealer and of course nothing wrong. We made the rest of our vacation and back home. I have continued driving it daily with the intermittent problems of the car shifting hard and mostly in warm weather, and did not have any more problems until now..
It was shifting very hard so I took it to a tranny place which was 100 miles away, (I live in a small town and apparently dealerships have a hard time finding problems) they drove it, called me and informed me of needing a new tranny, I then had then put it up on the computer and they got the same code, max adapt. This is meaning the internal computer has attempted to make adaptations, to continue to allow the vehicle to run, despite the changes in the tranny, and it has done so for such a time that it is no longer capable of doing so, and thus the tranny needs to be replaced.... I am just hoping I do not have another ford taurus on my hands! and the price is around 2,200$

My 99 has been long shifting into second when first started since I bought the car @ 83,000. Every once in awhile it will shift HARD in every gear. Stopping the car and restarting it will fix it sometimes. Now the car all the sudden on the way to work today started the hard shift,, shut it off,, no change,,, went to work,, no change,,, Now it whines quite loud and shifts hard. Who know's tomm when i go to work it could shift like silk or sh*t. Just going to drive the thing untill it quits.. mabey subscribe to AAA for a cheap tow, and get a new trans. However, I would like to ask where you folks who have bought a new/rebuild trans found the best deal, and did you pay cash for the 2k + fix?

hard shifting = pcs(pressure control solenid) bad, need replacement, period.
the same thing happened to my car when it was under warranty, the dealer replaced the pcs and the gasket and the problem is gone.

Update: hey everyone: check the 20pin connector that is located in the driverside. check the tsb 02-07-30-022B. also, the connector located in the driverside, just located under the diagonal braces(next to the airbox). I noticed that the connector had inside water vapor...yes a lot of water vapor, so I disconnect the negative battery cable and unplugued the connector and cleaned with a q-tip( to absorb the moisture) I think that the vapor was making an electrical bridge(short circuit) because tha tranny presented the "strange shifting behavior" only on foggy days.Put some liquid electrical tape in the joint otf the connector to prevent the moisture come back inside again.
I'll keep posting the results.

Hey, thread-starter, 150,000 miles on a front-drive GM transaxle and you're complaining???!!! I should probably say "domestic" instead of "GM", since they are all pretty much junk. My '98 went at 90K, my current junker ('00) needed a new pressure control solenoid when I bought the damn thing (33K) and I had to drive the freaking thing to demonstrate the issue to Mr. Goodwrench.....whole process took most of the week (you don't really need a car, do you?). At least it was a GM Certified and the work was covered. I drove that sucker hard for the 3,000 miles I had remaining for their pathetic warranty.

I was talking to my friend who is an expert GM trans guy at a local dealer. He also said the line pressure control solenoid for the hard shift problem. Also he told me that some of the 2002's (which is what I have) have a planetary gearset that will grind itself to death. (Some as early as 12,000 miles). I'm sure glad this guy's a good friend - if my car needs it he can do it for me for about $300 - $400 bucks.

I just looked up the PCS in the factory service manual. It looks easy to replace, if the side cover is already off the trans. It looks like getting to it is a little more difficult. It looks as though you would have to remove the left axle, disconnect the pinch bolt that holds the rack on, and then drop the frame (or raise) the frame/engine/trans assembly to get the side cover off. Then the valve body is right where you can get to it.

kmohr, you must be a lifetime GM owner to say that that procedure to replace a PCS is easy!! LOL, just like changing a light bulb, eh? As my neighbor used to say about GMs, "jack up the radiator cap and drive a new car underneath it".

Actually I've only recently come over to the GM side. I was a Volkwagen master tech for many years, and only drove VW's. But lately I've grown to appreciate the "W" body GM cars. I wanted to get an Impala or Grand Prix, but my wife wanted the Intrigue.

BTW, I am now "learning" this car and have just gotten the factory service manuals from Helm, Inc.

I imagine that getting the trans side cover off, (at home on the driveway) might take a little doing.

kmohr3:

are those Helm service manuals better than the GM ones? Where did you get yours and what was the costs?

Panzer, they are the factory service manuals. Helm makes them for GM. They were a bit pricey, $135.00 plus shipping. But they have everything, engine, auto trans. The engine section alone is over 1000 pages. They come as a set of 2. Probably 3 to 4 thousand pages between the 2 of them.

Hey all, how much should it cost to replace the pressure control solenoid? I'm getting this done (at almost 59k) and am wondering if I'm getting ripped off. Or maybe I don't wanna know lol.

This place looks like a great source of information....if only I had found you guys sooner.......I guess I'm not crazy when I think I see my lights flicker every once in a while!

I replaced the PCS Valve on my 4T65E tranny in a Century 2000. Cost: $615.00. It solved nothing. Go to the Buick Century forums. The same thing people are talking about with their Intrigues is happening with the Centuries, and every other 4T65E trans product.

Oh boy, reading this thread sure does make me feel nervous. I have an 02 Intrigue 3.5 and it has about 40k miles on it. I am going to be very pissed when the transmission goes. Does anyone know if any other GMs use the same tranny? My 96 LSS has 60K on it and runs like new. I was hoping the Intrigue would have the same level of quality. Looks like I may have been wrong!


Haha, didnt see that last post, never mind about what other cars use the tranny.

Heywire,

Century, LeSabre, Park Avenue, Buick Rendezvous, Monte Carlo, Venture, Impala, Intrigue, Silhouette, Bonneville, Grand Prix, Montana, and Aztec also have the 4T65-E trans with same problems.

The most serious problem (TSB 03-07-30-017) is when the input sun gear and planet set get wiped out cuz of a flat thrust bearing going bad. This will make the car stop moving all together.

Also, there is a splined shaft that gets stripped out resulting in loss of 4th gear.

It's kind of disappointing paying good money for a newer car, only to find out that you'll have to buy a trans - more than likely. (And GM is well aware of the problem. They should extend the warranty of this trans to 150k miles, in my opinion).

I guess I'll change my trans fluid when it warms up here, and if there's a lot of metal in the pan I'll just take it to my buddy at the dealer and tell him to go through it. :confused:

Related question - I have the intermittent hard shift problem, and it's accompanied by a pronounced gear whine. Did Beboetk also have this symptom, and did replacing the PCS produce a long-term solution?

We had our PCM replaced about 30K miles ago to address the hard shift problem with our '01 and it seemed to have cured the problem, no hard shifting to report since the fix.