intrigue grounding

http://www.oldsmobileforums.com/forums/lofiversion/index.php/t540.html

for people with alot of electrical problems especially with the alternator (pulsing headlights). My headlights (actually the whole electrical system) used to pulse when I got the car used off-lease with 17K miles. But the pulsing headlights are now a thing of the past mainly from accelerating hard and forcing the electrical connections to find the common ground. This electrical pulsing condition really stresses out all the electronics (imagine plugging in a electrical motor (coil) and then disconnecting the motor (large spark) thousands of times over and over.

Problems with my Intrigue 2000: 70k miles.

1. Flasher needs to be replaced due to working only intermittently.
2. Windshield wipers lock out in the vertical position when turned off therefore I must keep them on- on the lowest setting (go on every 18 sec). Not sure why this happens-may be due to an error condition. Wiper mechanicals for alot of GM cars are known to break away from the wiper motor during ice etc. May be a poorly soldered/corroded circuit board also.
3. Minor wheel bumping/humming noise one of the rear tires, but goes away after a few minutes of driving. Not as bad as the 1999 Intrigues.
4. Water released into the trunk after rain when trunk is opened.

Do you have any more grounding kits? I have never heard of these before; do you know where they can be purchased?

I have not made one yet, but grounding kits have been around for along time. The Intrigue is the first Aluminum block engine auto (and non V8) I have ever owned. Once you make the switch to Aluminum it is something I would seriously consider. Check around the Import scene for more information. The guys diagrams are pretty good. Any ground that goes through the engine or does not directly ground through the chassis I would add another ground to the chassis or to a custom ground strip. Once I have my service books and read up alittle I will make my own (1-3 months). It may be smart to go through every main electrical connection and clean off corrosion and coat with electrical (diaelectric) grease also if you are having problems.

Thanks for your help. I was confused - I thought you were the person posting at the link you included (oldsmobileforums.com). I contacted the person who was showing off his grounding kit and he is going to sell me a kit for my car. I wonder if this will obviate the need for examing every inch of the wiring in the car and cleaning/coating like you mentioned. That's a lot of work and involves things like removing the carpets, etc.

You should not need to replace or mess with any secondary wiring, switches etc. If anything the grounding kit will save your wiring and components from future damage by providing a better grounding path. Components that use or produce alot of electricity (alternator) should be checked at the wiring contacts.

Components that were grounded to the engine (aluminum) add a second parallel ground to the chassis.

have this same problem with my 1998.....just happened.

2. Windshield wipers lock out in the vertical position when turned off therefore I must keep them on- on the lowest setting (go on every 18 sec). Not sure why this happens-may be due to an error condition. Wiper mechanicals for alot of GM cars are known to break away from the wiper motor during ice etc. May be a poorly soldered/corroded circuit board also.

panzer,

why did you keep them on lowest setting? Also, did you fix the problem? If so how?

I couldn't stand them being visible the whole time. They lock out completely vertical (90 degrees) so they obstruct my view when driving. Then you have 2 focal points to deal with which can be confusing to the eyes.

There is a diagnostic chart that I looked at and it looked like the condition is related to a short. I bought extra wipers (narrow style) just in case one of the wipers wears out. Maybe if I get a warm day I'll look into it. Right now I need tires that work descent in the snow-so the wipers aren't as important-just a nuisance.

Just to clarify: My wipers do work, it's just when I turn them off they go vertical. I thought originally this could be signifying an error condition and there was something wrong with the blades tracking. If the blades broke loose from the wiper motor or wiper arm assembly the blades won't move at all-or they would be totally loose. This has actually happened with people driving in alot of freezing snow etc in quite a few GM car vehicles. If the blades freeze to the windshield and I turn the car on before I break the blades loose by hand I could see where they could break from the assembly. So when I drive now my wipers go on every 18sec while set on the lowest setting. It is actually illegal to have your wipers on when you don't need them on in Wisconsin. If I ever get pulled over I will just tell them that they are automatic and the sensor if faulty, detecting dust on the windshield.