J
Jake Maskulyak
I hope that by posting this message that I can possibly save someone some money, time and frustration, but I also hope that someone can help me.
I am a fairly good home mechanic. I have done complete engine rebuilds on Ford engines, and can do everything from my own brakes to changing U-joints. I never seem to have any problems repairing electrical systems either. But now that I am dealing with this Pontiac Montana NIGHTMARE, I have rethought doing anymore of my own work.
I bought the 2000 used with 60k on it in 04'. Late last summer, on the way back from the shore, the check engine light came on. I read the codes and they told me that bank 1 & bank 2 O2 sensors had low voltage. I bought 2 new, replaced them, reset the codes, and within a week the light was on again.I replaced them again, this time a month went by until I saw the light.
On or about the same time, both the headlights and the dash lights started to flash slightly. The wipers would go to the up position after I shut them off. Then the cd player started to act funny. Then the real problem started. When it feels like it, the Tranny slams into and out of gears (except for 1 to 2 and 2 to 1). I decided to take it to and electronic whiz locally, and he scanned it. He told me that It was the Alternator that was the problem of everthing. Apparantly one of the diodes was intermittantly leaking Ac current into the system. I refused his quote of $600 to replace it(350 for the alt, the rest labor) and opted to do it myself (reply and I will explain how to do the replacement). I am still not sure if it was worth it. About EIGHT hours later, I was done. The headlights stopped flashing, the light has been gone for about 2 weeks now, and the CD player works just fine.
The wipers, however, were another issue. It was simply the "park switch" on the top of the motor itself that was the problem. Reply to this and I will gladly tell you how to adjust it.
It seems like the engine is running a little better now, so I am hoping that this also fixed the electrical issue with the O2s.
Now back to the tranny. It acted up again today for my wife. It seems like it does it when you put the warmed up vehicle in park for a short period of time, with the engine running. It not only shifts hard, but it also makes a whining sound on the drivers side. If you pull over and shut it off, it repairs itself, and off you go. I have already replaced the nuetral safety switch, as I had the problem before on another vehicle. There is a vacuum modulator on the top right hand side that seems like it is drawing the hose shut a little when you throttle up the engine, and I am thinking of looking closer at this tomorrow, as I am hoping it is a vacuum problem. I cannot think of another direction to go with this, so any help would be greatly apprecitated. I have considered taking it to a tranny shop, but I have found in the past that they usually say "needs new tranny". Besides that, money is tight, and I usually trust my own work more than someone elses. Please ....Help!
I am a fairly good home mechanic. I have done complete engine rebuilds on Ford engines, and can do everything from my own brakes to changing U-joints. I never seem to have any problems repairing electrical systems either. But now that I am dealing with this Pontiac Montana NIGHTMARE, I have rethought doing anymore of my own work.
I bought the 2000 used with 60k on it in 04'. Late last summer, on the way back from the shore, the check engine light came on. I read the codes and they told me that bank 1 & bank 2 O2 sensors had low voltage. I bought 2 new, replaced them, reset the codes, and within a week the light was on again.I replaced them again, this time a month went by until I saw the light.
On or about the same time, both the headlights and the dash lights started to flash slightly. The wipers would go to the up position after I shut them off. Then the cd player started to act funny. Then the real problem started. When it feels like it, the Tranny slams into and out of gears (except for 1 to 2 and 2 to 1). I decided to take it to and electronic whiz locally, and he scanned it. He told me that It was the Alternator that was the problem of everthing. Apparantly one of the diodes was intermittantly leaking Ac current into the system. I refused his quote of $600 to replace it(350 for the alt, the rest labor) and opted to do it myself (reply and I will explain how to do the replacement). I am still not sure if it was worth it. About EIGHT hours later, I was done. The headlights stopped flashing, the light has been gone for about 2 weeks now, and the CD player works just fine.
The wipers, however, were another issue. It was simply the "park switch" on the top of the motor itself that was the problem. Reply to this and I will gladly tell you how to adjust it.
It seems like the engine is running a little better now, so I am hoping that this also fixed the electrical issue with the O2s.
Now back to the tranny. It acted up again today for my wife. It seems like it does it when you put the warmed up vehicle in park for a short period of time, with the engine running. It not only shifts hard, but it also makes a whining sound on the drivers side. If you pull over and shut it off, it repairs itself, and off you go. I have already replaced the nuetral safety switch, as I had the problem before on another vehicle. There is a vacuum modulator on the top right hand side that seems like it is drawing the hose shut a little when you throttle up the engine, and I am thinking of looking closer at this tomorrow, as I am hoping it is a vacuum problem. I cannot think of another direction to go with this, so any help would be greatly apprecitated. I have considered taking it to a tranny shop, but I have found in the past that they usually say "needs new tranny". Besides that, money is tight, and I usually trust my own work more than someone elses. Please ....Help!