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My 09 Lacrosse has been having some issues. It all seems to be related to this cold snap we’ve been having. 3800 Series III engine.
A few weeks ago I was leaving work and as soon as I got in the car my ABS Warning and Brake lamps were illuminated. Brake fluid was low enough I could see the pistons on my master cylinder. I slowly drove home, removed both front calipers to check for leaks, and also checked around the master cylinder/brake booster. I added fluid to the full line, pumped the brakes for a while and checked the concrete driveway and lines for any sign of leakage. Nothing.
The last time I added fluid was when I had replaced the pads & rotors in March of 2012.
A few days ago I checked the fluid level, its still all full. Fast forward to today and as I was leaving work for an interview I made a U-turn and as I heard a whine and the steering wheel kicked back and stuttered when I turned to lock.
I turned off my radio and slowly accelerated and noticed the whine getting louder. I immediately thought there was an issue with the serpentine belt. I pulled over and gave it a quick look over. The belt was riding on all of the pulleys like it should have been, so I checked to see my power steering fluid was low. It’s at the hot full line.
After the interview I got a few dollars worth of gas, left the car for about 5 minutes to grab some food & drink and started it back up. The idle wasn’t too awfully rough, but I noticed vibrations which went away as I drove the car more. This is the second time this has happened. The first time was with the engine cold, today after driving for about 30 mins to my interview and leaving the car to sit for a total of about 35-40 mins between the interview and gas run.
After pulling away I didn’t notice it about 100 yards up the road at a stoplight.
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You may want to start with a plug check. If your running the car
low on fuel. This is a problem for the fuel pump and sucking dirt
into the fuel system. If the car has a fuel filter. Try changing it.http://www.ericthecarguy.com/faq/solving-automotive-performance-issues
Brake fluid gets low as the brake pads wear. If you don’t see any leaks, it’s likely you need front pads. That said, now that you’ve topped off the master cylinder be careful. Many people do not crack the bleeder valve open when compressing the caliper piston when installing new pads. This takes the fluid, forces it back up through the master cylinder, and all over the firewall. Now that you’ve topped it of, it may be even worse. If you crack the bleeder valve when doing the brakes however, you shouldn’t have any problems.
If the brake fluid was low enough, it could have caused the red brake light to come on. If that was the case, the ABS light will also come on.
The best corse of action would be to pull the ABS codes to see what the issue was. It may also have something to do with the vibrations you’ve had.
As for the noise that may be unrelated. Also, under those cold conditions, you may hear more noises than usual.
More info here.
http://www.ericthecarguy.com/faq/solving-brake-problems
Keep us posted on what you find.
Aye, common sense. Can’t find anyone to hire me besides lube shops so what I’ve gotten a bit rusty when it comes to what I’ve learned in class.
Got my new pads and rotors on, I’m pleasantly surprised given that I went cheap on rockauto.com. Ended up buying 2 Centric C-Tek Rotors which are just as heavy and and slightly thicker than the AC Delco Durastops I put on 2 years back. I’m holding onto them so I can resurface them in class instead of buying another set in 2 years. Also went with the Centric Premium Ceramic pads which have a larger and thicker shim than the Prime Choice pads I bought for the same price.
I’m going to need to flush my fluid soon, as when I removed fluid from the reservoir there were large black flakes (half the size of my pinky nail) suspended in the fluid.
I do still get belt squeal during cold start ups, but I haven’t noticed it changing with acceleration as it did last Thursday.
We’ll see in the long run how these cheaper parts hold up. Tires are next in line, found a place that will finance with no interest as long as its paid off within 12 months so I’ll finally be able afford some michelins banana:
And as for the rough idle issue, I don’t let the tank go down below a 1/4 anymore. Fuel filter is fine, I have no issues under heavy load (acceleration). If need be I’ll run a fuel injection cleaner through the brake booster hose. Other than that the car is doing fine now.
[quote=”Texarkana” post=91125]If need be I’ll run a fuel injection cleaner through the brake booster hose. [/quote]
Cleaner that is put into vacuum line doesn’t clean injectors. It only cleans intake manifold and valves. And maybe also little of combustion chamber and even less exhaust.
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