Updates on my STE and a question (long)

[Robby1870]

Some of you may remember my mentioning that I attempted fixing the high pressure power steering line over christmas break while at home. The leak had gotten to the point of necessitating a fix. I tried, failed, due to lack of garage, cold, wind, limited tools. So, my parents took me back to Lexington and I left the car at home for them to take to the dealer and have them fix it. I told them to replace the high pressure power steering line and the hydraulic motor mount. Mine was leaking so bad you couldn't tell which was leaking more the power steering or the mount.

 

So, my dad calls me a few days after he took it over there and tells me they "found a leak in the lower pressure line" and replaced that. I 90% believe them on this, as it had been patched by the previous owner. However, that is much more labor than a high pressure line given the routing of the line.

 

When I took it over there, I had broken the return nipple off the power steering reservoir, but I gave them a spare pump and said "I think this is good, if so install it and go on". My dad then calls me after getting the car back (from new P/S lines and motor mount) saying he drove it home, but the power steering pump was whining and that when he got home and let it sit there was still a puddle under it. Also, the key would not come out of the ignition. It would turn all the way off, but that last click (the one the shifter being in park activates) would not go. He looked around and found the reservoir was leaking I guess where it attaches to the pump, so he takes it back says "pump is leaking you should have caught it and told us and the lock cylinder is messed up". So, my dad says he'll install a new pump (they wanted 1.5 hours labor just to replace a pump, ludicrous) and have them fix the lock cylinder.

 

So, they find out the mechanism that tells the lock cylinder the car is in park has failed and quoted ~$350 to fix that, I told them no and to just disable the feature, they did. So, the key comes out, new pump is installed I just went and picked the car up and have it back here now. Total bill was ~$600. Car drove fine except when I first started it up, it acted like the IAC was going out. As soon as I started it, revs jumped to 2.5K, then fell back down and it was searching for idle while in gear, but I got it back here and it didn't act up again.

 

My question is how hard is to replace the mechanism that tells the lock cylinder the car is in park? And where exactly is it? Because this is disabled you don't have to press the button on the shifter to shift into any gear. I blame them for breaking this but no way to prove it. It always seems that when you take a car into a dealer to get something fixed you get that fixed but 5 other things are now broken.

 

Thanks for reading.

[GOT2B GM]

I know how you feel, I hate having anyone but me work on my car.

[ManicMechanic]

SHould be on top of the steering column near the ignition switch Robby.

[Robby1870]

SHould be on top of the steering column near the ignition switch Robby.

 

Can I get to it without messing with the tilt wheel mechanism?

[ManicMechanic]

Oh yeah, you will probably have to lower the column and it should be right next to the ign switch.

[Robby1870]

Oh yeah, you will probably have to lower the column and it should be right next to the ign switch.

 

Okay, lowering the column I've done no big deal. What is this part called?

[ManicMechanic]

Park interlock, I want to say...Let me check the serv manual.

 

Park lock cable, it runs from top of the steering column to the shifter.

[Robby1870]

I can't find anything by that name on gmpartsdirect.

[ManicMechanic]

May be a j-y only part...

 

My W parts manual (out of date) shows 14101887, gp. 4.047 CABLE A/T trans park lock

[Robby1870]

May be a j-y only part...

 

My W parts manual (out of date) shows 14101887, gp. 4.047 CABLE A/T trans park lock

 

gmpartsdirect can't find that part number so I guess a junkyard part, or I'll just not worry with it.

 

Thanks for the help!

[AWeb80]

That sucks Robby.

 

sad to see you have sooo much trouble from a stealership.

 

 

I've debated taking mine into a shop to have them change the oil....because I know every quirk about my car and wnat to see if they mess something up....lol

 

 

but, i also don't want anyone but me changing the oil.....i'm in a quandary.

[White93z34]

i had something very similar happen to my lumina a few years ago, i got to work one day put the car in park and the key refused to come out of the ignition, also the button on my shifter had no feel to it anymore at that point, it ended up being the shifter assembly that had gone bad, replaced it and the problem went away forever.

[Robby1870]

i had something very similar happen to my lumina a few years ago, i got to work one day put the car in park and the key refused to come out of the ignition, also the button on my shifter had no feel to it anymore at that point, it ended up being the shifter assembly that had gone bad, replaced it and the problem went away forever.

 

I asked my dad to call the shop and have them explain exactly what they unhooked and what they would have done to fix it. I'm getting information like 5th hand so its hard to tell what went wrong since I never felt it when it was broken.

 

On a more positive note, I just drove the car around town to run some errands and I'm very impressed with the new hydraulic motor mount. Shifts are 3-4x firmer and it just feels a little more solid up front, plus launching felt a little firmer too. I think I'm more impressed with the shifts though.

[ns87]

On a more positive note, I just drove the car around town to run some errands and I'm very impressed with the new hydraulic motor mount. Shifts are 3-4x firmer and it just feels a little more solid up front, plus launching felt a little firmer too. I think I'm more impressed with the shifts though.

 

Same here when I replaced mine. I couldn't believe how much firmer shifts were.

[rockfangd]

i hate relying on anyone for anything on my vehicles. When i did my new mounts it felt like a Brand new car. The only bad thing since is the shift indicator position must have moved or something because of the engine position so now D is betweenN and D lol

[Garrett Powered]

try to keep the motor mount clean. power steering fluid will take it out in 6 months.

 

I just kept throwing 32 oz dr peppers on there every week for 6 months before I got my new rack.

 

first the pump reservoir leaked and ran dry. the rack went out simultaneously. I thought it was the pressure line leaking the whole time but it was the rack. they wear out all the time.

 

started having problems with the other car so I just went down and dropped $1500 and got a new r/p and alignment, struts all put on at a trusted local tire store.

 

I wont take it to the dealership because they sell new cars there. pretty obvious they would want to just frustrate you into buying a new car. thats what they rely on old cars breaking.

[White93z34]

I would guess that more then likely the dealer disconnected your shift interlock cable to help the problem for the time being.