R Dubya Posted December 3, 2003 Report Share Posted December 3, 2003 I've been told about the recall from Pontiac for the cradle bolts. I've tried to have it fixed at the local dealership, and they refused to do it, because they don't have a way to find out if its been done before. The service manager was a real prick, so as soon as I came home I called Pontiac and they were "looking into it for me". That was 2 weeks ago. The recall guy for Pontiac cares obviously doesn't give a shit, so I'm kinda stuck on what to do. DanTGP told me it's the reason that my motor rocks so much, and slams into reverse when its hot. The car shifts well all the time, never slams into drive, and I have poly mounts on the engine side of the dogbones. Anyone back up his theory? I don't want to call up Pontiac and start raising hell if I'm wrong, you know. Any suggestions? Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idbeast Posted December 3, 2003 Report Share Posted December 3, 2003 The cradle bolts hold the front sub frame into place, if they are loose or broke you will know it, it will clunk all the time and the car will handle poorly. sounds like the front motor mount, the one closest to the vibration dampener, closest to the passenger lower A-arm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Burning Rom Posted December 4, 2003 Report Share Posted December 4, 2003 The cradle bolts hold the front sub frame into place, if they are loose or broke you will know it, it will clunk all the time and the car will handle poorly. This is very true. I broke the front driver side bolt off when I was trying to remove it to replace the mount. The car handles very poorly now...especially going over hills. It tends to move sideways :oops: Good thing I don't drive it very much at all. One of these days when I have the fascia off, I'll have to extract the broken bolt and replace it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R Dubya Posted December 4, 2003 Author Report Share Posted December 4, 2003 I guess I don't really know for sure if they have been replaced, because the dealer only keeps records for cars 10 yrs or less. I do however have a lot of engine movement, and get a lot of noise from the front struts (KYB), but I think its mainly from the stiffness. You guys have any tips on how to deal with this dick of a dealer? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
92turboLE Posted December 4, 2003 Report Share Posted December 4, 2003 http://www.w-body.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=9896 had mine break on me twice already... If you need help in doing this yourself, PM me. It isnt that hard, but its tedious work... plan ahalf a day to do it. I have part numbers too if you need them for the new bolts and Nuts. if the bolts break, YOU WILL KNOW IT. First time it happened, both rear bolts snapped and the cradel dropped out, breaking my steering shaft. I ended up in the neighbors front yard - my brother replaced the bolts with used ones from the junkyard. Big mistake recently - over thanksgiving break, i had the rear snap again. Just the passenger side this time, but you could feel it and the car wanted to pull HARD to the right. If the bolt is stretching or about to break, your car will make a "Clunk" noise from whichever side the bolt is about to go on. Mine was doing it for about a month from the passenger side before it broke. I replace both rear bolts with new and nuts too. You will have to have the nuts ordered as they are not a stocked item - even though they are common from 88-99 in various GM cars. The dealership should have them in stock, but will tell you that they dont for your particular vehicle. The nuts cost around $6 each and the bolts were like $3 each. I also have pictures too if you need some help. Just PM me. - Justin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff M Posted December 4, 2003 Report Share Posted December 4, 2003 Hard slamming into reverse can be an indicator of the Transmission Vacuum Modulator Line leaking or not hooked up, or the Check Valve there leaking, if so then this is very important to fix now!!! Top Dog Bone Motor Mounts can also be worn a bit giving you this clunk sound when putting into reverse but you still need to check the items indicated above. As for cradle bolts, follow up with another phone call to Pontiac, and tell them you want this safety recall taken care of one way or another. I am aware of the recall but have not done it to any of my TGPs or TSTE, and have not heard from others who have had it done “IF†the dealer puts a sticker on the engine bay front clip as they typically do when a recall item has been performed. I would just get under the car and remove one of the front bolts since they are less apt to be rusted in place and difficult to remove, or any that seems to want to come out so that you can inspect for rust to the body of the bolt, if you see heavy rust then well…..it has not been done yet!!! Good luck! Jeff M Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marcus18 Posted December 4, 2003 Report Share Posted December 4, 2003 question... do you think if the cradle bolts go bad it would make a double clunk noise when you les off gas? when cruising I let off and it goes clunk clunk like something is rocking around. I have new dogbone mounts. I haven't checked under there yet. I may have to make a trip to the dealer. marcus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
92turboLE Posted December 4, 2003 Report Share Posted December 4, 2003 honestly - i would do it regardless. It isnt hard and not expensive at all (under $30 if you do it yourself) a double clunk??? lower motor mounts maybe??? Like i said, mine only made clunking when i would turn - it was the cradle shifting back and fourth. if your cradle is loose to the point where it moves up and down, then you have serious problems and need to change the bolt RIGHT AWAY. otherwise, maybe check your CV Joints, Wheel bearings, tiie rods and or bushings for your A-Arms and all associated compnents around the wheels and motor. - Justin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R Dubya Posted December 5, 2003 Author Report Share Posted December 5, 2003 Are there any other indicators of hard slamming into reverse? I have changed the modulator and the check valve, although I must admit my inspection of the vacuum lines was not that in depth. I will check them out this winter to see if I missed something. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SmokesGTP Posted December 8, 2003 Report Share Posted December 8, 2003 You went to Matthews I assume. That service guy over there is a dick. He gets all flustered when I bring my car in cause they don't want anything to do with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R Dubya Posted December 8, 2003 Author Report Share Posted December 8, 2003 honestly i knew he was a dingleberry before i went there, but i made the appt. with him to get the recall taken care of, then i showed and he refused to even look at it. nice of him dont ya think? my pop knows him and told me afterward that the guy is a deuche but i always like to know before i judge. looks like he was right. anyway i haven't heard from pontiac and im not gonna bother just yet, i am pulling the engine/tranny combo hopefully this year, so I'll do it when its out, along with the lower mounts and careful vacuum line check. with the TG 160 chip she still stalls every so often and i have a idle problem that only occurs once a month or so. who's afraid of a little 14 yr old TGP? obviously the pontiac dealer. :shock: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RareGMFan Posted December 8, 2003 Report Share Posted December 8, 2003 I don't see how the manager's "there's no way to tell if it's been changed already or not" excuse is legitamet. If Pontiac's not replacing the bolts with the same faulty bolts that got recalled in the first place, then it shouldn't be an issue. If it's been changed already, THEN YOU WOULDN'T NEED THEM!! That's the point of checking for the problem! And who said the recall was a one time deal? There's obviously something wrong with that dealership or manager. A friend of mine had a maroon 5-speed 3.1 STE a while back, and the Pontiac dealer here honored the recall for him immediately without question. I'm going there myself to get my TSTE checked out soon. Is there another GM dealer near you that you can try? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R Dubya Posted December 9, 2003 Author Report Share Posted December 9, 2003 Yeah there's another in a town about 20 mins from here, I will call them and see if they're willing to do it. Seriously thought isn't that bullshit? I called Pontiac cares and they called the dealership, I heard the lady for Pontiac say just as she was clicking back to me, " I hate dealing with jerks like that.." I told her I heard her and sympathized with her totally. I'll let you know how it goes.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tyroelite Posted December 9, 2003 Report Share Posted December 9, 2003 if i kinda just wrecked my car and broke those bolts as i hit the hill, you think the dealerships would still honor the recall and fix it... maybe i could tell them that the bolt broke and then i crashed? I'm not sure if it is the front or the rear retaining bolts but i know there is a recall on both... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
92turboLE Posted December 23, 2003 Report Share Posted December 23, 2003 ok, i got the tutorial up on this! got to http://www.blazeperformanceparts.com and go to the "Info" section and click on the Sub-Frame bolt repair section. this will give you the basics on what you need to do. It was based off the back, but the front bolts are pretty much the same except you have to pull the bumper cover. - Justin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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