MiniTransAm

It only happened in the RR tire so I don't think that something broken up front would cause it. It sounded like the pad rubbing on the rotor but now it's gone. Guess that's a good thing right?? LOL

Well we took the wagon out today and amazingly the noise is gone. So I didn't bother pulling the wheel. Car seemed perfectly normal. We'll see if it ever does it again, the rear brakes probably need serviced soon anyway. I'm willing to bet it was something to do with that.

Today while out the wagon developed a scrape noise in the right rear wheel area. I think it started happening after I had to make a hard stop after some soccer mom pulled out in front of me in her minivan. The noise is pretty loud and only happens when turning left. For example making a left at a stop light. I haven't been able to duplicate it any otherway. Could I have a stuck caliper or could it be something else? I'll probably pull the wheel tommorow but what are the likely culprits I should be looking for? It's a 99OBW. Thanks!

I have thought of taking it in and having it diagnosed but I'll bet 10 bucks they will just say they have to rip it apart to further diagnose. I hate to do it but I may just drive it till it blows up. If it ever does. Perhaps a trip to a dealer in this case may be a better bet since they more than likely have seen a similar problem before.

114K or so on it. Don't really have much on the service history. Looks like the previous owner did the basic maintenance but that's it. Timing belt was chagned. I don't remember seeing much about tranny maint.

Howdy We've had this car for over a year now. The transmission has done this since we owned it. When shifting from 2nd into 3rd, you hear a very audible click or a clunk noise (depending on how it's feeling that day) and the car will lurch forward. I have also noticed that it's a bit slow (I think) to downshift into 1st gear when coming to a stop. We also get a weird "rattle" noise when in OD when you give it just a bit of gas. Most noticeable when going up a slight hill and you don't need to give it enough gas to make it downshift. The shift from 2nd to 3rd also takes longer when it's cold. It waits longer to shift than when the car is warmed up. I have drained and filled the tranny twice already when we first got the car. It's probably about 70% Synthetic and 30% dino. Could this be a sticky solenoid and running some sea foam through it and changing the oil again would do the trick?

Ok, I guess I'll just get some ratchet straps from Wal-Mart and have at it. Maybe I'll move the crossbars apart a bit so the cages will fit between them. Then I'll have a good soild area to secure them front to back. Thanks for the tips.

Hey there guys, been a while since I've posted. I guess that's a good thing because it means I haven't had any problems. My question is regarding my roof rack. Come christmas time, the wife and I will be going to upstate NY for about a week. We will be bringing our two dogs with us. Their crates will be coming along also. They are the kind that can fold down flat to be stored or whatever. My question is how would I go about tying these down to my roof rack? The car is a 99OBW, and does have the factory cross bars on it. I have to tool to take those off is anyone thinks that would be safter to do that. So how do you guys go about tying things down like this so they don't shift around? We pretty much have to put them on the top since the rest of the car will be full of dogs, presents, and luggage. Thanks a bunch Jonathan

Soak the plugs down with pb blaster or something similar before trying to break em loose. Makes it much easier.

More than likely the speedo head is bad. It's a common problem. Mine had it when I bought it a few months ago used. Will cost you about $150 bucks for the part and you can replace it yourself in about 30-45 mins. Do a search for speedometer, you'll find alot of info.

Yeah it's an actual downshift. The rpms jump up and the front of the car sits down a bit. Just like a downshift on a manual car.

My 99 OBW does that as well. But it will only do it when I hit the brakes. Could be some kind of system that helps with downhill braking. I haven't thought much of it.

So if I'm reading this correctly, the Delco flows the least out of the box, but lasts the longest and filters more crap. My question is what do those of us do with an intake?? Last I checked, Delco didn't make cone filters.

Keep the old pad on the caliper and put the C-Clamp right in the middle of the pad. That way the caliper goes in even. Also make sure you take off your brake fluid cap and leave it off while doing this. Siphon out about 1/2 the fluid. Otherwise you'll have a big mess on your hands.

Don't fall for that lifetime stuff. Usually those brakes will end up chewing something up. Example. If you have lifetime pads, you'll keep going through rotors. And vice versa. I've never heard one person that's been happy with those things from midas and the like. I just did front pads and rotors on my 99 OBW. I used Raybestos Quiet Stop pads and their VSM rotors. I made sure I did a good break in on them and they have been fine. No warpage as of yet. Literally all you need is a C clamp, a few various wrenches, some PB Blaster and eat your wheaties that day. It's by no means a hard job but some of those bolts can be a bit tough to get off.

These were the same exact symptoms that my 99 OBW had. I just replaced the speedo head and it's working fine. Not a hard job to do yourself either. Took me an hour tops with fading sunlight. You can even set your mileage on the new one if you like. that is kind of a PITA and you risk breaking some plastic clips. I'd just write the old mileage down and put it in your glove box or door jamb for when you get inspections done.

I'm in the same boat. The haynes manual does go up to 98. And since my 99 is a early 99 I figured it's better than nothing. I'm waiting for it to come in at barnes and noble.

Thanks guys, basic hand tools is what I was hoping to hear

Well, looks like i'm doing pads and rotors on all 4 corners this coming weekend. What tools am I going to need for a 990BW. Are the caliper bolts actually bolts are are they hex head?

Excellent, thanks alot.

Hey guys. Looking into getting new brakes on all 4 corners of my 99 OBW. As i'm searching for parts, I'm finding that there are parts that were made for vehicles produced 5/99 and prior and 6/99 and up. Is there anyway to tell from the vin # or a some other sticker on the car what month it was built?? Thanks.

Lucky me I work at a Saturn dealer so I'll be able to do the mount and balance myself And since I'm not getting these immediatly, I can get them through a local shop and with my dealer discount get them from 35 with no shipping. Too bad I don't have another week till we leave. Oh well.

I really do think it will be OK. The tire is already on the rear of the vehicle. Rest assured they will be replaced with the next pay check! subeman90, thanks for the offer. Good to see someone on here that lives pretty close.

I had thought about just replacing that one tire but won't that screw up the AWD? I've seen multiple posts on here about this and from what I gathered, you have to replace all 4 tires at the same time or find one with the same tread depth.

I agree with you guys completely. On further inspection the "cuts" look more like the start of dry rot. While I know I need new ones, the funds just aren't there and I do think this tire will do OK. I've seen tires much worse than this make the same trip. A risk, yes but the tire is not as bad off as I thought. As soon as it's financially possible all 4 will get replaced. Probably be within 2 weeks