2007 Lucerne Brake Weirdness

[Bill Stoneberg]

I decided to drive my wife's 2007 Lucerne to dinner with friends today. Most of the time the car is a driveway ornament so it needed some excersise.

I got on the freeway and tried to set the cruise, no luck. Didn't think much about it but thought I needed to check.

 

Coming home at dusk, I noticed my 3rd taillight, in the back window, was on all the time. I started trying it, and found that when I accelerated it would go off but as soon as I got up to speed or let off the gas he light would go back on.

 

After getting home tried it in my driveway and sure enough all the brake lights were on and would not go off.

 

Car ran fine and stopped fine.  Any ideas ?

[JohnD1956]

need new brake booster unit?

 

[Beemon]

Sounds almost like an engine vacuum thing. No vacuum under acceleration and the lights go off. Any smoke out the tail pipe like you're burning brake fluid? 

[Bill Stoneberg]

So after some research, this seems to be a common issue on these cars.  The fix is replacement of the brake light switch and then configuring it with a scan tool.

$ 85 to do this in the 100 degree heat up under the dashboard on your back. That and not having to correct scan tool made it easy for me to spend the $85.

[NTX5467]

There were some issues with brake light switches on  a generation of '90s full-size GM pickups.  In that case, brake lights staying on and running the battery down overnight.

 

The cruise runs the stepper motor in the electronic throttle control system.  Not vacuum operated any more!

 

Glad the fix was simple and not too expensive!

 

NTX5467

[60FlatTop]

On 6/6/2018 at 6:01 PM, Bill Stoneberg said:

this seems to be a common issue on these cars.

 

Common issues are so common. 2007 must be right around the time GM corrected the "common issue" with the clunking intermediate steering shaft. After a few years GM let me buy a better one.

I remember replacing the fuel vent valve on my Silverado. The original design was superseded years later with an upgrade. That was $125 for me.

 

I remember looking at a new '81 Camaro for my Wife. That style had been out for a decade. I asked the salesman if they had done anything to keep the mirrors from rusting off the door. He was just incredulous, whatever was I talking about.

 

My Sister is learning the side mirror mounted signal indicators on '14 Impalas are $350.... every time she buys one.

 

And you think of them sitting in front of Congress asking for a few bucks.

 

I haven't bought a new vehicle since '05. I have looked at some, but a ten or fifteen year old car with all the "common issues" identified, remedies given, and preventive action prescribed make the used car less of a potential aggravation. It is amazing what annoying  $100- 500 glitches can do to sour a customer.

 

If you don't know there is a problem with your product, that is ignorance. If you do know, but don't do anything, well, that's just plain something else.

Bernie

[Barney Eaton]

I was thinking the other day.........(and it did hurt a little) .......... what car or car from a certain time period would you buy that had all the amenities we expect today but was simple enough to work on yourself without

needing special tools and devices to reset/recalibrate, to keep it running.

Sure I like a back-up camera, navigation (which they just told me I must buy updates) tire monitoring,  etc  but how many of them do I really need.

I'm thinking automatic (w/overdrive) V8 would be nice, cruise, power windows,  power seats (but who needs them on a car you only drive)   and if it only gets 19-20 mpg, I can make up the difference is saving on

expensive computers, and dealer service. 

[NTX5467]

Interesting ponderance, Barney!  On my former 2000 Impala, the clunking attributed to the intermediate shaft declined about 90% with some Moog outer tie rod ends.  With the 2005 that replaced it, not quite so much.

 

As things have evolved, there are some "work-around" for the bells and whistles of many current model vehicles.  An iPad and WiFi hotspot (in many newer GM cars) would replace any nav system (for not much more than ONE map upgrade), plus Google Maps.  Back-up cams have become more economical to purchase and are better hidden.  Some vehicles really need them more than others!

 

Many base models are now better-equipped than a late 1950s luxury car.  But with 30+mpg highway fuel economy.  Radial tires, multi-speed automatics, multi-source sound systems, tinted glass, etc.  The newer ones go around corners and stop better, but I think Old-Tank is working on that.

 

NTX5467

[Barney Eaton]

I owned a couple of 1999 GS Regals which might meet the criteria.   The 3800 supercharged engine would get very good mileage on the highway and it thought it was a V8.

Leather interior, automatic, air,  what more do you need?

By the same token,  similar Park Ave would give more interior room, and also have the 3800 in both standard and supercharged.........and we all know the 3800 is bullet proof.

[Ben Bruce aka First Born]

1 hour ago, Barney Eaton said:

I owned a couple of 1999 GS Regals which might meet the criteria.   The 3800 supercharged engine would get very good mileage on the highway and it thought it was a V8.

Leather interior, automatic, air,  what more do you need?

By the same token,  similar Park Ave would give more interior room, and also have the 3800 in both standard and supercharged.........and we all know the 3800 is bullet proof.

 

 My PA has been a good one. I think I would like to have about a 1998 or so with low miles. 

  The way I read Barneys original post, I would be looking at late '60s thru '70s. 

 

  Ben

[Frank DuVal]

I have a 98 PA (not Ultra) with 228k miles on it. is that low mileage? A friend actually gave it to me with 165K on it, as it had a few issues and he retired and no longer needed it to go to work. I fixed several of those "things" and have been motoring on for 8 years.... Only towed once, and that was the plastic heater hose elbow blowing apart as I got on the interstate. Simple fix, after the tow....

 

I "recently" bought a 2005 Ultra with 93 K miles to keep. Owned by an elderly couple, but has "low catalyst efficiency", so somehow they killed the cat....? And it doesn't seem to have the power of the 95 PA Ultra (bought back in '03 with 38K on the clock with a General Motors Michigan title. I guess it was a demonstrator for years, never titled). The 95 will lay black rubber strips from a stop light. Not that I would ever do that!? 

 

Speaking of "special equipment" to repair cars, the '95 PA is one of those OBD 1.5 cars (OBD1 workings with OBD II connector) that required me to buy a Snap-On scanner to talk to it. The red brick (MT2500) does fine, and it is cheap now since it can not be up dated past ~ 2004.