Oldsmobile Achieva

Under dash on driver's side

Our '98 Achieva had the same problem. It was due to the air conditioning hose being blocked. Therefore the water was backing up into the vehicle, under the carpets and into the back seats instead of flowing out.

I have a 1997 Oldsmobile Achieva. I use the schematics in the Haynes manual I bought for my vehicle. There are several wiring diagrams in the manual, so you have to match your vehicle to the appropriate diagram.

Hey Benjamin==It is on the left side of the engine compartment under the headlight . Good luck Joe

Under the dash on the left side of the steering column/

check your fuel filter by trying to blow through it, if its hard replace the fuel filter, or your fuel pump is trying to go out

Check your starter, alternator, or fuel pump. I have replaced the alternator after some shop put the wrong alternator in. Apparently the 92 is a very special car with very special parts only made for it. Then i replaced the starter (again another super special achieva only part) and the whole intermittant starting problem like yours went away. UNTIL... it suddendly did it again only after a few months. Now it goes perfectly for a couple of months and then suddenly wont start. I have to wait for many hours and then try again. This is believed to be something with the fuel pump as i lose fuel pressure significantly by 20-30% when it is at rest which is believed to cause the whole (ghost in the machine) starting problem. but turning the key to the on position but not the start position allows the for the pump to whirr for a half a minute and that seems to help. it never acts up when i take it to the shop. So my suggestion is take it to a reliable shop and have them TEST and look at your alternator/starter and your fuel pump. start small with the starter and see if that helps. :;chuckles:: i say "small" ...but it is a pricey part because you Have to get it from dealer.

Super hard!

To start with, you must remove the intake manifold and everything that's attached to it to get to the upper pump bolt. It's no picnic, but can be done by the slightly above average DIY'er. Just plan on it taking the whole day and start early.

========== 1. You will need helper :) because should have access from the top and also from the bottom many, many times... 2. Move motor down before start this procedure. I myself, 8/29/09

BY "freon" do you mean R-12? If so then the answer is no. The system uses 134A refridgerant and does not need to be converted.

Replace the thermostat and radiator cap.

Start by climbing into the trunk and locating the three metal clips in the back, one in the middle and one each of the far sides. You'll need two people for this project. Have the person in the trunk use a screwdriver to lift up the clips while another person in the back seat of the car pulls the seat toward them. Once all the clips are off the frame, you can pull the seat down. Carefully lift up the thing in the back (don't know what it's called, above the seat and under the window, you'll notice it's directly above the speakers) so not to tear it. Once that is lifted you should be able to see the top of the speakers. Now's the fun part of trying to undo all the screws in a relatively tight space. Once the screws are gone, lift the speaker up and down through the hole. Then simply slip the new speaker through the same hole and fasten the new screws. Keep in mind the speaker are 6"x9" and as long as you get that size, they will fit perfectly (it's a wonderful thing!)

it is located on the front right corner of the fire wall if you are inside you car facing out. and if you stand in front of your car facing the engine it is on your left side of the fire wall .

If you need to know that. You should not be behind the wheel.

On the side of the receiver dryer. You can find a diagram of this on the below link. Just follow the "Find your low side Port" icon.

I have a 94 Achieva that did the same thing. It was a bad light switch. Replaced the light switch and have had no problems since'

In the reservoir tank. You will see two wires running to tank and there is a float inside there. These tend to stick and tapping on side of tank will cause float to float thus turning off the light if that is your issue. These cars have a common problem with heater core leakage and head gasket leakage on the 4cyl.

Performing a repair on the gauges yourself is probably not an option, as it would require extensive training as an electronics technician, schematics, and other technical information. The gauges are all in a single instrument panel cluster unit. Your best bet is to send it to a speedometer shop that can do those repairs, or to replace the unit with a used or new one.

I found a used one by calling a local used auto parts place that searched it for me, cost $150. I also had two repair estimates from speedometer shops (Southern Electronics, and DNA Speedometer) and they ranged from $150-$250. A new one is available through a dealer ($???), or gmpartsdirect.com ($450). Since I decided on used, I cannot comment on any of the repair shops.

The vehicle cannot be driven with the cluster removed (even if it wasn't illegal, the cluster is part of the anti-theft system), so that might influence your decision. On the

other hand, a replacement has other issues with the odometer.

AutoZone.com has these instructions:

http://www.autozone.com/AZ/cds/en_us/0900823d/80/0e/5e/c8/0900823d800e5ec8/repairInfoPages.htm

I think they go a bit far in what they have you remove, but your mileage may vary. They're also more general, in that they say "Remove this", but don't necessarily tell you what tools you need. But, probably a good reference to have, and there's at least a drawing showing where some of the fasteners are.

You should make sure you disconnect the battery and disarm the supplemental inflatable restraint system. There's directions for that, though for a different model Olds, on the autozone.com site here: http://www.autozone.com/AZ/cds/en_us/0900823d/80/1e/bc/24/0900823d801ebc24/repairInfoPages.htm

They match the data for the 1996 Olds Achieva on alldatadiy.com (subscription required for that, though).

I've read the (relatively brief and vague) directions for how to do this on alldatadiy.com, and they said to remove the steering wheel... I didn't want to go anywhere near that, and managed to do the whole thing without it, but believe me, it is often a tight fit. If you feel comfortable removing the steering wheel, you go right ahead. I'll repeat the warning about disarming the airbag, though.

If I remember correct, you need a Torx T-25, and a 7mm socket / driver, and a stubby Phillips driver would probably be useful, too. I also find its a good idea to have something to hold all the various screws, preferably something that lets you label them so you know where to put them all back.

To remove the instrument panel, I first removed the lower sound insulator panel (down by where your feet go) by twisting the plastic fasteners, tipping it down, then pulling it towards me. The back was held by friction pins, so no screws had to be removed. I then removed the steering column cover. That required first removing the tilt wheel lever (it screws in, and they had glued the threads, so it took some effort). Then I used a torx driver to remove the screws on the bottom of the cover, and pulled it apart. There are little rubber covered pins holding the sections together on the end closest to the dash, just be careful to not lose the rubber covers. With that out of the way, I removed the two screws at the bottom of the lower panel, and I think there was a screw on the left side (over by the door) too. In addition to the screws, the panel is held in place by locator pins and panel fasteners (i.e. friction), so it's a matter of prying / pulling the lower panel out CAREFULLY. I also had to remove screws on the passenger side, around the glove box (which required removing the glove box - empty it, and it tips out if you manipulate it properly). I left the lower panel attached on the far right, and just bent it out enough to remove the bezel. If you don't feel comfortable doing that, I'm sure you can take it completely off.

I don't recall why, but I ended up loosening the radio. I didn't have to remove it.

Removing the bezel was more of a problem. There are a couple of screws that should have been revealed by removing the lower panel, and there are 4 at the top above the panel. The bezel is also attached to the vent. Probably because I hadn't removed the steering wheel, I couldn't get the bezel off with the vent duct sticking into the climate system, because I couldn't just pull straight inward. I ended up removing the vent duct from the bezel with a short stubby Phillips screwdriver - there are two screws driven from the other side (front of car) toward you around the vent duct. You also have to carefully disconnect the wires for the dimmer, traction control, rear defroster, etc. Then, take the bezel off. It was a tight fit to get it past the hazard lights switch and the steering wheel, but I carefully wedged it through. Just be careful, the plastic can be brittle and crack. The instrument panel cluster should now be accessible. There are 4 screws around the cluster. Once you remove the screws, The panel has two connectors on the right side, one is very small and contains two wires (the light sensor for the headlights), and one is big (everything else).

Install the new / used / repaired panel, and reverse the above.

If you decided to go the route of replacing the panel (or even if it was repaired, depending on the repair), you will need to train the vehicle anti-theft system (PASSLOCK). Reconnect the battery (you did disconnect it, right?). Put the key in, and rotate the key all the way to the CRANK position, as if starting normally. The car should start briefly, then stall immediately. The SECURITY light on the instrument panel should be ON. Leave the key in the RUN position for approximately 10 minutes, at which point the SECURITY light should go out. The vehicle should now start normally.

Don't forget to rearm the supplemental inflatable restraint system before operating the vehicle.

it usually turns on around 200 degrees

Low pressure port is located close to the A/C compressor on the inlet tubing. You need to access it from underneath the front bumper/engine area.

the thermosts on a 96 olds achieva is on the transmission side of the engine toward the middle and is hard to reach. it is best to use samll 1/4" tools to remove it and sometimes made easier by removing exhaust shrouds. other wise it's held in by two bolts and comes loose fairly easy. The thermostat on the 1996 2.3L and 2.4L (Quad 4)engines is located above the radiator outlet pipe in the water pump cover which can be reached from under the vehicle on the passenger side. Note: The bolts are accessible from the top of the engine between the no. 2 and 3 exhaust manifold runners. It may be necessary to remove the engine to transaxle support brace to facilitate removal of the radiator outlet pipe. On all other engines the thermostat is located in the coolant outlet housing on the cylinder head.

you have too take the front motor mount loose and lift the engine to install it

Try turning key on without starting engine for about 5 sec. Do this twice may bleed fuel line