New owner of a 2002 LeSabre in Chicago - any other Chicago area 00-05 LeSabre owners?

[chibuick]

Hi all - recently purchased my 2002 LeSabre with 95k miles and would love to connect with other 00-05 LeSabre owners in the Chicago area or midwest. I'd love to discuss ownership stories, maintenance, rust prevention, general tips and "watch-outs", mechanic & body shop recommendations in the area, etc.

The previous owner had done much maintenance in the 3.5 years he owned it (bought at 35k and put 60k miles on it) including new valve cover and intake plenum and manifold gaskets, throttle body gasket, belt/tensioner, coolant elbows, engine coolant thermostat sensor, coolant hoses, water pump and gasket, motor and trans mounts, trans service, catalytic converter and 02 sensors (front and rear), spark plugs/wires/coil packs, brakes all around including new front calipers, new General tires, fuel sending unit/pump, fuel injectors, control arms, front struts, stabil links, axles, outer tie rods, rear air shocks and compressor, window regulators, HVAC blower motor resistor, ATC / ATM fuse holders and wiring (unsure what this relates to - just see it in the provided service records).

So far I've done new brake lines, power steering pressure & return lines, CV axles and outer tie rods, new seal on driver side CV axle to transmission that was leaking, battery, cabin & engine air filters, rust treatment (remove all rust from underside and carefully spray with CRC 06206 - what a pain).

Still to do: eventually new alternator since no records of its replacement, new fuel lines (pretty corroded currently) and welding new rear spring seats that I found nearly completely rusted out on both sides even though the rest of the car is pretty clean. This one caught me by surprise.

Even if you're not in the Chicagoland area, I'd still love to chat and share photos about any of the above and your experience with 00-05 LeSabre ownership! Thanks.

 

[seymourj98]

I'm a few hours north of you in Madison. Moved here from Virginia where I picked up my 2004 with 90k miles back in January 2021. Between trips to visit family back in Virginia, a trip to Canada, and daily driving, it's up to 128k miles today.

As a southern car, fortunately it doesn't have any rust issues to speak of. Apart from normal maintenance (brakes, oil changes, filters, serpentine belt), only had a handful of parts replaced:

• Fuel pump due to faulty sending unit. Common in these cars and related cars, my old Bonneville also had the same issue
• Spark plugs and wires. Wires would've been ok, but the boot on one wire was seized to the plug and ripped the wire out of the boot so I replaced them all
• One ignition coil went bad in a blizzard while driving up north last winter, replaced all 3 and kept the 2 good ones as spares
• Front valve cover gasket leaked, went ahead and replaced the front and rear. Replaced the upper and lower intake gaskets (plus the redesigned plastic upper plenum), thermostat, coolant elbows, associated gaskets, etc "while I was in there"
• Replaced sagging headliner
• Upgraded stock radio to aftermarket Android Auto unit

Going to get around to refreshing the whole suspension at some point (new shocks, ball joints, control arms, tie rods, etc). They're fine now, just old so it 's not a pressing issue.

Way more reliable than my old Bonneville ever was, probably because it was better cared for before I came upon it.

Since we're chatting and sharing pics, I have a friend back in Virginia who pulled his springs and threw some tri bars on it. Every time he sends me pictures, I start thinking about doing the same to mine. Then he sends a roller video and I remember why cars come with springs.

 

[chibuick]

Thanks for saying hello! Great to hear yours doesn’t have rust. If you haven’t already, I highly encourage you to check the rear spring seats with the wheels off. They are notorious for collecting dirt, salt, grime, mud etc. and acting like a sponge to create rust even if you’re not in a salt environment, through you said you’re in Madison….so, I’d imagine you’re now welcomed to the salt environment! I’ll post some pics of mine.



Great on the repairs you’ve done. Did you ever replace your fuel pressure regulator? Saw some posts of cars blowing up because of faulty ones…that’s pretty scary for a new owner.

Did you do the headliner yourself? I thought about pulling it out and scrubbing the foam, gluing new material, etc. but ended up just adding pins to hold it up for now.

Would also love to hear about how you upgraded the stock radio and how that looks now. The few videos I’ve seen mention removing the whole dash which seems complicated to me.

As for your friends car, that’s a bit too low for me! Ha, I’ll be keeping mine stock. I just want a simple reliable vehicle that’s easy to repair.

 

[02LTD]

Would also love to hear about how you upgraded the stock radio and how that looks now. The few videos I’ve seen mention removing the whole dash which seems complicated to me.

Radio upgrade is not bad as long as you get the PROPER adapter harness. Only two trim pieces have to be removed to get to the radio. I’m curious as to where you got the idea that the whole dash has to come off.😳

 

[chibuick]

Radio upgrade is not bad as long as you get the PROPER adapter harness. Only two trim pieces have to be removed to get to the radio. I’m curious as to where you got the idea that the whole dash has to come off.😳

Hi!

That’s one of the videos I saw removing the dash and disconnecting the automatic light sensor. Would love to figure out how to do this with only taking off two trim pieces.

 

[seymourj98]

I did the fuel pressure sensor as well while doing the intake gaskets. Cheap and easy enough to replace, you could do it in 10 minutes if you know what you're doing.

I did the headliner myself with headliner fabric ordered off of eBay. Replacement was easy enough, took maybe an hour to get out of the car. Scraping the old foam off was a bit time consuming, but not difficult at all. If you decide to tackle it, I'd suggest buying 3M headliner adhesive specifically. Stuff works great, I replaced mine 2 years ago and the adhesive is still attached in all spots.

For the radio, every step in the video you shared after removing the stock radio is unnecessary if you're using a quality adapter harness. There's no need to take the upper dash out. The mounting hardware Crutchfield sent me was garbage, I ended up repurposing the metal pieces on either side of the stock radio to mount it instead. I didn't have to cut anything to make it fit. Don't have any pictures of it but I can take one in the morning.

 

[chibuick]

I did the fuel pressure sensor as well while doing the intake gaskets. Cheap and easy enough to replace, you could do it in 10 minutes if you know what you're doing.

I did the headliner myself with headliner fabric ordered off of eBay. Replacement was easy enough, took maybe an hour to get out of the car. Scraping the old foam off was a bit time consuming, but not difficult at all. If you decide to tackle it, I'd suggest buying 3M headliner adhesive specifically. Stuff works great, I replaced mine 2 years ago and the adhesive is still attached in all spots.

For the radio, every step in the video you shared after removing the stock radio is unnecessary if you're using a quality adapter harness. There's no need to take the upper dash out. The mounting hardware Crutchfield sent me was garbage, I ended up repurposing the metal pieces on either side of the stock radio to mount it instead. I didn't have to cut anything to make it fit. Don't have any pictures of it but I can take one in the morning.

I’ll take a look at the fuel pressure regulator instructions then even though my LeSabre isn’t in GM’s recall years but probably better safe than sorry.

Yes please on the photos of your aftermarket radio! Might just convince me to do it myself. Will leave the headliner alone for now but appreciate the advice. Thank you.

 

[BuickGirlFromMars]

I’ll take a look at the fuel pressure regulator instructions then even though my LeSabre isn’t in GM’s recall years but probably better safe than sorry.

Yes please on the photos of your aftermarket radio! Might just convince me to do it myself. Will leave the headliner alone for now but appreciate the advice. Thank you.

if its original or more than 10 years old, its time. the reason why is its got a diaphram that can fail and its very close to the outside of the engine(1 vacuum hose connection that has to pop off for example, and fuel is , under pressure, jetting out of the front of the engine onto things such as your exhaust, wiring, belt, etc. quick recipe for fire. Even if not a recall hazzard.

 

[02LTD]

Hi!

That’s one of the videos I saw removing the dash and disconnecting the automatic light sensor. Would love to figure out how to do this with only taking off two trim pieces.

He was installing a DVD player that was much deeper than the space occupied by the OEM radio. I installed a Digital Media Receiver that is NOT as deep as the OEM radio. In other words he was hacking up the dash to install something that is NOT on the list of radios that will fit. There are plenty of aftermarket radios that fit but the depth is a limiting factor unless you want to cut the cavity. I installed a shallow depth JVC unit that doesn’t play discs as my music is on a USB flash drive. 255 albums on a drive that barely sticks out of dash is more than a 12 disc CD changer in the trunk!

 

[chibuick]

if its original or more than 10 years old, its time. the reason why is its got a diaphram that can fail and its very close to the outside of the engine(1 vacuum hose connection that has to pop off for example, and fuel is , under pressure, jetting out of the front of the engine onto things such as your exhaust, wiring, belt, etc. quick recipe for fire. Even if not a recall hazzard.

Thanks so much for this. Reading up on this now to replace asap!

 

[chibuick]

He was installing a DVD player that was much deeper than the space occupied by the OEM radio. I installed a Digital Media Receiver that is NOT as deep as the OEM radio. In other words he was hacking up the dash to install something that is NOT on the list of radios that will fit. There are plenty of aftermarket radios that fit but the depth is a limiting factor unless you want to cut the cavity. I installed a shallow depth JVC unit that doesn’t play discs as my music is on a USB flash drive. 255 albums on a drive that barely sticks out of dash is more than a 12 disc CD changer in the trunk!

You’re right! Love new technology for that. I still laugh at the owners manual telling me to routinely clean out the cassette tape deck 🤣

Thanks for that advice. I’ll keep depth in mind as I search. Ideally I’m looking for something that does apple carplay. What exactly is the adaptor harness you said I have to get the right one of?

 

[02LTD]

This is what I used. What trim level is your LeSabre? Custom or Limited?

Axxess LC-GMRC-04 Wiring Interface

Connect a new car stereo and retain warning chimes in select 2000-05 GM vehicles

www.crutchfield.com

 

[chibuick]

This is what I used. What trim level is your LeSabre? Custom or Limited?

Axxess LC-GMRC-04 Wiring Interface

Connect a new car stereo and retain warning chimes in select 2000-05 GM vehicles

www.crutchfield.com

I have a LeSabre Custom. Interesting. I don’t know much about adaptor harnesses, electrical connections, impact on chimes and other features when replacing factory radio. Thanks for sending that link. I assume the white connector connects to a port in the the car behind the radio and the other side’s wires in the black housing are manually connected to the new radio via the crutchfield color to color wire instructions?

 

[02LTD]

Yes….there’s also an adapter that allows you to use your steering wheel controls with your new radio (if so equipped).

 

[seymourj98]

Yes please on the photos of your aftermarket radio! Might just convince me to do it myself. Will leave the headliner alone for now but appreciate the advice. Thank you.

No dash hacking required. Since I don't have the digital HVAC controls, I stuck the microphone for phone calls where the cabin air temp sensor would be (the 9 holes in the wood grain to the left of the HVAC controls).

Head unit is a BOSS BE7ACP. Also got a PAC RP3-GM13 adapter harness and PAC SWI-CP2 steering wheel control harness from Crutchfield. The adapter harness worked flawlessly, but I could not get the steering wheel control harness to work at all. I ended up returning the SWI-CP2 and getting an Axxess ASWC-1 for steering wheel controls instead. Had to do some splicing to get it to work, but otherwise had no issues. If I were to do it again, I would get an Axxess adapter harness as well as the Axxess steering wheel control harness, since the two would be plug and play and the only splicing you would have to do is into the head unit. Since I mixed harness brands, I had to splice the Axxess wheel control harness into the PAC adapter harness.

 

[02LTD]

I used Axxess for both. It was less money than the PAC units and was easy to setup.

 

[chibuick]

View attachment 44569

No dash hacking required. Since I don't have the digital HVAC controls, I stuck the microphone for phone calls where the cabin air temp sensor would be (the 9 holes in the wood grain to the left of the HVAC controls).

Head unit is a BOSS BE7ACP. Also got a PAC RP3-GM13 adapter harness and PAC SWI-CP2 steering wheel control harness from Crutchfield. The adapter harness worked flawlessly, but I could not get the steering wheel control harness to work at all. I ended up returning the SWI-CP2 and getting an Axxess ASWC-1 for steering wheel controls instead. Had to do some splicing to get it to work, but otherwise had no issues. If I were to do it again, I would get an Axxess adapter harness as well as the Axxess steering wheel control harness, since the two would be plug and play and the only splicing you would have to do is into the head unit. Since I mixed harness brands, I had to splice the Axxess wheel control harness into the PAC adapter harness.

Thanks for the photo. looks great. I'll use the Axxess adapter harness as recommended then. No steering wheel controls on my base model, so don't have to worry about that. I looked at the Boss unit but I am leaning toward the Jensen CAR710W for wireless apple car play.

Also, thanks for letting me know what those 9 holes are for...would never have known they are for the cabin air temp sensor, which mine doesn't have either. Do you find people can hear you just fine through there?

 

[02LTD]

I think you would be better off mounting the microphone up near the sun visor. It’s a little more work to hide the wire but the sound quality will be better for folks on the receiving end of your phone calls.