Mystery wires in rear wheel well - driver's side?

[JV1]

We had a high-speed tire blow out on the rear driver's side. The debris from the shredded tire also shredded some wires within the wheel well that were wrapped in a flexible black casing. We haven't reattached them yet but notice the car is now "bucking" a bit when it shifts. Does anyone know what these wires do? There appear to be about 7 or so wires within that casing.

I thought maybe they were for my aftermarket stereo subwoofer but the stereo works fine. I also had a trailer hitch installed and thought maybe they were for the trailer wire hook-up but have never even hooked up my little trailer. My mechanic is going to reattach them but he's not sure what they do. Hopefully reaattaching them smooths out the ride. Does anyone know what the wires do?


Thanx, Fredercik

 

[Spriteman]

Perhaps the wheel speed sensor?

What's your year, make, and model JV1?

I'll try to look up more info.

 

[JV1]

Thanx for the prompt reply. I'm not sure about the version of LeSabre, we inherited the car from my elderly mother and my daughter uses it for college. It didn't come with an owners manual. I think it is the "Custom" version, 2003 Buick, LeSabre.

I recently found a wiring schematic on-line that showed an "Electronic Traction Control System" and ABS? module located in the rear of the car. I think maybe those wires go there. I remember that as soon as the wires were ripped with the tire blow-out, our ABS and BRAKE warning lights lit up on the dashboard and are still on today. My mechanic told me he thought those came on as a coincidence but now I think those may be the culprit. My daughter was willing to pay for those warning lights to be fixed but my mechanic said his diagnostic tool indicated the passenger side rear brake sensor was bad and he could fix it for a whopping $400. I asked him if it was safe to drive with the warning lights on all the time, and he said yes, so we decided to save $400 and just live with it. But now I think he got it all wrong and those wires are essential. I took it over to him and asked him to connect the "mystery" wires as he calls them and then see if the car smooths out. Hopefully this will fix it and not lead to any further problems.

 

[JV1]

We got the car back with the mystery wires reconnected which seems to have turned off the warning lights on the dash but we still experienced "jerkiness" in the transmission but to a lesser extent on the ride home from the garage. I'll test it for a few days, maybe the traction control module needs to re-calibrate? My mechanic confessed he's not a transmission expert and suggested we go see one if the problem doesn't go away.

 

[DonP]

On the '04, the speed sensor harness is found "in the rear left wheel well on the frame rail."

 

[JV1]

Thanx DonP,

Do you know if that component, if defective, would result in "bucking" which is a very noticeable jerkiness to the ride that lasts for just a second. It almost feels like the brakes are being slammed on instantaneously and then released. It happens every few minutes especially when it seems like the car is shifting but sometimes happens while cruising at a set speed, odd. There doesn't seem to be any slipping of the gears - quite the contrary, everything feels tight but jerky.

We also notice that sometimes when we have been at cruising speed (overdrive) and come to a stop, it fails to downshift immediately into 1st gear and takes a little while to figure out we are no longer cruising. However, if we gun it to quickly get back up to speed, it seems to shift decently. Other than the bucking/jerkiness, it runs smooth as silk and we don't hear anything unusual. One other thing, the CHECK ENGINE light came back on about 5 miles into our test drive after picking it up from the mechanic. Maybe I should take it to a certified GM dealer and hope they don't take me for a ride.

 

[AviatorFrank]

JV1 - just a guess but if the wheel speed sensor is compromised by broken wiring the ABS computer may interpret that as wheel lockup and pulsate the brakes for traction control purposes, hence the bucking.

 

[jimmyh]

I had some bad speed sensor wiring on my Lesabre a while back which made the ABS light on the dash go on. But it never resulted in any bucking or jerking. I think you have a different problem. A bad sensor or wiring should result in the ABS system simply disabling ABS.

 

[DonP]

If check engine came on there should be a code set - even if the light went out a historical code should be set and readable. Some parts stores will read it for free. Be sure to get the code, not just their interpretation of it.

Failure to down shift or release the torque converter lock-up quickly could indicate another issue. Perhaps a sticking solenoid in the tranny. It could set a hidden code.

 

[JV1]

Thanx for all the helpful comments.

Today I disconnected the battery for about an hour, then reconnected it. The car drove fairly normal for once and the "Service Engine Light" went out. I'll take it for a longer ride to work tomorrow and see if all is well. I can't believe my mechanic didn't think these wires were important...

 

[JV1]

Well it drove fairly smoothly on the 10 mile test drive to work but that was short-lived as on the way back the "bucking" returned and so did the "Service Engine Soon" light. In particular, I noticed when decelerating from overdrive to about 15 MPH, I could feel and hear the car chugging a bit in overdrive as it hadn't downshifted like it was designed to, but once it finally "bucked" into second or first gear, the light came on. It seems like the car doesn't know when to shift anymore.

I'll try disconnecting the battery one more time and see if I can get it to shift smoothly "forever" but it doesn't look promising. Oh well, we got the car for free from grandma but it looks like we may have our first big repair bill.

FYI - I had the auto-ride rear air-suspension mechanism fixed a few months ago at 65,000 miles (about $400). It was locked in the most inflated/elevated setting. I kept unplugging and draining the air hose but it kept filling up. Hopefully this car isn't headed for continual repairs but it was sitting (rotting?) for about 4 years in a retirement home parking lot in the hot Florida sun. The sun may have contributed to the dash being warped but I've read this is common and doesn't seem to have negatively affected the drivability of the car.

 

[Spriteman]

Before you pull the -NEG cable go and have the codes read.

 

[mikjas2]

Sounds like you really need to find a new mechanic also. They don't put a lot of "extra wires " in cars. Any mechanic should have been able to follow the wires to see where they go.Just my opinion

 

[DonP]

Clearing a code and resetting the check engine light will not clear the problem that cause the code.

Be sure to read all current, pending, and hidden codes before you try to reset them.

A dirty or malfunctioning MAF sensor can cause odd driveability issues and may be hard to spot.

 

[JV1]

After driving it for a few days, I took it back to the mechanic and he said it was giving a PO742 code that meant a stuck "torque control circuit" that could be fixed for $1800.

He said un-sticking it requires rebuilding the transmission. Does that seem necessary for "un-sticking" something.

 

[Cadillac_AL]

I would google that code p0742 with buick lesabre for more insight on what others have done.

 

[DonP]

http://www.tripleedgeperformance.com/Harsh-shifts-P0742.html
lists several common issues that may set the P0742 code.

 

[JV1]

I finally got it looked at by an independent transmission expert and he simply replaced the tranny solenoid for $450 and now it works! Hopefully the $1800 repair for a torque converter is not needed. After picking it up, I drove it about 15 miles and it shifted fairly smoothly with only a few little jerks here and there. Hopefully this repair will last a long time...

 

[G-92066]

Perhaps the wheel speed sensor?

What's your year, make, and model JV1?

I'll try to look up more info.
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[BuickLuver78]

Perhaps the wheel speed sensor?

What's your year, make, and model JV1?

I'll try to look up more info.

03 buick lesbre