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2001 Oldsmobile Alero Turning sterring wheel

Tiny
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  • 2001 OLDSMOBILE ALERO
  • 4 CYL
  • FWD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 19,200 MILES
When I turn the sterring wheel the car makes an awful noise. Like a rusty bolt that doesn't want to turn. My brake light has also come on. Due to work schedule, I have not been able to take the car in to get looked at. Wondering what this grinding noise is.
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Tuesday, October 26th, 2010 AT 7:16 PM

7 Replies

Tiny
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Hello and thanks for donating

You will want to check the drive belt under the hood. It seems as though your drive belt may have broken. If the belt is good and tight then check the power steering and brake fluids.
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Tuesday, October 26th, 2010 AT 8:35 PM
Tiny
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If it is the drive belt, is that dangerous to drive? Asking cause like I said with work I can not get the car looked at for a few days.
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Tuesday, October 26th, 2010 AT 10:27 PM
Tiny
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The steering will be very hard if belt is broken. Since the brake light came on though I would be leaning more towards low fluid level which you will want to check quickly. If you run the steering and brake system without fluid it will cause damage to the systems components making a simple fix a much more pricey and complicated one.
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Tuesday, October 26th, 2010 AT 11:03 PM
Tiny
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Thank you so much for your help. I have run into some other trouble now. Had the car looked at and found out that there are 17 codes showing up. Bought the car used "as is" and now am stuck. Seems wires under dashboard were sliced and taped back together. Wondering if these wires could cause the codes to go off. Told it was possible this car has flood damage. Was planning on going out of town. But now scared to. Any advice?
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Thursday, October 28th, 2010 AT 10:24 PM
Tiny
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17 codes is a lot and with that many codes at once is a good indicator that something electrical is not right. Is there any chance you can get a Carfax report from where you got the car from? That should tell whether or not it is a flood victim, also the title should have on it that it is salvaged / rebuild. Do you happen to know what the codes were or at least what they all related to?
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Thursday, October 28th, 2010 AT 11:55 PM
Tiny
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The codes are Engine: P0201, P202, P0203, P0204, P0440, P0621

ABS Faults: C1232, C1221, C1225, C1232, C1236, C1245, C1254, C1275, C1298

Mechanic also said that vehicle wiring shows multiple modifications to factory wiring harness. Most noticable under dashboard area near steering column.
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Friday, October 29th, 2010 AT 5:42 AM
Tiny
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Is the car running fine as far as performance wise? Most of those engine codes are for fuel injector issues which you would easily notice in the engine performance. Seems like the wiring is really a mess in this vehicle, honestly I believe I would try to get out of the vehicle and into another one if you can.
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Friday, October 29th, 2010 AT 3:36 PM

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