Hey Bonneville club, real quick Ill intro myself. Name is Chris, im 20, live in Norfolk VA and just purchased a 97 Bonneville as a daily driver to give my SHO some rest. I was hoping i could get some info on a few things. Car has 122k on the clock but the 3.8 runs awesome. Car is in very good shape in and out as you can see. However I am a lil weary bout a trans issue. On long inclines the car does a lot of gear hunting, like it is coming in and out of OD instead of holding a gear. It doesnt bang into gears or feel like its slipping, as any other shift is nice and solid. Could this be the VSS? Also, yesterday my left rear window stopped working. The master control on the drivers door wont open or close it nor will the back door switch. It does click as if its getting the command but nothing happens. All the other windows work fine. I think it needs new struts as they do a lil too much bouncing and too much sqeeking and groaning...any recommendations on new ones? Any replies is appeciated and feel free to msg me on AIM or yahoo. Thanks - C

And there'* a window post in Mechanical and Maintenance that might interest you.

But hold the button while you do it.

LOL are ya serious? Okay i will go outside and fool with it
As far as the shifting, during normal driving around Norfolk I dont really have the problem, it was happenign when I visited PA last week where its more mountainous and going uphill on the highway between 45-55 mph the car kept jumping from about 2000rpm to 2400rpm until I either slammed on the gas forcing it to downshift. Even with OD off( i got the granny shifter so in D) it still did it.

Jr, I might be able to back you up on this. Mine doesn't shift or gear hunt like that, but obviously altitude isn't going to cause mine to do that......HOWEVER.......under the same conditions (lots of mountain passes around me) mine really demands the boost and kicks it up to keep me in gear. A NA car would gear hunt under the same circumstances. I'd buy that as being the explanation. If it shifts under other normal circumstances, I wouldn't worry about it.

Seriously, knowing what my boost gauge does in those situations, I can imagine a NA struggling to find a way to go. Glad you had a similar experience to compare with him. Beats hunting for TCC problems when there might not be one.

I dont think altitude was a factor I was , just in the western suburbs of Philly . I want to lean towards a sensor that effects the Torque converter so it will not gear hunt 20 times in 10 seconds. I went outside and slammed the door 5 times, banged on the panel, held the switch..everything and it still wont work. The other windows still work fine. when I hold the switch the interior lights dim slightly so I know its pulling power from the battery. Does this help narrow down the problem?

How does the car idle? Does it hunt for an idle, too, or is it rock solid?

Car idles smooth. How can I check the VSS and TPS when you dont haver an engine light?

VSS has to be scanned. TPS can be scanned or checked with a voltmeter, but scanning is preferred. If you want the procedure and pinout for the TPS to do it with a meter, one of us can give it to you, but if it'* bad, you'll throw a code and a light.