Me vs. the SES Light vs my Monte Carlo in ultimate showdown

[wiserocz]

When I first bought the car it had the SES light, the brake light, and the ABS light. So I played the fix all the sensors game. This got me a new o2s, tune-up, and I was left with wheel sensors tripping the ABS and Brake lights. Well I figuired I could live without ABS until its warmer out to change the sensors. However today while I was idling in a parking space my 96 Monte rewarded me with a new SES light. Is this what I have to look forward to with this car, chasing around and dueling the many quirky issues tripping the SES light? Maybe I'm a bit jaded by hearing how hard to work on and troubleprone this car is. So far I can expect a alternator, transmission, electrical issues, and non functioning windows to be regular genetic problems and I thought I can deal with those. I guess the question is what type of mileage are people getting out of their Montes and does the gremlin stage subside. Right now this car has been in my garage more than my project car has and this is my daily driver. I love the body (except for the gaudy teal pinstripping). I love the power but feeling like your car may or may not have some costly pain in the ass repair lurking around every corner can get you down. How about some hey the Z34 is better than this stories. I don't mind working on my car I just mind HAVING to work on my car. Sorry for the RANT I'm just irked I have to STILL figuire out why my SES light is on.

[Juglenaut]

RE: Me vs. the SES Light vs my Monte Carlo in ultimate showd

Well the general quarks vary by serial number batch really.

If you could give me the fault code I can usually or anyone here can point you in the right direction.

I have 158k miles on my 93 lumina with a 3.1L engine, I won't say it had no problems or quarks and times of a pist off user.

The things I went through:
Intermittent stalling, found problem as a bad pod in the ICM, replaced ICM
Intermittent stalling, Found that some injectors were plugged, replaced all with quality used ones including rail.
Intermittent stalling, still stalling, replaced fuel pump
Mechanic locally stripped lower intake and valve cover holes causing high revs, replaced lower intake.
Idle issues, replaced IAC, TPS, EGR
Idle issues, repaired Vac lines, replaced MAP
Idle issues, replaced IAC again
Idle issues, replaced fuel regulator
Heating and cooling issues, replaced T-stat
Heating and cooling issues, replaced water pump
Heating and cooling issues, replaced line to heater core
Heating and cooling issues, replaced compartment fan
Charging problems, replaced alt
Charging problems, replaced battery
Charging problems, reworked grounding points
Engine problems, replaced head gaskets
Rear suspension bottoming out over rail road crossings, replaced rear struts
Rear suspension problems, unable to aline, replaced trailing links
Rear assembly problems, caliper falls off stripped mount in knuckle, replaced hub and knukle
Front assembly problems, replaced lower ball joints, replaced strut cartrages

That all I can think of for now I am sure had more problems.

Current problems:

Needs passenger rear caliper, needs new parking brake cables, needs new cat, needs a new ABS connector to ABS hub, possible new rear ABS hubs, needs lower ball joints again.
I also have done alot of regular maintainence to this car as well as my GTP when I still had it.

I also had a 91 Grand Prix GTP 5 speed, and that thing had it share of problems too.