Grand Am Problems

andy3927

Thanks, for the advice. My car is actually 2.4L DOHC four cyl. with manual transmission. Today morning I called up Pontiac Customer Service to find out if a Technical Service Bulletin they have on loss of coolant applied to my car. Apparently based on the VIN number my car, it was not manufactured in the plant for which they issued a TSB. So that turned out to be a dead end. The representative nonetheless was more interested in me getting all the maintenance including oil changes done at the dealership only and not anywhere else. I asked her what the recommended schedule was to replace timing belt/track, she put me on hold from sometime and came back and said my car had a timing track and there is no recommended replacement unless I have a problem with it. What is your advice? (I guess they want us to spend money on a valve job too...(preferably at the dealership!!)). Thanks again.

sactoken

General Motors said that it has recalled 778,000 Pontiac Grand Am, Buick Skylark and Oldsmobile Achieva small cars after reports of three injuries from electrical fires. The fires could occur in the steering system of the recalled cars when the driver holds the key in the start position for an extended period, resulting in high current flows and heat in the ignition switch. The recalled cars were built between May 1993 and June 1995. GM dealers will install an electrical relay kit and verify that the recalled vehicles start properly.
"http://www.nytimes.com/2001/03/20/business/20GM.html"

jfaldyn

I hear y'all loud and clear. I am about ready to take mine and put on my motorcycle helmet and drive her full speed straight into a damn brick wall! I have a 1997 Grand Am GT Coupe fully loaded. She is now hitting the 71,500 mile mark on her and she is going to hell it seems.

I am so frustrated I don't think I ever want to purchase another General Motor's Product. First of all not to long after I got her I had some paint chip on my hood. They repaired it instantly and no problems after that. Well after that I had to twice repair the driver seatbelt b/c it would lock up when you stepped on the brakes as it should but the belt would then break. That damn plastic piece kept cracking. Next I sent off my cassette player twice and it still doesn't function right and I gave up on that one since I have the CD it isn't necessary really. Then my power window motor unit went out on the passenger side and it was replaced (all of this under warranty). I also replaced an alternator as well.

Now my warranty is long out. Since then last Aug I had to do another alternator (went with a private dealer who rebuilds them with lifetime guarantees). Then that Oct the damn fuel pump went out and that was a around 750.00 to replace. Now I had to get new brake pads which is common and two new front tires which I can understand since I have the original tires on her. I also did my usual maintenance of oil change, new oil filter, new air filter and I had the transmission fluid flushed and changed (I used Jiffy Lube and I am NEVER using them again!)300 miles later the damn engine light goes on. I take it to Pep Boys (won't be using them anymore either) and the diagnostic test came back with nothing other than the transmission is slipping. Okay. They tell me to take her to a transmission specialist to see if they can figure out the mystery. Well I do and he states it might be Jiffy Lube's crappy flushing system that caused the problem. Okay so he reserviced it with the drop pan method and tuned the transmission and put in a new transmission filter as well. Well light came back on 30 miles later. The transmission specialist said he looked at the tranny and she appears perfectly fine other than she keeps slipping. Now I have to take her in yet again ($1,000 later) to see if the valves are having problems perhaps and my brakes I just got done are giving me problems now as well. Gee lovely.

It seems no one can figure out what is wrong with her than maybe the driver but it is so obvious when you drive her. When you start her up the rpm waivers greatly. You have to let her sit for about a minute and rev the engine a bit. If you don't when you put her into drive or forward she doesn't want to move when you give her the gas. You can press the pedal half way down and she barely goes. After about 15 sec of this it stops and everything is fine for now. She is getting gas b/c you can hear it. It feels like I am driving with a brake on at the same time then after the engine heats up it is over with minus the engine light. Then when I slow down and hit between 5-10 mile per hour she gives this little shake. SO slight you barely notice it.

So now I must decide to take her back in and let the mechanic explore some more and tell me maybe he needs to rebuild the transmission after already sinking in 2,000 in the last few months or I can trade her in and go with a Japanese model, lol. DO you have any idea what might be wrong with her or have heard of this? Any info you can share with me would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

Jenn

richde

I agree with your concerns about the head gasket. I had mine replaced at 29,000 miles. The symptoms were rough running and white exhaust smoke. I found a Grand Am chat room a while back. Apparently this is a common problem with Quad 4 engines up to 1994. As for water in the oil, I agree if the oil is milky when it is drained, then the head gasket is probably leaking. I have noticed that condensation collects in the filler tube, causing white gunk on the dip stick. I am told this is normal. It disappears in the summer.

In addition to the head gasket, I've had many way too many problems for a low mileage car (57,000 now). They include: broken motor mount, burnt out ignition system, broken seat control, broken window regulators (both doors!), bad alternator. I am really looking forward to the transmission problems noted here by others! My advice, and my mechanic's, is to stay away from any GM product!

joe3891

Floridian

You must be knocking GM on every forum in cyber world.

to0m

My most immediate question is about what feels like the right rear brake "sticking" for a second when I drive off from a stop light/sign. As for all the other posts I have read... 1994 Quad-4 SE 4-door automatic that hit 149K yesterday. Purchased in '95 with 29K. Prior to 100K on the extended warranty, I had a new transmission installed when the old one froze (thank goodness I had proof of my transmission fluid changes) a new alternator and an oxygen sensor. Post warranty on my dime, two solenoid towers, electric fan motor, master brake cylinder. I have given up trying to not have warped front rotors or keeping tires balanced so the car doesn't vibrate, what's up with that? Intermittent rattles from the dashboard, but no water leaking anywhere in the car. I can't afford a new car and feel that a few repair bills from time to time has to be better than car payments AND repair bills. Is my head in the sand on this one or what? Anyway, hope this post wasn't too long

fkeller

I have a 2000 Grand Am and have experienced brake problems described in other messages. At 16K miles the dealer turned the rotors and installed new pads under warranty. At 30K miles the brakes started to vibrate again. I took it back to the dealer and they installed new rotors and pads. They said that there was a technical bulletin out on the brake problem so the rotors and pads were covered under warranty again. They did not replace the calipers. I hope the problem has been solved. I'll know in about 15K miles.

I have had no other problems with my Grand Am. I enjoy driving it and have been very please with it.

If you are having problems with your Grand Am and your dealer is uncooperative, I would suggest down loading these complaints and showing them to your dealer. It certainly helped me get cooperation from my dealer.

Good luck.

gyepes

I have just purchased a 2000 Grand Am Se. I am finding that at highway speeds over 90 km, there is wind noise on the driver's side. There was a message 44 posted with the same probem, does anyone have any suggestions on how to remedy condition.
Comments and suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

tonychrys

This TSB applies to the 1999 model, but you might want to mention it to your SA:

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83-15-24 DEC 98
Windnoise or Roadnoise Coming from Top of Door Trim Pad.
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0patience

TSB on brakes

2 of them,one is the technical bulletin and the other is the warranty bulletin.

tonychrys

Thanks for the info. BTW, I got them to replace the brakes and pads two weeks ago by just telling them I know about the TSBs and that I'm not happy. 2 hours later I had new brakes.

The detail of the TSBs though is much appreciated, you can't get it from Alldata.com unless you pay for it.