Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see the latest vehicles!

Pontiac Grand Am Maintenance & Repair

1246789

Comments

  • greeneyedlibragreeneyedlibra Member Posts: 2
    I have a '02 GA SE. :cry: The service engine soon light flashes with a "clicking" noise coming from the fuse block in the engine compartment. Also, when I turn the key to the off position, take out the key, and open the door, the radio, charging system light, and digital odometer stays on draining the battery. Any ideas? Thanks in advanced.
  • greeneyedlibragreeneyedlibra Member Posts: 2
    Also. I had an engine out of a '99 GA put into my '02 GA a few weeks ago. The problems I have stated above have started yesterday.
  • hylia02hylia02 Member Posts: 6
    I have a 1995 Pontiac Grand Am. I failed my emissions test, because the NO was too high. My engine light comes on when I drive at moderate speeds and my transmission hangs when switching gears (its an automatic). Any advice or thoughts?
  • geechgeech Member Posts: 1
    I have a 1989 pontiac grand am could someone tell me how to replace the altenator belt.
  • flyboy9flyboy9 Member Posts: 1
    Yea, I see this is normal for the pontiac from this site. my grand am will turn over start then die, :mad: i had comp reset worked for a month then dies now, I took it to a dealer they say my cluster pack (instrument panel) is shorting out and want to replace it $600. Then they me need to put new ignition switch in. I can do that myself but how do I program the cluster, and switch. I would be glad to here your ideas
  • yelkerebyelkereb Member Posts: 1
    My wife has a 1999 Grand Am SE2, the throttle sticks occasionally, we've already had it looked at by one mechanic who "cleaned the throttle body" this however was only a temporary solution. Should I have the throttle body replaced, or is there another system that may be causing the condition. The spring seems to be in good condition and very strong. I'm afraid maybe the cruise control is malfunctioning, although restarting the car only clears the problem occasionally. Generally everything is fine when the car is cold, but once it warms up it sometimes has this issue. Any advice would be great, thanks.
  • dirtyleftdirtyleft Member Posts: 1
    :D hello guys,
    I just bought a 1997 grand am off a buddy that said the only thing wrong with it was the fule line was broken.( it is a 4 cyc, and had been sitting for a yeal) I had it towed to a repair shop and they told me i had to buy a complete fule pump sending unit. aftter a week i found one on the internet used. I took the part to them and they said they already fixed it by patching the line and that it was running good. So i take it home and it was runnning really good. after about 5 hours of driving it back and forth, it knocked really hard. i managed to get it back home and left it there. a buddy come by and looked at it and said that the motoer was moving around and that was what was knocking. he said that it seem like it is running on 2 cylender and that what was wrong with it. So we change the plugs and the coil housing, and it still did the jumping abound. we took the line where the ingectors are and it looked like fule was coming out of one of them. do you think the other 3 injectors are bad, or cloged or something? any tip i should try? i know know anything about car so any help would be good. as long as you give it gas the motor sounds good. if you let it ideal it knocks and then dies. i think this may be why the guy i was guying it from was changing the fuel filter. anyway thanks for the help.
  • miller55miller55 Member Posts: 1
    The display window showing the time and function of the am/fm/cd unit won't light up. The volume control also doesn't work properly- I try to turn the volume down and it doesn't respond unless I pull on it. Anyone know what the solutions are to these problems? Thanks.
  • riley9riley9 Member Posts: 1
    I have a 1995 Grand Am that is losing anti-freeze. But I can not locate where it is leaking.
    I have seen a small amount of anti-freeze on the ground but that would not account for the amount that I am putting in the car. It doesn't seem to be leaking into the oil basin or coming out the exhaust.

    Any ideas?
  • 0patience0patience Member Posts: 1,712
    Which engine?
    V-6? Check intake manifold, see if the coolant is leaking down the side of the block and onto the starter.

    4 cyl? Check that the radiator cap isn't weak.
  • 0patience0patience Member Posts: 1,712
    Go to your dealer and get a can of "GM Top Engine Cleaner".
    Follow the directions on the can to the letter.
    I prefer the spray over the pour in can, as you need to spray it into the throttle body.

    If it still sticks after that, then you will need to replace the throttle body. You should be able to find one reasonably at a salvage yard, unless you wish to pay the expense of a new one.
  • stonerockstonerock Member Posts: 2
    Hey flyboy9, the instrument panel from a salvage yard cost me only $15 and is easy to install yourself. Just follow all the manual hints and steps. I have a 1997 Pontiac Grand SE and was having issues with the instrument panel not functioning properly then finally not at all. I also had an issue with the volume control on the radio where you could not turn the volume up or down. As soon as I replaced the instrument panel everything started working including the volume control on the radio. Your car probably comes with an SIR hookup under the dash. make sure you disconnect the NEGATIVE post from the battery first, then the YELLOW wire under the dash can be disconnected. failure to disconnect this wire can cause the pump that inflates the airbag in the steering column from working or can cause the air bag to deploy. that was the most important step in my manual. the rest of the steps to follow to replace the instrument panel was easy. Call around to several salvage yards for the instrument panel for the same model and pull the instrument panel out of it. One thing to remember is to be patient after re-installing the instrument panel. the anti-theft device will keep the car from starting. turn the ignition key to the on position for 10 to 12 mins (walk away for that amount of time so you don't feel like trying to start it yet). the anti-theft light should now be done flashing. the car should start up. if your car still doesn't start then consider replacing your ignition switch. my old instrument panel was shorting out and causing other problems inside the car (like the volume control on my radio). Hope this helps. :)
  • shellymarieshellymarie Member Posts: 1
    My daughters 93 grand am stalls out at slow speeds. A mechanic unplgged a sensor, and said it should be replaced, but you have to "split the transmission", I believe he said ,to fix it. The best way to describe this is the car feels like you're not pushing in the clutch for down shifting a manual transmission right before it kills. The car is an automatic. It idles in park and neutral just fine. Anyone got info on this sensor, and is it hurting anything besides the gas mileage having it unplugged?
  • flakoflako Member Posts: 4
    how do I change the time setting. I have a basic radio with cd. there are no hour and minute buttons. the owner manual was no help.
  • mikel2youmikel2you Member Posts: 2
    I stopped by O'Reilly when the engine light came on in our 97 Grand Am 3.1V6 and the codes said I needed to replace the front Oxygen sensor. The dude behind the counter said it was an easy DIY. I found the sensor at the back of the engine in the exhaust manifold... but can't see a good way to get to it. It seems to be below the electronic ignition/distributor type thing, and under a bunch of wire etc. It appears pretty congested between the engine and firewall. Is there some trick to getting in there? I can barely get my hand in to touch it, let alone a wrench or socket. I'm trying to get to it from the drivers side top.

    What's the secret?
  • brian47brian47 Member Posts: 2
    I am having the exact same problem - were you able to fix this and if so, can you let me know what you did. Thanks so much.
  • brian47brian47 Member Posts: 2
    My kid has a 93 Grand Am. After locking the keys in it and the police opened the door, the interior lights and warning chimes stay on. Have taken the door panel off and there appears to be no broken wires - any advice?

    Thanks for any help/suggestions you can give me.
  • mikel2youmikel2you Member Posts: 2
    I had the same issue on my 97 GA. I went to Advanced autoparts and bought a tube of radiator sealer... it was about $3. and was a tube of what looks like silver shavings. You pour it in the radiator and it some how seals any leaks. I'm not sure how it works, or if it harmful in the long run. But it did stop the antifreeze leaks in my wife's car after a couple of days.
  • mkirkcmkirkc Member Posts: 2
    I have taken my car to a mechanic who does not understand the diagnostic message that there is a problem with the O2 heater sensor circuit that was revealed by his diagnostic hand-held tool. The code number I do not recall, but the message was that the O2 Sensor Heater Circuit was faulty in some way. Does anyone possess familiarity with this diagnostic message and the steps necessary to repair my 1997 Pontiac Grand AM with a 2.4 liter engine?
  • micwilliamsjmmicwilliamsjm Member Posts: 6
    I have a 2000 Grand am and usually i just turn the key on and tap the gas pedal 3 times. Then it should reset.
  • micwilliamsjmmicwilliamsjm Member Posts: 6
    Hi all, I am new here and was wondering if anyone had any suggestions for me. When I start my car at night, it takes about a minute for it to actually start. Just replaced the fuel pump and the filter. Later when I start it again, it'll pop right off. Any suggestions as to what this may be? It's not clicking or anything, it just takes longer for it to start.
    Thanks,
    Jessica
  • mikepaulamikepaula Member Posts: 2
    my 94 grand-am just started getting difficult to shift into 1st. Now it is really hard to force it into 1st, and reverse slams so hard it rocks the whole car.?? Anyone know whats going on?
  • mkirkcmkirkc Member Posts: 2
    I have received no assistance for my 1997 Grand AM, 2.4 liter sedan. The diagnostic tool says there is a problem with the O2 sensor heater circuit. What is it, and how cam it be fixed? I have already replaced the O2 sensor itself but am left with this mysterious (to me) diagnosis. Surely someone out there knows something that could help me.
  • stevew2stevew2 Member Posts: 3
    Open the driver's side door, on the side of the dash you will see an access panel.. pull it off. In there you will see a button that says reset.. Now turn you're ignition on (do not start the car) just turn the key so all the lights come on the dash. Now press the reset button and hold it down till the chang oil light flashes, release the button, at this time the oil change light on the dash should be blinking.. now press and release the button quickly. Now it should be reset.
  • hgosinskihgosinski Member Posts: 22
    I have a 2002 grand am. I had the passlock system replaced 2 months ago because the car wouldn't start all the time, (I heard a lot of people are having that problem). Now the car is overheating. I had the radiator flushed and refilled. I had the thermostat changed, still overheating. I took it to a different shop, because the one that did the radiator and thermastst couldn't figure it out. This new shop wasn't sure either, but they said I could start with the water pump, or taking apart the radiator, because the dexcool tends to 'gunk' up the bottom of the radiator, and a flush won't get that out. Well, I decided to do the cheapest thing first, which was the water pump...before I could get back to them about it, they called me and said they found the definate problem. They are telling me it is overheating because my intake manifold is cracked., and the gaskets are bad. Has anyone else ad this problem? Or has anyone had there intake manifold replaced, ifso was it because it was overheating. I'm not sure if they are just telling me things, or if that could be the reason. It is 800.00 to fix, so I really want some feedback from other people before I spend this money. Would I be able top tell if the intake manifold is really cracked? Can you see an actual crack? Any help would be great!! :cry:
  • glory_beeglory_bee Member Posts: 1
    I also have a 99 Grand Am & my fuel gauge keeps malfunctioning. When I have less than 1/2 a tank of gas, the needle begins going the other direction....shows I have a full tank when it's really empty! Also, the low fuel light doesn't come on until I'm really, really low on fuel not giving much warning. Any ideas on what the problem is??
    Any advice would be appreciated!
  • ray80ray80 Member Posts: 1,655
    Assuming you have the v6 engine, the intake manifold gaskets is a very common problem. The original ones crack and leak and there is an updated part. You could very well see the results of the leak by looking for wet looking stain below the gasket area.
  • hgosinskihgosinski Member Posts: 22
    Yes, it is a v6... I am going to have her show me where the leak is, thanks for replying...
  • burdawgburdawg Member Posts: 1,524
    I have to agree with ray80. This is a known problem and you can search this forum and find it discussed many times. I doubt if the manifold is really cracked (is possible though), and based on the price quoted I doubt that they think so either. When I had this problem on my 99 it was around that price to repair (this was some time ago). Coolant is either seeping out or going out though the exhaust if it's an internal leak. Either way it would be apparent since the coolant level would constantly be low.
  • sexyljcsexyljc Member Posts: 1
    car had hard time starting,have to wait 30min. or a day before it will start,I had a tune-up,replaced fuel pump,has new starter, had new pc valve installed,same problem keep happening please help,.
  • jtixjtix Member Posts: 2
    I had this problem as well and I have heard that intake gaskets as well as head gaskets can be the problem.
    However with the amount of money involved in either of these repairs I would check your radiator fan first.
    First off you need to see if the fan is working do this by first turning on the a/c while the car is running and it should come on immediately. If it does not bring the car up to operating temperature after you shut the a/c off, then let it get hot and see if it ever kicks in.
    If the fan does not kick in at all then take the fan out of the car and apply 12 volts of power to the fans contacts using your car battery and a couple of leads of some sort (Such as wire with alligator clips attached to the ends of the wire).
    After making contact if it does not come on switch the two leads around to make sure positive and negative leads are on the right contacts, only touch them breifly to make sure that it works.
    If it does not work then replace the electric fan. After you have tested this and you know that the fan works, put the fan back in the car as it was and secure it in place.
    Step two would be to go to the auto parts store and ask for a radiator fan relay. I own a 1998 grand am gt 2 door with the 3.1 or 3100 as it is called and my fan relay looks like a little square plastic box with terminals coming out of the bottom. Mine is located in the fuse panel just inside the drivers door on the end of the dash.
    Thier will only be one box in there that looks like this: (Replace It).
    Now start your car and test the fan again both by turning on the air and then shutting off the air, bring it up to operating temperature amd let it get hot or if it is not overheating now, rev the motor up and hold it for awhile in park or in gear until it does start to get hot and then the fan should kick in.
    Lastly if all else fails and the fan is still not woking then start the car go under the hood and find the thermostat housing which is on the drivers side inderneath the breather box hose that connects to your throttle body.
    Right in front of the thermostat housing built into it you will see a sensor that screws in to the housing with one or two wires on it. Release the retaining clip on the side of the connector while the car is running and pull off the connector from the sensor. You should then hear a click and the fan should come on right away. If it does not come on then you know the sensor is bad and needs replaced.
    Back to the parts store and ask for a coolant temperature sending unit. Always take the old part with you so that you know you get the right new part. When you get home replace that part as well as cleaning the connector for it really well. Put everything back together now and you should have NO MORE fan issues and your car should run cool.

    By the way you should completely drain all of your crappy coolant and instead of using DexCool you should use regular prestone at a 70/30 mix meaning 30% water, this will protect your car from boilover up to 275 degrees. Dont mix any higher than that though,

    Best of luck to you!!

    Jeffery E Tix
  • jtixjtix Member Posts: 2
    I had this problem as well and I have heard that intake gaskets as well as head gaskets can be the problem.
    However with the amount of money involved in either of these repairs I would check your radiator fan first.
    First off you need to see if the fan is working do this by first turning on the a/c while the car is running and it should come on immediately. If it does not bring the car up to operating temperature after you shut the a/c off, then let it get hot and see if it ever kicks in.
    If the fan does not kick in at all then take the fan out of the car and apply 12 volts of power to the fans contacts using your car battery and a couple of leads of some sort (Such as wire with alligator clips attached to the ends of the wire).
    After making contact if it does not come on switch the two leads around to make sure positive and negative leads are on the right contacts, only touch them breifly to make sure that it works.
    If it does not work then replace the electric fan. After you have tested this and you know that the fan works, put the fan back in the car as it was and secure it in place.
    Step two would be to go to the auto parts store and ask for a radiator fan relay. I own a 1998 grand am gt 2 door with the 3.1 or 3100 as it is called and my fan relay looks like a little square plastic box with terminals coming out of the bottom. Mine is located in the fuse panel just inside the drivers door on the end of the dash.
    Thier will only be one box in there that looks like this: (Replace It).
    Now start your car and test the fan again both by turning on the air and then shutting off the air, bring it up to operating temperature amd let it get hot or if it is not overheating now, rev the motor up and hold it for awhile in park or in gear until it does start to get hot and then the fan should kick in.
    Lastly if all else fails and the fan is still not woking then start the car go under the hood and find the thermostat housing which is on the drivers side inderneath the breather box hose that connects to your throttle body.
    Right in front of the thermostat housing built into it you will see a sensor that screws in to the housing with one or two wires on it. Release the retaining clip on the side of the connector while the car is running and pull off the connector from the sensor. You should then hear a click and the fan should come on right away. If it does not come on then you know the sensor is bad and needs replaced.
    Back to the parts store and ask for a coolant temperature sending unit. Always take the old part with you so that you know you get the right new part. When you get home replace that part as well as cleaning the connector for it really well. Put everything back together now and you should have NO MORE fan issues and your car should run cool.

    By the way you should completely drain all of your crappy coolant and instead of using DexCool you should use regular prestone at a 70/30 mix meaning 30% water, this will protect your car from boilover up to 275 degrees. Dont mix any higher than that though,

    Best of luck to you!!

    Jeffery E Tix
  • thewizkidthewizkid Member Posts: 2
    :confuse: My 95 GT CPE, just 103,000 miles on it, a stong 3.1 V6.
    It now has a clicking noise comming from motor ? Hope its not a major fix.
    Do I need to replace spark plugs,etc (tune-up),oil pressure is good - Tim
  • thewizkidthewizkid Member Posts: 2
    Got my window regulator at autozone for about $40.00,I have a 95gt cpe,easy fix,must take off,door panel,then remove the window,etc
  • burdawgburdawg Member Posts: 1,524
    Anyone have any experience replacing the 1/4 glass on the rear doors? I have one side broken and have three quotes for $300 plus to replace. How hard is it to do yourself?
  • wuzaaapwuzaaap Member Posts: 2
    I have a 95 grand am Quad 4 and it overheats pretty bad. The coolant was all gunked up when I got it but i flushed it all out and it still overheats. Everything else seems to work fine. Does anyone think i need a new radiator because its possibly gunked up at the bottom like they tend to do, and is there anyway to tell if thats the problem without actually buying a radiator and swapping it just to see if that helps? I realize it could be a leaky head gasket but i thought that would make it overheat pretty quick instead of overheating very slowly like its doing. I would appreciate any input on this.
  • burdawgburdawg Member Posts: 1,524
    Is the radiator cooling fan working?
  • ww51ww51 Member Posts: 1
    I have a 1997 Grand AM with a 3.1 V6. Lately when I drive it enough to get it completely warmed up then shut it off, it won't start until it sets about an hour. It acts like its starving for fuel when I try to start it hot. When It's cold, it fires right off. Anyone have any knowledge on this?
  • hgosinskihgosinski Member Posts: 22
    i just went through this with my car. i had the radiator flushed and filled first, and a new thermostat put in...that didn't work. i took it back to the place, and then they thought the same thing you are, the gunk at the bottom of the radiator. i guess the dexcool that they use in those cars is crap, and does gunk up your radiator. so, i get the radiator taken apart and cleaned out...still overheating. next, they said maybe it's the waterpump, but upon inspection of that, it wasn't. after almost a month, they finally figure out what's wrong. My intake manifold was cracked, and the gaskets needed to be replaced also. I just paid over 1000.00 to get my car to stop overheating. It works great now, but just be forwarned, that might be what's wrong witrh your car. These cars are such peices of [non-permissible content removed], i have had so many problems with mine, and it's only got 38,000 miles. I hope it's just gunk...good luck, keep us posted.
  • usaguy99usaguy99 Member Posts: 2
    I have a 2005 Grand am GT with 23,000 miles on it. The dealer can not find the problems that I am having. After the cars sits and I go to start it, I hear sometimes a click noise or a clung sound coming from under the hood and the cars actually moves a few inches. Sometimes the noise is loud and sometimes I just hear a click sound. The other problem I am having is when I take my foot off the gas pedal on the highway and the car begins to slow down, the RPM's drop from 1800rpm to about 500rpm and then recover. Has anyone ever heard of these complaints? I can not find anything on the internet and the dealer thinks I'm nuts. Does anyone have any suggestions?? HELP!!!
  • burdawgburdawg Member Posts: 1,524
    Just in case a change was made in 05 that I'm not aware of, it is an automatic, right?
  • usaguy99usaguy99 Member Posts: 2
    YES- it is automatic 4T45E transmission. Any ideas??
  • linda333linda333 Member Posts: 3
    I had a 2001 pontiact grand am with about 30,000 miles on it. Took it in for a tire to be fixed and they tell me that the gaskets is cracked...turns out the dexcool stuff eats the gaskets. They told me I could get along for awhile so I postponed the fix. About 2 weeks later, the cooling system went...luckily I was in the process of buying a new car. Would never buy a pontiac/GM again!
  • sfostersfoster Member Posts: 1
    I have had an intake gasket replaced, thermostat, O2 sensors, radiator cap and water pump replaced but my car is still overheating. Please help!! It doesn't overheat all of the time usually only when I drive it a distance. It usually runs around 220 to 230, but leaks antifreeze out of the overflow on the resevior. I do not know what to do. It runs hotter when I idle. I have put almost $900 in my car and it still isn't fixed. My fans seem to work. If someone can give me a suggestion I would appreciate it.
  • hgosinskihgosinski Member Posts: 22
    I feel your pain...I went through the same thing, if you read any of my earlier posts, you'll see. Yeah, that dexcool stuff is crap. I'm a little pissed, because when they flushed and filled the radiator, told me the dexcool was crap, then filled it back up with the same thing. Can't you just flush it out, and use regular antifreeze? If so, that's what I am going to do. I am getting warnings from people now, that have had the exact same car problems as me , telling me that the next thing that's gonna go is my head gasket! Tha would suck, because I am out of money...this car has drained my bank account! :mad:
  • hagardreamshagardreams Member Posts: 3
    I have a 1993 pontiac sunbird LE 4 cylinder.
    It is wobbling really bad. I bought a used one at pull-a-part, and its doing the same thing.
    I am at a loss on what to do. Should I try a brand new one, or could there be another reason its wobbling?
    I sure hope someone can help.
    Thanks in advance for any advise! Julie
  • ray80ray80 Member Posts: 1,655
    First thing that comes to mind is that there may be air in the system. Not sure on the GA, but there may be screws to bleed out air. Also you might want to check to see if pickup in overflow tank is properly placed (not hanging out in space or disconnected). Is the replacement radiater cap a GM one (I have heard some non-gm ones may not seat properly and cause problems like air intrustion)?
  • wuzaaapwuzaaap Member Posts: 2
    Well it turned out that it was the radiator, it was gunked up so bad i had to get a new one and flush the coolant again. But that did do the trick. I just wanted to thank the people who replied, I needed a little outside advice.
  • micwilliamsjmmicwilliamsjm Member Posts: 6
    All those lights come on in my Grand Am too, it has been the wheel bearing was bad. Or it could also be leaking tranny fluid. Chances are it's the wheel bearing.
  • troubled4troubled4 Member Posts: 2
    yes thats what i paid for my 96 grand am to be worked on but its cheeper to do it yourself...........i know that now
Sign In or Register to comment.

Helpful Tools

Most popular vehicles