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Comments
- numerous problems with the cooling system, at least three times to the dealer, but it seems to be OK now.
- water leaks into compartment from driver's side rear door under heavy rain
- engine stalling/poor performance from bad O2 sensor (repaired with a new sensor)
- snapped the end off the stabilizer bar.
- speedometer just stops working at random times. (Same problem with previous Pontiac, I think "Sunbird". The odometer would go backwards too!)
- the fuel door can get stuck in the winter. I fixed it by liberally spraying the hinge with WD-40 and "adjusting (bending) the bracket so that it just holds the door shut.
- minor: the elastic bands around the visors are loose, the lid over the beverage holder is broken, the Grand Am lettering came off the passenger side.
- and right now, the engine kills will after driving on the highway for a while, then stopping, and restarting the car.
I dunno, maybe because the car is silver I don't see it, but the 93 does not have a problem with chipping paint.
What do I like about it? Standard fog lights are nice when it snowing (driving slower and I want to see what's right in front of the car). Also V6 has enough power for me, and its not the GT version. Get 23 mpg for mostly highway driving.
OK, now can someone do me a favor? Does anyone know where I can find the hp rating for this car?
Its too late for me now, but does anyone know how to get the shields off of the spark plugs, and what they do? I could not get them off when I attempted to change the plugs myself, and I was afraid I would crush them if I put channel locks on them. Just gave up and took it to the dealer.
I changed the plugs on my 00 Grand Am SE v6 earlier this year and didn't have any problems installing them. I'm not sure what you're referring to when you say the 'shields'. All you have to do is remove the old ones, put a little anti-seize compound on the threads of the new plugs and screw them in. I have a the V6 engine, are you referring to a 4 cylinder engine?
Yes, my gas mileage improved dramatically. I would say my mileage increased by about 15-20%. Of course you won't notice the difference for a few fill ups, but I would recommend the Bosch Platinum +4 to any of you GA owners.
I just filled up last night, 383.7 miles, 12.5 gallons = 30.7 mpg. Those are the best numbers that I have gotten, and I've got the V6!
I'm approaching 43,000 miles on my car, are there any problems that you have experienced/noticed around this mileage? I just want to be on the lookout.
One more thing, do any of you have pictures of your Grand Ams that you would be willing to 'pass around' with us regulars here on this board? ...just a thought.
If I could improve to 27 mpg I'd save about $100 a year in gas. I heard the plugs are about $45 for the set. So it would take me less than 6 months to make up the cost.
And the cost savings would increase dramatically if the cost of gas increases. I wonder how much it would cost to have a garage install the plugs? Or I could try to convince my brother-in-law to bring over his equipment and do it ourselves.
Did you order the plugs over the internet or get them at an auto parts store?
JD
About installation, the only tools you really need are a sprk plug socket (required) and a sockety with an extension. I didn't have the socket extension and it made for really scraped up knuckles on my hands. It took me about 3 hours to change the plugs which is probably longer than it should take, but this was my first time changing them and I also replaced the spark plug wires at the same time.
Midlifecrisis, yes I got the plugs at my local Trak Auto store, they were about $45 for a set of 6. I ordered some blue Taylor wires from partsforyourcar.com.
Don't get me wrong, the stock AC Delco plugs are good, but I have had great sucess with Bosch parts before (I think they make the best oxygen sensors) and I wanted to replace the plugs with better ones. Also, when I went to Trak Auto to get them, there high end AC Delco plugs, but they were literally about 3 times the price of the Bosch.
2nd ?..To all of the people who have modified their cars, what kinda mods have you done, and what kinda results have you gotten? How much did it cost? Are there any body kits out there for the Grand Am (yes I know that the cars already have a smooth look, just wondering)? And what mods would you recommend? and last, how much HP will each mod produce?
very kindly,
The World Iz Myn
No more Aleros, Skylarks, Berettas, Corsicas, Achievas, Cutlass Calais!
My two guesses are either they are heat shields, or for radio frequency interference.
Really though, its water over the dam. I'll have a new car before the plugs need to be replaced again.
-IC
Russ
I've found it easier to use the floor jack and jackstands for these cars.
The only problem I encountered was a clunking noise in the front which was recently fixed. Some loose steering parts, I believe it was in the linkage. Under warranty of course. Apparently there have been some reports of that same problem with other GA's but really not a common complaint.
Like with any other car you get your lemons but with a ton of GA's on the road there seems to be a good track record of winners versus lemons.
I assume you got a warranty with your GA. The only thing I remember hearing about the GA's is the front discs going at around 30k. Yours have probably been replaced.
Good luck and enjoy it.
Russ (photodoctor)
Am also glad Pontiac did not muck with exterior design and will be unchanged until the 2004 model year. I just never stop getting delight when I drive this great car.
Dick59 - I'm jealous about your 59 'Vette! I got to drive my brother-in-law's 69 Shelby Cobrajet Mustang, and now I've got the fever for good old American muscle!
Biddy 57
The 1959 Corvette was bought new right out of college and I consider my GT1 to be the closest thing to a four door Corvette I have ever driven.
They are both fun to drive but the GT1 has 40 years younger mechanics if you know what I mean plus it has power steering, brakes, seat,remote control radio, and actually more power than the 350 engine currently in the Corvette. But I only get the LOOKS when I drive the Corvette.
Anybody else change the tranny fluid in their GA?
I purchased a 99 GA SE1 in late 98 with the 4 cyl engine. Among the myriad of problems:
The rotors had warped by 25,000 miles (which apparently is a lot of mileage based upon past posts I've read on this board). I took it into the dealer and the service manager actually said "25,000 miles is a lot of miles to get out of a set of rotors" and offered to turn them or replace them at normal service rates. I turned them myself and applied liberal grease to the sliding pins. I managed to get another 30,000 miles out of them before I had to replace them, but they were only good for one turn. I am now on my third set of rotors and second set of brake drums, and still have a pulsing in the pedal and grinding noise coming from the rear drums. My mechanic can't figure out the problem, and I won't let a GM service department look at it. (You'll see why below)
I had the radio repaired for a faulty volume knob under warranty and the knob quit working again shortly after the warranty expired.
The front driver's seat broke on the car after 21 months (car was over mileage warranty). I wrote a complaint letter to GM and they agreed to fix it as a goodwill repair. When I took it to the dealer for the repair, it came back with a big gash on the side center console from the tech running the seat track along the side of the seat while removing or installing the seat. The worst part was that the tech had moved the seat forward to try to cover it up. When I pointed it out to the service department, at first they tried to claim it was there before (although it exactly matched the type of scratch that would occur while removing a seat), but then agreed to order and install a new console. Two weeks later, the service rep. called to say the part was still on order. When I called after a month to find out what the status was, I was informed by the service manager that the service rep. I'd been dealing with had been fired for making promises to the customers without receiving the proper approval, i.e., fraud. Moreover, the part had never been ordered. After an argument, the service manager agreed to order and install the part, although they "normally don't do that type of thing." And even though I'd been lied to by their service rep. and had my car damaged by their careless tech, they still wouldn't provide me transportation for the day because it was a "goodwill" repair and not under warranty. Like I said, I won't let my car near a GM service department again.
About six months after I had my seat fixed under the "goodwill" repair, it broke again (same break in the back support). I subsequently talked to a shop that does repairs on seats and upholstery for local GM dealers, and they told me that for some reason, the GA seats break a lot, much more so than the Alero or Malibu seats.
At around 60,000 miles, I started experiencing a water leak on the passenger rear floor. I found that it was caused by leaks in the sealant used to adhere the vapor barrier to the passenger door. Two treatments of silicone sealant finally took care of this problem.
From about 35,000 miles to about 70,000 miles, the front end developed a squaking type noise when the car went ver even minor bumps in the road. I was never able to get a diagnosis as to the cause, but surmised from reading TSBs on prior model GAs that it was caused by molecular breakdown of the suspension bushings. It wasn't worth tearing down the front end to confirm this as the cause, and thankfully, it went away by itself, likely due to the copious amounts of various lubricants I sprayed on the bushings at every oil change.
At about 75,000 miles, I started to hear a bearing whine in the engine, most noticeable when the air conditioning was on, and most noticeable in the heat. My best guess is that its the alternator bearings going bad. A mechanic I talked to said that unlike most manufacturers who use 7 or 9 bearing assemblies, most GM alternators have only 5 bearing aseemblies; when the serpentine belt is torqued against the fewer bearings, it causes them to wear prematurely. Once summer rolls around, I will likely have to have the alternator replaced.
One of the driver's sidebrake lights failed at about 30,000 miles. No big deal, right? I've now replaced my fourth bulb in the driver's side taillamp assembly, and I know I've seen a TSB floating around about that problem.
I have always experienced the gear whine from the power steering pump that others have complained about. Luckily, nothing has come of it yet.
Both rear wheel cylinders sprung a leak at 67,000 miles
At around 77,000 miles, the automatic transmission started intermittently stuttering during 2nd to 3rd shifts. It does it fairly infrequently, and only during high RPM passing, but its an ominous sign. I had the transmission service done shortly thereafter, but I've still noticed it on occasion. I've babied this car at every turn. Ran it with synthetic oil for the first 10,000 miles, had it serviced every 3,500 miles, and despite the high mileage commute, I drive it very gingerly. I wish I had driven the hell out of it, at least I'd feel some of these problems then had some justification.
At 85,000 miles, the catalytic converter failed. No warning, no OBD light, it just up and failed. And no, I didn't put diesel in it. Nobody could figure out that one.
But here's the kicker. The car just turned 90,000 miles, and the Powertrain Control Module just failed. The car still runs, but about five error codes register in the system, the Service Engine Light comes on and can't be cleared, and the Traction Control has shut off. With the Service Engine Light on, I can't sell it or trade it away - - I'd have to have it fixed so it would pass smog even though the smog equipment is now working fine.
Thw worst part about this is that apparently GM has made a Series I and Series II Powertrain Control Module for the car. The Series I had some sort of defect, so that's why they made the Series II. The Series II costs $500 more than the Series I computer. So basically, GM finds a design flaw in the Powertrain Control Module and uses it to exploit its customers by demanding an additional $500 for a defect-free fix. And the new computer can only be programmed by a GM service dept., so they guarantee themselves at least $130 is labor charges if you need to replace the computer.
I hope all of your GAs continue to function as well as they have, but I am absolutely done with GM. At this point, unless I can get a complete and total fix of all the defective components from GM for free, I am going to litigate this. I have a three and a half year-old car with 90,000 miles that is unmarketable and requires at least $2,000 in repairs just to be saleable. Not that I could sell it with the strange and unidentified sound coming from the rear brakes.
And I know GM is aware of these problems. In a previous post I mentioned the brake problems and tonychrys hinted that GM had developed a larger caliper and rotor design it was installing on 99s under warranty. Also, some of you have gotten free rotors or free resurfacing. I was never offered any of these by my dealer.
A couple of months back I had a business trip and the rental car I got was a 2001 Grand Am. I noticed that it has a completely different Delco radio/CD/eq. system - it looks like the one out of the minivan. I have a hunch that this is due to the faulty volume knob in the old unit. Rather than fix the problem in the old unit, they just give up and slap in another unit. The new unit is not recessed like the old one, but sticks out of the center dash and looks somewhat out of place next to the recessed HVAC controls.
If any of you have the specific TSB numbers for any of these problems, please let me know. I am trying to order the TSBs to confirm the defect fixes and/or prepare for a lawsuit. I do plan to write a letter to GM customer service and the Vice President of Vehicle Sales and Service to try to resolve this without litigation, but I can only be skeptical about the success of a letter campaign at this point.
Most importantly, I'm through with GM cars. The ironic thing is that my wife's 95 GMC Sonoma has been the most trouble free vehicle we've ever owned. We've never had to have any service other than routine maintenance performed on it, and it has over 100,000 miles on it. It also has been in a major front-end collision yet still runs almost as strong as the day it was delivered. I'm glad it hasn't had any problems, because I can just imagine the service horror stories we'd have then.
If any of you can help with the TSB numbers, please post a reply. If you'd like to know the dealers I recevied such terrible service from, please post your interest and I'll e-mail you.
I can relate with some of the problems you have experienced. I have a 2000 GA v6 and have had no major repairs or replacements of any kind.
I did have my rotors replaced at around 25,000 miles, and my dealer did that without me even asking! They also said that these new rotors are made from a different alloy of metal and are "supossed" to last longer that then previous version. I am now at 43,000 miles and have not had any problems with the rotors.
I too had the water leak develop under the front passenger seat, this was fixed with some silicone sealant, but cost me because the car was out of warranty.
The taillight issue IS a problem, and not just with the Grand Am. I owned a 99 Chevy Malibu and had the exact same problem. Replacing the bulb will not fix the problem, you need to have the fuse panel that the bulb plugs into replaced. I have not had this problem with my 00 Grand Am, but have noticed other Grand Ams and Malibus driving around with the taillight problem.
It sounds like you got a lemon with your 99 Grand Am. It's too bad because it's a great car when you don't have any problems!!
In one case, it took four separate service appointments to find and repair a windshield leak. Keeping the story short, on the last visit in addressing this issue I politely requested a loaner vehicle of the service writer considering all of the inconvenience. He took me to see the service manager, who angrily denied my request.
He "reminded" the SW that the last loaner vehicle had yet to be returned and was presumed stolen by the dealership, etc. I took this insinuation to mean that he expected me to steal the loaner also. I was so shocked I had no idea what to say considering my jaw was down around my ankles. I vowed never to use that dealership again. In the mean time, I have found that there are no good (in my case) Chevy dealerships near where I live. I sincerely doubt I will ever buy another GM vehicle unless I am convinced that the car is better than any other and that the service department is concern about CRM.
Anyway, your experiences with the dealership service departments are consistent with mine over the last 9.5 years, so obviously nothing is changing.
Our GA SE1 is coming up on 3300 still using the oil from the factory - is there any conventional wisdom on this board for [not] waiting for the oil service light?
I would say though, that your car has extremely high mileage for 3 years old and wouldn't be marketable anyway. 90000k in 3.5 years is roughly twice the average, which means you will see twice the wear and tear in your vehcile which will exacerbate the problem. I'm not making excuses, just pointing out that that is not typical mileage for a vehcile that new.
As for the radios, GM is replacing conventional radios with RDS systems in most vehicles--some only in top models but eventually most likely all, which would explain the different radio--not the volume nob. I personally own an Alero which has the RDS system and is excellent. Anyway, good luck with your repairs.
http://www.speedhut.com/15orders_el_detail.asp?part_num=E-PO-GRANDAM-SE-99-00
To find out more about that site, just go to http://www.speedhut.com
Also, many of you are probably wondering where everyone has gone. Try checking out this list. There are others, but this is where many from Edmunds has gone to: http://www.grandamgt.com
It looks like it's much easier to change than the screw-on canister filters. I'm looking forward to this oil change.
Yes, the filter housing is right up front, so it looks like it will be simple enough. Done correctly, there'll be no oil spilled on the engine.
The "filter" is nothing more than the media, a plastic inner shell and a small plastic nipple and gasket on one end (the normal innards with no metal case). I'm guessing mass production costs are about $.09, and shipping weight and volume is much less, so they should end up being cheaper than 3.95. The change interval is comparably longer in that engine (as an average), so we'll see. Still, $4 is way better than 12!
I've never worked on old cars (older than '73), but my dad said at one time most oil filters were like the ecotech type. I don't know how far back you have to go.
You're probably right about the lower manufactured cost, but somehow I doubt the savings will find it's way to the consumer. Remember when headlights were the entire bulb (high/low beam)and housing, and you could buy them for $4-$5?
Anyway, I'll let you know about the filter.