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Comments
Anyone out there having similar problems?
Since then, my front suspension has gotten very "talkative". Any decent sized bump makes the front left suspension make a creaking noise. I hope that will go away once it warms up. It hasn't been above 20 degrees here in almost 2 weeks:) Think I need to sell this car and be done with it...
From what I know they stopped putting that troublesome 2.3L quad four in 1996 model year, and the 2.4L was a new engine in 96.
IN WARRANTY: water pump around 35,000; O2 sensor about the same time
OUT OF WARR: transmission mount came loose, O2 sensor on the rocks again
My car was dealer maintained and I had the oil changed every 3k. Tune-up at 100,000k too at the dealer. Trans flush every 50k.
I have been happy and as a college student I don't have a lot of $$ to drop on car repairs...
I will replace the coolant and fuel filter today, and have the transmission pan/filter serviced done next week. Any more, they hardly drop the pan. they do the fluid flush. I still like to change the filter. The good thing about the flush is that it gets the torque converter fluid as well. Never undestood why there is not a drain plug for torqure converters. Japanese have magnatic drain plug for rear axles, American cars/trucks don't.
The gas mileage does not appear great. My 96 Camry XLE with V-6 engine does 29-31 on the highway. This car went through 3/4 of the tank doing 240 miles. To be fair, the outside temp was like 10 degrees at the time. With new plugs and warmer weather, I expect it to do better.
For changing spark plugs, I have a suggestion. loosen and slide out fuel lines bracket. The electrical connector for ignition coil that is bolted to undeside of spark plug top cover COULD BREAK while trying to put the cover back on.
One question: Is there an air bleed valve anywhere for coolant? I checked around thermostat housing and did not see a bleed off screw.
GM did a nice job with coolant drain plug location, and the wing nut screws for removal of lower plastic cover for oil filter access.
The location of oil dipstick is odd, and for transmiison filling hole they could have made the housing extend higher, so filling is easier.
The front seat belt should have had one of those plastic bottons
inside the belt that could postion the buckle up next to anchoring bolt for easy reach. Every time you unbuckle, the buckle drops all the way down. Not a big deal, but annoying.
The cupholders are good for 8 oz. cups. I noticed that 2000 model and up have cupholder between the gear shift and storage compratment.
The gearshift indicator should be in instrument panel as well. You could be in 3rd gear for a long time, before you notice that you slipped passed "D". You should not have to take your eyes off the road to see which gear you are in.
Trans Fill--since the trans was designed to be "filled for life", not sure we can pick on filler location.
2000 Cupholder--is an add on part that will fit your 1999 as I recall. Brother got one for his '99.
Seat Belt Button--GM does have a replacement button kit for belts where they break. Check your belt webbing and you will see where it was. Can get the right color from a dealer.
Best of luck.
All they do, is making your coffee cup wobble and spill!!!!
What is wrong with flat surface cupholders? They have the problem with 2001 U-vans (Chevy Ventures).
Also, for 2003 I heard that there is no more body side cladding on the grand am... personally I liked the cladding and felt it offered greater protection against thoughtless door flingers.. I may be buying a 2002 model Grand Am SE/1 , I have seen many for around 10 to 11 grand with under 30,000 miles. .. seems like a good deal.
I'd say 30K is fairly high mileage for the age of the vehicle.
ABS as standard item is gone. You must pay $400 to get it now. In Grand Prix, it is about $700. They dropped cladding because it costs money.
My son's 99 GA, has cloth trim in interior panel of the door. I checked out a 2003 on dealer showroom the other day, it had all vinyl panel. Gone is the cloth. If I am not mistaken the lock in glovebox is gone too.
Between decontenting the cars, and beating the crap out of its suppliers for lower prices, GM is financing its zero percent and its expensive rebate.
GM used Toyota Camry as an example for making ABS optional. Toyota charges $300 for ABS on Camry, GM charges $400-$700.
Now, ABS is standard on Accord. I very much doubt GM will use Accord as an example to bring ABS back as standard equipment.
The best GM buys are probably 2001-2003 models where the cars were better equipped.
Grand Am SE: antilock brakes/traction control $400
Honda Accord DX: ABS Std Traction Control N/A
Honda Accord LX 4cyl: ABS Std Traction N/A
Honda Accord LX V6 Auto: ABS & Traction Std $23500
There are whole threads here at Edmunds pleading with Pontiac to drop the "cladding" for looks. GM now has people in charge who agree.
How big was the rebate when your son bought his 1999? $0? $500? $750? I think most people would rather have $3000 then glove box locks.
I bought the GA for my son because he likes the car. To me, GA has a very gimmicky and confining interior, very flat supension, uncomfortable seats, and not a fun car to drive, at least not the SE model. I can not speak for the GT.
Also with any new car, try to pay attention to what is discontended. You are paying $400 more for ABS, you are not paying $400 less for not having it. Normally when you decontent the car, you lower the sticker price.
Rebates are kind of a joke. GM has had four price increases in 2003MY alone. Your $3000 rebate is not what you think it is. IF GA is worth $14K, then GM should price it that way.
By the way, I paid $4,800 for the 99GA with 93K miles just a little more than $3K rebate you get on the 03MY. It is in very good shape, and has the $14K GA look and the interior.
As I said 2-3 year old GM cars are excellent values for what you pay for them. NEW GM cars are different matter. Where can you find a 99 Accord with the condition of this 99 GA for $4800? You can't find any.
Please don't get me wrong. GM is building and selling a lot of GA's. It is not a bad car but in my opinion, it is no Honda Accord.
I can already see the cycles forming, and all of them end with higher costs for consumers for everything from milk to car insurance with a net decrease in value.
- 3 water pumps before 100k
- Rack and pinion replaced at 40k
- Alternator replaced at 100k
- Brakes wear out way too early
As this car has a timing chain, the dealer has not been able to get the timing right. The knock sensor has been changed twice and the computer cannot compensate for the poor adjustment. I will have to live with the knocking. Fuel mileage is as bad as my 2002 Intrepid which is a 200 hp car.
I would strongly suggest getting the V6, the mileage is not much better and the 2.4 engine is poorly designed.My advice; keep shopping
2005 only SE1 and GT with LX-9 3.5 V-6
2006 will add: SE with LE5 (HO 2.4L four), GTP with LZ8 (3.9L V-6 auto and 6 speed manual)
2007 new engine in SE1 and GT (LZ3 3.5 V-6) will replace LX-9 V-6.
New GA's will be built at Lake Orion plant. The current ones are built at Lansing North and South plants. It is possible that GM continues to build current GA with 2.2L engine as base SE model well into 2005.
It is a good thinking on GM part to keep GA underwrap as long as possible. Historically,GM cars have been stealing sales from each other rather than from potential Camry and Accord buyers.
There will be some overlap of old and new GA, as it was with Lumina and Impala, and still is with S-10 Blazer and Trailbalzer.
Ever since I took it to the dealer to get an extra keypad and key made for my car, the car has been chiming. Every 2-3 minutes it chimes 3 tmes in quick succesion, whether I'm driving or whether the car just sitting there without a key in the ignition. The dealer said it could be a number of things causing this and wants me to take the car in again. Errr I'd rather not go through the hassle if its something so simple as a reset switch or something. Anyone have any ideas why my car is doing this???
By the way I just got the car last wednesday and I love it. Its a pure joy to drive and that red paint is just beautiful when its all clean.
There is no way that this is a 15 gallon tank. my 96 Camry says 18.5 and i have put 18.5 in it.
The gas mileage with mostly HWY driving is about 25. Reaching 300 miles on a gallon of tank is a stretch and it is disappointing. The Camry with V-6 with the same driving does 29-30. My old Dodge Stratus with 2.4L 4 cylinder used to do 29-30 also.
For a 4 cylinder car with 12.2 gallon tank and doing 25 MPG, I am alot more in gas stations that I used to be. I replaced the plugs and both air and fuel filters. The tire pressure is at 32PSI.
The funny thing is that there is not a hint of decreased performance, like you might get with a dirty air filter, old plugs, etc. As the gas prices keep rising, so does my discontentment with this car.
Has anyone put 14 gallons of gas in 99-03 GA?
I just turned 80K on the 99SE. The only repair (other than expected maintenance) I have done is to replace the fan resistor board at about $25.
The 95SE (now my daughters car) is at about 78K, but has had a few more problems.
I have a 2000 Grand Am SE with the 3.4L V6 and I replaced the spark plugs almost 2 years ago now, around 28k miles. I now have about 75k and get great gas mileage. I consistantly get 300+ miles out of a tank of gas (without the light coming on.) My stock plugs were fine, but I just wanted to replace them to see what happened. I ended up putting in Bosch "Platinum +4" plugs and immediately saw an increase in my gas mileage, about 15-20%. I've also noticed smoother shifts too.
I'm not saying this would be the case for you,
but it can't hurt. I changed the plugs myself and it was a bear getting to the three cylinders on the backside of the engine, it took me 3 hours!
Hope this helps.
And my car has been to the dealer 2 times to try and figure out whats making it chime. Now my car is spending the night over there cause they never got it figured out. I guess its not a big priority for them since they dont get paid for fixing problems that they caused.
How much of the injection system did uyou have to take off to reach the 3 plugs closest to the firewall? I'm the kind of guy who likes to do most of my own car work, but when I saw how obstructed the rear plugs were I seriously considered letting a mechanic deal with it. Since you have been through it, what would you suggest?
Update on my situation: 2000 GA SE1 V6 - 60,000 miles. Car has been dependable, but have minor irritations like: Poor gas milage, creaky front suspension, poor seating support and a flakey CD player (replaced that with a Pioneer 5 Months ago). Have replaced the battery, front brake pads and rotors, CD player, & Fan resistor board. Plan on replacing the drivers seat foam once it warms up.
Also what do you think are the best performing plugs. Delco, bosch ,NGK. I always use the rapid fire model.
I agree with bill211, you need a 3" rachet extension, as well as the spark plug socket. I didn't have an extension when I did it and I tore my knuckles up on the engine. You don't need to remove anything, just make sure you do it with a COLD engine and don't overtighten the new plugs when you screw them in. Also, I would recommend spreading some anti-seize compound (available at the auto store) on the threads of the new plugs...when it comes time to remove them, they'll come out a lot easier.
The Bosch plugs were not cheap, around $5 per plug if I remember correctly.
Good luck!
It is interesting to see that someone said they put 14.2 gallons in theirs. I expect the gas mileage to get better than 25 HWY for 2.4L engine once weather warms up.
Our company van, a 2002 Chevy Venture has the same GA's 3.4L V-6 in it. on trips, I have got 27MPG in the van. The van has 58K miles on it.
On my 94 Honda Accord 4 cylinder with 17.1 gal tank, once I got an unbelievable 610 miles before fill up doing 65-70.
" Regarding your car, in MY1999 the fuel tank actually had 1 gallon more
capacity that in MY 2000 when we went to the plastic fuel tank. 15.1
gallons is correct volume from fuel run-out. Those fuel tanks had a very
generous empty reserve (you can drive a long way on indicated Empty and
even <Empty) so the numbers you quote do not surprise me. That was an
issue with the fuel gage calibration for those vehicles. We got it better
in MY2000 with the plastic tanks. Put some injector cleaner in the fuel
tank and see how that works for the mileage issue. You did not mention any
Check Engine lights so I assume that you don't have any. Those mileage
numbers are a little low. My V6 Malibu will consistently get 28 MPG."