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Pontiac Grand Am

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Comments

  • burdawgburdawg Member Posts: 1,524
    Sure sounds like this to me. It's unlikely the switch has failed on all four of the lower positions (it is possible though and should be checked). In the high position the resistor board is out of the circuit, the blower is connected to battery voltage via a relay, hence it still works on that position.
    It's not a difficult repair, and if you search this forum you will find it discussed quite often.
    I did it on my now gone 99, and have helped others (both Alero's and GA's) with the repair.
  • e2helpere2helper Member Posts: 1,002
    I think you can get a replacement for $10-$20,

    P/N 15359314 (I think)

    http://www.gmpartsdirect.com/
  • nybill38nybill38 Member Posts: 12
    Hi

    Thanks for the info, wherebouts in the car is this part located? Something easy to get to. I have a feeling its under the glovebox because thats where I saw the mechanic working the first time it was fixed.

    I prefer to do jobs myself rather then take it to a shop...i'm pretty new at working on cars since all of my cars are out of warranty now.

    Thanks
    Bill
  • burdawgburdawg Member Posts: 1,524
    It is under the blower plenum on the passenger side, so yes it is under the glovebox. Look for a connector going into the bottom of the plenum. Remove the connector. The board is held in by two screws - the rear one is hard to get to so be patient. The manual says to remove the glovebox for access but I don't think that's necessary and haven't done it myself.
  • nybill38nybill38 Member Posts: 12
    Hi

    Thanks for the info, wherebouts in the car is this part located? Something easy to get to. I have a feeling its under the glovebox because thats where I saw the mechanic working the first time it was fixed.

    I prefer to do jobs myself rather then take it to a shop...i'm pretty new at working on cars since all of my cars are out of warranty now.

    Thanks
    Bill
  • superflytntsuperflytnt Member Posts: 10
    i own a 2001 grand am GT1 and was thinking of adding some mods to the car to enhance performance. just wondering what you all might think? i dont want to get too spendy right now, maybe keep the mods around $1000. suggestions?
  • burdawgburdawg Member Posts: 1,524
    Yes it does. So did my 99. That's where the stamping for the roof is joined (welded) to the rear quarter panel and then filled. It's quite common, but some manufacturers do a better job of filling it. I don't consider it a problem, you have to look real hard to see it. Seems to me to be more visible with darker colors, though.
  • johnwo07johnwo07 Member Posts: 3
    Burdawg
    I have looked at previous grand ams. Thats not true pontiac changed the roof style. In previous years the roof was in sections or there was seams at the window. In 2004 they went and tried to have a single piece look. For a company that has so much experience they did a real crapy job with this design. Since my neighbor pointed it out to me I can now see it from across the street. This problem should have been caught on the production floor and fixed. I work in manufacturing and if we were to put this kind of quality out, we would not be in business.
  • superflytntsuperflytnt Member Posts: 10
    blah...
  • johnwo07johnwo07 Member Posts: 3
    My wife just bought a new GA. After she brought it home my neighbor noticed a flaw in the assembly of the roof. At the top corners of the back window the roof metal has ripples in it. In other words if you bend down and look at eye level it appears to be wavy. Take a look at yours and let me know if yours has the same problem. I went back to the dealer and we looked at all there inventory and every GA had this deffect. I am in comunication with Pontiac it appears they dont care. Although this is not a mechanical problem Pontiac should not be selling these at full price. Anyone who pays attention to details will notice this and it could affect the trade value down the road.
  • burdawgburdawg Member Posts: 1,524
    The current GA body style has not changed very much since 1999, mostly only in minor trim. 2004 is the last year for this body. As for the visible seam your talking about, that was on the previous styles prior to 1999. That's the case with the 95 that I still own. I had a 1999 before the 2004, it was the same. I also looked at some two door cars from the same vintages, plus my own (my 99 & 04 are 4dr, the 95 is 2dr.) and it follows with them also.
    You make the statement that to see the wavy sheetmetal you need to "bend down and look at eye level it appears to be wavy" which is true, but then "I can now see it from across the street". Which one is it? Or does the lighting have to be just right to see it from a distance? I suppose this could be the case with a dark color.
    Also, if your worried about resale, your in the wrong car. These cars aren't known for it. You better figure on driving it until it drops if that's the case.
    I wouldn't expect anything from Pontiac about this. It's been that way all along, and isn't unusual with welded and filled roof seams. Would you rather have a completely visible seam like in the older body style? Or a cheap looking piece of trim put there? These are all other ways that seam is done.
  • johnwo07johnwo07 Member Posts: 3
    Thanks burdawg.
    Now I know why these cars have no trade value. I have looked at simular cars from other manufacturers and they don't seem to have a problem with there's. Or is it that nobody has really put the screws to pontiac to get it right. I guess I am going to give it a shot. I have already opened an ad in this weekends newspaper to locate local owners. From there we will see a lawyer to see how to proceed. This car is way over priced to have a body flaw like it has. My car is Maroone or Sport Red.
  • paulspauls Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2003 Grand Am GT 4 Door. It also has a flaw very similar to what you have described. I asked at the dealership and they said "I don't see anything" they have always claimed that but it is there in mine also. I'd like to see them do something about this flaw also, I doubt replace or fix or whatever to my car but I'd like them to reimburse me if another car has a higher resell value without the problem.

    Also kinda strange no lumbar support in a grand am GT without the 6 way power, I don't know if the 6 way power has lumbar but I expected that car to have it when a Sonoma Pickup has an adjustment... I had never noticed this until taking a road trip to Wyoming, and just getting back yesterday to CA

    Thanks for not making me feel like I was the ONLY one who had a problem with this.
  • ijennings1ijennings1 Member Posts: 67
    A few weeks back, I posted a message about my wife's 3.4 V6 coolant expansion tank having sludge in it. It is 2 years old with 37,000 miles on the clock.
    I have flushed out the Dexcool and refilled with another well known make and the problem has now gone.
    There is no loss of coolant, but it sure seems strange for an anti-freeze to sludge like this.
  • tsjaytsjay Member Posts: 4,591
    My son has a 2001 Grand AM with the 2.4 L engine, and the car has 77,500 miles on it. My son told me last night that the car was acting funny, so I drove it today.

    The engine makes some weird noise under acceleration (sort of a roaring noise, but not real loud), and at least once when I tried to accelerate, the car actually slowed down instead of speeding up. It sure seems to me to be the classic symptoms of catalytic converter failure. (I had a converter go bad on my little 89 S-10 pickup, and the way my son's car behaves is just like the S-10 acted then.)

    There are no "check engine" lights or anything.

    I did a search in here on "catalytic converter," and it seems there was just one case of someone having problems, and that was on a 99 model with 85,000 miles on it.

    Does anyone have an idea what the problem could be? Think I might be right in thinking it could be a catatlytic converter failure? Have you guys heard of many catalytic converters going out at about the mileage my son has on his car, 77K?

    Is the converter under warranty until 80K?

    I will take it to a GM dealer Monday, but I would appreciate any info you guys can supply in the mean time.

    I'll be sure to let you folks know how this turns out, so you can benefit by our experience.

    Thanks.

    Tom
  • montanafanmontanafan Member Posts: 945
    Can't comment on the mechanical end, but the warranty for a car in Kentucky (Federal Emissions State) is 8 years /or/80,000 for the convertor.
  • tsjaytsjay Member Posts: 4,591
    Thanks. I had already checked my son's owners manual, and just like you say, the converter is covered up to 80K. I sure hope that's what the problem is, so we won't have to spend any money.

    I guess it can cause warped valves, melted plug wires, and other nasty things from the extreme heat build up when you drive one too long with a stopped up converter. I was lucky on my S-10 and even though I drove it until it just wouldn't run any more, I did not do any damage to the engine.

    I only discovered what the problem was very late in the process, and the truck gave up the ghost an eighth of a mile from the muffler shop. I had to push it the rest of the way! That would have been bad enough, but the road was slightly up hill from where I was to the shop. :)

    The truck had about 150K miles on it at the time, so no warranty in that case.

    I don't know whether to take a chance and drive my son's car back to the dealership where I bought it, which is about a 25 mile trip, or whether to take it to the nearest GM dealer, about three miles from here. I really like and trust the service department where I bought the car, but I might do some damage by driving that far.

    Tom
  • tsjaytsjay Member Posts: 4,591
    I took the car to the dealer where I bought it, and they found out that the converter was stopped up, just like I suspected.

    I took a chance on driving it the extra distance to get it to the dealership where I bought it, but I made it OK, and they even said I could drive it back home and then come back with it when the new converter comes in. I HOPE they are right... would sure hate to do some damage to the engine, but I trust these guys, so I'll go with what they say.

    Tom
  • tsjaytsjay Member Posts: 4,591
    I was thinking the engine in my son's car was a 2.4 L, but I guess it's a 2.2 L. It's a peppy little bugger when it is running right.

    Tom
  • tsjaytsjay Member Posts: 4,591
    The person who told me that my son's engine is a 2.2 L was thinking of the newer Grand Am's, but the Grandy's still had the 2.4's in 01.

    Tom
  • eilliott123eilliott123 Member Posts: 2
    hi all.. im looking to purchase a 2002 grand am gt. The owner put a magna supercharger in it and i was wondering if any one has heard of any problems with superchargers and engine life as well as fuel economy. thanks
  • tsjaytsjay Member Posts: 4,591
    Not sure about engine life or reliability of the supercharger itself, but supercharging makes the engine require premium gas in most cases (all cases???).

    I don't believe gas mileage is hurt by supercharging, and it could actually go up.

    Someone smarter than me should jump in here. (Shouldn't be hard to find someone that meets that qualification).

    Tom
  • montanafanmontanafan Member Posts: 945
    1) I think GM/Pontiac cars with factory supercharges all have lower EPA fuel mileage ratings then the non-supercharged cars.
    2) Keep in mind that the addition of the supercharger will effect any GM/Pontiac warranty still left on at least the engine/trans. Will also effect any extended service policy that is transferable or that you purchase.
    3) As an aftermarket modification, it may even effect your car insurance. Check with your company or agent.
    4) There may even be state emissions testing implications.
    5) You may also want to think about how the first owner treated the car with the extra horsepower.
  • burdawgburdawg Member Posts: 1,524
    I learned a long time ago (the hard way) that when you build an engine you start from the bottom and work up, not the reverse. In general, supercharging a stock engine isn't a good idea, since the bottom end doesn't have the heavy duty components to make it reliable. A stock Grand Am engine surely fits into this category, and I don't know if the heavy duty hard parts are available to make it so.
  • eilliott123eilliott123 Member Posts: 2
    thanks for the info.. i asked him about all the points that you brought up.

    1. it does require premium gasoline (which really sucks)
    2. the supercharger is a gm part and was put in by a pontiac dealership and therefore warranty is not affected
    3. the car has extended warranty till 2007 so ill be safe for 3 years.
    4. as for insurance it will affect it.. however what the insurance agent does not know cant hurt him ;)
    5. im from canada so we are pretty lax about emissions over here :)

    and lastly.. that car really flies... i have a 2003 3.4 gls alero... and there is no comparison.

    i think ill be making an offer pretty soon and see where things go from tehre.

    by the way is $18000 CAN($13500 US dollars) for the car a good deal? it has 24000km (14900mi) and is a 2002 grand am gt 2dr with sunroof with a magnasupercharger and an extra 3 years remaining on warranty.... let me know

    thanks
  • ijennings1ijennings1 Member Posts: 67
    I have a 2002 3.4 V6 and the parking brake is coming right up as far as you can go and needs adjusting. Does anyone know if this is easy to do? Does it have a separate inboard drum or use the discs on the rear? I know I can get under there and have a look, but i have a shoulder injury and am undecided to take it to a shop or wait until I'm better and do it myself.
    I reckon the cable has streetched and needs bringing in.
    Thanks in anticipation.
  • nick4597nick4597 Member Posts: 50
    Purchasing an 04 Grand Am GT Coupe tomorrow... lil worried with all the problems everyone has in EVERY board I read. Did they fix any of the common issues that plagued the models pre-04? Just thought i'd ask. Also, anything I should be watching out for in my new car?
  • dick60dick60 Member Posts: 12
    My 1999 red 4-door GT1 has provided me 5 1/2 years of flawless driving accumulating 48,000 miles. However, on Wednesday my A/C failed. The cost of repair together with other identified problems cost me $2,087.00. The A/C compressor was replaced at a cost of $1,100; the intake manifold gasket showed leakage and was replaced at a cost of $600; the power steering pump was making a strange noise and was replaced at cost of $150; several hoses, coolant,serpentine drive belt and water pump were replaced at no labor cost.

    So, hopefully, I have replaced all obvious maintenance items and will get another 5 1/2 years of flawless driving.

    Note: some of the items were normal maintenance items such as the belts, coolant, hoses etc.

    However, I did not expect the A/C compressor to give such a short life of operation.
  • ijennings1ijennings1 Member Posts: 67
    Does anyone know if there is a fuel filter change on the 3.4 Alero? It does not say so in my handbook, but I normally chnage them around 30,000 miles maximum. If there is, where is it situated and is there a pressure release switch to activate first?
    Thanks.

    Ian
  • burdawgburdawg Member Posts: 1,524
    I've been led to expect a 5 year lifespan on AC compressors in R134 systems, a little longer for old R12 systems. My own experience seems to also reflect this. Mileage doesn't seem to be a big factor in this, age does.
    For example: Our 95 Grand Am had the compressor replaced in 2001. My now wrecked 99 was still working OK till the wreck on 3/31/04 at 93,000 miles. I don't know how much longer it would have lasted, the compressor was getting noisy. My 85 Suburban, now 19 years old, is on it's third compressor (replaced again in spring 03), but remember it's an R12 system. Contrast this with our old 1980 Mercedes 280 (R12) which has the original compressor, and actually the only AC repairs to it in 25 years has been replacement of the high pressure hose (at least in the sealed AC system). Go figure.
    As far as the intake manifold gaskets, that's a known problem with the V6 (actually, many aluminum V6's) and has been discussed here quite often before.
    I suppose a power steering pump failure can happen that early, but I would need a little more reason than just a "strange noise".
    One thing though, why was the water pump changed? Was it leaking?
    After my 99 was rear ended (hard), I took the settlement and bought an 04 Grand Am GT. I did the same cost/value assessment, figuring in the same repairs that were done on the 99, and found it to still be a good bargain over the higher priced competition, as long as you don't plan to sell it or trade it within a few years.
  • robnyvarobnyva Member Posts: 1
    Bought a New 04 grand am gt v6 Ram Air this past Saturday and I love the car. About 250 miles on the car
    My Car coolant temp from the gauge on the dashboard runs from 200-205 Normal load No harsh conditions other than being the summer.
     Any car Ive ever owned never ran this hott, 180-190 seems the Norm.
  • burdawgburdawg Member Posts: 1,524
    That's normal. If your out in the southwest desert going uphill on a day that's 110+ it usually goes a little higher.
  • nick4597nick4597 Member Posts: 50
    I also just purchased a black GT Coupe end of July. The car is real quick and feels real solid (for now at least). Does seem to go through gas almost as bad as the 4Runner I got out of, we'll see after I break it in a bit. REALLY love the Monsoon MP3 player (I got 190 songs on one CD)... who needs a CD changer? My car seems to run in the 200-205 temp range also, my last car was slightly less but ever car is spec'd differently. Got it for $18,250 w/ the package that includes the moonroof, wheels, monsoon, etc. It's a shame they're re-naming the replacement, Grand Am's have a great history. Oh well.
  • lizzy79lizzy79 Member Posts: 1
    My car did something very scary today. When I tried to brake, my car would not slow down. The RPMs jumped up to 7 and would not go down. Even my emergency brake did not stop the car. I had to throw it in to park. When I did, the car made a terrible grinding noise and finally came to a stop. The engine was still revving so I turned off the car. When I turned it back on the RPM jumped immediately to the red line. It did that both times I started the car. Finally, the third time I started it, it was normal. I've had a similar problem before and the dealer told me they couldn't find anything wrong with my car. Has anyone had a similar problem or any idea about what it might be?
  • burdawgburdawg Member Posts: 1,524
    This is pretty simple but don't get me wrong, this does happen more frequently than we like to admit. Is your floor mat pushed up against your accelerator pedal?
  • dick60dick60 Member Posts: 12
    Well my luck seems to running low. My 1999 Grand Am GT1 gave me 5 1/2 years of near flawless operation. Now in just few weeks, I have reported replacing the AC Compressor, the Input Manifold Gaskets, I now had to replace the Alternator. All this with less than 48,000 miles. The reason I replaced the power steering pump and water pump was preventative maintenance since the engine was all laid out with the other repair and I just had to pay for the parts and no additional labor.

    The car is now running perfect again but it was disappointing to have to lay out $2,500 on basic non-maintenace parts. I feel GM just has a very low mean mileage to failure standard. Hopefully, my car will be maintenance free for the next few years. Anyhow, my idea of trading for the G6 has been on indefinite hold.
  • gmhellmangmhellman Member Posts: 121
    Well, today the car finally broke down, My wife was pulling out of the garage when the car made a large clunk noise and the nose of the car now leans down on the drivers side. I crawled under the car and the spring on the drivers side cracked completly in half about 1/3 of the way up. Towed to the delaership and est of 380 clams to fix. (Both springs) While they were under there I had them replace the broken strut mount on the passenger side (could hear a sound like a bag of plastic being rattled). That ran another 80 dollars. This seems like an odd problem for a car that is driven very minimally and carefully by my wife. Anyone else have this problem???
  • ocmike3ocmike3 Member Posts: 232
    I purchased a 2002 G/Am SE1 (23k miles) for my daily commute (~64 miles). I had actually used the car as a loaner a couple of times and after getting great mileage asked the dealer what they needed to get out of the car if I were to make an offer. I really like the car but my only complaint is the the seat. It seems like the seat is too short for my upper leg and the front bolster meets my leg about 4-5 inches behind the knee. I sort of experience a pinch ( left leg has the tendency to fall asleep after 5-10 minutes unless I keep moving it around). I was thinking a short cushion under my rear might help. I've looked at a lot and all are too big (the seat well inside the bolsters measures ~ 12"x12". Has anyone a suggestion for a small non-slip cushion other than a folded up towel?
  • dick60dick60 Member Posts: 12
    My 1999 GT1 with 50,000 has developed some interior noises that are somewhat annoying. The A/C fan makes a soft mouse like noise which stops when the fan is turned OFF. The steering wheel makes a rubbing sound when making large turns such as parking or large sweeping turns.

    Does anyone know if the A/C fan can be lubricated to eliminate this noise. Also, will some oil in the steering wheel crack correct this steering noise?
  • pitbull1pitbull1 Member Posts: 1
    Hello, and thank you in advance for giving me a hand here. I recently purchased a 2002 Grand Am GT and I am very impressed with the car so far. What I am looking for is information on how I can increase the performance of my car in any way possible by adding on performance parts. This would include power chips, ingition and fuel injection upgrades, and maybe even using a supercharger unit. I am looking for suppliers of these materials also. Any help would be greatly appreciated!
  • jdaurorajdaurora Member Posts: 1
    I purchased a 96 Grand Am SE for my daughter with 48,000 miles. The car will occasionally start but stall right away, if you wait 10-15 minutes it will start and stay running. I replaced the fuel pump and filter. the car ran good for 3 weeks then had 1 episode of start stall. Any suggestions?
  • bajabill1bajabill1 Member Posts: 17
    How do you remove the light fixture to gain access to the lamps. My manual show a bad picture and says to lift 2 retention clips. My car does not look like the photo and I cant find anything that looks like 2 retention clips. I did remove two bolts that held part of the mounting fixture, but that was not enough. I have to be missing something simple here.
  • cornellpinoycornellpinoy Member Posts: 196
    The bolts you removed may have been for aiming the lamps. There are no bolts to remove when taking off the assembly. There are 2 black "L"-shaped metal clips that hold the assembly in place. From the top of the assembly, you can see 2 black tabs. Just pull them up and wiggle them a bit. Once the clips are off, you can pull the entire assembly out and change the bulbs.
  • bajabill1bajabill1 Member Posts: 17
    thanks for the info,

    I saw the aiming bolts, those were torx head, I removed larger hex head bolts. Do I have to remove a large plastic cover to gain access to these clips. There is a plastic cover that spans the entire width of the car that has access holes to the aiming bolts as well as the bolts I removed. This cover is not shown in the picture in my manual.
  • moeharrimoeharri Member Posts: 108
    Yes, you have to remove the black ram air cover (assuming you have a GT). I did this last weekend and it took me 4 (!) hours to change a headlight!!! I cannot believe how hard it is to do work on a GM car. On our Explorer, I could change the spark plugs and headlights in under 10 minutes combined. I cannot believe that anyone would consider this process acceptable. Let me know if you have any more questions; I feel your pain (and mine, in my hands!).
  • cornellpinoycornellpinoy Member Posts: 196
    Yes, I did forget to mention that you have to remove the black plastic trim panel. Easiest way to lift off the fasteners is with an interior trim tool. Or just use a flat head screwdriver to lift the center part of the fastener. Then you'll see those tabs.

    It really isn't so bad compared to changing the lights on the current Jetta or an older Mitsubishi I used to drive.
  • bajabill1bajabill1 Member Posts: 17
    Thanks, got it done

    One simple line in the manual would have been nice - remove black plastic cover, then ...

    And the picture in the manual is taken after the unmentioned step!!!

    Oh well, It will be easier next time.
  • masonmimasonmi Member Posts: 148
    I was car shopping today and stopped into the local Pontiac Dealership and noticed there were about 3 or 4 different 2004 Grand Am models left, I test drove the SE2 i think which has the power sun roof leather seats also the GT model was nice, the dealership also had an SE1 or SE model which was a 4 cyl. I didnt get a chance to test drive it however I noticed it was almost 2,000 less than the SE2 model, and it had the power sunroof keyless entry, is there a major difference in the 4 cyl compared to the 6 cyl? and how are the reliability on the Grand AM's?
  • twinbilltwinbill Member Posts: 1
    I hate them! Anyway to turn them off? Any secret codes or something? The sensor doesn't even work. It can be 85+ degrees out and full sunshine, yet the full headlights come on! And that dims the stereo which I hate. Any suggestions? Thanks!
  • jprybajpryba Member Posts: 201
    Well, with the 96-98 Grand Am, I believe you can raise the parking brake one click and disable the DRLs that way. (This won't actually set the parking brake, though -- to do that, you would have to raise it a bit higher.)

    I don't think you can do this with the 99 and up Grand Am, though.

    Anyway, I liked the DRLs when I had my 96 Grand Am. It was the only thing in the car that never broke down ;)
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