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Comments
Remove the plastic engine cover.
Look just to the left (passenger side) of the intake manifold. There should be a black circular contraption with a electrical connection on top (two wire lead). There should be two plastic flanges that hold the electrical connector in place. Spread these apart and move the electrical device to the side.
The top half of the circular housing turns counter clockwise to open. There will be a spring that holds the PCV valve in place. You can then remove the old PCV valve.
Be careful not to loose the rubber O-ring on the old PCV valve because the replacement valves do not come with a new O-ring. Also, it took me some effort to seat the new PCV valve all the way in place.
Hope this helps.
I have owned the intrigue and impala and both have excellent headroom.
The intrigue is slightly better because the rearview mirror does not block forward vision the way it does on the impala with its raked back windshield and lower windshield header.
The power seat does not go down, but when you rock the seat back it lowers the cushion.
I am not comfortable in the cars without the power seat but am extremely comfortable in those with power.
My understanding is that the impala and gp share the same roof. The regal and intrigue and century share a different roof.
The impala and gp have about a 1" longer wheelbase than the other wbody cars. This is noticeable in th rear legroom.
I am 6'8" by the way. I don't own any cars with sunroofs.
I just had mine replaced because it was warped. I wonder if this is a common problem?
Anyway, I focused especially on concept models and engines, for I love cut out engines!
;^)Enjoy!
However, I am not really sure how they are different.
What are the differences if any between them?
http://www.clubgp.com/forum/
It is front, yes?
GTP = Supercharged 240HP 3800 V6 engine (L67)
I am sure there are other cosmetic/trim/packaging differences. GTP has badges on lower front doors as well as the GT models.
I also believe both models use the Magnasteer steering system while the SE models use a conventional hydraulic power steering system.
Thanks for passing by.
Does anybody here has something good or bad to say about this car ?
I was the owner of a GrandAM GT just before the Envoy, and I liked this car very much. I'm hoping that the GTP will be better.
Thanks for the input.
Have to say, for an 'old' design (7? 8 years?), the Grand Prix has amazing 'legs'-- still a head-turner, especially higher trim levels.
I would suggest to consider also a Buick Regal. Regal GS is practically the same car as GP GTP. The same engine, transmission, and most of other parts.
We bought a 2000 GS 1.5 years ago, and like the car very much. Very comfortable, rather fast and have a reasonably good steering.
Regals are built in Canada, GP in Kansas. According to many sources, Regals are more reliable. Better assembly, less initial defects.
Additionally, with current incentives, Buick is a bit less expensive. $1000 difference or so. At least it was so a month ago, when I last looked for Connecticut prices.
Regal is a kind of invisible car: nobody notices it, including the highway police... Personally, I like the style more than Pontiac, but it depends on taste.
On the other hand, the nice head up displays are not available with Buick.
The cars differs also in some other details, like foldable / fixed side mirrors, seats adjusted in 6 / 8 directions, etc.
I like a car that say something, I realy like design. The GrandPrix fits my taste better. I'm glad to learn that it seem to be a problem free car (well, i hope that mine will be!).
I will miss the tape deck, i used it for my MP3 player. I'll have to buy one of those crapy FM transmiter.
Thanks for all the opinions, I now have to make a choice. The GTP needing 92oct gaz is a big problem with the rising price of fuel....
The GTP is as fast (give or take a tick or two of the stop watch, which is unnoticeable) as any sports sedan I drove for anything close to its price (up to about $35K). Handled well on dry, wet and snow conditions. Good brakes. Nice, firm (but comfortable) ride. All the bells and whistles you could want (except for "on-screen" navigation, but you can get a GTP with On-Star). Build quality was as good as (actually better) than my wife's '99 Toyota Avalon. I never experienced any squeaks or rattles. The car was always very solid feeling.
Best auto transmission I've ever encountered. It seemed to intuitively know which gear you wanted.
My first GTP was totalled by a kid who ran a red light going about 45 MPH. I walked away from the accident. The kid who ran the red light (in an Acura) was in the hospital for over a week. I was so impressed that I went out and bought another GTP with the insurance money.
Now, the downside. Some complain about the plastic inside the car. That never bothered me because I found everything to be very functional and ergonomically designed. It wasn't a quiet car, but I didn't expect it to be. I've certainly been in vehicles which were much louder (and cost quite a bit more).
Gas mileage in town isn't great (about 16-17 MPG) and it takes premium gas. Highway mileage was about 27 MPG. I used to get about 20 MPG in mixed driving.
As you pointed out, the car is a "looker". I don't know what the 2002 GTPs are going for pricewise, but with the GM rebates and the ability to buy one at close to invoice, I would think it's a steal.
Go for it.
Now I only have to wait.... One week they said...
I'll be back!
Getting my the HP of my GP closer to 300...kind of turned into an unlikely hobby for my wife and I. LOL
I get this sneaky suspision that my next car will be an '04 GP G-FORCE (maybe an Infiniti G35). From everything I've read, the recent GP show car is pretty close to what the production unit will be.
Just curious, there's an outside chance I may be getting an SUV for my next vehicle. The Envoy was high on my list. Pros? Cons?
More room than in a Blazer or Jimmy. Better look with a nice finished touch all around. Lots of stuff for the price. Good handling on DRY road. Lots and lots of power from the engine, that I6 is better than lots of V8 out there and cost less to run. Mine was working great with no problem, noise or anything like that.
Why am I going back to a car ? Because my false feeling of security in a SUV was broke with my accident. A small pile of snow got me to do rollovers and to land on the top of the truck, all this at less than 50mhp. Think hard before buying a SUV.
Actually, I don't need an SUV. A friend of mine just got a TrailBlazer. After riding in it, I have to admit, that the engine is the best thing about the GM SUVs. I really want something that I can haul big stuff with. As a side biz, I buy, refinish and resell antique furniture. I do this with another friend of mine who has a Suburban. What I need is an old beat-up pick-up truck. That wouldn't sit well with my neighbors as it would be parked in my driveway. I probably shouldn't even be looking at a $35K-$40K SUV for that duty anyway. I've been kind of seduced by the SUV phoenomona.
Anyway, I'll just continue to use my "bud's" Suburban for that duty (what a beast it is).
Back to the GTP. What's been missing from most sports sedans of recent vintage is the torque of the V8s of my youth. The 3800 engine has that in spades. Adding the supercharger to that engine just adds to an already good performer. The engine is stout and very reliable. It runs smooth and has a nice "snarl" to it when pushed. Great for highway and in town stoplight wars. "Cut and thrust" driving is really fun in the GTP. Massive power is available from any speed up to any (sane) speed.
A lot has been said about build quality of American cars vs their Japanese based counterparts. I have to say, after owning an Accord, (2) BMWs, a Camry and an Avalon, my GTPs gave nothing up to them. From personal experience, GM cars are still suffering from the perceptions from the cars they built 10-15 years ago. They are building some of the best built cars I've driven recently (well, maybe not the Cavalier). Things like the thickness of the metal they use (knock on a body panel of a Japanese brand and then knock on the body panels of one of the "big 3" cars) and the thickness of the paint and you'll notice a big difference (my wife's $32K+ Avalon paint seems to chip off with the least provocation).
After being biased against American marks for many years, I'm back to being impressed with the cars that GM is building.
I have had my Intrigue for over two years and aside from a faulty temperature gauge, it's been perfect.
Now I am leasing a refined version of GTP - Acura TL-S. Transmission broke at 6,100 miles and needed to be replaced. And my case is not isolated. There is a good number of people on www.acura-tl.com and www.acura-cl.com forums with the tranny problem.
How is this possible? I was brainwashed to believe that Hondas were super-reliable!
I had about 40K miles on the GTP when, through a sad set of circumstances (uncle's passing away), I inherited the 300M. Not needing another car, I put both the GTP and 300M up for sale. GTP sold first, so I kept the 300M (which is also a sterling car). Wish I could have kept both.
The GTP ran better than the day I drove it off the lot. The guy who bought it from me lives a couple of miles away. I run into him from time-to-time. He's got a little over 60K miles on it and it still looks and drives "new". The only noticeable wear is on the drivers seat. It's not really "wear" per se, but the leather has small "butt creases". The guy I sold it to is a big man...about 260lbs. I told him to quit "plopping" his big frame in the seats so hard. He also just put another set of tires on it. Aside from oil and filter changes, that's it. He said he'd replace the engine belt at 75K as preventative maintenance. I changed the oil every 3K-5K miles. He said he changes it whenever the "oil life monitor" comes on (about every 7K miles). It doens't burn or leak any fluids at all between changes. The coolant is supposed to last 100K miles, but he changed it last Fall.
I drive a lot and have over 60K miles on the 300M (two years old). I usually trade every 3-4 years, whenever I hit 100K miles. The GP G-Force will be at the very top of my shopping list next year. I was really impressed by the Infiniti G35 at the recent, local auto show. I liked its look both outside and in and the supposed performance I've been reading about. I'll test drive it and may put it on my shopping list, also.
You guys have talked me out of the SUV "thing".
Its irrelevant anyway - this is all anecdotal evidence, small number stats; folks do keep stats on overall performance (eg Consumer Reports, JD Powers, NHTSA), and those stats say that many domestics (not all) still lag behind many imports (not all). It's really a model specific kind of thing - ie, generalizations generally don't work.
The gp looks to be about average. It is a fun car, with good torque. Too heavy, though, for my tastes. The wife loves the low-end torque, and its bigger than our other car, so she drives around in it with our daughter. She'd like to see Pontiac build the GP G8 (so would I, actually). Heavier, but AWD and V8 powered! Might be too expensive, though, if they did decide to build it.
I kind of miss the GP we had. After my Intrigue, I may get another GP if they build that G-force.
I hope that I will drive off with it by the end of next week. Or so I wish....
I used to live on top of a hill in Yonkers, NY. When fresh snow would fall, before the snow plows came out, I used to like going for a ride up and down the hill, just to see how GTP would do - never had any problems (but saw some other cars that could not make it up the hill)
I just want to say - wow!!!!
The dry and wet acceleration, cornering, and braking are much improved.
By by unscientific estimate cornering grip is improved by at least 10% - based on sustainable speed through various turns. The turn in is much improved too, especially through sudden transitions.
I can only imagine if you put true summer ulta high performance ties on the GTP - maybe in 17 or 18in and 245 size!!!
I would do it but don't have room for a second set of tires, nevermind rims.
Off to enjoying my "new" ~.88G GTP - its like having a G FORCE today:)
I'm getting a single trailer w/ 2-seater jetski ... approx. 800 lbs ???
I don't think you have to worry about the supercharger as much as you need to worry about keeping your engine and your tranny cool - especially the tranny. What worries me most about the GTP is the transmission - it seems to be the weak spot. Concerns over reliability of the 4T65E is what has held the power and torque down on the GTP to 240/280 relative to 300+ for both on the original prototype.
Many who mod the GTP (smaller SC pulley, for example) add an extra tranny cooler and use synthetic ATF. If you plan to tow quite a bit, you might think about doing the same.
Oh, and I'd bet the suspension (especially rear) will take a beating too if you try to push too close to that 1,000 lb limit.
I just can't wait! Man, what a car!
I'll give you feedback on it soon.
Congrats on your new ride - hope it turns out to be a dream come true!
Ken