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Pontiac Grand Am: Fix or Trade???

25 messages,  Last post on Aug 23, 2007 at 6:11 PM

You are in the Pontiac Grand Am Forum.

What is this discussion about? Pontiac Grand Am, Engine

Messages Page 3 of 3

#16 of 25 grand am won't start...again by tjlm

Nov 03, 2006 (1:13 pm)

i have a 2003 grand am, and a couple months ago my car would not start. i got it towed and the dealership replaced the fuel filter and the ignition starter..total of $800. now it won't start again!! after paying that much money i'm not sure if it is worth it. the car ran great, i have had it for 3 years now, but the past year so many things have gone wrong..my motor for the seat to move up and down went out, my driver's window decides when it wants to work, and now it randomly will not start. it's starting to cost me a lot of money.. will it keep costing more in the future? do you think it's time for a new car?

#17 of 25 Re: Fix or Trade??? [dianna52092] by allargon

Nov 06, 2006 (7:22 pm)

Replying to: dianna52092 (Nov 01, 2006 8:21 pm)
The turn signal switch is costly to repair as the part is expensive and you're talking about working around the steering column (READ: airbag). I'm not a mechanic. If I recall it cost me around $300 or so parts included. This was around 2003 or so in the Bay Area where domestic automotive mechanics are rare and for the most part incompetent like foreign automotive mechanics were 30 years ago.
 
I wonder if your belt was improperly installed. I had that problem once. The mechanic (again in the Bay Area) improperly installed my belt. I drove the darn thing for nearly 3000 miles wondering what on earth that strange noise was. I had a mechanic in Baton Rouge (Don't ask!) look at it. I spent another $90 in labor charges getting the belt installed properly. (They have to lift the engine off the mount to do this, so it's not a DIY thing.)
 
I'm not a mechanic. I've never had my 1993 break down on me. It didn't start three times on me for the entire time I've owned the car. The battery was dead once in 1997. The alternator (first time) went out in 1998 (probably related). I had to get the car towed to my mechanic for the alternator. I had a battery go dead earlier this year. I've had no problems with the starter (knock on hard GM dash plastics) or timing chair ever.

#18 of 25 Re: Fix or Trade??? [allargon] by dianna52092

Nov 07, 2006 (4:25 am)

Replying to: allargon (Nov 06, 2006 7:22 pm)
Thanks for the response, car going to the garage today, hopefully it won't be the altenator. The only thing that has been done is a friend of mine changed the pulleys saying that the bearings in them were going. However, it did not fix the problem!! Anyway - Thanks Again!!

#19 of 25 2.4L blues by sticman4

Jan 09, 2007 (7:48 pm)

I have a 99 grand am 2.4 liter it's an "A-B" car but I want to make it more. Since my wife and I are looking for a house. I can't buy a new car. My Grand am isn't bad but I wanted to give it a little more horse power (with out getting a whole new engine). Most of the upgrade parts I see out there are for v6's... How can I upgrade the 2.4L??
 
Thanks

#20 of 25 Re: 2.4L blues [sticman4] by burdawg

Jan 09, 2007 (8:38 pm)

Replying to: sticman4 (Jan 09, 2007 7:48 pm)
What's an "A-B" car? I'm not aware of any bolt on performance parts for a quad 4.

#21 of 25 Re: 2.4L blues [burdawg] by barbstoy99

Jan 10, 2007 (9:53 am)

Replying to: burdawg (Jan 09, 2007 8:38 pm)
An A-B car is something that gets you from point A to point B, nothing special just transportation

#22 of 25 2.4l blues by sticman4

Jan 10, 2007 (5:43 pm)

thanks yeah a-b is drive to your job and back home nothing more.

#23 of 25 Signals by pwilliamk

Jan 23, 2007 (10:37 am)

Depending on your problem with your signals it could be as simple as the selenoid (right term?) located behind the ETS/Hazard buttons. It cost me $75 including labour to get this replaced and I have never had a problem with the signals since then.

#24 of 25 Re: Fuel sensor or fuel pump [brendabud1] by krs01grandam

Jun 01, 2007 (12:21 pm)

Replying to: brendabud1 (Aug 13, 2006 1:56 pm)
the starting problem sounds like the one i had (key word had) the passlock system was keeping the car from starting. so i figured out that it was a tumbler in the key hole was sticking or something too that effect. i put some graphite lube in my key hole and ran the key back-n-forth a couple of times to make sure it lubed up everything in there have not had problem happin agin .... (knock on wood)good luck

#25 of 25 I need answers. PLEASE by daknel

Aug 23, 2007 (6:11 pm)

I've been having problems with my 93 Grand Am for awhile now. I'm not a wiz when it comes to cars and what the problems are but I do know something is wrong with mine. I have a 3300 Engine if that helps at all.
 
Anyway, I first started noticing something wans't right when I drove it one day a few months back and it started making this rattle like sound when I would push on the gas pedel. It started out faint but the more I'd push down and the faster I'd go the louder the rattle would get. After awhile it started acting even weirder. I would be pulling out of somewhere and it would act like it wasn't getting any gas into the engine. I would push all the way down on the pedel and nothing.. then a second later it would jerk back into excelorating again.
 
There were also a few times it would just die when I had to stop at a stop sign and then id put it in park and start it up again and it would start just fine but then it would start reving itself like someone had their foot on the gas pedel but I didn't. I took it to a shop here in my town and they said they couldn't find what it was. So I left and it started doing that thing where id push on the gas and it'd act like nothing was being pumped into the engine then I heard a :ting: kinda noise and it started back excelorating again. I didn't have a problem with it agian till like a 3 months later. Now its making that horrid rattling noise when i push on the gas and it dies again when I slow down or come to a complete stop. I've also noticed when i start it up and put it in park it acts like it struggles to keep a steddy idle sound. it keeps acting making sounds like its about to die when its idle.
 
I really don't know what is going on and the people at the shop here have no answers. Hopefully someone can help me? Could it be the fuel pump?

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