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Car Troubles

Car Troubles

Old Jan 15th 2004, 8:33 pm
  #1  
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Default Car Troubles

Need to pick the brains of the motor heads on here:

My car - a 1995 Pontiac Grand Am (we are broke and it was cheap) is overheating.
I'm not a car person (used to ride motorcycle) and not sure if this is an engine or a coolant problem.

I've done a quick Google and found a forum for Grand Am's and it seems to a common thing with high mileage GA's, but they post many different reasons for their cars doing this.

So what should I do ?
Jiffy Lube first and get them to replace the coolant.
(Which by the way wasn't all that clear last time it was done.)
- or -
Mechanic first and have a look at the engine ?

Don't know if it's related, but this extra bit of info might help - for the past week it has been having trouble changing gear.
(Car is an automatic)
When I start off from a stop light it "judders" and when I'm going up a hill it has trouble dropping into a lower gear to get up the hill. To stop this happening I take my foot off the accelerator a bit and then reapply and then it finds the gear.

What do people think ?
Coolant change solve it or is it doooooomed ?!

Webbie.
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Old Jan 15th 2004, 8:43 pm
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sounds like you need a mechanic webbie .. sorry to say it doesnt sound too good.

oh umm have you checked your transmission fluid tho ? it might just need a topup ... .i'm sure someone more mechanically minded will help


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Old Jan 15th 2004, 10:04 pm
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Default Re: Car Troubles

Originally posted by Webbie
Need to pick the brains of the motor heads on here:

My car - a 1995 Pontiac Grand Am (we are broke and it was cheap) is overheating.
I'm not a car person (used to ride motorcycle) and not sure if this is an engine or a coolant problem.

I've done a quick Google and found a forum for Grand Am's and it seems to a common thing with high mileage GA's, but they post many different reasons for their cars doing this.

So what should I do ?
Jiffy Lube first and get them to replace the coolant.
(Which by the way wasn't all that clear last time it was done.)
- or -
Mechanic first and have a look at the engine ?

Don't know if it's related, but this extra bit of info might help - for the past week it has been having trouble changing gear.
(Car is an automatic)
When I start off from a stop light it "judders" and when I'm going up a hill it has trouble dropping into a lower gear to get up the hill. To stop this happening I take my foot off the accelerator a bit and then reapply and then it finds the gear.

What do people think ?
Coolant change solve it or is it doooooomed ?!

Webbie.
I'd never go to Jiffy Lube.
A couple of years ago my Expedition broke down in the Nevada desert. It wasn't until later that we discovered that the problem was a cheap made-in-South Korea Jiffy Lube air filter, which broke in half and blocked the air flow to the engine.
I'd go to a reputable mechanic.
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Old Jan 16th 2004, 12:57 am
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Default Re: Car Troubles

Originally posted by Webbie ....
So what should I do ?
Jiffy Lube first and get them to replace the coolant.
(Which by the way wasn't all that clear last time it was done.)
- or -
Mechanic first and have a look at the engine ? ....
don't worry about coolant - they'll have to drain it to do any owrk in any case. Just top it up with water for now, preferably distilled, if not, rainwater, or failing that tap water - with your car it isn't going to make a whole lot of difference.

Oh! ... and don't spend anything on it until you have the opinion of a mechanic. You'll be pig-sick if you spent money on basic maintenance, or a tank full of gas, if you are going to have to write it off.
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Old Jan 16th 2004, 3:33 am
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Default Re: Car Troubles

possible head gasket..do a compression test..any oil in radiator, water will be filmy
try replacing radiator cap .....
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Old Jan 16th 2004, 4:02 am
  #6  
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Default Re: Car Troubles

Originally posted by ray6
possible head gasket..do a compression test..any oil in radiator, water will be filmy try replacing radiator cap .....
Head gasket was mentioned a few times in the Pontiac Grand Am forums in relation to overheating - split head gasket seems to be a common problem on GA's . Thanks Ray.

I would try the top up with water Pulaski but the needle is on the red and the engine is warming our feet when driving without me needing to put on the heating. I've got a feeling it's gonna blow (captain). It canna take nae more.
*Ahem*
sorry.

So a mechanic then.
Is this going to cost me ?
*gulp*
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Old Jan 16th 2004, 6:54 am
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Default Re: Car Troubles

Originally posted by Webbie
Need to pick the brains of the motor heads on here:

My car - a 1995 Pontiac Grand Am (we are broke and it was cheap) is overheating.
I'm not a car person (used to ride motorcycle) and not sure if this is an engine or a coolant problem.

I've done a quick Google and found a forum for Grand Am's and it seems to a common thing with high mileage GA's, but they post many different reasons for their cars doing this.

So what should I do ?
Jiffy Lube first and get them to replace the coolant.
(Which by the way wasn't all that clear last time it was done.)
- or -
Mechanic first and have a look at the engine ?

Don't know if it's related, but this extra bit of info might help - for the past week it has been having trouble changing gear.
(Car is an automatic)
When I start off from a stop light it "judders" and when I'm going up a hill it has trouble dropping into a lower gear to get up the hill. To stop this happening I take my foot off the accelerator a bit and then reapply and then it finds the gear.

What do people think ?
Coolant change solve it or is it doooooomed ?!

Webbie.
I think ya water pump is ****ed, siezed and causing your engine to stall.
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Old Jan 16th 2004, 7:34 am
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Default Re: Car Troubles

Originally posted by JulianB
I think ya water pump is ****ed, siezed and causing your engine to stall.

good thought.. I think it could be that also with the cold weather and the age of the car and because the same thing happened to my Jeep of the same year. Out of the blue, the water pump went and it turns out the radiator had to be replaced also because fragments from the water pump went into the radiator and stopped it up and the engine was still overheating after the new water pump was installed.. seemed like a big mystery at the time

Last edited by jaytee; Jan 16th 2004 at 7:38 am.
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Old Jan 16th 2004, 10:40 am
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could be a radiator hose, blown water pump, coolant system, etc. etc. Is there coolant/water all over the engine when you open the hood? Just top it with water/coolant for now and drive slowly to get it to your mechanic.

DO NOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1 redline the engine heat sensor. If you overheat the engine, the gasket, compression, heads, etc are all going to burn and there goes engine bye bye. Your car will be a write-off. ALWAYS pay attention to taht engine heat indicator while driving. I always do.

-= nav =-
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Old Jan 16th 2004, 1:14 pm
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Originally posted by supernav
could be a radiator hose, blown water pump, coolant system, etc. etc. Is there coolant/water all over the engine when you open the hood? Just top it with water/coolant for now and drive slowly to get it to your mechanic.

DO NOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1 redline the engine heat sensor. If you overheat the engine, the gasket, compression, heads, etc are all going to burn and there goes engine bye bye. Your car will be a write-off. ALWAYS pay attention to taht engine heat indicator while driving. I always do.

-= nav =-
My first car was a Hillman Imp. As a result, in 25 years of driving, I never fail to keep a constant eye on the temp indicator. Well, I do watch the road occasionally...
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Old Jan 16th 2004, 1:24 pm
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Default Re: Car Troubles

Originally posted by Webbie
Need to pick the brains of the motor heads on here:

My car - a 1995 Pontiac Grand Am (we are broke and it was cheap) is overheating.
I'm not a car person (used to ride motorcycle) and not sure if this is an engine or a coolant problem.

<<snip>>

Don't know if it's related, but this extra bit of info might help - for the past week it has been having trouble changing gear.
(Car is an automatic)
When I start off from a stop light it "judders" and when I'm going up a hill it has trouble dropping into a lower gear to get up the hill. To stop this happening I take my foot off the accelerator a bit and then reapply and then it finds the gear.

<<snip>>
I'm not a car freak at all but I wonder if you've changed the grade of gas (petrol) you've been filing the car with recently OR the (chain of) gas station(s) you fill the car at?

My questions popped into my head when I read about how your car behaves when it starts from a stop.




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Old Jan 16th 2004, 2:20 pm
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Originally posted by dunroving
My first car was a Hillman Imp. As a result, in 25 years of driving, I never fail to keep a constant eye on the temp indicator. Well, I do watch the road occasionally...
Oh I know all about them. When I was about 6 my dad had one. After a holiday in Norfolk, we were driving home to Croydon and it kept on overheating. I remember we had to keep stopping. On the last stop, I found myself sitting in the car for what seemed a long time, then for some unknown reason found myself being taken into a house nearby by my mum. It turns out that my dad had been refilling the radiator each time we stopped and on the last time he opened the boot, (the engine was in the back) it shot out a huge burst of red hot water all over him. He was severly burned down his right arm and back, and the people in the nearby houses had rallied to help us.
The worst thing was, as my mum couldn't drive, once the hospital had finished bandaging him up, he had to finish the drive home. :scared:
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Old Jan 16th 2004, 2:29 pm
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Default Re: Car Troubles

Originally posted by NC Penguin
I'm not a car freak at all but I wonder if you've changed the grade of gas (petrol) you've been filing the car with recently OR the (chain of) gas station(s) you fill the car at?

My questions popped into my head when I read about how your car behaves when it starts from a stop.
No I've used the same petrol station to fill up and the same type of petrol (regular)

All these other suggestions have got me worried now...
(There's no water or coolant over the engine supernav.)

I'm going to top up the radiator and get over to the mechanics, but I'm worried about the cost of this because we really can't afford any of this at the moment.

That's another thing - are mechanics the same the world over ?
Like plumbers and their sharp intake of breath when estimating a job ?

"Gonna cost ya guv."

Obviously I should avoid a small local garage and go to a certified GM mechanic.
What's the charge by a mechanic to look at an engine before they do any work ?
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Old Jan 16th 2004, 2:40 pm
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Default Re: Car Troubles

How many miles on it ????...V8 or V6
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Old Jan 16th 2004, 2:50 pm
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Default Re: Car Troubles

Originally posted by ray6
How many miles on it ????...V8 or V6
Serious amount of miles. 168 thousand. First owner was a salesman.

V nothing, it's a 16 valve DOHC Grand Am SE (2 door)
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