Firebird - Pontiac :: 1997 Becoming Hard To Start
My 1997 Pontiac Firebird Transam Ram-Air with 169K miles is becoming hard to start. It used to start right up with the first key-switch. Now, if the gas level in the tank is below 75% it will not start on the key-switch. However, it would now normally start right up on the second key-switch. However, very recently the car is now needing the third key-switch to start with lower gas levels in the tank. I MAY be noticing a difference in starting reliability with change in temperature. Lower temperatures seem to increase the frequency of starting on the first or second key-switch. Higher temperatures seem to require the third key-switch to start.
This slow to start behavior manifests its self after the car has rested for about an hour or longer. A friend checked a fuel check-valve immediately behind the engine when the. However, he found fuel there. The local GM dealership claimed they could not find the problem and suggested a new car battery and then a tune-up for $1K. I suspect the problem is a fuel pump in the fuel-tank or associated seal degrading. What is the actual cause of the observed behavior?
Pontiac - Firebird :: 1993 - Security Light And No Start
I have a 93 firebird. it has a new engine ,starter and battery. fuse under hood is good. turn switch lights work as usual .
View 11 RepliesPontiac - Firebird :: 2002 Not Starting Up Only Click When Try To Start
I have a 2002 firebird that I had the battery replaced on yesterday also had positive terminal and wires changed because of corosion. Ran fine when I left shop. When I went to go out last night car would not start Only clicks when try to start. Dome light works, headlight works, and dash lights work.
View 3 RepliesPontiac - Firebird :: 1992 - When Idle Wants To Die?
I have a 92 fire bird , just got it. Ran fine, idled a little high, but after a bit, it went down. Now, when it idles, it just wants to die when I come to a stop at a red light or stop sign. It dies, unless I keep one foot on the brake and another on the gas to keep it idled up.
View 4 RepliesFirebird - Pontiac :: 1995 - Trans AM Keeps Cutting Off
I just bought a used 95 pontiac trans am. It has 121,000 miles on it, 6-speed manual, 5.7L engine, all stock. Well i bought it with oil leaks and they turned out to be worse than i thought so i had to reseal pretty much the whole front of the engine from the o-ring seal to the camshaft seal, etc. That took care of the oil leaks. Well then it started to overheat so i replaced the water pump. Problems solved. Then a spark plug came loose. No prob. Well 24 hours after getting it out of the shop from the resealing i break down.
Now they say i need a new wire harness. No prob. So now I've put $2,000 into the car (that's including new tires). SO ONCE AGAIN WITHIN 24 HOURS OF LEAVING THE SHOP i break down again. So I take it to a different shop again to get a diagnostic. They won't be able to tell me anything until monday but they put on a new air intake boot (without my permission because mine was taped to secure it better and i knew it wasn't leaking air) and it cut off on them again in the shop (so I'm not paying for the boot). When i break down it happens unexpectedly just like I've run out of gas. Well once there was almost like a split second of a lurch but other than that its always been a smooth break down. No bad sounds or anything. And the motor sounds great and the car runs really well until it just stops... Then if i let it sit for a little while it will start back up and go for a little then stop again. No one can really tell me whats wrong with it.
My fuel pump seems to be fine. alternator seems fine (my lights don't dim or anything). Distributor maybe? Or could it be the fuel filter? And isn't there something i can do about the shop? Wouldn't a prudent shop at least run the computer on the car? I don't think they did because at the shop where it is now they said that 6 codes popped up on it. So they want to erase them all and run the car and see which ones come back up. So can't i take the other shop to court for neglect in their work? I mean breaking down TWICE WITHIN 24 hours of leaving them. And then the rest of the afternoon they wouldn't even pick up the phone...
Firebird - Pontiac :: 1992 Will Not Stay On / Idle Rough And Die Out
I have been having some recent issues with my 92 bird lately. It started minor but now the car will not stay on. It originally started out as I would need to press the gas to get it to start and it would stay on, but now if I let my foot off the gas for anything it will just idle rough and die out. I took it into a shop and they said that I had a bad idle control valve and the pigtails need to be replaced. They also said that some wires were shorted out and they would replace those as well. They replaced the Pigtails and the idle control valve and the car started to work fine again, for about 4 days only. I drove to the store and when I came back out to start it back up it wouldn’t stay on unless I gave it gas.
I had to drive it home giving it gas and using my other foot on the brake so that it didn’t due out. I checked the job they did and doesn’t even look like they did what they said they did. I looked at the botched shrink tube job they did and it just doesn’t look that professionally done. I did call the guy and he gave me an excuse and said that they short must have traveled further and he was surprised that the car was even running when they were done. I of course just hung up the phone after hearing that. I did a little looking around the engine and I noticed that if you unplug a vacuum tube and press on the gas and hold it at 2000 rpm for a few seconds and let off the car will stay on, but the moment I plug that hose back up with my finger or plug it back in the tube slot, the car idles rough for a few moments and dies.
Firebird - Pontiac :: 1992 Often Stalls When Coming To A Stop
Wife's daily driver often stalls when coming to a stop. I changed MAP, TPS, Fuel filter; Reputable mechanic changed IAC, Plugs, Wires, Cleaned Throttle Body. We reset computer and relearned idle several times, ok for a while then starts stalling routinely again. What to do next? Owner, driver, wife is getting frustrated with the big money spent to no avail to date and I am worried it will stall at a dangerous time, when she is driving. She loves the car - has had it for 20 years and wants to keep it. I need it to be safe and reliable for her.
1992 Pontiac Firebird 3.1L, Auto, Air
Firebird - Pontiac :: 1985 - No Power Steering / Brakes Or Acceleration
My car is a 1985 Pontiac Firebird
So I was drive around 45mph when I noticed that the accelerator stopped responding, it didn't make any obvious noises. I hadn't run out of gas and the engine was still running. I started pulling over to the side of the road and noticed that the power steering and the power brakes were no longer working. I got it to the side of the road and shut the engine off, I waited a minute and tried to start it again, the engine turned over but wouldn't start. I tried this a few more times with the same result.
I can't afford to take it to a mechanic so I need to figure out what's wrong and try to fix it myself. The car has a slow oil leak. As recently as a few months ago I replaced the battery and had to replace the alternator, since then it has been running fine. I checked the belts and all of them are still there, a friend of mine told me to wiggle the pulleys and make sure they were all tight, I did so and found nothing wrong with them and none of the belts are loose. What could cause all of these things to go wrong at once?
Firebird - Pontiac - Noises :: Ringing Appear From Front Of 1996 V6 Engine
My 1996 Firebird with 3800 series II V6 engine makes a ringing noise. The noise appears to come from the front of the engine (pulley area) and sounds like an old fashioned fire alarm. It usually occurs after the engine has warmed up and cannot be heard from inside while cruising.
View 4 RepliesGasoline - Firebird - Pontiac :: 1985 - Intermittent Lack Of Power
I have an 85 Firebird V6, 2.8L, tuned port injection, we bought it new and I have changed the oil every 2000 miles, it still runs great, except… The fuel pump gave out, I replaced it with a new Bosch, in the process I tried to replace the fuel filter, the line was rusted, it broke. I had to replace about 2 ft. of metal line with nylon tube, I also had to install a fuel filter with quick disconnect fittings, the filter is not the original but some generic because the original metal threaded fittings are gone. It runs great up to about ½ throttle, if I try to accelerate more than that it loses power and almost dies. If I turn off the ignition and restart the engine it runs fine for a while, full power all the way to full throttle.
I’ve noticed that if I keep the fuel tank full the problem happens less often.My theory is that the fuel pump is aerating because of not enough restriction in the fuel filter because it isn’t designed for that car, if I keep the tank full it is harder to start the aeration and stopping the pump and restarting it stops the aeration for a while. If I could get a fuel pressure gauge and be able to see it while I’m driving that would be great, but how? Also, what does the fuel pressure regulator really do? Does the fuel pump run all the time the engine is running? It also sounded like an electrical problem but it idles well and it is very smooth up to about ½ throttle. Could I just have a bad pressure regulator or does my theory sound like it makes sense?
Firebird - Pontiac - Chevrolet - Camaro :: 1991 - Overheat Occasionally?
I recently bought a 1991 Pontiac Firebird Formula 5.7L TPI with 124k. We was driving it home when noticed it was getting really hot (240-250). We pulled over at a gas station and gased it and let it cool off. We had been driving in the city at about 4 o clock for about 7 miles if that makes a difference. When it cooled we tried again. We got about another mile and the temperature would stay down so we pulled back over. We inspected it. The oil pressure showed really zero but we checked the dipstick and it looked okay. The engine sounded normal and the radiator is fairly new. The fan was blowing. We noticed that after it cooled off if you hit the gas the oil pressure would go up (similar to a tachometer...i thought that was weird). After if got cooled and we got on the open highway the temperature stayed normal and the car performed like it should. We think its the thermostat but are not sure.
View 6 RepliesFirebird - Pontiac :: 1994 - Tach Needle Drop To Zero With No Warning And Car Just Dies
My 1994 TransAm has 70k miles. As I';m driving, I'll notice the tach needle drop to zero with no warning, and the car just dies. Battery is fine, gas tank is full, and it soon starts again and works normally. Friends have suggested the timing belt (or chain?) may be the issue, and one day, it won't start again, or it will break and ruin the engine. She, like me, is an antique -- is it time to take her in to the repair shop, and if so, is it costly?
View 9 RepliesPontiac - Grandam :: 2003 - Won't Start Even Crank If Ambient Temp Under 75?
2003 Pontiac grand am 3.4 car cranks has great fuel pressure and spark will not start when ambient temp under 75 deg without hot shot then fine the rest of day..have replaced fuel pump map sensor cam sensor air temp sensor.
View 1 RepliesPontiac - Grandam :: 2003 - No Cold Start / Crank But Never Fire
I have a 2003 Pontiac Grand Am, 3.4L V6. The engine runs perfectly as long as it is kept hot. If allowed to cool completely it will crank and crank all day but never fire. However, if I disconnect the battery for at least 30 minutes and reconnect it, it fires right up every time. I have good fuel pressure when it will not fire, but it seems as if the injectors will not fire. Suspecting the injection driver, I replaced the ECM/PCM. The exact same problem still exists.
View 8 RepliesPontiac - Sunfire :: 1998 Died And Now It Won't Start
I have a 98 pontiac sunfire with 130 k it died out last week while I was driving got a p0342 code I replaced the camshaft sensor still nothing I'm getting spark and I can hear the fuel pump click on.
View 9 RepliesPontiac - Grandam :: 2003 Doesn't Start In Warm Weather / Engine Will Crank
My 2003 Pontiac Grand Am often doesn't start in warm weather. The engine will crank but not start, but if I then leave the key in the run position for exactly ten minutes, the security system seems to calm down and I can switch it off then start the car (a kind tow driver taught me that trick). This doesn't happen in the winter in Pittsburgh, but might happen one start out of six in the summer.
I had the ignition cylinder replaced once, and it took care of the problem for about a year. After it came back, I was told to do exactly the same thing again. At first I decided to punish the dealer by spending another summer loafing in parking lots, but this year I can't take it any more. Should I replace it again? Should a dealer warrant the longevity of the repair?
Pontiac - Sunfire :: 1998 - Engine Either Won't Catch Or Will Start And Immediately Die
Car occasionally fails to start or will start and immediately die. Engine turns over, spark plugs are getting spark, but engine either won't catch or will start and immediately die.
View 2 RepliesSC/SL/SW :: 1998 SC2 Saturn Won't Start / Crank But Doesn't Get Any Fire From Coil Backs
Ii have a '98 sc2 and its been sitting in my yard for a while. It started out one day when i got in it, turned the key and then it turned over but wasn't starting. We hooked it to a computer and it showed no bad signal so we bought a new computer for my car and that didn't work either. We changed the coil packs and the crank sensor and still nothing.
View 2 RepliesFord Ranger / B-Series :: 1998 3.0L - No Crank No Start - Only One Click When Turn The Key
1998 Ranger, 3.0 liter manual transmission. The vehicle recently has had the engine replaced. Still a 3.0 Liter, but possibly is from a 1995 or 1996 Ranger. Replacement motor from a wrecking yard, appears to have been sitting for quite some time prior to purchasing. I had a friend change the motor out after getting the vehicle a few weeks ago.
Ranger drove fine for a week, but this morning it wouldn't start. One click is all it would give when you turned the key. Thinking the culprit was the all in one starter/solenoid, I replaced it with a new one this morning. Now the solenoid will click continuously when the key is turned, starter still will not rotate then engine.
Battery tests good - 12.4 volts; connections appeared fairly corroded.
Here is what I have done:
- Clipped off the first half inch of corroded terminal leads, replaced both sides with new battery connectors and wire brushed connections off at battery and starter.
- Replaced Starter
- With "S" connector disconnected, attempted to bypass starter connections and short terminals to see if a faulty clutch position sensor was to blame; shorting did not produce anything other than turning the key did.
- Paralleled an additional cable from battery to starter terminal to see if corroded wire connections were to blame; still just clicked repeatedly when attempting to start.
Crankshaft does rotate manually, does not appear to be seized up. Unsure of what else to check for. Not confident in friend's engine installation abilities, he may have screwed up something I'm not thinking of. On the other hand, I don't believe I would have been capable of swapping out the motor myself.