grand am turns over, but will not start

[masterorion]

started having the problem last night.went to the store, was in for maybe 30 mins. car drives fine. came back out, wouldnt start. figured it may be the battery or possibly frozen gas. changed the batter with a brand new one. wont start. put the heet stuff in and let it sit there overnight after not being able to get it to start. went back the next morning. started right up. so, i figured it was the gas. did a couple errands starting, shutting off a couple times during the day. no problems. but, later in the day, i go to start it, and it does the same thing again.
ive read about the passlock problems. but, i do not have a flashing light. nor, does it stay on while i try to start the car. will be on and steady while in the acc position. will be off when attempting to start the car.

any thoughts. ideas. anyone that has had the same issue, it would be nice to hear what was done to fix it. im going to have it towed somewhere to fix it. but where is the concern. if it turns out that its the passlock system, i dont want to bring it somewhere and have them say its the fuel pump and run into the same issue later down the road. id rather spend one fee and get it all fixed at once. which, is why i ask this. a dealership is gonna ruin my day, but so will a mom and pops place if i have to have it brought in twice

[thephantom1492]

if the security light ain't blinking, then you do not have a passlock issue. beside, if it was you would have to do a 10 minutes reset. It is possible that it's the fuel pump, or a sensor. when you turn the key to run, you should hear the pump for 2 seconds, then it shut off. you could check the fuel pressure too.

[muff34]

Go to mom and pop ,pay twice .Then lick your wounds and go to the dealership and get it done right haha. A dealership will have all the proper diagnostic equipment as well as properly trained techs. Unless you know that the dealership is crap you will be better off going to them. They will likely find your problem quicker than mom and pop.

[masterorion]

Originally Posted by thephantom1492

if the security light ain't blinking, then you do not have a passlock issue. beside, if it was you would have to do a 10 minutes reset. It is possible that it's the fuel pump, or a sensor. when you turn the key to run, you should hear the pump for 2 seconds, then it shut off. you could check the fuel pressure too.

im thinking probably fuel pump. im practically deaf, so trying to hear if the fuel pump initializes, is hard for me. im pretty sure it isnt. but cant be positive. trying to crank up the car has caused the battery to die, so jumping it a bit ago, it got to the point where it fired for a half a second but it wouldnt fire up completely and run independantly.

[thephantom1492]

Originally Posted by muff34

Go to mom and pop ,pay twice .Then lick your wounds and go to the dealership and get it done right haha. A dealership will have all the proper diagnostic equipment as well as properly trained techs. Unless you know that the dealership is crap you will be better off going to them. They will likely find your problem quicker than mom and pop.

Stealership are as bad as others, unless you go to a backyard garage...

[masterorion]

dealerships, you pay practically double for the same repair because they use their brand parts. but yes, they do have the techs that work, pretty much, on only that brand of vehicle. so, if there is a problem, they probably have seen it quite a bit. and that is where im up in the air as where i should go. im still pondering that one. i personally think it may be something such as a fuel pump. anyone have any cost estimate as to what a dealership would charge for something like that?

at this point, cost is my concern. this week wasnt a good week for a problem like this to come up.

[thephantom1492]

I do not know how much, however they have to remove the fuel tank...

[muff34]

its never a good week when the ride breaks down. If you go to mom and pop or backyard buddy besure they don`t start throwing parts into it because they "think" it`s this or that.

[masterorion]

had it brought to a mech this morning. will be finding out what it is later on, i hope. also, i checked to see if i could hear the fuel pump. no initializing noise coming from it, from what i can tell. a dealership said they would charge approx 800$ to replace it. thats assuming that is what the problem is. a normal mech is still going to be expensive because its a modulated type of pump. but, it will still be less than what a dealership charges.
so, hopefully, thats all it is. or hell, something even less expensive would be great! will keep you updated as to what it is so you can use it possibly in the future for someone else that may have the same issue

[muff34]

what year and engine in car.

[masterorion]

Originally Posted by muff34

what year and engine in car.

2002---2.2 4cyl.

unfortunately, due to alot of moving. i have very little tool set to do any testing such as taking out plugs to see if they are getting the gas. plus, just by myself, i cant check to see if the plugs are getting spark. or a fuel pressure tester to check fuel pressure. so, im very limited as to what i can do on my own

[muff34]

.checkout http://http://www.rockauto.com/ for prices just to give you an idea what parts cost BEFORE someone gives you a line of bull on costs. The dealership would have quoted you a AC Delco part price. They have overhead so they will charge more for the part. Doesn`t mean you have to put Ac Delco in tho haha . I would but thats me.

Wait and see what your mechanic tells you ,it may not even be the pump . if you have to do the pump change the filter as well. Another thing running around with low fuel is hard on the pump because the fuel actually helps to cool the pump. constantly running low on fuel will result in premature failure. Not that you are doing that,I am just saying..

[masterorion]

Originally Posted by muff34

.checkout http://http://www.rockauto.com/ for prices just to give you an idea what parts cost BEFORE someone gives you a line of bull on costs. The dealership would have quoted you a AC Delco part price. They have overhead so they will charge more for the part. Doesn`t mean you have to put Ac Delco in tho haha . I would but thats me.

Wait and see what your mechanic tells you ,it may not even be the pump . if you have to do the pump change the filter as well. Another thing running around with low fuel is hard on the pump because the fuel actually helps to cool the pump. constantly running low on fuel will result in premature failure. Not that you are doing that,I am just saying..

i dont doubt that the pump failed at all. like i said, i dont hear the pump make any initializing sounds. with the info i have, i would say, its a good chance that is what it is. i do also only run a 1/4 tank every time i put gas in. and usually run it until the light comes on. so, if what you say is true, it is possilble.

[masterorion]

630$ later, problem was the fuel pump

[thephantom1492]

yikes... I hope it won't happend to me :/