klawyerj

My wife and I have taken two trips in the past two years. This car has been a dream. Last year coming back from Biloxi the Service Engine Soon light came on. We stopped at a Pontiac dealer and were told that there is a pump in the gas tank that needs to be replaced. This after keeping the car for many hours and saying that the light went on and off.

Three weeks ago we started out for Washington, DC and got 60 miles from home. Just before leaving we had car checked out and code said vibration and lean fuel mixture. New plugs and wires were installed, cost about $200. Car was driving fine, cruising at 75 mph. All of a sudden the engine stalled and car coasted to side of road. 3 1/2 hours later we got towed. Car started next morning and ran fine. Mechanic said couldn't see any reason for car to stall. Finally got codes saying that distributor cap, coils and control board needed to be changed. Cost $890. Drove car for 3 weeks. Went to airport this morning. Driving over fine. No light on. Left airport, light came on. Driving 65 mph on causeway bridge car stalled and coasted to side of road. They always say engine problems caused by fuel or fire. The mechanic who did major overhaul says that car computer is next item to change.He said he changed the gas filter and checked the fuel line pressure and it never dropped out of normal.Do I need new fuel pump or new onboard computer? Very frustrating.

cruehead2

My 2000 Grand Am just started doing the exact same thing. Sometimes at highway speeds, the car just stops. It still has electrical, but no gas. It takes about 5 min, and it will restart. Have you figured out what was wrong with it. I would like to know before I take it to the shop. Thanks

xeroinfinity

Very strange. Do either of you two hav the security feature turned on? Was the car(s) driven through any water?

klawyerj, sounds like the shops taken you for a ride, and its not to DC. Almost $1100 and the problems still there, that sucks. I believe I hav heard others talk about this. I hav a 99' and an 01' GA and I havnt had any real strange things go wrong.

I think the security system can mess up and shut things down like explained above. A 2000 shouldnt need a new computer. I'll look into this myself and see what I come up with. XI

__________________
1999 Grand Am SS 3.4 OHV

cruehead2

No water or security. The shop said it could be a "weak fuel pump", which is 600 to 800 bucks.

GTP Dad

I think you need to have this checked out by a reputable mechanic not the dealer. If you have no security light and everything you replaced leads me to believe you have a problem with the crank position sensor. A fuel pump usually not cause you to stop abruptly like you stated. You will gradually lose power and the engine will stall. Depending on the engine you have will determine where it is located and how hard it is to change. Before changing the fuel pump, I would put a fuel pressure guage on the fuel rail and watch it while driving. If the pressure drops significantly then the pump is the issue. You can do this yourself and it is a whole lot cheaper than a new fuel pump and if the pressure does not drop then the cps is what I would change. Good Luck!

cruehead2

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I found another thread that said it is the Hall Sensor(Crank Position Sensor). I can't remember the name of the thread, but I think its on the first page as of now.

TheGman39

Fuel Pump, Fuel Pump, Fuel Pump! Replace it and watch your highway stalling troubles disappear! Been there done that!