I have a 1997 grand prix GT with 210,000 miles on it. I just wanted to list the problems it has to find out if theres any easy fixes for anything before i go spend more cash! I drove it to work and back every day about 5 miles on the highway. (although the computer is bad and shows the display in the center console so dimmly its only viewable when the sun hits it perfectly), it was telling me that i got 21ish MPG. Before i came to college I got the radiator flushed, a full service oil change, and the spark plugs change out. As i left when i got the radiator flushed at first, the mechanic told me i had blue smoke coming out of the exhaust ( he said he thought he smelled gas). The Gas gauge does not work anymore (it moves far past full tank, or just sits randomly incorrectly.) Also there is a problem with the transmission that makes it not want to get out of second gear (i have to hit EXACTLY 45 and let my foot off the gas for a second in order for the car to go into the next gear.)now ive been driving around school all semester to and fro without getting up for 45 MPH one time (school speed limits are all 20-35). I glanced and saw my gauge in the sun a few days ago and it told me i was getting 11.8 MPG. Obviously with all the problems i thought it was just wrong so i went and put gas into it. i had driven 155 miles since i filled up last and it took 11 gallons to refill it, so aparently the readnig was right. Does anyonesee how all of a sudden my MPG could change this drastically? I expected it to go down 5ish b/c its city driving but over 10? (my radio also drains my battery when the fuse is in.) Anyways If your still reading this, thank you and i would appreciate any constructive feedback you could give me. Ill be driving home for fall break and am afraid it will overheat trying to come back up the mountain. as long as im moving fairly fast it will not overheat but as soon as i stop or have to drive slow for any period of time it just heats up and up till i go fast again. (It just boils all of the coolant out of the radiator or the overfill cap) I was hoping it was a fan or something.

Welcome to AF,

Check the tips and maintenance section.

You can replace the bulbs in your DIC, I don'y have the exact part numbers but someone on here should.

I ordered them on GMpartsdirect.com

Andy

i would try the easy things first...how long has it been since this car had a basic tune-up? try replacing the plugs, wires, and fuel filter and see what it does. as for the DIC Average econ. i take what it says with a grain of salt.

and as the previous poster said...you can fix your DIC fairly easy. just remove it from the dash, take the screws off the back and pop the cover off...you should see little blue things...they twist and come out, these are the bulbs that light up the DIC. you can replace them

as for the tranny...sounds like you may need a rebuild :frown: you could try maybe putting a shift kit in it and see if it helps. you can get one off from ZZP (https://www.zzperformance.com/grand_prix/products1.php?id=570&catid=105) (click link) for like $35.00 shipped, its worth a try.

I pretty much got a tune-up at the 2nd place i went to before i left. They did a oil change, oil filter, (i think air filter), spark plugs (no wires b/c they would have cost almost another 100 dollars), and a couple of other things. I have the paper in my car exactly what all they did, all in all i spent about 360 dollars the day i left and it didnt seem to help me at all.

no wires b/c they would have cost almost another 100 dollars

look at your wires...do they still have numbers on them? the wires are just as important as the plugs. especially with your car having over 200K miles.

another thing...i know its simple, however i have to throw this out there...have you checked your tire pressure?

Yeah i had a slow leak in my back left tire before i came up here, since ive been here it seemed to stop. Tires been right at 40 back 35 front like it says or maybe other way around i cant remember off the top of my head. Im gunna be going home this weekend ill take a closer look at the car when i get the chance (it sits in a parking lot all week while im here b/c i cant park it on campus) ill let you guys know whats going on. Gunna try to put in those bulbs if i can, the reason i thought it was the light sensor messing up the display is b/c the radio also (when the fuse is in) will be extremely dim and other random times its at its full brightness (looks much brighter then it should be). Although mostly its unreadable just like the dic i think yall called it.

note: THANK YOU for the help and not running me off haha :D

just as a note...you do have the tires a little overinflated. the 225/60R16's call for 32PSI cold. you may want to let a little air out, however of course...thats not gonna cause you to lose 10 MPG, might save you 1 or so...and your gonna most def notice a smoother ride

On your trans issue, your car still had the 4T60 trans with a vacuum modulator (GM didn't switch to the all electronic 4T65-E until 98) that controls part throttle shifts. I would check the vacuum line to the modulator and see if there is trans fluid in it. If so, the modulator is bad and is the cause of the non-shifting. You can test this theory by manually shifting the car through the gears. If it shifts manually, the modulator is the problem

Ok, so i took the entire dashboard off, took a bulb out took it to three different auto parts stores and all of them did not have it and said it would have to be special ordered. The problem being, that the metal clips that give the connection on the sides of the bulbs are connected to the bulbs instead of the clip. So i cant just buy a new bulb, i have to buy the bulbs+clip. The half inch clip with the 194 was too large, so i was told to get some special ordered one, i cant remember the exact part number. I got fed up and took the two lightbulbs out of the low trac, and trac off indicators and put them in the two sockets behind the dic. It works now just a little dim since its only got 2/3 lights. I didnt want to take out the low tire pressure light b/c one of my tires has a slow leak and i needed it. Thanks for all the help guys.

Also, I noticed the two fans in front of the radiator are not coming on. I figured this is why its overheating if im not moving. Anyone have any solutions other then buying brand new fans? if not how much u think that would cost? Thanks a ton for everything in advance.

Edit: I bought new wires, me and my dad are going to try to put them on tomorrow. Ill let yall know how it goes!

No, the bulbs behind the DIC are not a special order part number.

I replaced mine, and had no problems finding a replacement.

Click Here (http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=765080)

And scroll to the bottom where I have links to bulb part number and replacement forums.

I brought the bulb to all 3 auto parts stores, and none of them had matches. They had the same bulb size, however the metal fin thing that makes contact for current is attached to the bulb instead of the clip the bulb sits in, so they didnt have any clips that would fit in there. They all said theyd have to order it.