Grand Am Off Topic Thread

I've been around some. Haven't had much to contribute though as problems on the forum have kinda been out of my league. Car has been behaving itself recently. After solving the misfire back in Jan, replaced the thermostat & cat with tax money in Feb and it's been good so far.

Good to hear goodoldpapa your trouble are solved. :thumbsup:

Thier's not much here in Grand Am that's not been covered before. If the search works right(haha) you'll usually find the problem(s) and solutions. Plus
Ive covered tons of stuff in the Tips and Maintenance (http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=2148) sub forum for the 99-05 on common problems & procedures.

I still need to add or update a few things. I know GM changed some torq specs on certain items.:runaround:
Once I get time.. Im planning on working my way backwards in years coverage, to the begining would be cool. :)

Everybody have a Great & Safe Fourth of July weekend!


... And try not to blow up, or burn down, any personal affects! :cwm27:

I've heard about different torq specs in particular for the wheel bearings. We've had 100+ temps for the last 2 days and am glad to report the A/C has been coming thru with flying colors :smile:

Hey Vipey i was in Danville In last wk end, didnt see you or your Legacy, or any stormy weather. :lol:
Up here we have had some nasty storms, high winds & hail. thank god the autos were garaged and not looking like golf balls. Real fun to repair :grinno:

Hoping I can get more time on the forums as summer slows down. Been a busy busy year for me, I'll be glad for a break! :uhoh:

Enjoy you week everyone!

Hey Vipey i was in Danville In last wk end, didnt see you or your Legacy, or any stormy weather. :lol:
Up here we have had some nasty storms, high winds & hail. thank god the autos were garaged and not looking like golf balls. Real fun to repair :grinno:

Hoping I can get more time on the forums as summer slows down. Been a busy busy year for me, I'll be glad for a break! :uhoh:

Enjoy you week everyone!

Yeah I may have been visiting the gf in Noblesville, so I may not have been around. Danville is a neat little place... I like the local restaurant "Dave's" because their pizza is awesome. I can literally walk there from where I was staying... but I started moving out today (currently at Purdue) and heading back down there tomorrow with a moving cargo van (because I don't have a truck I can use ack!) to move everything else. Final semester at Purdue... this is starting my 7th year. Can't believe how fast time flies... :(

In know Dave's place Vipey ! :) I go thru that area off and on thru thr year. Couple salvage yards and its close to Indys salvage yards so I go diggin for parts...its a dirty job but someones gotta do it ! lol

Well glad to hear youre finishing up, 7 yrs is a long time, you getting your masters?
Hope you dont go to work at Dennys.... or Daves after you graduate! :thumbsup: :lol:


Oh Ya.. I forgot to mention my new toy, since I'm single and all now, an '02 TA! :evillol:
Here is a small phone pic attached, pretty much stock....for now. :p

As of today, newest member of the 200,000 club. Don't know if that's good or bad :) :crying: Just wondering how many of you in GA land have exceeded the 200,000 mile mark.

Nice toy XI!

My dad passed my car into the 200,000 mile mark. I believe it's at 208,000 right now or something like that, still being driven by my dad until he gets a new car (probably a Subaru Outback or something since Pontiac doesnt exist anymore). Then I shall frankenstein my Grand Am back to its glory days!

Had to replace my wheel bearing last Friday. I can actually hear myself think while I'm driving :lol: now.

This is the first time I've been on in awhile. I've been super busy with this little thing called life. LOL. All is ok for the moment here in eastern NC. I've been wanting to do some mods to the civic but it seems like everytime I'm ready to, the car needs work and everything gets put on hold. I have my moments though where I prefer a different car altogether. The amount of G/a's I see driving around the area makes me wish i still had mine, minus all the problems mine had. I think i would be happier with driving that versus the civic. I think i would be happy with any of my 3 previous pontiacs versus the civic.

There still seems to be quite a few GA's still on the road in my area as well so I guess they can't be all bad :lol:.

Hey grfnkl, I may be getting a job out in the Carolinas once I finish my Master's degree here in December... how's the weather and living out there? :D

Things going good here, just applying to jobs and trying to finish things up with my Master's project! Having a wonderful time!

http://www.explosm.net/comics/1571/ LOL these comics are funny

I really like it here in NC. I live all the way by the coast about 10-15 mins from the beach. Weather is nice here in this area,... other then the occasional afternoon shower or tropical storm/hurricane. LOL. Comparing to NJ things are cheap here to me. In this area specific it's more forested and country side then developed. Do you know where in the carolinas you are looking at work? I know some other parts of the state as well.

I am going to be moving down to Kentucky. I am tired of the freezing below zero miserable weather in Chicago. Looking at a house with 110 acres of land. The winters are very mild. Maybe 3 winter days for the winter season that are below zero. I can handle that. The highest snow fall total is 5 inches. I will not need a snow blower. So I guess I should think about selling the snow blower. I can't wait, this will be the last winter season that I will have to endure in the Chicago area.

well that thing called life....its keeping my butt plenty busy too!! :( Been a shitty summer! Had my home pc crap out last week, dropped my laptop in a puddle a few months ago and Alienware still hasnt got it fixed and back to me...Im having with draws! :lol: The SE is still running strong, over that 200k mark for a year or so now. Just havnt had much time to drive it since I got the TA, its nice and stock.Boy has this year flown by, be nice to have more time to play. :D

And doctorhrdware, you might trade you snow blower in for a big ice scrapper, and maybe a small boat. :lol:

have a great week end everyone!

im at 225k miles now.

Got the short air ram intake (cheap cone after the stock rubber + MAF)
Stock 56mm TB
Sold my 62TB and dr. speed intake a while ago for $240. Performance wasnt hit by much, Less tq feel on the pedal though.
MSD Coils + Taylor Pro 8mm Wires + Iridium ACDelcos ignition
DHP PCM v1.0 power tune.
Royal Purple 10w-30 Oil
Royal Purple Max ATF (trans synthetic)
180F stat. recently flushed (never been over 200F or so through the hot summer)

Power steering, is full of little sparkly stuff, like shards of metal :runaround:

should I get it flushed? with so many miles, 3 pumps since I'ved owned it later and what ever witch stu of power steering stuff I've sturrred up :devil::moppie::ylsuper:

With the combination of replacing left front wheel bearing and all 4 tires, I've got the most quiet ride I've had in a while. Just trying to stay on top of regularly scheduled maintenance to keep the GA rollin' on.

Probably the two most important things about the 99+ Grand Ams is keep the injectors clean by using injector cleaners regularly or getting a professional cleaning twice a year(expensive). Keeps clogs and other fuel issues like misfires/back fires and stalling at bay.

And watch your oil and coolant. Coolant in your oil will ruin your motor quick! And oil in your coolant isnt good either. Both of which occur mostly on the V6 models due to bad gaskets or improper torq proceedures. Well... I guess that's three :lol:

Oh, and bearings are a small issue IMO. From what Ive seen over the years is cheap bearings last about 1 year or less. And using an impact wrench on a bearing, you'll probably damage the speed sensor in the process. Chuck holes are also good at damaging them.

They can quickly become a money pit if you dont take care of it or beat it up daily. :evillol:

Yeah I had the world famous LIM repair almost 2 years ago and it's been good so far. The UIM & valve cover gaskets were replaced at the same time. I check all my fluids on a weekly basis to make sure they're good & in order. I just replaced my fuel filter about 2 weeks ago as well as air filter & PCV valve.

I think winter is near....oh joy! :grinno:

This is the last winter up here, found some good property in KY. Found 100 acres with 2 natural gas wells and am oil well. So I will not have to pay to heat the house. I am also getting a natural gas powered generator. So I will not have any utility bills.

Better run XI! Tornado warning heading your way!

Go hide that SE of yours before I come confiscate it :lol:

We had a little bit of bad luck recent with the wifey's RSX. We went up to jersey to visit some family almost 2 weeks ago. On the way up while we were sitting in traffic BAM... someone rearended us. So after a long wait from the poilce due to an accident ahead we got our report and were on our way. We visit family and head back down to NC... along the way as we were passing this old man in a Porsche, i happened to notice he wasn't looking at the road he was looking down. He was also coming into our lane. I warned my wife since she was driving she beeps the horn and moves toward the left emergency shoulder... and he's still coming over she beeps again since now we are almost pinned between him and the cement divider... the second beep startled him and he swerved right into the side of us almost causing our car to spin as it began to fishtail. We managed to NOT hit the divider or hit anything else. We pull over and I was ready to get out to go after the guy... the wifey had to push me away. The side got nailed pretty good to the point the side airbag went off on my side and those hurt like hell. So far the guy who rearended us already paid us for the damages...the side however we are still waiting on the police report inorder to get the other guys insurance info. He was at fault and was given a ticket on the spot for the accident.

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That really sucks, I am getting to the point that I don't want to drive, because I am in fear for my life. I am guessing he was on a cell phone and that is why he was not paying attention to his driving.

Cellphones oftentimes ARE the culprit.

Man that is crazy, and I thought my luck was bad...j/k :p Glad you are all ok grfnkl!
He must had hit pretty hard to blow the air bags, and isnt that a child seat in the Porsche ?
Jersey's crazy driving grfnkl!!! I'd rather drive in Atlanta @ 5pm! :grinyes:
I Hope you get it fixed soon, doesnt look to bad from the pics, easy fix.

Vipey, those were some bada$$ winds the other night/morning!
My little weather station clocked 56mph gusts... right before it blew off its roof mount.
I had a few trees and limbs down but nothing close to the house which is a plus.
Some neighbors barn blew over, it needed it, an old POS. And a lot of roofs were missing shingles, I seen a few in the roads & streets.
And now its been getting cold at night, winters here my friends! :rolleyes:

doctorhrdware, speaking of winter, Kentucky is warmer. They get freezing rain instead of snow. :lol:
Bring or find a sled and snow mobile! You'll need it for all those hills, and FUN! :grinyes:

Have a great weekend everyone !! :evillol:

We will be getting 2 horses and a quad to go playing around on the 100 acres of land that we are buying. I am going to blow this pop stand up here. This is going to be our retirement home. The house taxes will be around $800 a year. Instead of almost 6 grand.

Wow doctorhrdware, thats a lot of land! I hope you have a BIG rider mower. :lol:
It is way cheaper living then Chicago! Get used to red clay roads, instead of gravel, they are everywhere down there.
I have family that lives in Elizabethtown(E'town for short), and I visit at least twice a year. Got a nice fishing hole down there, and some hotty chicks to hang with. hehehe

Wow doctorhrdware, thats a lot of land! I hope you have a BIG rider mower. :lol:
It is way cheaper living then Chicago! Get used to red clay roads, instead of gravel, they are everywhere down there.
I have family that lives in Elizabethtown(E'town for short), and I visit at least twice a year. Got a nice fishing hole down there, and some hotty chicks to hang with. hehehe

Replaced the alternator yesterday. It had been howling for the last 3-4 days so glad to fix it before it went to sleep. The GA is her old quiet self again :lol:

Quiet?

My GA hasnt been that for years. Im lucky to hear the radio...or sirens. :rofl:

Happy Holidays ! :cheers:

I woke to a strange thing about 3:30am, I kept hearing a horn blasting for several minutes. I thought, I live in BFE no one is out there. Well turns out I took the SE to gas up last night. Drove thru a couple lakes in the road. Apparently the horn got flooded and hours later decided to go off at will.
Had to pull the relay while the horn was blaring .... and the dogs freaking out barking non stop....sure enough the relay was stuck in there! :lol:

gobble gobble!

The GA got a well-deserved rest this week(unfortunately, so will my next paycheck). Back to the salt mines Monday. Everyone have a safe & happy Thanksgiving weekend.

I defend my Master's thesis today... wish me luck!!!

Hope you done well on your thesis Vipey!

Wished the weather was better up hear! Freaking snow & cold winds are killing MMeeeeeeeee!
The snow never ends, I never remember lake effect snow blowing this far south before??? :confused:
Every one keeps running their cars/trucks into; ditchs, poles, other vehicles, buildings. :lol:
Cant drive the GA or the Firechicken! Been driving the tower, with chains.... :( my heads rumbling! :disappoin

The GA is getting one final breather for the holidays this week before getting back in the regular grind Monday. Everyone have a safe and Merry Christmas.

The GA got buried with 6 inches of snow on Christmas Day, the most we've ever had on that day. Finally thawed her out and got her back on the road today :lol: Attached are a few pics I took when there was about 3 inches on ground.

wow... I'm the first person to post in the new year in OT! WOHOO! Well I guess I'll give some updates. the Wifes RSX is almost finally completely repaired since the accident in october. Yeah 3 months later and it's not done. We have the car back and she is using it but the lower side skirt still needs to be replaced and the body shop needs to fix the paint on the rear quarter where it looks like it cracked along the edge otherwise the rest is done. My 88 grand am is officially gone.... where it's gone to I have no clue and don't want to know. I gave my aunt the title and she disposed of the car since it was in her garage. So now I officially don't have any vehicles in my name anymore. My civic is doing craptastic :rofl::cwm27:. I need new tie rods and axle shafts and joints. Its still running though! Other then the other day when it stalled out on the highway. :uhoh::mad: Oh yeah and I'm losing antifreeze and can't seem to find the leak anywhere. My guess is either the heatercore or one of the hoses. Its an extremely slow leak that i do know. well I hope everyone had a good holiday season and new year!

Grandamsaywhat?!?! :d

Hope everyone is starting to thaw out a little bit :lol: Waxed the GA about a month ago and now starting to fight pollen, ugh.

man things have been slow in here! I was away I had lower back surgery and didnt get online much at all. Things are better now, summers on the way and this rain will it ever stop ???!!! :D

Ive had the SE out a couple times, graded some streets in Lafayette a couple weekends ago. Seem to like driving it more than my new TA, the SE gets better Mpg. I saw today gas went from $3.73 a gal to $3.99 ! WTF!?? Maybe I should think electric... ? :lol:

man things have been slow in here! I was away I had lower back surgery and didnt get online much at all. Things are better now, summers on the way and this rain will it ever stop ???!!! :D

Ive had the SE out a couple times, graded some streets in Lafayette a couple weekends ago. Seem to like driving it more than my new TA, the SE gets better Mpg. I saw today gas went from $3.73 a gal to $3.99 ! WTF!?? Maybe I should think electric... ? :lol:

man things have been slow in here! I was away I had lower back surgery and didn't get online much at all. Things are better now, summers on the way and this rain will it ever stop ???!!! :D

Ive had the SE out a couple times, graded some streets in Lafayette a couple weekends ago. Seem to like driving it more than my new TA, the SE gets better Mpg. I saw today gas went from $3.73 a gal to $3.99 ! WTF!?? Maybe I should think electric... ? :lol:

I also had lower back surgery and I regret that I had that done I am on permanent pain meds and also damm expensive. So how are you doing otherwise. Yes the gas around here is over $4 a gallon. What rain, have not had much rain around here.

Gas around here is $3.79, at least for now :lol: Thankfully the GA is getting around 31 MPG, mostly highway driving. Getting stuff togehter to change the plugs, wires, and front O2 sensor as by end of summer, they'll be due.

I also had lower back surgery and I regret that I had that done I am on permanent pain meds and also damm expensive. So how are you doing otherwise. Yes the gas around here is over $4 a gallon. What rain, have not had much rain around here.

I swore I wouldnt have it done either, but i really had a choice. Either live with my leg in pain 24/7 & unusable or try and fix it, couldnt screw it up much worse. I had my sciatic never pinched between two vertebrae, pain meds would not help at all, none.

But I'm on my feet now(not picking up any heavy engine parts though) no pain meds and business as usual in the shop!! They keep breaking them and i keep fixing them. :D Still goto phys therapy 3-4x a week, should have a speedy recovery.
Weather wise... its been a little flipflop here. One day its 75 and the next day it cools down to 35!?? :confused: Thank you global warming.
Its not just here i guess, earthquakes and bad weather all over the world. Japan having 3 devastating disasters all in less than a week...no I'm good on iodine ty. :eek7:

Ready for summer though!! :biggrin:
Ready for some road trips, thinking about cruising west on route 66 sometime this summer. Probly take the GA since it does well on gas. Maybe I should buy an electric that i can plug in at the hotel..? And pick up hot chicks hitch hickin. :licka: :lol:

AE for life!

lol whats up guys.

I still have my blue beastly GA... I recently have replaced the belt, uhh egr, gotta flush and fix the power steering.

For the PS I was thinking of using an in-line filter, I dunno why I didnt think of it before. My grand am is cursed with PS problems, no doubt though its just bad quality fluid.

I extracted a little off the res tank and saw pretty little shavings all floating around in my baster, I sucked it all out after that and refilled the tank with fresh ps fluid. That helped the noise for a few days till I guess it mixed fully with the rest of it. It's been semi quiet on different days, hot/cold etc..

New addition!

My girlfriend recently purchased a 99' honda civic ex with the SOHC vtec motor. Its like a go kart compared to the grand am lol. I get bored easily and of course look up performance options on message boards and sites. I think I could do a nice build on the SOHC, displacement, motor build (Plenty of resources) And Turboo!. Also needs a 5spd swap lol. One day

STAY AWAY FROM THE CIVIC! LOL :lol: it's very tempting to mod one due to the amount of parts out there. My civic is turning into a money pit. this year I've replaced the tie rods, steering box, radiator and thermostat. all that combined is just over 1500 bucks. After all those repairs it still handles like a shopping cart with a wobbly wheel and rides like one as well. At least summer is here... or at least for me here in eastern NC. :grinyes: I've been very busy with the house and fixing up the yard from the muddy sand pit it was when we bought it.

Civics...Pppffffft ! :rolleyes:

These guys around here always think their Civics are the fastest thing on the streets...
HA! i dont think so ! As they rev their engine and oil drips from the tin can muzzler. :disappoin
They are prone to front end suspension wear & tear quite to often.

Last weekend this hot chick came rolling up in this cute little Audi, I think it said i4 on the side? I was in SE/SS, she was looking hot(my GA lol)!
Well as she(the audi) tried slippin by me in the right lane, she popped her throttle doing 40mph.
I hear the turbo pop & whistle and I instantly dropped it into L1 and went WOT on her! I got rubber burning @ 40mph, she hits her throttle in a gasp of inspiration and guess what, TURBO LAG! :rofl:
I wasted the Audi soo good! :lol: Left her in the dust cause I wasnt hittin it! :grinno: :p

Man, i havnt been here for over a month... busybusybusy and work sucks as usual. :cwm27:
Backs been feeling great since my surgery. Though i havnt picked up anything over 20-30lbs.
Im the boss, why the hell do i actualy work anyways? :loser:

Hope everyone had a good & safe memorial day weekend! And enjoy this one too, it's shorter. :D

ps- Im looking @ another GA GT. 2005 2dr hood scoop and sct type rear wing(factory), asking $2500 w/blown engine. :evillol:

So just out of curiosity. how reliable are Grand Ams? I'm looking for one in the 99-03 range because i really like the look, but ive only driven one and all i did was back it out of my driveway and then pulled it to where it was again. And are they fast? I'm hoping that i can find a Manual one. I've seen 2 in my life. lol. A bunch of people tell me that the generation i want doesnt come Manual, but ive seen 2. both of which were green coupes. Anyways, if you could just tell me if theyre good cars i would appreciate it. I need a new car fast, and i dont wanna get stuck with one that has a ton of issues.

@ Pontiacfreak1017- Grand Ams are not the best cars, but not the worst either IMO.
All makes & models hav something that is a "usual problem", not many secrets w/Grand Ams :grinno:

You will not find many manual trans. 95% are automatics and only 4cyl have manual. With the exception of a few modified ones via MMS (http://www.milzymotorsports.com) mods @ $1000's of dollars.
Are they fast, some are, some are not. If u want fast you probly shouldnt get a GA, though they are quick.

Ive spent $1000's and i only run mid 12's, top end tho is around 160 mph(on a track w/HSR tires) and is scary at those speed!

so if u find one u like, and its been treated well and maintained properly they arent bad cars. I'd shoot for a newr model 03-05 w/low mileage and i wouldnt pay more than $3-4k. Ask a lot of questions about whats been done in repairs, what it needs. You can obtain a warranty repair list from a dealer, you just need the VIN #, and carfax can sometimes help with accident reports. ;) Good Hunting !


So, is everyone enjoying this heat ??? lol How was every ones July 4th celebration?
I hate the heat, and I got burnt from fireworks. Should have read the label "do not hold in hand", one day i'll learn.... :rofl:

This heat is horrible!!! Not only do we have this heat we are in a severe drought here! I think we only got maybe an inch and half of rain here since may. Then we've had a few forest fires here... So if its not the heat, lack or rain, or forest fires... the waters off the coast are super warm... the perfect ingredient for a hurricane. Aside from all of that I'm around... the civic is still going, ac barely works but that's cause of this heat. If i put the car in the garage and turn the ac it gets ice cold, I pull it out and drive its like a sauna in the car. Hopefully everyone else is surviving with this heat and hasnt melted yet.

Grfknl, we've had our share of heat too this summer, but been very fortunate with rain as it has come thru tstorms at the right time. The Ol' GA is still moving right along with nearly 237k. It will be due for plugs, wires , and front O2 sensor after Labor Day. Getting about 31-32 MPG highway.

Hope you are ok out on the east coast grfnkl!
You were right about the water being warm enough, it looks like another Tropical storm has formed. :eek7:

We havnt got much rain here either. Up way north and way south has had some rain but overall its hot & dry!

Temps have cooled down here especialy as night rolls on. Had the SE out a few times, PCM crapped out on me one night had to call for a tow. Bought a MMS stg II PCM already hav it all set up, it rocks!! Seems to be a little quicker and better mpg. Been running some 1/4 times... cant get under 12s with street tires. :(

Everyone be safe out there!

I'm around... We survived the first hurricane! We lost power on Saturday and just got it back last night. It was bad though. We got the much need rain of around 11 inches. I can say we could have done with out the wind :rofl:. we did get hit really hard in my area since the hurricane made landfall right were i live. the eye just skimmed my house otherwise I was dealing with the eyewall the entire time of the storm. My neighborhood looked like a war zone after the storm finally moved out. My next door neighbor who just bought the house one week before the storm had their tree fall on the house and take out a good portion of the roof. I know we have another storm brewing out there... It's going to be very interesting for the next month or two. the downside is my jobs building was still standing after the storm. Other then that we are fine here.

Glad to hear Paul !!! Ive seen a little bit of the damage on tv but that never does it justice on what all the storm damaged. My cousin lives up in Vermont/Mass area they are stuck on an island w/o power still, it would suck! I dont see your job being a down side, at least you have one. I'd hate to see how many are actually out of work because of the hurricane not to mention the ones not working anywhere.
Hope the next one dies down, never know tho! :runaround:

Just noticed we are on page 300 in the OT thread! :D

Everyone have a great & safe Labor day weekend !
Try not to get cooked out there in the heat!:uhoh:

Looks like it's going to be the last day of heat for a while. Supposed to cool off into the low 70s for the next 3 days. Rain and more rain, lol. Everyone be safe and keep the GA's rolling.

Sup everyone!

I am now successfully married as of Oct 1st :D And today is our 4-year anniversary of meeting each other. And tomorrow I buy a 2007 Mazdaspeed 6 Grand Touring... I go ZOOM ZOOM now :D

Grand AM still kinda holding up but my Legacy is doing all the heavy lifting for now. Grand AM going to be retired for a while... but it can still get me from A to B!

The storm blew right by us yesterday. The only thing was we were under a Tornado Watch last night which is pretty rare for us. The winds got pretty bad by getting upto 50+ mph and some rain Otherwise, nothing other then that!
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Back to the grindstone tomorrow:lol: The ol' GA has received a breather for the last 10 days. Replaced the front left lower ball joint about 6 weeks ago plus spark plugs and sp wires. Just turned 247k over the weekend so hopefully will continue to roll for a while.