96 grand am sensors

[soccer dude]

all indictator lights(oil,check eng,thief etc,are lite and the car won't run..the lights are intermittent sometimes all are out then other times one or two may be on ,right now all are on and the car will attemt to start then stop.this is the first time it has kept the car from starting.i actually drove the car a few times with all the lights on.i could be wrong but it seems that the lights don't change while the car is running

[Airjer_]

The lights don't go out when the key is in the crank position? If so than maybe the ignition switch is bad?

[soccer dude]

the car started and all the lights stayed on ,i shut it off to try starting it again to see if the lights would go out and now it won't start

[Airjer_]

Does it crank over (you can hear the starter cranking the engine)?

[soccer dude]

yes it rolls over and will almost start (runs for a second or two ,acts like fuel pump but what does that have to do with the lights being on. tried the car 12hrs later and now its starting and no lights are lite (starting to hate this car)

[xeroinfinity]

Did you check that the battery has 12.4+ volts.

This model is bad about the instrument clusters going bad.

I'd also try replacing the fuel filter if it hasnt been changed in the last 20-30k miles. This might help with the starting.

Also have you scanned it for trouble codes ??

[inkslinger00743]

Sounds like you have a few issues. Honestly I dont think they arent realted but they might be. If you have an electrical problem your fuel pump might not be getting the correct voltage. There are 3 ground wires (they all attach at the same bolt) under your intake manifold near your starter check to see if there lose or corroded. Also check your fuel pressure when your car is acting like a dummy. Your getting spark but not fuel. If you can hear your car trying to start your getting spark but not enough fuel. I dont think there are any sensors that cut off the fuel pump most cut off spark when they fail. So check the ground wires, fuel pressure, if pressure is low i would replace the filter 1st just to rule it out because the fuel pump is a fun fun job. good luck

[soccer dude]

the problem with the car not starting was my fault' when the lights all came on i shut the car of and flicked the ignition switch on and off a few tmes .i coould hear the fuel pump .i think i just put to much gas in the system .after setting a few hours the car started .i did this again and had the same result so i feel confident this was my error but i do still have the problem with all the sensor lights being on and the tac not working well 80% of the time anyway.do you have to take the dash apart to get to a common ground or is it grounded on the firewall any ideas

[xeroinfinity]

I doubt its a bad ground on the IPC .
Like I mentioned previously, these clusters go bad and will need replaced with either a good used one(which will also fail) or a newly remanufactured one.
Thier are several places on the web to find them, including fleabay, rockauto.com.

Its the solder contacts inside the cluster that come loose.
I personaly have taken a couple of these apart , but wasnt able to fix all the loose connections or bad circuits.

Originally Posted by inkslinger00743

I dont think there are any sensors that cut off the fuel pump most cut off spark when they fail.

BTW when the security feature is triped, it cuts off fuel and spark.

[Airjer_]

Does "passlock" cut off spark? I thought it was just fuel?

[soccer dude]

i would like to try and get to the instrument cluster but have no idea how or where to start, any suggestions.1 new thing i noticed ,is that when the tac and sensors lights are going back forth between working and not working ( tac not working and all sensors lights on 99% of the time) the light that shows what gear you are in is going on and off and even flashing from 1 to park to reverse .,.every time the tac hand moves which is normally just for a second the gear iindictor light goes on and when the tac (and sensors lights) isn't working the gear light is out

[3100]

Originally Posted by Airjer_

Does "passlock" cut off spark? I thought it was just fuel?

From what I know and from what I read it cuts off just fuel.

[xeroinfinity]

Originally Posted by soccer dude

i would like to try and get to the instrument cluster but have no idea how or where to start, any suggestions.1 new thing i noticed ,is that when the tac and sensors lights are going back forth between working and not working ( tac not working and all sensors lights on 99% of the time) the light that shows what gear you are in is going on and off and even flashing from 1 to park to reverse .,.every time the tac hand moves which is normally just for a second the gear iindictor light goes on and when the tac (and sensors lights) isn't working the gear light is out

I'd get the ignition switch tested if it checks out ok tehn its the IPC.
Check ebay for the IPC, $30-50 used.

Google 96 grand am instrument cluster repair or refurbished 96 IPC should find something rebuilt.

The shifter light is tied into the IPC via the shift soliniod and power wire(s).

Hope that helps!