Grand AM Problem

[Jardan]

Hello everyone,
I recently replaced the EGR Valve on my 1996 Grand AM GT 2.4. it ran good for about 2 weeks then all of a sudden the car would shut off. When i try to restart it, the Check Engin light would start going on and off randomly and a clicking sounds would come out of (AC RELAY). now when the car stars back, it would stay on for a couple of minutes then will go nuts , everything on my dash board would stsart lighting up, anti theft would stay on and the AC relay would start clicking again. i was told that the AC Relay won't shut down the car, before i go out and spend money on parts left and right, anyone has an idea about what might cause that? this car is driving me nuts

[xeroinfinity]

Welcome to AF.

No I hav no Idea!!

You'll need to get it scanned to figure out whats going wrong. Post the CODES here and we'll see what we can do!

[J-Ri]

Check both battery cable ends. If they're loose, they can cause lots of electrical problems. Most likely not the cause since you havn't had a problem cranking, but it's a very easy check, so do it first. A sudden electrical load can cause it to die since the alternator can't instantly supply power.

[Larry Derouin]

The relay clicking and all the lights flashing, etc. is indicative of a loose Battery cable, or a bad ground.

Take out the battery and charge it overnight. While it's out check the Batteyr cables for looseness at both ends, and corrosion near the ends (that section will look like a boa constrictor with a dog inside). also check the body to engine ground strap, and the strap from the "frame" to engine or body. clean to shiny metal and reattach. Spray with battery term protector(red stuff from CRC).

Re-install the battery and make sure the connections are tight and clean.

Check your alternator for output voltage @ 1500rpm. Should be No LESS THAN 13.9 and NO MORE THAN 14.8.

The electronics and computer are really susceptible to low voltages (below 11.0 V.DC). If you have a terminal that is making intermittent contact you'll get symptoms just like those you're describing.

Just make sure everything is clean and tight.

Larry

[Jardan]

Thanks for the quick replies fellas. i will check everything described this weekend. however, i went and bought a new relay just incase, changed it charged the battery since it died on my from trying to start it before and the car turned on. now i wanted to test if the relay was the probelm again so i disconnected it and let the car run. 15 minutes and the car shut off but this time to not turn back on even when putting the relay back in. i can hear the relay opening and closing when i turn the ignition ( No More Clicking Noise). my other concern is, when the car ran fine, it used to make a sound when i turn on the ignition, withouth starting the car, as if it's pumping something? any idea what that noise is becuase it's not doing it anymore.

Here is what i changed on the car the past year:

EGR Valve a month ago
Transmission last summer
Fuel Pump and Fuel filter last winter

i did change the computer on it twice, second time was because the first was malfunctioning. that was in early 2006.




thanks guys

[J-Ri]

Originally Posted by Jardan

my other concern is, when the car ran fine, it used to make a sound when i turn on the ignition, withouth starting the car, as if it's pumping something? any idea what that noise is becuase it's not doing it anymore.

Here is what i changed on the car the past year:

EGR Valve a month ago
Transmission last summer
Fuel Pump and Fuel filter last winter

I believe the sound you are no longer hearing is the fuel pump. If that goes bad, it can cause the car not to run or die at times. When you replaced it, was the wiring (especially connectors) all good? Check for fuel pressure, if it's low when the engine dies, the pump and/or regulator is bad. Disconnect the vacuum hose from the regulator and the fuel pressure should increase.

[Jardan]

Originally Posted by J-Ri

Check for fuel pressure, if it's low when the engine dies, the pump and/or regulator is bad. Disconnect the vacuum hose from the regulator and the fuel pressure should increase.

I Appreciate all the replies guys. I will play with it this weekend and maybe i can find the problem.

the thing is the car won't start so i am not sure how to check this. Also where how can i find the regulator? is it easy to access and dissconnect the vacuum hose from it?