My son's Pontiac Grand Am 1998 is slow to accelerate from a stop. Eventually it gets going. Any thoughts on the problem and estimate on what it would cost? Thanks, I'm a single mom and know NOTHINg about cars.
Country: United StatesMake: PontiacModel: Grand Am GTYear: 1998 Already Tried: Checked the transmission fluid and it appears to be at a good level.
Welcome to JustAnswer, my name is XXXXX XXXXX X'm here to help get your problem resolved. Is check engine light on? Does it seem to shift ok? How does it run at high speeds? Thanks.
Hi Dan. My son says the check engine light has always been on since we bought it in December. It seems to shift ok but the revs are high
Thanks for update Angie. When check engine light comes on it means computer detected a problem and stored a diagnostic code in computer. Even if light has been on for a long time there is probably new codes related to problem. How does it run when going down the highway? Does it have the power it should? At low speeds does it just seem slow or actually run rough while accelerating? Thanks
Highway seems just fine. It's just that when going from a complete stop it feels like 'the little engine that could" and has trouble getting to the posted speed.
Do you have the 4cyl or V6 engine? Does it seem like transmission is taking off in 2nd instead of 1st or just like engine has no power? Thanks
all I know is that it is a 2.4 liter. how do i find out if it's 4 or 6 cyl? It seems it is worse than starting in 2nd gear. More like 3rd.
If its the 2.4 its a 4 cylinder. When transmission detects a problem it can cause transmission to defualt into a specific gear such as 2nd and will take off extremely slow. At this point you will need to have diagnostic codes checked which you can have done for free at your local parts store. Replacing solenoid is a 3.8 hour job and about $100 for the solenoid but you will want to have codes checked before assuming anything and replacing parts. Let me know if you have any questions at all, you can reply even after checking codes. Thanks.
Experience: Independent Shop Experience, 2 Year Automotive Diploma, & Access to Information Database