1997 Pontiac Grand Am GT from North America - Comments

I have a 97 Gran am I have been working on cars for 30yrs bought this car used replaced alternator and starter, intake gaskets, wheel bearings, window motors alum min wheels keep going flat now broke down has no power injectors flooding problem not known. This car is junk no if or buts if you got a good one good luck most are lemons. Gm should be ashamed to put their name on this car.

I would advise anybody thinking of buying a Grand Am to turn & run as fast as you can to a Ford Dealership.

I bought a 1988 Used Grand Am in 1989, the only thing that went wrong with that car was the spark plugs. I owned baby blue for 11 years before selling her out for a newer model (97). Shame on me! Fire Engine Red was my new baby. I babied her, spoiled her, did everything I was suppose to do to keep her on the road. 2 years after the purchase the air conditioning went, not a big deal, who needs air in Michigan. Next went the back passenger window, again not a big deal, I still have the front 2 windows, next went the drivers side window (kind of a hassle when your using the drive through) then low and behold the front passenger window. Now I don't have air nor will any of my windows roll down. who really cares I still look cute in my Fire Engine Red Baby. In the meantime I have replaced the Brakes about 3 times, but I think that's average for any car at this age. 3 yrs ago I replaced something in the front of the car that cracked & made a lot of noise when I turned, but for the life of me I can't remember what part it was. The cost was $400.00. Not a big deal again, the car was now 7 years old some repairs are expected aren't they? Now I'm noticing my stereo/clock light will not come on...ummmmmmm...but I discovered if you hit the dash with a certain amount of pressure then the light will pop on. OK I can deal with that as well because I still look good in this car. This past fall I discovered I had a small oil leak, so I wanted to be proactive & get it fixed as soon as possible. That small oil leak turn into and intake gasket problem that cost $800.00. OK the car is now tens yrs old a major repair I think it's to be expected. 1 week after I got it out of the shop for that repair the heater core went, another $400.00. Well I thought might as well fix it, this will probably be the last major repair, I only wanted to keep her 1 more year. Now it's been 4 months later my Fire Engine Red Baby still looks great, but she's not going to have another mile put on her. The engine is toast!!! The mechanic stated he could probably put in a rebuilt engine for around $1500.00 to $1800.00. I said No Thanks! I'm putting her to pasture. I'm just hoping Sears will take back the battery I bought the day the engine went... I will buy a GM product again, but this time I'm looking for a Chevy.

My girlfriend bought a 97 Grand Am from the people next door, and I have just gotten around to looking at getting it ready for the road.

The first thing I noticed was that the power windows weren't working, so I came up with a quick motor fix for the problem, 1 hour per window. If you are interested, let me know johnnyv23@hotmail.com

97 Pontiac Grand Am SE. This car is terrible. I bought it used not knowing anything about the dreaded quad 4 motor.

I've been experiencing all kinds of problems. But I think this is it. Car was losing power, but now when I start it it barely runs and backfires from exhaust and intake. I'm disgusted. The car looks nice though.

I have a '97 Grand Am GT and had to have the transmission overhauled at 20,000 miles, because the car would surge when it was idling. This was dangerous as I was just getting ready to make a right hand turn onto a VERY busy street, and the surge caused my car to head into traffic before I was ready. Luckily the cost was covered under warranty, but it's happening again now with 85k miles on it.

I've replaced the front driver window motor 2x and the rear driver motor 2x. Mine were stuck open and it started raining!

Volume knob just started going bad about 1 year ago. I am not a baby and can deal with it, but it is very annoying when you go to turn the volume down and the opposite happens so your stereo ends up blaring in your ears, and the more you try to turn it down, the louder and louder it goes... and at that point no matter which way you turn the knob... it still gets louder. And it's not a constant problem, but it likes to surprise you at the worst times, like when your elderly mother is in the car with you.

Serpentine belt replaced, air conditioning system replaced, 2 batteries, 2 sets of brakes, water pump, fuel pump, O2 sensor and I know there's a few more major ones that I can't remember offhand.

I take good care of it too, and get the oil changed every 3000/3 months, fluids checked, regular maintenance etc.

Bottom line, it's paid for and that's the only reason why I still have it. I will never get a Pontiac again after this. Never thought I would say this, but I'm definitely getting a Toyota or Honda next.

Bought a 95 Pontiac Grand AM SE about 8 months ago, and I have already replaced the alternator, water pump, ignition module and coil housing, clutch, and several sensors.

The driver side window regulator and the seals on the trunk and driver/passenger side door need to be replaced, everytime it rains I get a swimming pool in floorboards and trunk... drilled a hole in all three areas so the water would drain haha. Now I believe the thermostat is sticking a bit, so I'll be taking that out, don't really need it at the moment seeing as how I live in SC, eventually I'll replace it.

The clutch was a pain to replace, had to pull the motor out cause of the FWD..

Thankfully the motor runs great, it gets a slight skip in it every 5 or 6 tanks of gas, usually fix that with a bottle of fuel injector cleaner and a tank of premium heh.

Looks great, runs great... worth putting repairs into, in my opinion...

PEOPLE WITH INSTRUMENT PANEL PROBLEMS pay attention... Yes the grand am instrument panels are junk but if you go to a junk yard a buy a used one for 50 bucks. NOW... when you hook this different one into your car the anti-theft light will come on, the car will turn over but will not start. THIS IS THE FIX... turn the key to the run position (just like if you were gonna crank it) leave it there until the anti theft light goes off. (Usually takes 10 to 15 minutes.) Now turn the key back to the regular position and wait 10 seconds and crank your car. The ECU in the car has to re learn this new device. Just like installing new hardware on your computer. I messed around with this all weekend one time and the credit goes to my friend who found this simple trick on the net. I couldnt believed that it worked, but I hope this takes the headache off of a few of yah. later out...

Comment 16:57. THANKS A BUNCH!! As a mechanic I always encourage people to try to do their own repairs instead of paying a dealer or chain store thousands of bucks. I also encourage people to make use of salvage yards for many parts, as they are generally very cheap and in good shape. Most salvage yards allow you to return parts you buy that are not in good shape.

I bought my 97 Pontiac grand am GT 2.4 liter engine, brand new in 1998. It currently has 134,000 miles on it and has been through 2 accidents.

The car runs perfectly, and still for an older model looks fantastic.

I have had a couple minors problems; the CD player broke 3 years ago, and the alternator has been replaced 3 times.

The stock battery lasted 9 years, which was an excellent life span.

The muffler had to be replaced last year (rusted out); normal for the weather conditions it lives in.

My AC still works like a charm.

The bearings in the compressor recently had to be replaced, but no biggy and good as new.

My car has been well taken care of, and in the past 5 years been driven hard in its old age.

Personally I have been very satisfied with my vehicle. I am sure most of you won't admit it, but have not taken very good care of your cars and have been driving them into the ground...

Any car you drive into the ground; that's just where it's going to go.

21:38, I suspect your front brake calipers may be binding (exerting pressure on the pads all the time) causing premature wear. A lack of rear braking could also contribute to excessive wear. I'd go ahead and replace the rear brake shoes and thoroughly clean the brake assembly and drums (DO NOT use petroleum-based cleaner, use special brake cleaner). Pads and rear brake shoes are very easy to replace on the GA and very inexpensive. I replaced the front pads on my 2001 a few months ago (at 70,000+ miles) at a cost of $18. I did it in 15 minutes during my lunch break. The rear shoes (if they are drum brakes) take a little bit longer, but are still fairly simple.

If the front brake wear persists after replacing the rear brake shoes and cleaning the self-adjusters, I'd look at the calipers to be sure they are not binding. Jack the front end up, put the transmission in neutral and see if you can easily spin the front tire with your hand. If you can't the calipers are sticking and may need to be replaced or repaired. Again, this is a very easy and inexpensive task you can do yourself and save a lot of money.

Here is a detailed fix for the key in ignition problem.

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080817200333AA5zjf8

I bought my 97 Grand Am GT 3.1L V-6 about a year and a half ago, and have had a slew of problems.

I bought the car when I was 18 from a private seller. Being young and dumb, I didn't do any research on the car before buying it.

When I bought it, the guy said he was forced to put a new engine into it and had also made several costly repairs.

Since the purchase I've had to replace the serpentine belt (I know this is basic maintenance), two tie rod ends, the coolant sensor twice, thermostat, numerous exhaust parts, and then the real kicker, the intake manifold and head gasket, plus a lot of other related gaskets that all decided to blow at once... this set me back almost 1200.

My windows are constantly having problems despite having new motors numerous times. I too have the faulty radio knob. My check oil light is on 100% of the time, and according to the local GM dealer, there is nothing wrong with the oil sensor.

I can tell the transmission is starting to go because shifting is erratic and I can feel it slipping when I accelerate rapidly. And now, today my check engine light just randomly came on (for like the 7th time since I've owned it). Just hoping that the OBDII actually tells me something beneficial.

At this point, I'm ready to trade the S.O.B. in. Needless to say, I'm done with Pontiac and perhaps GM as a whole. Next car is definitely gonna be Toyota or Honda.