Need to get my wifes car fixxed so i can get mine back

[94pontiacse]

I have a 94 ga 4dr 2.3 sohc. It has 156000 on it. I need to get it runnin back to normal so i can my 94 ga 2dr back. Here is a list of what's wrong.

1. When not in movement, the steering pump and belt squeals and you can feel alot of feed back in the steerin wheel. It's really hard to turn and the squeal is very very loud. Is this the pump goin bad or something in the rack?

2. It takes a lot of cranks to start up, but always starts up. It will run for about 15 to 30 secs. and then dies. It will start back up but still takes alot of cranks, and always starts back up. If you give it gas for a few minutes it will stay running by it's self. It also has a rough idle, kinda sounds like it's got a real mild misfire. if you romp on it, it goes just fine, just not as fast as my 2dr but they have the same engine. Fuel filter maybe? Fuel injectors? I've changed the coils out and it doesn't bog no more, but still rough.

3. It puts out white smoke from the exhaust like it's cold out side but it's not cold for you to see it. I've heard white smoke is colant/water but the level is just fine, but i've had the car a few years and it just seams to get worse little by little over time. It does burn a little oil about half quart to maybe a full quart every oil change. Head gasket, overhaul maybe?

4. When stoppin at highway speeds 55+ it shakes the steering wheel. It has new brakes and the rotors look good, but i heard the rotors might be warped enough to do this. Could it be something in the alignment?

So any one that can help me let me know, i miss my car.

[tenspeed]

Originally posted by 94pontiacse
1. When not in movement, the steering pump and belt squeals and you can feel alot of feed back in the steering wheel. It's really hard to turn and the squeal is very very loud. Is this the pump going bad or something in the rack?

It could be a worn belt, a weak tensioner or a bad pump. Usually a bad rack will be stiff for the first couple of turns then loosen up (sort of).

[/i]
2. It takes a lot of cranks to start up, but always starts up. It will run for about 15 to 30 secs. and then dies. It will start back up but still takes alot of cranks, and always starts back up. If you give it gas for a few minutes it will stay running by it's self. It also has a rough idle, kinda sounds like it's got a real mild misfire. if you romp on it, it goes just fine, just not as fast as my 2dr but they have the same engine. Fuel filter maybe? Fuel injectors? I've changed the coils out and it doesn't bog no more, but still rough.

Some kind of crud not letting air get into the engine. Sounds like it's running too rich at idle when cold.

[/i]3. It puts out white smoke from the exhaust like it's cold out side but it's not cold for you to see it. I've heard white smoke is coolant/water but the level is just fine, but i've had the car a few years and it just seams to get worse little by little over time. It does burn a little oil about half quart to maybe a full quart every oil change. Head gasket, overhaul maybe?

Don't bother with it until it becomes fatal. The car is old and you will never gain enough miles to justify the expense.

[/i]4. When stoppin at highway speeds 55+ it shakes the steering wheel. It has new brakes and the rotors look good, but i heard the rotors might be warped enough to do this. Could it be something in the alignment?[QUOTE][/i][B]

It sounds like warped rotors. It could be loose parts letting the vibrations come through the steering wheel.

[QUOTE][/i][B]So any one that can help me let me know, i miss my car.

How about letting your bride keep your car, scrapping the the money pit and getting yourself another, lower mileaged GA. It sounds like it's getting worn out and it might be best to sell it or trade it in.

[94pontiacse]

i wish i could scrap it, but i'm poor and a very low buget fixxer upper,lol, but if you know any one that has another ga for a thousand or so, let me know, cause i haven't see any. But until then i've got to keep it and keep it runnin. But please keep respondin to this, i need as much imput as possible.

[4kQuad]

1. just sounds like a loose belt.
Loose belt will squeel at start up and quite down after 5 to 10 minutes of driving. With the motor off, grab the belt and wiggle it. It should not move more than about 1/2 inch either direction. If the inside of the belt is smooth and shinny, the belt may just plan need replaced. It may well be the factory belt.

2. Dirty IACV idle air control valve may be dirty. Remove the two torx screws and it pull straight out. Becareful, there is a small rubber ring that HAS TO go back in. Often the prindle on the top of the valve get cacked with carbon crap and it can't mix the air/fuel mixture like it should.

Could also be a dirty air filter. Pop the top of the thing that hold the air filter and Pull the filter out. Look at the bottom, the top can be almost white and shinny and the bottom dark like mud.

Could also be the cover the cois live under. If it has any cracks or dust like trails on it. It is leaking the spark, causing the missfire.

3. Could be a cracked head. Mine did that from time to time also. It the weather was cold and muggy some times when I would first start out for the day it would steam like it was going to blow. No I Mean Big time, car behind you slow down as you leave a smog bank of steam behind you. Let it run a little longer and it would stop. I drove mine for about 2 years like that before I by my own mistake boiled over the motor and had it rebuilt. So if water is not mixing in the oil....who knows how long it will just steam like that.

4. If it only happens when braking, I'm thinking rotors. But if it is rotors it should also do it at 15mph slowing down. If it only happens at higher speeds I would get the front end looked at.
Could be bad tires
Bad tie rods and other strearing linkage parts.
Loose lug nut(s)

Ok there some things for you to chase. If it was my project I would first check the cover over the coils for cracks or dust lines, then pull the air filter and make sure both sides are clean. Next check the IACV.

I have also heard the throttle position sensor causing problem like you are having at start up.

[94pontiacse]

I'll change out the ps pump belt, and see if that fixxes it.

I'll tear down the throttle body and clean up the IACV and see if that fixxes it. The air filter has about 4000 miles on it and looks just fine. i check it every few months. I'll prob'ly change the fuel filter too, cause i've never done it since i've had it, goin on 3 yrs now, but i've only put on 10k on it. Got it with 146k and now has 156k.

i've changed out the crank position sensor, o2, tps, new coils, sparkplug dist. housing, ecm, sparkplugs and boots all when i got it just so it would run. it was a hand-me-down car that brought me into the wonderful world of grand ams, and don't regret a thing.

About a year ago it ran hot, so i changed out the thermostat, and the resevor cap and that fixxed it from running hot, but it ran that way for a two weeks, just keeped addin water every day. But since then is when i noticed it steamin more, but it's not so bad to run ppl off the road,lol. It does go away some when the engine is nice and warmed up.

Thanx for the info i have so far, don't stop putting down ideas, for all know every idea can could be wroung,lol.

http://www.cardomain.com/ride/2576058
http://www.cardomain.com/ride/2590149

[4kQuad]

What kind of Plugs did you put in it?
If you used any fancy split fire or any thing like that, the plugs could be bad.
The Quad sparks on Both the compression and exhaust strokes. Unlike almost any other motor, so they EAT up fancy plugs and stuff. Get some correctly gapped AC Delco's in there.

It takes a Quad motor about 30 days if normal running to eat the wrong plugs up.

[94pontiacse]

it has the ac delco plugs, i don't worry about fancy plugs, i already knew about the 14 and 23 fire order, but thanx anyways.

[94pontiacse]

One thing i forgot to ask. My guage lights stopped workin. I put in an aftermarket stereo and they quit workin. I found out it needed a wire for ilumination. That fixxed it, but i took the stereo out and put the factory back, they quit workin again, i double checked the ilumination wire and it quit workin with a bypass. It all happened in the 5 min. of changin the stereos, possible inline fuse some where, all the fuses are fine in the fuse panel inside the dash on the drive side. Every thing else works, just no lights to the guages or havc controls. Dome light works too. Does any one know where i can get some wiring schematics maybe? But one thing i don't get is why does it do that on my 4dr but i have a 2dr same year and i don't have to worry about the ilumination wire. That's where the aftermarket went.

[4kQuad]

Hum...it will be interesting to see what the problem is....

It seems you have changed out most things.

[SE2000]

Since you have 2 94's, do you have room to store a junker. maybe you could find a smashed one and get parts from it. You rotors are warped, the small size of them makes it harder to tell than then the newer cars.
Your dieing is either fuel or air related. Maybe an leak in the air intake or low fuel pressure. You can test both these things.

[94pontiacse]

well i live in an apartment buildin and already have a junker so i can't have another. I cleaned the IACV, pretty dirty, but the funny thing is, my batter is dead, how ironic,lol. Thanx for the input, dont stop.

[94pontiacse]

:lots:
:lurk2:
:lurk3:
:nospam:
:sayhear:

[rixGAphx]

Originally posted by 94pontiacse
:lots:
Where's Waldo???
....brought me into the wonderful world of grand ams, and I don't regret a thing You are a truly bizarre person.





:welcome: from the rest of the inmates. :D :D
* * *



Check the dash dimmer switch for the dash illumination problem, it fails occasionally or a wire coming from it loosens/fails.

As for the 'drivability issues' in your first post, replacing the FF and Air Filter are cheap and easy and NECESSARY activities that might just solve the situation.

Since you don't feel like doing a valve job, add a couple or three HUGE doses of Bar's Stop Leak or similar 'high quailty' cooling-system sealer.
After running the engine to dissolve and circulate the crap for a couple days, fill the system with water to overflowing the reservoir.
Then let the engine rest completely so the stuff can 'gel' where water-meets-air (which is how it works).
This *might* solve your headgasket/cracked head condition.
Though I generally loathe this stuff because of possible longterm effects, you aren't in much of a position to worry.

Think about rebuilding a j/y head and slapping it on some weekend.
Mebbe $300? I dunno for your engine.
* * *

As to the shaking, I would look first at tie-rod ends.
Jack the front of the car and support.
Block one tire against movement; grab the other tire at 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock, and 'shimmy' it in-out with your hands.
Do the same to the other.

Now, repeat with hands at 12 o'clock and 6 o'clock.
Tie rods bad = looseness in 3-9 test.
Ball Joints bad = looseness in 6-12 test.
Bearings bad = looseness in BOTH tests.

Now, remove the tires.
Remove the calipers and hang aside on a coathanger wired from above. Block the pistons open with a hunk of clean wood between the pads.
Remove rotors, and take them to a machine shop for checking/turning.
If too thin for turning, get replacements; about $35 each for good USA-made.

Good luck,
-Rick

[94pontiacse]

Well thanx for the compliment,lol, and thanx for the looseness test. Keep the ideas comin.

[94pontiacse]

I just want to thank every one that put down their ideas!!!THANX A TON!!!!!!!!! I cleaned the IACV and now it idles perfect, i had to put a new battery and it started right up no problems, didn't have to crank it like usual. There was a lot of gunk in the IACV so that made a big difference. It doesn't make that misfire sound any more either. It sounds better then my two door now, it purrs like a kitten. I guess it was just suffocating just abit, poor thing,lol. Now i just have to do a few maintenance things, and change out the ps belt and see where i go from there. Thanx again to all that helped, maybe some day i can return the favor to someone with the knowlege i've learned.