I just bought my teenager (I'm a single mom)a used car. It's a '92 Pontiac Grand AM. My son in law has done alot of work on it but has one problem. The engine wants to rev on its own. He can't figure it out. Do any of you moms know anyone that have suggestions? I really can't afford to take it to a mechanic but I want her to be safe when she drives it.
T.
I just want to thank all of you for the wonderful responses! You have given me many great ideas to start trouble shooting. Not only do I appreciate all of this but so does my daughter. I told her Mamasource would come thru!
T.
offer to send it to auto shop class at the local high school, or even at a local community college. Many times they are looking for projects and this one sounds like a good one to me. As for ideas as to what is causing the issues I have no idea. Sorry not a mechanic. I can fix my car once I know the issue but that's as far as my knowledge goes. I'm not good at diagnosing issues.
S.
Without knowing the work your son in law has done,I can suggest some things to check...he may have already eliminated some of these. First let me tell you a couple of things...1) I am NOT a certified mechanic...I am an autocad technician 2)I am a Mustang Gal and know Fords far better than anything and 3)I am assuming that you have an automatic transmission.
Here's what I would start checking
*O2 sensors (longshot and should be throwing a code if one is bad)
*throttle cables to see if any are stuck, especially if he had the trottle body off
*vacuum cables...if any of them are leaking/not sealed properly you will have idle issues
*if there is a check engine light, I would suggest pulling the codes. That should tell you what it is right there.
*some part of the air intake stuck open
My boyfriend has a co-worker with a saturn (also made by GM) that had a high idle problem...this is the first thing I would try because it's a cheap easy fix if that's it. She cleaned part of her throttle body and the problem went away for a short time, so she took the whole thing off and cleaned it....problem solved!
Good luck with your problem.
L.
Have you checked the timing on it? I have an 81 Ford that idles high when cold and that has something to do with the timing. Is it fuel injected or carburetor? Could be the choke gets stuck if not fuel injected.
Hi T. -
My first thought is. . .Is the throttle cable stuck or bad? Maybe the Timing Belt/Chain? Or a gosh darn sensor? Darn computers! lol Good Luck!
S.
T.,
There are some websites that allow for questions...thecarconnection.com is one. You may be able to go to ask.com or google for more help on finding mechanics that offer advice (be they professionals or hobbyists).
Good luck,
T.
Hi T.,
I checked with my hubby (he's not a "certified" auto mechanic, but he does ALL of the work on our cars), his thoughts are that it is probably a temperature sensor. He believes GM uses a temp sensor that reads from coolant temp to determine how much fuel to put into the engine. Typically when the sensor goes bad it provides the wrong reading, but does not give a "check engine" light because it IS giving a reading, although erroneous. In the early 90's GM used a plastic capped sensor which was subject to leaking and apparently our '93 Saturn had the same problem. Fix is to replace the sensor which runs about $10-20.
His other recommendation is to surf the net - - there's a tremendous amount of troubleshooting info that can be found there.
Hope this helps ~
K.
I might also suggest buying a Haynes manual (like one of these guys: http://www.haynes.com/products/sfID1/3/sfID2/5/sfID3/52). They offer really detailed, car specific, information and trouble shooting tips. I found mine to be pretty valuable while i was learning to work on cars.
You may be able to find the right one in a used bookstore or on-line. I also notice that website also has message boards, if you or your kid wants to try and search them.
If you are in the Seattle area, you can bring it to the free Oil Change Day at Real Life Church in Maple Valley on October 4th (http://www.reallifechurch.com/) Just call ahead for an appointment and tell them the issue, that you are a single mom, etc. They will do other things besides oil changes, and have a few volunteer mechanics on hand. They target single moms, but anyone is welcome, altho spots fill up fast. Call now! There is really no charge, and they even have free soup while you wait. ###-###-####
I would suggest taking it to a mechanic. There are a lot of mechanics in the area that will look at the car for free and tell you whats wrong with it. Don't tell them when you go in that you have no real intention of getting anything done to it. But, at least you'll know what's making it rev up so much and then maybe your son in law can help fix it once he knows the problem. Good luck to you, I've been there myself and totally understand your troubles.
You can check out car manuals at the library. That way, you don't have to buy one.
I'm not a mechanic, but I've worked on many cars, and have a "knack" for troubleshooting car issues.
Some other things to look into are:
The idle adjustment on the throttle could be too high
Check the timing
Check the throttle cables
Check vacuume hoses and valves
The thermostat could be off
Good luck!
Google Pontiac forums and you can post your question for answers we use forums a lot. Or Google the problem that you have you might be surprised what help you can get on the internet.
call car talk! (especially if you can make it funny!)
hi T., i asked my husband and he thinks it is a vacuum leak. he isn't a professional mechanic, but might as well be. hope that helps out, you can email me back if you have any more questions. ____@____.com
