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Grand Prix

Hi Rebecca. Thanks for reaching out to us tonight. When a vehicle stalls and loses electrical power like you've described, it can be very tricky to diagnose, since there are so many possible sources. In many cases, this can be...

The transmission in your Pontiac uses solenoids to control the shifting from one gear to the next. Typically there is a solenoid for 1st and 2nd gear, a second solenoid for 3rd and 4th gear and a 3rd and 4th...

Hello...we can help you with that. If you have a good battery and your starter motor is turning over the engine rapidly enough, that means you have a problem in the area of ignition or fuel. That would includes things...

Yes, it is possible the loose shifter is a consequence of the ignition switch breaking as there is an interlock between the two. The recall relates to the ignition switch not retaining the key in the run position, thus potentially...

Hi, thanks for writing in. I'd be happy to offer my insight. It seems that the oil pump lost its prime when it drained for 8 hours with the oil filter off. I recommend removing the oil filter and filling...

This is not likely. A dirty cabin filter filled with old pine needles is more likely to cause a moldy smell inside the vehicle. The burning smell may be coming from a a shorted circuit somewhere in the car. Consider...

Gasoline engines cannot run on diesel because it is very hard to get it to burn from the ignition; you need very high heat and pressure to get diesel to combust. For example, if you were to throw a match...

Hi there. The P0171 code means that, on the first bank of the engine, the fuel system is running weak or a vacuum leak exists near this side of the engine. A lean condition occurs when the engine either receives...

It sounds like you may have a problem with a weak battery or potentially a failing alternator which will cause this light to come on. As you may know, the alternator is responsible for charging the battery while the engine...

There are a lot of reasons a car won't start from a dead battery (https://www.yourmechanic.com/services/battery-is-dead-inspection) to internal engine problems. An engine needs three things to run: spark, fuel and compression. A trained technician, such as one from YourMechanic, has the...

The easy way to do it is to replace the hub assembly (https://www.yourmechanic.com/article/symptoms-of-a-bad-or-failing-wheel-hub-assembly) if you have a lot of miles on them since it will give you new studs and bearings. If you want to just replace the studs, you...

An appropriate diagnostic to resolve your issue is a failure to shift inspection (https://www.yourmechanic.com/services/not-able-to-change-gears-inspection). Of course, first check your transmission's fluid level and condition (https://www.yourmechanic.com/services/transmission-fluid-service). A really low fluid level can cause shift difficulties. Typically, if a transmission fails to...

Hey there. Thanks for writing in about your 2005 Pontiac Grand Prix. There are many possible causes for a car not to start. Based on your description, however, I believe there is something wrong with your ignition system. I would...

This suggests your power steering pump may be failing or you have a leak elsewhere in one of the power steering lines. The [power steering]((https://www.yourmechanic.com/services/power-steering-fluid-is-leaking-inspection) system operates on very high pressurized hydraulic pressure (in some cases as much as 300...

Hello. Thank you for writing in. The vehicle may be having one of several issues. Typically the steering wheel is not the issue when the steering becomes loose. Now if the entire steering column is loose, you can worry about...

Hello. The daytime running lights are not supposed to function at the same time as the headlights. The daytime running lights are only supposed to come on during the day, to provide additional visibility for daytime driving, independently of the...

This can be caused by a number of things such as low coolant levels (https://www.yourmechanic.com/services/top-off-coolant), a faulty thermostat (https://www.yourmechanic.com/services/thermostat-replacement), or a failing coolant fan switch. As you may know the coolant fan switch helps to maintain the proper coolant temperature...

The check engine light flashing is most likely from your engine miss firing on one or more cylinders. The computer should be scanned to see what cylinder is miss firing and that cylinder checked for a failing weak coil pack,...

Since you replaced some things already we can certainly rule those out. When you replaced the fuel pump did you replace the filter also? a clogged fuel filter can certainly make the car act this way. Also, considering the age...

Hi there. Im unsure of the issue you are reporting. There are countless amounts of issues your vehicle may be experiencing. If your vehicle is stuck in park there is a brake switch that commonly goes out on vehicles, that...