Firebird - Pontiac :: 1985 - No Power Steering / Brakes Or Acceleration
Aug 10, 2012
My car is a 1985 Pontiac Firebird
So I was drive around 45mph when I noticed that the accelerator stopped responding, it didn't make any obvious noises. I hadn't run out of gas and the engine was still running. I started pulling over to the side of the road and noticed that the power steering and the power brakes were no longer working. I got it to the side of the road and shut the engine off, I waited a minute and tried to start it again, the engine turned over but wouldn't start. I tried this a few more times with the same result.
I can't afford to take it to a mechanic so I need to figure out what's wrong and try to fix it myself. The car has a slow oil leak. As recently as a few months ago I replaced the battery and had to replace the alternator, since then it has been running fine. I checked the belts and all of them are still there, a friend of mine told me to wiggle the pulleys and make sure they were all tight, I did so and found nothing wrong with them and none of the belts are loose. What could cause all of these things to go wrong at once?
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I have an 85 Firebird V6, 2.8L, tuned port injection, we bought it new and I have changed the oil every 2000 miles, it still runs great, except… The fuel pump gave out, I replaced it with a new Bosch, in the process I tried to replace the fuel filter, the line was rusted, it broke. I had to replace about 2 ft. of metal line with nylon tube, I also had to install a fuel filter with quick disconnect fittings, the filter is not the original but some generic because the original metal threaded fittings are gone. It runs great up to about ½ throttle, if I try to accelerate more than that it loses power and almost dies. If I turn off the ignition and restart the engine it runs fine for a while, full power all the way to full throttle.
I’ve noticed that if I keep the fuel tank full the problem happens less often.My theory is that the fuel pump is aerating because of not enough restriction in the fuel filter because it isn’t designed for that car, if I keep the tank full it is harder to start the aeration and stopping the pump and restarting it stops the aeration for a while. If I could get a fuel pressure gauge and be able to see it while I’m driving that would be great, but how? Also, what does the fuel pressure regulator really do? Does the fuel pump run all the time the engine is running? It also sounded like an electrical problem but it idles well and it is very smooth up to about ½ throttle. Could I just have a bad pressure regulator or does my theory sound like it makes sense?
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I have a 92 fire bird , just got it. Ran fine, idled a little high, but after a bit, it went down. Now, when it idles, it just wants to die when I come to a stop at a red light or stop sign. It dies, unless I keep one foot on the brake and another on the gas to keep it idled up.
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My 1997 Pontiac Firebird Transam Ram-Air with 169K miles is becoming hard to start. It used to start right up with the first key-switch. Now, if the gas level in the tank is below 75% it will not start on the key-switch. However, it would now normally start right up on the second key-switch. However, very recently the car is now needing the third key-switch to start with lower gas levels in the tank. I MAY be noticing a difference in starting reliability with change in temperature. Lower temperatures seem to increase the frequency of starting on the first or second key-switch. Higher temperatures seem to require the third key-switch to start.
This slow to start behavior manifests its self after the car has rested for about an hour or longer. A friend checked a fuel check-valve immediately behind the engine when the. However, he found fuel there. The local GM dealership claimed they could not find the problem and suggested a new car battery and then a tune-up for $1K. I suspect the problem is a fuel pump in the fuel-tank or associated seal degrading. What is the actual cause of the observed behavior?
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I have a 1989 formula firebird 305 v8 automatic that I am having an issue with. I drove to the next town over, on my way back it stalled 7 times, started back up everytime. On the 8th time it completely died. I have power to my lights and everything still just no cranking and starting. Most the time it was stalling was when i started to slow down for a stop it would shut off. Got it pushed home. Had my battery and starter checked, battery was bad, and starter solenoid was bad. changed both and still nothing. The security light dont come on (just when you first turn the key like usual it turns on, but right back off) I have not a clue where to go from here.
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I just bought a used 95 pontiac trans am. It has 121,000 miles on it, 6-speed manual, 5.7L engine, all stock. Well i bought it with oil leaks and they turned out to be worse than i thought so i had to reseal pretty much the whole front of the engine from the o-ring seal to the camshaft seal, etc. That took care of the oil leaks. Well then it started to overheat so i replaced the water pump. Problems solved. Then a spark plug came loose. No prob. Well 24 hours after getting it out of the shop from the resealing i break down.
Now they say i need a new wire harness. No prob. So now I've put $2,000 into the car (that's including new tires). SO ONCE AGAIN WITHIN 24 HOURS OF LEAVING THE SHOP i break down again. So I take it to a different shop again to get a diagnostic. They won't be able to tell me anything until monday but they put on a new air intake boot (without my permission because mine was taped to secure it better and i knew it wasn't leaking air) and it cut off on them again in the shop (so I'm not paying for the boot). When i break down it happens unexpectedly just like I've run out of gas. Well once there was almost like a split second of a lurch but other than that its always been a smooth break down. No bad sounds or anything. And the motor sounds great and the car runs really well until it just stops... Then if i let it sit for a little while it will start back up and go for a little then stop again. No one can really tell me whats wrong with it.
My fuel pump seems to be fine. alternator seems fine (my lights don't dim or anything). Distributor maybe? Or could it be the fuel filter? And isn't there something i can do about the shop? Wouldn't a prudent shop at least run the computer on the car? I don't think they did because at the shop where it is now they said that 6 codes popped up on it. So they want to erase them all and run the car and see which ones come back up. So can't i take the other shop to court for neglect in their work? I mean breaking down TWICE WITHIN 24 hours of leaving them. And then the rest of the afternoon they wouldn't even pick up the phone...
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I have a 93 firebird. it has a new engine ,starter and battery. fuse under hood is good. turn switch lights work as usual .
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I have been having some recent issues with my 92 bird lately. It started minor but now the car will not stay on. It originally started out as I would need to press the gas to get it to start and it would stay on, but now if I let my foot off the gas for anything it will just idle rough and die out. I took it into a shop and they said that I had a bad idle control valve and the pigtails need to be replaced. They also said that some wires were shorted out and they would replace those as well. They replaced the Pigtails and the idle control valve and the car started to work fine again, for about 4 days only. I drove to the store and when I came back out to start it back up it wouldn’t stay on unless I gave it gas.
I had to drive it home giving it gas and using my other foot on the brake so that it didn’t due out. I checked the job they did and doesn’t even look like they did what they said they did. I looked at the botched shrink tube job they did and it just doesn’t look that professionally done. I did call the guy and he gave me an excuse and said that they short must have traveled further and he was surprised that the car was even running when they were done. I of course just hung up the phone after hearing that. I did a little looking around the engine and I noticed that if you unplug a vacuum tube and press on the gas and hold it at 2000 rpm for a few seconds and let off the car will stay on, but the moment I plug that hose back up with my finger or plug it back in the tube slot, the car idles rough for a few moments and dies.
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Wife's daily driver often stalls when coming to a stop. I changed MAP, TPS, Fuel filter; Reputable mechanic changed IAC, Plugs, Wires, Cleaned Throttle Body. We reset computer and relearned idle several times, ok for a while then starts stalling routinely again. What to do next? Owner, driver, wife is getting frustrated with the big money spent to no avail to date and I am worried it will stall at a dangerous time, when she is driving. She loves the car - has had it for 20 years and wants to keep it. I need it to be safe and reliable for her.
1992 Pontiac Firebird 3.1L, Auto, Air
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I have a 2002 firebird that I had the battery replaced on yesterday also had positive terminal and wires changed because of corosion. Ran fine when I left shop. When I went to go out last night car would not start Only clicks when try to start. Dome light works, headlight works, and dash lights work.
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My 1996 Firebird with 3800 series II V6 engine makes a ringing noise. The noise appears to come from the front of the engine (pulley area) and sounds like an old fashioned fire alarm. It usually occurs after the engine has warmed up and cannot be heard from inside while cruising.
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I recently bought a 1991 Pontiac Firebird Formula 5.7L TPI with 124k. We was driving it home when noticed it was getting really hot (240-250). We pulled over at a gas station and gased it and let it cool off. We had been driving in the city at about 4 o clock for about 7 miles if that makes a difference. When it cooled we tried again. We got about another mile and the temperature would stay down so we pulled back over. We inspected it. The oil pressure showed really zero but we checked the dipstick and it looked okay. The engine sounded normal and the radiator is fairly new. The fan was blowing. We noticed that after it cooled off if you hit the gas the oil pressure would go up (similar to a tachometer...i thought that was weird). After if got cooled and we got on the open highway the temperature stayed normal and the car performed like it should. We think its the thermostat but are not sure.
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My 1994 TransAm has 70k miles. As I';m driving, I'll notice the tach needle drop to zero with no warning, and the car just dies. Battery is fine, gas tank is full, and it soon starts again and works normally. Friends have suggested the timing belt (or chain?) may be the issue, and one day, it won't start again, or it will break and ruin the engine. She, like me, is an antique -- is it time to take her in to the repair shop, and if so, is it costly?
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I started up the car this morning and drove it just fine, but the drivers door wouldn't open when getting out. so i took apart the side panel to fix the latch along with the electric lock switch that also didn't work to unlock the door. when trying to push the unlock button, I noticed my deck stopped playing music, then cut back on. i tried again, and then it cut off once more, but this time it didnt cut back on..
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My pontiac is missing, from a complete stop, she hesitates a second before she goes.............and in the driving, I can feel a misfiring, not a noise, but it's not smooth, it's hesitating as I'm driving her too. We have replaced the fuel filter, air filter, had a tune up & trans serviced, it seemed to be better for a while, but now it's back.... She's an oldie, but a goodie, and we want to keep her...
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Yesterday while driving, i lost all power steering and power brakes (you would automatically think Booster). I pulled over, popped the hood and fluid was spewing from behind the power steering pump somewhere. I limped the truck home about 20 miles. I checked brake fluid and it was full. checked power steering fluid and it appeared to be empty. Yet when i added fluid it took less than a half quart. I started the vehicle to pressurize the pump and find the leak. Yet the pump never pumped any fluid. (one would thing pump was out) I am baffled as to if the pump went out, why fluid loss? If the booster was out, why do i still have brakes just without power assist? Andif a hose is blown, why such small fluid loss? I dont want to just start replacing parts till it get the right one
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Car: 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix GTPEngine: 3.8L SuperchargedMileage: 94,300 miles
Issue : Usually after driving the car for a long period of time (approx 20 miles or more), Ill begin to hear a grinding coming from the front of the car. The grinding/ groaning can be felt in the gas pedal as well. Depending how hard I hit the gas the frequency increases. I am not sure if this is associated with the grinding, but i noticed that when I turn sharply and go easy on the gas and progressively add pressure the car will cut out until i cut straighten the wheel. Then all the power I requested is applied all at once.
What the locals think :
CV Shafts - Sears told me the first time i went to get them checked that my CV shaft boot was a little loose, suggested changing it. Then I went back two weeks later and they denied saying that and said my cv shafts were fine. (talk about confusing)
Wheel Bearings - Someone I know said my wheel bearing could be slipping or my traction control could be on its way out, so i replaced both front bearings.
Tune up - Someone suggested it could be mis-firing, with it coming up on 100,000 miles, i did a tune up. (plugs, wires, coil packs)
Transmission - Someone said the transmission could be going bad. So i did a flush and inspected the fluid, no shavings or any sign of extreme wear. (car shifts great too.)
Clogged Catalytic converter - the cat was clogged, two new 02 sensors and a new cat didn't even solve the issue I am describing, but it does have more power now.
Throttle Body - Someone said it could be a dirty throttle body....so i had that cleaned also.
And finally, some electric temperature sensor - someone said it wasn't getting the right fuel mixture, so i replaced the sensor to remedy that.
Fuel pressure was also tested to ensure the fuel pump was doing its job, everything checked out great
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85 ranger 2.3 fuel injected misses at high acceleration. Fairly new plugs and wires, just replaced the timing belt, pretty new fuel pump in tank, new fuel pressure regulator and pcv. It idles well, starts up and drives pretty well until you get it in 4th and really bog it down. Could be timing issues but I'm pretty sure I did everything right when I put the belt in. What it could be? I know when the tank fuel pump went out, it did something similar for a while...
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My 2007 Pontiac Grand Prix loses power steering fluid within a couple of days of having the power steering fixed. I've gotten a new power steering unit, new hoses, had some kind of treatment put in to try to stop leaks, and nothing has worked. Every mechanic that's looked at it says there's no leak that they can see. What the heck is going on?
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I have a 2000 Pontiac Grand Am. It has a leak in the power steering system. Someone has suggested, before I get it fixed, to try something like Blue Devil or Bars Power Steering Leak fix. Is this worthwhile, or do I risk causing more problems?
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I have had various issues with my car over the years but on my way home last night my car just died coming down the interstate. It didn't make any noise, it simply kicked off the cruise, the battery light and oil light came on, and I lost gas and power steering. The security light did not come on and my car's forgotten who I am often enough I know how to do the key relearn by heart. My service engine soon light stays on because I no longer have a catalytic converter. When I turn the key over I smell gas (which I can only assume means there's not an issue with my fuel system), everything turns (alternator, belts, etc.) but it doesn't fire.
I had someone suggest that it could possibly be the EGR valve, but when I went to investigate, turns out there isn't one installed on my engine, where it should be there is a metal plate bolted to the "hole". In the past my ignition control module had to be replaced about every 11 months, so I had two and carried the spare in my car. This stopped happening when we finally replaced the entire coil pack. My car has always idled rough (I'm assuming I can attribute this to the lack of EGR valve).
Over the past two weeks it just seemed to get a little worse, it was making noises when accelerating when the car was cold, almost like a whining and the engine was idling hard. When looking for the non-existent EGR valve I did discover my air filter was ridiculously dirty and the air intake is full of oil. The oil was low but not enough to make the engine seize. I know that's a lot of information but was trying to be as clear as possible about previous issues and what I have ruled out. I did read that it could possibly be the CPR, but didn't know and I need it running again.
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